Month: September 2024

National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval on Wednesday attended the BRICS National Security Advisers meeting in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The meeting of BRICS and BRICS Plus High-Level Security Officials is being held in St. Petersburg from September 10-12.

The Indian Embassy in Russia shared some pictures of the Bricks meeting on X and stated, “NSA Shri Ajit Doval is participating in the BRICS NSAs meeting in Saint Petersburg, Russia. During the sessions in the first half of the day, he spoke on modern security challenges, including ICT ( information and communication technology) related issues and terrorism, and the need to address them through joint efforts within the BRICS framework.”

Notably, Russia is holding the BRICS chairmanship for the year 2024.

BRICS is an informal group of states comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, with new members Egypt, Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia joining the grouping in 2023. Ajit Doval also participated in the 13th BRICS NSA meeting in Johannesburg in July 2023.

Doval’s visit to Moscow comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Russia and Ukraine in the past two months. During his visit, PM Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

It was PM Modi’s first visit to Russia and Ukraine since the war started between Moscow and Kyiv in 2022. Notably, India has always advocated “peace and diplomacy” for resolving conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

During his visit to Russia in July, PM Modi held a meeting with President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin and discussed ways to diversify cooperation between the two nations in various sectors like trade, commerce, security, agriculture, technology, commerce, and innovation. (ANI)

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Agitating doctors of the RK Kar Hospital on Wednesday clarified about their refusal to accept West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s invitation for talks at the state secretariat to resolve the impasse over their refusal to return to work. The doctors said they refused to attend because it was said to be a closed-door meeting.

Speaking to ANI, Dr Aqeeb said, “The mail that we received yesterday was from the principal secretary and it was written that there is a meeting with senior government officials, stating it to be a closed-door meeting. We refused it because we were against the closed-door meeting.”

“Like WB Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said the Chief Minister was waiting for us, nothing of this sort was mentioned in the mail. We then sent a mail to the CM office in which we mentioned our five demands,” he said.

He added further, “The demands included that those creating trouble in justice should be asked to resign. Elections should be conducted; college counsel should be given recognition and elected representatives should be part of it and not selected representatives among others.”

West Bengal Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said that CM Mamata Banerjee waited for doctors to come and talk to her after sending the letter but no one arrived at Nabanna.

“Your small delegation (maximum 10 persons) may visit ‘Nabanna’ now to meet government representatives,” the email sent by the state’s Health Secretary N S Nigam to the protesting medics on Tuesday evening stated.

“The language of the communication is not only disrespectful to us doctors, it’s downright insensitive. We find no reason to reply to this mail,” Dr Debasish Halder, a leader of the protesting doctors who organised a sit-in before the state health department headquarters at ‘Swasthya Bhavan’ in Salt Lake, said.

The doctors conveyed that although “doors remain open” for talks with the state’s highest authorities, they would continue with their agitation till their demands are met.

The protesting doctors of state-run healthcare facilities, currently on ‘cease work’ for over a month to protest the alleged rape and murder of the RG Kar hospital medic, defied the 5 pm deadline set by the Supreme Court to return to work, and conveyed their intentions to stay put before the ‘Swasthya Bhavan’ and keep pressing for their demands.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was scheduled to hold a meeting to review the functioning of health facilities and improve safety, security and patient services in the state.

Principals, Directors and medical superintendents and vice principals (MSVPs) of all medical colleges and hospitals in the state were invited to the meeting.

All Commissioners of Police and District Magistrates and Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) of all districts were also invited to this meeting.

Earlier on September 10, the father of the deceased trainee doctor from Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College said that the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, has not done any work and his family is not satisfied with her role in the case. The victim’s father also said that they demanded a CBI investigation due to her “unsatisfied role” in the case.

Speaking to ANI, the victim’s father, said, “We are not satisfied with the role of the CM (Mamata Banerjee) in the case; that’s why we went to the CBI. She hasn’t done any work. One of the policemen came to our house, they said we have arrested Sanjay Roy and he will be produced in fast track court and will get a death sentence. But the incident that happened with my daughter was not the work of just one person. We have been saying this since starting those persons from the department are involved in this.” (ANI)

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In a move to benefit 4.5 crore families, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved health coverage to all senior citizens of the age 70 years and above irrespective of income under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).

It will benefit 4.5 crore families with 6 crore senior citizens with a Rs 5 lakh free health insurance cover on an annual basis. Eligible senior citizens would be issued a new distinct card under the scheme.

