Month: August 2024

Chicago [US], August 20 (ANI): Hillary Clinton spoke Monday at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and made a scathing attack on former US President Donald Trump, saying that the Democrats now have ‘him on the run’, as she appreciated Kamala Harris’ leadership.

Clinton took centerstage and praised Harris’ leadership. “Kamala cares, cares about kids and families, cares about America. Donald only cares about himself,” Clinton said.

“On her first day in court, Kamala said five words that still guide her: ‘Kamala Harris, for the people.’ That is something that Donald Trump will never understand. So it is no surprise, is it, that he is lying about Kamala’s record. He’s mocking her name and her laugh — it sounds familiar. But we have him on the run now,” Clinton said.

The crowd at the convention began chanting “lock him up!” as former Secretary of State Clinton began describing Donald Trump’s legal travails.

“Donald Trump fell asleep at his own trial, and when he woke up, he made his own kind of history — the first person to run for president with 34 felony convictions!” she said. The democrats then began chanting “Lock him up!” harkening back to chants made by Trump’s fans about Clinton during their 2016 face-off.

When she, the crowd responded with chants of “lock him up!” — an ironic repurposing of the chants Trump supporters used against Clinton eight years ago. She smiled and nodded before moving on.

“So no matter what the polls say, we can’t let up. We can’t get driven down in crazy conspiracy rabbit holes. We have to fight for the truth. We have to fight for Kamala as she will fight for us,” she added.

Together, we put a lot of cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling,” Hillary Clinton said in her DNC speech.

“On the other side of that glass ceiling is Kamala Harris raising her hand and taking the oath of office as our 47th president of the United States.”

“Together, we put a lot of cracks in the highest hardest glass ceiling. And tonight, tonight, [we are] so close to breaking through once and for all,” Clinton said.

She also urged her party not to give up the goal of shattering one of America’s last glass ceilings: the election of a woman to the presidency. she hopes will do what she couldn’t — become the first female president.

“The future is here!” Clinton said, adding “I wish my mother and Kamala’s mother could see it. They would say: ‘Keep going’.”

The Democratic National Convention (DNC) kicked off in Chicago on Monday (August 19).

Former US President Barack Obama is scheduled to speak on Tuesday, which will focus on the theme “A Bold Vision for the Future.”

On Wednesday, under the theme “A Fight for Freedom,” former President Bill Clinton and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi of California will address the convention, according to a source familiar with the schedule.

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are also expected to speak this week, DNC officials said.

Mike Waltz, Kamala Harris’s running mate, is expected to take the stage on Wednesday to officially accept the vice-presidential nomination. Harris will formally accept the presidential nomination during her speech on Thursday, a night dedicated to the theme “For the Future.” (ANI)

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray invoked the Shakti bill after hundreds of protesters blocked trains at the Badlapur Railway station, demonstrating against the alleged sexual assault of two young girls at a school in the state’s Badlapur district and said that strict action should be taken against those accused.

Former Chief Minister of the state, Thackeray, said that the incident at Badlapur school should not happen ‘anywhere in the country.’

Uddhav Thackeray further remarked that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government was about to pass the ‘Shakti Bill’ but his government was ‘toppled’ by the current chief minister of Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde.

“Not only in Badlapur, such incidents should not happen anywhere in the country. We were going to pass the Shakti Bill but our government was toppled. It is the responsibility of those who toppled our government and are now in power to pass the Shakti Bill and take stringent action,” Thackeray said.

“I have come to know that the school in which this incident took place belongs to the people of the BJP. But I do not want to do politics in this matter, so whoever is guilty, whether he is a BJP worker or someone else, strict action should be taken against him,” he stated.

A massive protest was held at Badlapur Railway Station on Tuesday against the alleged sexual assault incident involving two minor girls at a school in Thane district.

Maharashtra Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar said one accused has been arrested in connection with the incident and assured that maximum punishment would be meted out to him.

The alleged sexual assault of two minor girls in Badlapur has sparked widespread outrage.

On Tuesday, angry residents, demanding justice, began pelting stones at the school, and the situation escalated, prompting police intervention. The authorities used tear gas and other measures to control the crowd and restore order.

The protesters, wearing black clothes, targeted the school in their demonstration. As the chaos subsided, the police were able to apprehend the individuals responsible for the stone-throwing.

The suspects were taken into custody and are being held at the local police station.

The police are continuing their investigation into the assault case and are working to maintain peace in the community.

Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ordered a high-level probe into the incident and said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had been formed to investigate the case and that those found guilty would face strict action.

“I have taken serious cognizance of the incident in Badlapur. An SIT has already been formed in this matter and we are also going to take action against the school where the incident took place. We are in the process of fast-track this case, and no one will be spared if found guilty,” CM Eknath Shinde said while speaking to ANI on Tuesday.

Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis ordered the formation of an SIT headed by Inspector General of Police-level senior IPS officer Arti Singh to investigate the incident.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi expressed that the entire state was outraged by the incident.

“Two young girls were sexually assaulted in Badlapur, Maharashtra, on the school premises. The entire state is outraged and seeks justice. I once again urge the Rashtrapati Bhavan to approve the Maharashtra Shakti Criminal Law, no other child or woman faces this travesty. Shame on the state government for continuing to ignore the safety of women,” Chaturvedi said.

She further criticized societal attitudes, saying, “The incident is on school premises. Sick perverts in our society want women to dress in a ‘decent way’, to step out during ‘safe hours’ and work in’ safe zones’, and take charge of their ‘own safety’. What would you say to this?” Chaturvedi said.

Residents in Badlapur also demonstrated protests against the sexual abuse of two minor girls, which occurred last week.

As per reports, the parents learnt about the incident on August 18 and filed an FIR. (ANI)

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Amid the unrest in Maharashtra’s Badlapur over the sexual assault of two minor girls at a school, enraged residents began stone pelting at the School where the crime took place.

The alleged sexual assault of two fourth-grade girls in Badlapur, Maharashtra, has sparked widespread outrage.

As Angry residents, demanding justice, began pelting stones at the School, the situation escalated, prompting police intervention. Authorities used tear gas and other measures to control the crowd and restore order.

The protesters, wearing black clothing, targeted the school in their demonstration. As the chaos subsided, the police were able to apprehend the individuals responsible for the stone-throwing. The suspects have been taken into custody and are being held at the local police station.

The police are continuing their investigation into the assault case and are working to maintain peace in the community.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ordered a high-level probe into the incident and said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate the case and that those found guilty would face strict action.

“I have taken serious cognizance of the incident in Badlapur. An SIT is already formed in this matter and we are also going to take action against the school where the incident took place. We are in the process to fast-track this case, and no one will be spared if found guilty,” CM Eknath Shinde said while speaking to ANI on Tuesday.

Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis ordered the formation of an SIT headed by Inspector General of Police-level senior IPS officer Arti Singh to investigate the incident.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi expressed that the entire state was outraged by the incident. “Two young girls were sexually assaulted in Badlapur, Maharashtra on the school premises; the entire state is outraged and seeks justice. I once again urge the Rashtrapati Bhavan to approve the Maharashtra Shakti Criminal Law, no other child or woman faces this travesty. Shame on the state government to continue to ignore the safety of women,” Chaturvedi said.

She further criticized societal attitudes, saying, “The incident is on school premises. Sick perverts in our society want women to dress in a ‘decent way’, to step out during ‘safe hours’ and work in’ safe zones’, and take charge of their ‘own safety’. What would you say to this?” Chaturvedi said.

Earlier, a massive protest was held at Badlapur Railway Station on Tuesday in response to the alleged sexual assault of two minor girls at a school in Badlapur. Protesters also pelted stones at police during the protest. Heavy security has been deployed to control the crowd protesting against the incident.

The Central Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) said, “Local trains were stopped at Badlapur railway station due to protests against the alleged sexual assault of two minor girls at a school in Badlapur.” (ANI)

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Actor Shreyas Talpade has reacted strongly to his death rumours and urged people to stop doing so as it can cause “real harm”.

Taking to his Instagram handle, he wrote a long note referring to the viral post claiming his “demise”. “Dear all, I want to assure everyone that I am ALIVE, HAPPY AND HEALTHY. I’ve become aware of a viral post claiming my demise. While I understand that humor has its place, when it’s misused, it can cause real harm. What may have started as a joke by someone, is now creating unnecessary worry and playing with the emotions of those who care about me, especially my family.”

He added that these rumours have deeply affected his young daughter, who is already anxious about his health. These false claims have intensified her fears and she is also forced to face difficult questions from her peers and teachers.

A few months ago, Talpade suffered a heart attack. Later his wife, Deepti issued a health update on the social media handle, stating he is in “stable condition”.

