Author: LokMarg

UK Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid resigned on Tuesday, landing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government in a crisis.

In his resignation letter, Sunak said he was “sad to be leaving the government”, but has come to the conclusion that he “cannot continue like this”.

“The public rightly expect the government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously. I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning,” Rishi Sunak said.

Javid said he had lost confidence in Boris Johnson’s ability to govern following multiple scandals, saying he could “no longer continue in good conscience”.

The minister said that many lawmakers and the public had lost confidence in Johnson’s ability to govern in the national interest.

In his resignation letter, which he posted to Twitter, Javid told Johnson that “the values you represent reflect on your colleagues,” and in light of recent scandals, the public had concluded that their party was neither “competent” nor “acting in the national interest.”

The exit of the top minister comes as Johnson was apologizing for keeping the former Conservative party whip Chris Pincher in his post after sexual misconduct allegations were made against him.

The British PM said he regrets giving Pincher a government role as Deputy Chief Whip following the revelation of misconduct complaint against him.

“In hindsight it was the wrong thing to do and I apologise to everyone who has been badly affected by it. I just want to make absolutely clear that there’s no place in this government for anybody who is predatory or abuses their position of power,” he said. (ANI)

Online registration for recruitment into Army as Agniveers under the Centre’s Agnipath Scheme’ began here on July 5, 2022, informed PRO, Defence, Srinagar.

The recruitment rally by Army Recruiting Office, Srinagar, will be conducted from September 17 to September 30 at Haiderbeig, Pattan, UT of J-K.

The recruitment rally will be for recruitment as Agniveers under Agnipath Scheme.

“Agnipath Recruitment Scheme – Jammu And Kashmir & Ladakh Registration for Agniveer – 05 Jul-03 Aug. Recruitment rally at Haiderbeig, Pattan from 17 to 30 Sep 2022,” PRO Defence, Srinagar said in a tweet.

All eligible unmarried male candidates born between October 1, 1999, to April 1, 2005 (both dates inclusive) with requisite educational qualifications from UT of J-K belonging to Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, Pulwama, Badgam, Kupwara, Shopian, Ganderbal, Bandipora and Kulgam districts and UT of Ladakh belonging to Leh and Kargil districts can apply for enrolment under categories of Agniveer General Duty, Agniveer Technical, Agniveer Clerk/Store Keeper Technical and Agniveer Tradesmen. Registration is open online at the website with effect from July 5 to August 3, 2022. Candidates are advised to register online at the earliest, said PRO, Defence, Srinagar.

Army Recruiting Office, Srinagar has advised that recruitment is a free service and selection is fair and purely based on merit, added PRO Defence. (ANI)

The rate of unemployment in India rose to 7.8 per cent in June due to a sharp jump in unemployment in rural areas, the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) data showed on Tuesday.

Unemployment in rural areas rose sharply during the month under review. Rural unemployment rose to 8.03 per cent in June 2022 from 6.62 per cent in the previous month.
In urban areas, the unemployment rose from 7.12 per cent in May to 7.30 per cent in June, CMIE data showed. (ANI)

Karnataka Police nabbed the two assailants who stabbed Vastu expert Chandrashekhar Angadi popularly known as Chandrashekhar Guruji to death at a hotel in Hubballi on Tuesday.

The two accused were detained by police in Ramdurg while they were trying to escape.
According to the police, the accused Mahantesh Shirur and Manjunath Marewad are former employees of ‘Saral Vastu’ run by Chandrashekhar Guruji were detained with help of Belgaum Police while they trying to escape in a car.

“Both accused stabbed Chandrashekhar Guruji today afternoon in a hotel lobby where he was staying. He succumbed to death due to injuries. They have been detained. We had formed teams and they were working on gathering information. We shared information with neighbouring districts. The Belgaum Police detained both the accused. Our team has gone there to bring them. We will interrogate them,” said Hubballi Police Commissioner Labhu Ram.

According to Police, Chandrashekhar Guruji was staying at the hotel in Hubballi for the last four days. On Tuesday two people came to the hotel to meet him and called him to the lobby. Soon after Chandrashekhar Guruji reached the lobby, the assailants stabbed him multiple times and ran away. He was rushed to the KIMS Hospital where he was declared dead.

“Some people called him to the lobby area of the hotel where he was staying. One person wished him and then suddenly started stabbing him. Due to multiple injuries, by the time he was shifted to the hospital, he was dead. We have registered a case and are searching for the accused,” said Police Commissioner Labhu Ram.