“Senior citizens of the age 70 years and above belonging to families already covered under AB PM-JAY to get an additional top-up cover up to 75 lakh per annum for themselves,” the government said.

“Senior citizens of the age 70 years and above who are already availing benefits of other public health insurance schemes may either choose their existing scheme or opt for AB PMJAY,” the government added.

Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri – Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) aims to provide health cover of Rs 5 lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to approximately 55 crore beneficiaries corresponding to 12.34 crore families constituting the bottom 40 per cent of India’s population.

The Cabinet also approved PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) Scheme with an outlay of Rs.10,900 crore over a period of two years. (ANI)

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Semicon India summit at the India Expo Mart in Greater Noida on Wednesday.

Addressing the gathering, PM Modi said this is the right time to be in India, “Many projects are currently in the pipeline, and India today assures the world that when the chips are down, you can bet on India,” he said.

In his keynote speech, the Prime Minister shared his vision for India’s semiconductor industry, stating, “My dream is that every device in the world should have a made in India chip.”

“Due to India’s policies, in a very short time, investments worth more than Rs 1.5 trillion have been made in this sector, and many projects are currently in the pipeline,” PM Modi said.

PM Modi described India’s semiconductor industry as being equipped with “special diodes,” he said, “India’s semiconductor industry is equipped with special diodes.”

“You invest and create value, and the government provides you with stable policies and ease of doing business,” he remarked.

He further underscored India’s contributions to the global semiconductor design ecosystem, stating “You invest and create value, and the government provides you with stable policies and ease of doing business.”

PM Modi also highlighted the country’s focus on education and skill development in this field.

He added, “In the world of designing, India contributes 20 per cent of the talent. We are preparing a semiconductor workforce of 85,000 technicians, engineers, and R&D specialists. India’s focus is on making its students and professionals ready for the semiconductor industry.”

“In addition to talent development, India is also prioritising semiconductor infrastructure. Just yesterday, the first meeting of the National Research Foundation on research was held,” the Prime Minister further said.

The Prime Minister said that India is putting a lot of focus on semiconductor-related infrastructure and that the country has created a research fund of Rs 1 trillion. The PM also said that initiatives like this will greatly expand the scope of innovation in the semiconductor and science sectors.

He added, “Additionally, you have a three-dimensional power–first, the reform-oriented government of today; second, India’s growing manufacturing base; and third, India’s aspirational market. Today, India is a major consumer of chips. On this very chip, we have built the world’s best digital public infrastructure. The Indian government is providing 50% support for setting up semiconductor manufacturing facilities in India.” (ANI)

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Launching a scathing attack on Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi for his reservation remarks in the US, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday said that his views reflect his petty mentality and Congress is habitual of doing politics in the name of religion and caste.

In a social media post on X, Eknath Shinde wrote, “Rahul Gandhi’s views reflect his petty mentality. Whenever Rahul Gandhi goes abroad, he spews venom against the country. The country can never agree with Rahul Gandhi’s petty views. It has been Congress’s habit to do politics in the name of religion and caste.”

Calling himself a “true soldier of Shiv Sena”, CM Shinde further said that he will never let reservation end. He further said that the Mahayuti government fully supports reservation

The tweet added, “Spreading confusion about the Constitution and reservation has become their fashion. Rahul Gandhi’s anti-reservation face has now come before the world. The Mahayuti government fully supports reservation and as long as he is a true soldier of Shiv Sena, he will never let reservation end…”

Earlier in the day, Union Minister Amit Shah lashed out at Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for his remarks in the US on “reservations”.

Shah said that it has become a habit for the Congress leader to stand with “forces that conspire to divide the country”. Shah also stated that the BJP won’t let anyone abolish the reservation and hamper the nation’s security. Shah further alleged that Rahul Gandhi’s statements shows his divisive policies.

On Monday, leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, said that the Congress party will think of scrapping reservations when India becomes a “fair place,” which it is not. The Congress leader was interacting with students and faculty at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

He also reiterated the need to conduct a caste census while saying that 90 per cent of the country’s population — OBCs, Dalits and Adivasis– not having proper representation in the country is the “elephant in the room.”

“There’s an elephant in the room. When we talk about the capture of institutions, businesses, and the media, the elephant in the room is that 90 per cent of India–OBCs, Dalits, Adivasis–aren’t even part of the game. That’s really the elephant in the room,” Rahul Gandhi said.