“My little daughter, who goes to school every day, is already anxious about my well-being, constantly asking questions and seeking reassurance. This false news only deepens her fears, forcing her to confront more questions from her peers and teachers, stirring up emotions that we’ve been trying to manage as a family.”

He urged people who are spreading such false news to think about its impact on families especially young children who might not be able to understand the situation completely.

“To those pushing this content further, I ask you to pause and consider the impact. Many people have genuinely prayed for my well-being, and it’s disheartening to see humor used in a way that can hurt sentiments, cause distress to my loved ones, and disrupt our lives. When you spread such rumors, it doesn’t just affect the person targeted-it also affects their family, especially young children who might not fully understand the situation but feel the emotional toll nonetheless,” he added.

He expressed his gratitude towards those who checked up on him and showed their love and support. He asked the trolls to stop spreading such false and painful content.

“I am deeply grateful to all who have checked in on me during this time. Your concern and love mean the world to me. To the trolls, I have a simple request: please stop. Don’t joke around at the cost of others and don’t do this to anyone else. I wouldn’t want anything like this to happen to you ever so please be sensitive. Chasing engagement and likes should never come at the expense of others’ feelings. Love Always, Shreyas Talpade.”

Meanwhile, on the work front, he was seen in ‘Kartam Bhugtam’ and he is also part of Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Emergency’.

‘Emergency’, a project helmed entirely by Kangana Ranaut, boasts a stellar cast including Anupam Kher, Mahima Chaudhary, Milind Soman, Shreyas Talpade, Vishak Nair, and the late Satish Kaushik in pivotal roles.

Based on the period when an emergency was imposed in the country in 1975, it stars Ranaut as the former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi. (ANI)

For more details visit us: https://lokmarg.com/

The Department of Personnel and Training Minister, Jitendra Singh wrote to the Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission on Tuesday to cancel the lateral entry advertisement related to several lateral entry posts at various levels in the central government as per directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“I am writing to you on the important issue of lateral entry into the Government of India. Recently, the UPSC issued an advertisement related to a number of lateral entry posts at various levels in the Central Government. It is well known that, as a principle, lateral entry was endorsed by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission which was constituted in 2005, and chaired by Shri Veerappa Moily. The recommendations of the sixth pay commission in 2013 were also in the same direction. However, both before and after that there have been many high-profile cases of lateral entrants,” the letter said.

“Under earlier governments, posts as important as that of the Secretary in various ministries, leadership of UIDAI, etc., have been given to lateral entrants without following any process of reservations. Further, it is well known that the members of the infamous National Advisory Council used to run a super-bureaucracy that controlled the Prime Minister’s Office,” the Minister’s letter added.

“While most of the major lateral entries before 2014 were made in an ad-hoc manner, including cases of alleged favouritism, efforts of our Government have been to make the process institutionally driven, transparent and open,” the letter said.

“Further, the Prime Minister is of the firm belief that the process of lateral entry must be aligned with the principles of equity and social justice enshrined in our Constitution, particularly concerning the provisions of reservation. For the Prime Minister, reservation in public employment is a cornerstone of our social justice framework, aimed at addressing historical injustices and promoting inclusivity,” the letter stated.

“It is important that the constitutional mandate towards social justice is upheld so that deserving candidates from marginalized communities get their rightful representation in the government services. Since these positions have been treated as specialized and designated as single-cadre posts, there has been no provision for reservation in these appointments. This aspect needs to be reviewed and reformed in the context of the Prime Minister’s focus on ensuring social justice,” it added.

“Hence, I urge the UPSC to cancel the advertisement for lateral entry recruitment issued on August 17, 2024. This step would be a significant advance in the pursuit of social justice and empowerment,” the letter said.

Earlier, Leader of Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack against the centre over the lateral entry of individuals into top government positions saying that it is an attack on Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis.

Taking to social media platform X, Rahul Gandhi wrote, “Lateral entry is an attack on Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis. BJP’s distorted version of Ram Rajya seeks to destroy the Constitution and snatch reservations from Bahujans.”

Several other opposition leaders like Akhilesh Yadav, MK Stalin and Sitaram Yechury had opposed the government’s move of lateral entry. Voice of dissent from within the NDA also came up with Chirag Paswan objecting to the notification.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw however clarified Monday that these openings “do not cut into the roster of any civil services” or impact the reservation system for regular openings. He said these positions are temporary and created for only three years. He termed opposition criticism as “false and baseless”.