A case has been registered in Vidyanagar police station. (ANI)

The newly appointed DGP of Punjab Police Gaurav Yadav on Tuesday conducted surprise checks at Mataur Police Station and Phase 8 Police Station of Mohali and said the eradication of drugs and gangsterism is the priority of the state Police Force.

Gurpreet Singh Bhullar DIG Rupnagar Range and Vivek Sheel Soni SSP SAS Nagar were present at the occasion, said a statement by the District Public Relations Officer, SAS Nagar.
DGP Gaurav Yadav inspected the Malkhans, barracks and canteens of Mataur Police Station and Phase 8 Police Station and inquired about the facilities being provided by the police administration.

Highlighting the motive of his surprise check, the DGP said that he was trying to personally go to the police stations to check the working of the police force and see if there was any shortcoming which could be rectified.

He said, “It is the priority of the Punjab Police Force to take strong action against drugs and gangsterism and to eradicate them from Punjab thus providing better law and order to the people of Punjab.”

It would be the agenda of the Punjab Police to improve the basic policing of the Punjab Police and to improve the relations of the police with the general public, he added. (ANI)

Being gay in China has become harder in the last decade as life has gotten harder since Xi Jinping came to power in 2012.

Di Valerio Fabbri, writing in Geopolitica.info said that China’s muscular posture became prominent after Xi set a tone for a more assertive, self-reliant China strengthened by a growing population and traditional values. One outcome has been a subtle but constant narrowing of gay spaces — physical, virtual and philosophical.
Xi Jinping has been tightening breathing space for civil society since he came to power and including groups serving the LGBTQ community. Legislations have been passed to ensure that unauthorised groups have difficulty surviving, for example by cutting them off from banking services or public meeting spaces or by banning media coverage.

Moreover, some in China believe that being homosexual, bisexual, or trans is a foreign concept, based on the fact that numerous Western embassies in Beijing have highlighted LGBT rights.

A more assertive, self-reliant China has resulted in a subtle but constant narrowing of gay spaces, with internet platforms willing to step in and do the government’s dirty work, said Fabbri.

“Will You Look at Me”, an award-winning documentary short film features Huang Shuli and his mother in an anguished conversation regarding Shuli’s homosexuality.

Huang’s mother’s exasperation is evident from her words, “Why did I give birth to a monster?” and is juxtaposed with shots of her indulging in daily chores like picking flowers, swimming in the wild or tending her garden.

Homosexuality has always been a taboo topic in China, where the rights of sexual minorities are non-existent. Social media accounts of several LGBT societies at universities were closed down last year on the basis of unspecified violations.

An increasingly hostile environment is being created for groups pushing for more inclusion. China’s only big LGBT celebration, Shanghai Pride, stands cancelled after police interrogated several of its organizers, reported Geopolitica.info.

Further, LGBT groups have been accused of corrupting young people and serving hostile foreign forces, a rhetoric that has been amplified by State media. Portrayals of “effeminate” and “sissy” men were banned last year by the top media regulator.

Even generic shows featuring subtly romantic male friendships have been banned. In order to prevent the ‘feminization’ of boys, Bejing’s Education ministry has called for strengthening physical education to “cultivate masculinity”.

In 2014, Peng Yanzi, an activist who is working to advance LGBT equality through China’s legal system, underwent electric shocks and hypnotism intended to “cure” his homosexuality by an unspecified clinic in China.

Moreover, same-sex couples are not allowed to adopt children or marry. Chinese censors in 2016 declared that television and films should avoid homosexual themes. In Xi’an, nine activists attempting to organize an LGBT rights convention were detained.

The police told the organizers the city didn’t welcome gay people. The absurd censorship hit the American television show “Friends”, where the plot line about Ross’ lesbian ex-wife was completely removed when it started streaming in China, reported Geopolitica.info.

In an effort to offset the consequences of the former one-child policy, which has resulted in a rapidly greying society, the Communist Party has also pushed for couples to have additional children. Although it’s never stated explicitly, promoting LGBT rights and normalising non-traditional family arrangements could be perceived as undermining that purpose. (ANI)

Delhi High Court on Monday issued notice to former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar on a plea challenging the bail granted to him in a case related to the killing of two people during the 1984 riots.

Special Investigation Team (SIT) challenged the bail order passed by a Special MP and MLA Court.
Justice Yogesh Khanna on Monday issued notice to Sajjan Kumar returnable on July 15, 2022. The bench stayed the bail order challenged in the petition.

Sajjan Kumar is lodged in jail after conviction by Delhi High Court in 2018 in another riots-related case. He was awarded a life jail sentence by the High court. Earlier he was acquitted by Karkardooma Court.