The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha further stressed that the INDIA bloc wants to defend the Constitution and most of the alliance partners agree on holding a caste census, adding that ‘two businessmen’ should not run every business in the country. (ANI)

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As the protest over the alleged illegal construction of a mosque in the Sanjauli area intensified, police personnel on Wednesday used water cannons and resorted to lathicharge to disperse protestors heading towards the Sanjauli area of Shimla.

Protestors removed the first layer of barricading and clashed with the security forces while entering the Dhalli Tunnel East portal during their protest march.

The protests have been called by Hindu organizations over the alleged illegal construction of Sanjauli mosque.

One of the protestors criticised the state government after police used water cannons and resorted to lathicharge upon them.

“Regarding the illegal construction, we have seen that Himachal Government Minister Anirudh Singh has said that the construction is unauthorised and should be taken down…. ‘Aaj, Himachal Pradesh ke mukhya mantri ne Hindu samaj ke sath khilwad karte hue mahilaon aur Hindu samaj pe lathi-charged kiya’… The Hindu community was on its way to Sanjauli for a peaceful protest but the police of the Sukhu government used lathi-charge upon and dispersed us..,” said a protestor.

Earlier in the day, protestors, including members of some Hindu organisations, gathered in the Dhalli area of Shimla and held a protest against the alleged illegal construction. Ahead of the protest, heavy police forces were deployed at the Dhalli Tunnel East in Shimla.

Several citizens and members of Hindu organisations, particularly from the Civil Society Devbhoomi Sangathan, joined the protests, displaying the tricolour in their hands and raising slogans as they moved towards Sanjauli.

Himachal Pradesh Minister Vikramaditya Singh said that the protests should not affect the peace in he area and that the state government would take action if the mosque is illegal.

“The situation is very clear. Everyone has the right to protest peacefully and Govt too has said this but there should not arise a situation which would affect the peaceful situation there. So Police have taken preventive measures. Sec 163 has been imposed there and the area has to be turned into a Police camp so that no situation arises which would raise questions on the law and order in the state. As far as the construction of that illegal structure is concerned, the matter is sub-judice, Govt will take a decision after hearing. We have clearly said that if it is found to be illegal, action will definitely be taken and it will be demolished. But that is a step that will be taken once the order of the Municipal Commissioner comes, it will not be right to take action before that,” Vikramaditya Singh said.

Media advisor to Himachal Pradesh CM Naresh Chauhan, said that the BJP wanted to make this a Hindu-Muslim issue but it was a question of law and order.

“All the people that have gathered, I know them personally. These 20-25 people are BJP workers and they have contested elections on BJP tickets… The BJP wants to make this a national issue but the reality is that this is not a Hindu-Muslim issue. It is a law and order situation and the law will take its course… The CM has said that any action that needs to be taken related to any unauthorised construction, will be taken… Some people who see a political opportunity in this will not get support… The government has said that they will keep a track record of the people coming from outside, to make sure that there are no bad elements,” Naresh Chauhan said.

“Everyone understands how some people are trying to make it an issue for their gain. The issue is of an unauthorised construction, the law is taking its course and the matter is in the commissioner court. Connecting the issue with a mosque controversy is not right… The locals have not come out. Some BJP workers are raising slogans 2 km away from Sanjauli. They tried to gather public support through social media but that has not happened… People understand the real issue,” he added.

Leader of Opposition in Himachal Pradesh Assembly Jairam Thakur slammed the Sukhu government saying that the state was delaying action against the alleged illegal construction. (ANI)

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DIG CRPF Manish Kumar Sachar said on Wednesday that the situation is fully under control a day after fresh violence erupted in Manipur.

He said that forces are strongly giving befitting reply to the miscreants.

“The Central Reserve Police Force, Assam Rifles, and commandos of Manipur police have been deployed at Gamgiphai, the interstate state check post border of Kangpokpi district, which is a (Kuki area) and West Imphal District (Meitei Area) in Manipur,” DIG Sachar told ANI. “Forces are regularly checking at this naka to ensure no unauthorised entry of any man or product.”

“…The situation is fully under control. The reports of an attack on a CRPF camp took place in a fringe area. Small incidents are taking place on the outskirts, which are being tackled by our forces and strongly giving befitting reply to the miscreants, ” he added.

DIG CRPF said, “Any unlawful person or miscreant is losing the ground now slowly and slowly.”

Following the violence, the state government suspended Internet services in the state till September 15.

Manipur Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya on Tuesday expressed deep concerns over fresh incidents of violence in the state and “appealed to all the stakeholders to establish peace.”