“These new job openings do not cut into the rosters of any service. What is the roster? Roster is the how many SC candidates, how many ST candidates, how many OBC candidates will have to be taken and balance is general. The roster is created keeping in mind that every next candidate taken is from a reserved category,” the minister told reporters.

Saying that “misleading imputation that Congress is doing is baseless and false”, the minister said, “This (the lateral entry) was done in UPA government, and before that NDA government and before that Congress government. They had lateral entry also but were done in an un-systemic manner. What we have done is to make it systemic and transparent by giving it UPSC.”

The UPSC recently released a notification for recruiting Joint Secretaries, Directors, and Deputy Secretaries through lateral entry. This decision had ignited criticism from opposition parties, who claim it undermines the reservation rights of OBCs, SCs, and STs. (ANI)

For more details visit us: https://lokmarg.com/

A massive protest was held at Badlapur Railway Station on Tuesday against the alleged sexual assault incident of two minor girls at a school in Thane district.

Maharashtra Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar said one accused has been arrested in connection with the incident and assured that maximum punishment would be meted out to him.

Kesarkar said, “This is a very sad incident. The entire machinery of the state education department has been activated. We have given instructions to four IAS officers from Pune and Mumbai. We are inquiring why the CCTV was not working in the school. After the complaint was given, no action was taken. So the Senior PI has been transferred. We will take this case to Fast Track court and ensure that the maximum punishment is given to the accused…Our entire department is present here and the safety of students is our priority.”

He further said that a notice has been sent to the school in Badlapur where the alleged incident took place last week.

“We have decided to form Vishakha Committee for every school. Two teachers, a headmaster, a class teacher and two assistants have been suspended. The incident took place between August 13 and 16 and when no cognizance was taken for 12 hours after the complaint on August 18 then the Senior PI was transferred. One person has been arrested under POCSO and may face imprisonment of up to 13 and half years,” he said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said the entire state was outraged.

Priyanka Chaturvedi said, “Two young girls were sexually assaulted in Badlapur, Maharashtra in the school premises; the entire state is outraged and seeks justice. I once again urge the Rashtrapati Bhavan to approve the Maharashtra Shakti Criminal Law, no other child or woman faces this travesty. Shame on the state government to continue to ignore the safety of women.”

She further said that this incident happened on school premises. “Sick perverts in our society want women to dress in a ‘decent way’, to step out during ‘safe hours’ and work in’ safe zones’, and take charge of their ‘own safety’. What would you say to this?” Chaturvedi said.

Meanwhile, heavy security has been deployed to control the crowd protesting against the alleged sexual assault incident in Badlapur.

CPRO Central Railway said, “Local trains stopped at Badlapur railway station where protesters agitated against the alleged sexual assault incident with two minor girls at a school in Badlapur.” (ANI)

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday constituted a 10-member National Task Force to make recommendations on the prevention of violence and safe working conditions for medical professionals.

The task force includes Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin among others.

Days after the rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata sparked nationwide protests, the apex court suo motu took up the case and directed the taskforce to submit an interim report within three weeks and a final report within two months.

The court said the Task Force would also prepare an action plan to prevent gender-based violence and ensure a dignified working space for interns, residents, and non-resident doctors,

The top court also asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a status report on the status of the investigation in the rape case. The court asked the West Bengal government to file a status report on the mob attack incident in the RG Kar hospital on August 15.

During the hearing, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud observed, “The Kolkata incident raises safety issues of doctors across the country.”

“We are deeply concerned about the fact that the name, photo and video clip of the Kolkata rape victim were published all over India. The law prohibits publishing victims’ names,” the CJI observed.

The court also raised questions about the actions of the Kolkata Police on the day of the murder. The court observed, “It appears crime was detected in the early hours of the morning and no FIR was filed”.

Denying this senior advocate Kapil Sibal said that is not correct and an unnatural death case was already registered.

Supreme Court reiterated that until late at night there was no FIR that suggested it was a clear case of murder.

CJI then said that we are setting up a national task force and wants them to give recommendations on the modalities to be followed across the country for safety measures for senior and junior doctors.

Meanwhile, the FAIMA Doctors Association welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to set up a National Task Force. FAIMA requested the court to include representation from interns, resident doctors as well as faculties along with government officials.

SC has now listed the matter on August 22.

The Supreme Court said the West Bengal state is expected to restrain on the peaceful protests and that power of state is not unleashed on peaceful protests.