SIT investigating riots-related cases has challenged the bail order passed by Special Judge MK Nagpal on April 27, 2022.

Advocate Ajay Digpaul for the Central government submitted that Sajjan Kumar is involved in a heinous offence and some important witnesses are yet to be examined and if he is released he may tamper with the evidence. He is already convicted in a similar case and is in custody.

Special Judge at Rouse Avenue Court granted bail to Sajjan Kumar on furnishing a bail bond of Rs 1 lakh and one surety bond in the like amount. Court had imposed some conditions on him. (ANI)

Five rockets presumably fired from neighboring Afghanistan fell on the border town of Termez in the south of Uzbekistan, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

The rockets fell around 4:20 p.m., with four of them landing on the Majnuntol neighbourhood area and one on a football stadium, it said.
According to the ministry, none of the rockets exploded, so no human casualties and serious destruction occurred, except minor damages to four private houses.

“Currently, the competent authorities of Uzbekistan, together with the Afghan side, are implementing the necessary measures to establish the causes of the incident,” the statement said. (ANI/Xinhua)

Hours after stirring controversy over remarks against the Indian Constitution, Kerala Minister Saji Cheriyan expressed his regret at the state Assembly and said that he respects the constitution but said that his comments are being twisted.

“I respect our constitution and am a politician that upholds the value of our constitution. The news that I criticised the constitution is twisted, express regret and apology,” said Cheriyan.
“I was trying to point out that withdrawing labour laws and imposing new labour codes will lead to extreme exploitation of workers. While speaking about the above issues in very strong terms it led to misinterpretation or spread of a message that I had not intended. I express my deep regret and apology.”

He also highlighted that the directive principles of the constitution say that financial security and social justice should be ensured for all and the exploitation of the same would affect crores of people across the nation.

“The directive principles of our constitution say that financial security and social justice should be ensured for all. But there is no provision in the constitution to seek legal remedy for implementing directive principles. If exploited crores of people in the country would be affected,” he added.

He also stressed that the constitution should be strong enough to lower the growing inequality in the country.

“The directive principles should be strengthened or else the constitution will not be strong enough to fight the growing inequality in the country. It was this apprehension that I was trying to express in my own words,” he informed.

Cherian also clarified that his views on the withdrawal of labour laws and the imposition of new laws were expressed in very strong terms and led to misinterpretation.

The Kerala Minister evoked controversy while addressing a CPI-M programme at Mallapally in Pathanamthitta district, saying that the “Indian constitution can exploit people”.

Several people including the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly VD Satheesan hit out at the controversial remarks.

Taking to Twitter, Satheesan wrote, “Saji Cherian, Kerala Minister has made the most insulting statements about #IndianConstitution. Obnoxious words. He should resign or Chief Minister should demand the minister’s resignation. #Constitution”. (ANI)

CoWIN platform chief and CEO of the National Health Authority, Dr RS Sharma on Tuesday hailed the country’s progress in the digital infrastructure sector and said that no other country has been able to achieve what India has in this sphere.

In an exclusive conversation with ANI on Tuesday, Dr Sharma said, “India, during the last decade or so has created a number of digital public infrastructures. The beauty of these public goods is that the more you use them, the better it is. We have done a number of them at a scale which no other country has done.”

Stating a few successful digital products made available by the government to the public, Dr Sharma said, “There are multiple products on top of Aadhaar, which is the digital locker – electronic consent, eSign, electronic KYC etc. “

The top National Health Authority official also went on to mention E-Rupi– the digital payment solution launched by PM Modi in August 2021. “Last August, PM announced E-Rupi, basically a prepaid voucher, which is given for a purpose, so it’s basically direct benefit transfer with a purpose,” he said.

“We have performed well in digital public infrastructure and we will continue to do more as we are bringing out new public goods like Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, Open Network for Digital Commerce…We have gone from a platform to a network-centric digital public infrastructure,” Dr RS Sharma said.

On July 4, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that India is leading the world in the digital revolution as the government’s commitment to the use of digital technology in welfare programmes and services delivery is changing the lives of the people of the country.

PM Modi launched multiple digital portals at the ongoing Digital India Week 2022, including single sign-in portal Meri Pehchaan, Digital India Bhashini, Digital India Genesis and Chips to Startup (C2S), during an event held in Gandhinagar in his native State of Gujarat.

Since 2014, more than Rs 23 lakh crore has been transferred to beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfers or DBT, the Prime Minister said. He emphasised the need to adopt technology or else remain backward as was the case during the third industrial revolution when the country remained behind other nations. (ANI)