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma expressed concerns over fresh incidents of violence in Manipur and said the Government of India needs to intervene in this.

“The situation that is constantly developing in Manipur is complex because there are people from different communities here and in a way history has also given rise to conflicts at many different levels in Manipur. So the current situation has also become quite complex. I believe that the Government of India needs to intervene in this, where we bring a political solution here, where we bring confidence from every community in a way so that we can bring everyone on one platform and decide how to move forward. It is very important to bring this thinking, this platform and this favourable environment and I believe that no one other than the Government of India will be able to do this,” Sangma said.

Earlier on September 10, Manipur Police appealed to the public to restrain from resorting to violent forms of protest.

“Protests and demonstrations may be done in a peaceful manner after taking due permission from the concerned authorities. Also, there are numerous reports of fake news/ rumours of sensitive nature doing rounds in social media which may further fuel the ongoing law and order situation. Police is monitoring such fake news/ rumours on social media critically and strong legal action will be taken up against anyone circulating any such fake news/ rumours,” the Police said in a post on X. (ANI)

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Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge criticised the Bhartiya Janta Party in a public meeting in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.

He mentioned the importance for the alliance and the supporters to be unafraid of the BJP. He also appealed to the party supporters to fight together and not blame each other. “They (BJP) used to say 400 paar, 400 paar, where are your 400 seats? They stopped at 240 this time. If we had 20 more seats, then all these people would have been in jail, and they deserve to be there. So I appeal to everyone to not get angry, but instead fight. Your captain is strong, unafraid, everyone here is unafraid. The leaders are here to help solve any problem in Jammu and Kashmir. We need to win, we need to fight together, but while fighting, we should not blame each other.”

He further criticised the BJP by saying that the government has not brought any manufacturing or factory jobs in the region.

“I want to point out, Infrastructure development has stopped here. 1 lakh job posts are empty here. If we come to power, we will fill those empty posts. The youths will get those jobs. These people (BJP) want to keep you poor. These people want to keep the people of Jammu and Kashmir poor, they can’t even give the government job posts which are vacant right now, and they didn’t even bring any big factories here. They didn’t bring any manufacturing too,” Kharge said in the public meeting.

“This is why we need to bring Congress and NC to power here, if we come to power, then tourism, manufacturing, and internship sectors would be in our focus,” he added.

He also promised that the party would start the schools which had been previously shut down. “All 4,400 government schools which had been closed, we would start them again and educate the children. If we provide the education, only then would the youth progress,” the Congress President said.

After the public meeting, Kharge again pointed out the 1 lakh job vacancies in the region and appealed to the people to not trust the BJP, and instead to strengthen the Congress-NC alliance by giving them their votes. “This is all a jhumla, they said that before also, but did they give the jobs? They promised to give 2 crore jobs, it has been 10 years, ones who couldn’t even give 1 lakh jobs to the people here, those people will give 5 lakh jobs just like that? Do not trust the people who tell these lies. I appeal to the people of Jammu and Kashmir that the ones who are truthful, get stuff done, and have been with them since Independence till now are the Congress party and NC, give these parties your vote,” he told ANI after the meeting.

Polling for Jammu and Kashmir is scheduled to be held in three phases: September 18, September 25 and October 1. The counting of votes is scheduled on October 8. (ANI)

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King Khan is back and how! The Bollywood icon known for his charismatic screen presence and enduring style, made waves with his new look at the IIFA 2024 pre-event held in Mumbai on Tuesday evening.

After a lengthy period of sporting long locks for his recent films, Khan turned heads by debuting a sleek, short hairstyle, as he arrived in style at the IIFA 2024 pre-event.

At the pre-event, King Khan dazzled in a funky ensemble.

He opted for a black graphic t-shirt paired with funky black flare pants and white sneakers. Completing the look was a black baseball cap, adding a touch of casual cool to his revamped appearance.

This new style marks a departure from his signature long hair, which he maintained while preparing for his blockbuster film ‘Pathaan,’ released in 2023.

Khan’s long hair had been a defining feature in his recent public appearances, including his appearance at Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding festivities, where he sported a ponytail and a bold beard.

Addressing the media at the press conference alongside filmmaker Karan Johar, Khan expressed his excitement for the upcoming IIFA awards.

“Thank you IIFA for having me,” he began with his characteristic humor. “No, I’m not, I’m joking. I would have loved to always come, but unfortunately, for some reason or the other, I was working at the point of time when IIFA is being hosted all around the world, which makes us very, very proud.”