The apex court remarked that as more and more women are joining the work force the country cannot wait for another rape for things to change on the ground.

The CJI noted that the existing enactments do not address institutional safety standards for doctors and medical workers. (ANI)

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Various shopping malls in the national capital received bomb threat mail on Tuesday, said Delhi police.

According to the Delhi police, Chanakya Mall, Select CityWalk, Ambience Mall, DLF, Cine Polis, Pacific Mall, Primus Hospital and Unity group received threat mail stating, “The explosive will go off in few hours.”

The mall authorities informed the Delhi police as soon as the mail came to notice, said Delhi police.

The Delhi police initiated an investigation immediately after being informed. Bomb Disposal Squad and fire tenders have arrived on the spot. No bomb has been detected yet.

According to a senior police officer, initial investigation suggests it seems that the same pattern has been followed to send threatening emails in which datelines have not been mentioned. The mail has been sent to many malls and other places. An investigation is currently underway.

Further investigation is underway. More details into the matter are awaited.

On August 17, a bomb threat was received at Ambience Mall in Gurugram, but no suspicious thing was found during the search, Gurugram Police said.

“The administration of Ambience Mall received an email which says that a bomb has been planted in the mall. When we received the information, all the teams including the bomb detection and disposal squad, dog squad, and SWAT team came to the spot,” ACP Vikas Kaushik told reporters.

“We started sanitising the mall. Till now, we haven’t found anything suspicious thing in the mall. Our cyber teams are tracking the sender of the email. We got the information at 10 in the morning,” he added.

Gurugram police said that if anybody is found giving misleading or false information on bomb threats through any post on social media or via email that affects law and order, legal action will be taken.

On August 2, an email was received by a school in Delhi’s Greater Kailash area, threatening to blow it up with a bomb, officials said. According to the Delhi Police, the email said that a bomb was planted in the school, though nothing was found in the investigation. Legal action in the matter was initiated. (ANI)

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Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Vice President of Jammu and Kashmir, Yudhvir Sethi on Monday criticised National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah for trying to mislead people of Jammu and Kashmir and ruin the Union Territory.

Speaking to ANI, Sethi said “Omar Abdullah should speak the truth and accept that things that have gone will never come back. Secondly, despite losing in the Supreme Court, Omar Abdullah has been misleading people and that is the reason why there was so much terrorism, nepotism and corruption here.”

With elections scheduled in Jammu and Kashmir for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370, Sethi’s comments reflect the ongoing political tensions in the region.

Further, he suggested Omar to accept that things that have gone will never come back regarding Article 370 and further said that he should stop misleading people.

Sethi alleged that Omar Abdullah wants to come back to the same position again and wants to ruin the Union Territory.

“He (Omar Abdullah) wants to come back to the same position again and he wants to ruin the Union Territory,” Sethi said.

Notably, National Conference on Monday launched its Manifesto that promised 12 guarantees to the people of the Union Territory.

The party’s Vice President Omar Abdullah launched the manifesto that includes some huge promises like- restoration of Article 370, 35-A and statehood, redrawing the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 and return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits.

The first guarantee of the NC’s manifesto envisage the restoration of political and legal status of the Union Territory and said that the party would strive to restore Article 370-35A and statehood prior to August 5, 2019.

Regarding talks with Pakistan, Sethi said the Indian government will only engage when Pakistan stops supporting terrorism and improves its behavior.

“Until there is no complete peace, terrorist attacks are completely stopped and until Pakistan does not improve, only blunt answers will be given to Pakistan,” said Sethi .

He also criticized the National Conference’s manifesto, calling it “useless” and designed to push Jammu and Kashmir towards Pakistan.

“Firstly, whatever they are saying about the prisoners being in jail is wrong and he is only misleading people. The government has said time and again that there are no prisoners in the jail. Secondly, their manifesto is made in such a manner that they want to ruin Jammu Kashmir again in the direction of Pakistan. The manifesto is useless.

Elections are to be held in Jammu Kashmir for the first time after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

The election body has directed the enforcement agencies to be impartial and transparent for smooth and fair polling, ensuring a level playing field.

Jammu and Kashmir will witness elections after a gap of 10 years, as the last assembly election was held in 2014. The PDP-BJP coalition government fell in June 2018 when the latter withdrew support to the then-Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti.

In December of last year, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to conclude the election process by September 30, 2024. (ANI)

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