Khan playfully lamented his past scheduling conflicts, noting, “I’ve always had to beg myself off saying, listen, it’s my shooting, where are you doing it sometimes, Toronto, Vancouver, Malaysia. Do it here or do it in Borivali. Do it in Film City, like other people do here.”

He lauded IIFA’s vision of expanding its celebration of Indian cinema, mentioning the inclusion of multiple regional languages. “The vision is big. IIFA has always thought of taking Indian cinema. And now with the inclusion of Malayalam and Kannada and Tamil, Telugu and Hindi cinema, I think, mashallah, this is even more Indian than it has ever been before,” he added.

The IIFA Awards 2024, set to be held from September 27 to 29 at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, promises a weekend filled with glitz and glamour.

This year’s hosts include the comeback of Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar, and Vicky Kaushal.

The awards night will feature performances by Bollywood stars such as Rekha, Shahid Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Kriti Sanon, and Janhvi Kapoor.

Additionally, the “IIFA Rocks” segment on September 29 will be hosted by Siddhant Chaturvedi and Abhishek Banerjee, featuring performances by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Honey Singh.

In addition to his high-profile IIFA appearance, Khan has recently been in the spotlight for his achievements in cinema.

At the 77th Locarno Film Festival, he was honoured with the prestigious Pardo alla Carriera, or Career Leopard, recognizing his outstanding contributions to film.

During a conversation with Giona A Nazzaro, the artistic director of the Locarno Film Festival, he discussed his career and achievements. He opened up on his preparation work for his next film ‘King’ and his collaboration with filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh.

He said, “There are certain kinds of film that I want to do, maybe it’s more age centric and I want to try something for 6-7 years I’ve been thinking about it and I mentioned it to Sujoy one day while we were sitting. He works with us at our office, he’s made some films for us. He says, Sir, I have a subject.”

SRK also spoke about losing weight for his film ‘King’, “The next film I am doing ‘King’, I have to start working on it, have to lose some weight, do some stretching,” he added.

Reportedly, the film is also set to star Shah Rukh’s daughter and actor, Suhana.

Khan will also lend his voice to the Hindi version of Disney’s anticipated release, ‘Mufasa: The Lion King,’ set to hit Indian theatres on December 20.

The film will feature Shah Rukh Khan alongside his sons Aryan Khan and AbRam Khan, promising to bring a fresh layer of grandeur to the beloved tale of the jungle’s ultimate king. (ANI)

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Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference (JKPC) chairman Sajjad Gani Lone on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should apologise to the people of Kashmir and adopt an “Indian-ness” policy to bring them into the mainstream.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Lone stated that the BJP’s current approach in Kashmir is counterproductive. “The problem is that the BJP has a BJP policy in Kashmir. Through that BJP policy, they get votes across the country but they don’t have an India policy in Kashmir, for Indian-ness to get Kashmiris into the mainstream,” he said.

When asked what the BJP could do to address this issue, Lone emphasised the importance of an apology from the Prime Minister.

“The Prime Minister should apologise to the people of Kashmir and say that inadvertently, maybe, we might have done things that might have humiliated you. We might have done things that might have hurt you. We did it unintentionally. He should assure them that they are an integral part of India, it would make a significant difference. Give us another chance. And I’m telling you, if you (PM) use these words, everything will be fine. What you need are words,” he said.

Regarding the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, Lone clarified that it can only be achieved through parliamentary action.

“See, statehood can only be restored by the Parliament. We can’t. And I think there should be a policy for all the people who are elected that beyond a certain time, if they don’t give us state back, then we should stop. We should leave the assembly. There is no point in being a part of an assembly, which is humiliation. I think one year or two years or six months or three months after that, we should all en masse resign and leave,” Sajjad Lone said.

He further pushed his demand to restore statehood and warned that if the Centre fails to meet their demands, they will not be a part of this assembly.

“This will be our political response; that’s fine if you don’t want to give us; we don’t want to be a part of this assembly. Because this will make people think that we are not delivering. That I think we should not do. We should not betray our people beyond a certain time. If we don’t get statehood, there should be a clear unanimity that we should then leave. This is what I believe,” he added.

The JKPC chief also highlighted the importance of statehood for economic development in Kashmir.

“We can only work towards an economic Kashmir if we have statehood, because without it, there is very little you can do. You can’t pass money bills; you can’t pass anything,” he said.

In August 2019, the government of India abrogated Article 370, effectively ending J-K’s special status and reorganising into two Union Territories (UTs) — Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. (ANI)

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