Author: LokMarg

The locals of Varanasi on Friday expressed their delight over the decision of the Sessions Court to resume the video survey of the Gyanvapi mosque, and said that this would reveal the truth inside the campus.

The Varanasi sessions court on Thursday ordered the resumption of the video survey of the Gyanvapi mosque and appointed Vishal Singh and Ajay Singh as assistant commissioners along with retaining the earlier appointed commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra.
The survey is likely to kickstart tomorrow.

Speaking to ANI, a local, Amit Kumar termed the conduct of the survey necessary to reveal to the nation the “truth about the history”.

“The survey is being done according to the legal process after the court’s order. The court has sought a report so that truth can come out and harmony can be maintained in both the communities and the nation can know the truth about the history,” he said.

“We are happy with the order as we have been saying it for a long time,” the resident added.

Another local, Santosh Kumar said, “The survey is very necessary. Only then the truth will come out. There should not be any opposition to the survey.”

Earlier on Thursday, speaking to the media after the hearing, Advocate Madan Mohan Yadav, representing the Hindu petitioners in court, said, “Two more lawyers have been appointed as commissioners to accompany the Court commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra for the survey. The Commission is to submit a report by May 17 before the court.”

Two more lawyers were appointed after Mishra was accused of being biased by the Anjuman Intezamia Mosque Committee. (ANI)

Japan has decided to ban the exports of high-tech goods – such as quantum computers, 3D printers and electron microscopes – to Russia, the country’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on Friday.

“Amid the international situation around Ukraine, our country is making a contribution to the international efforts for ensuring peace in the whole world, for settling this issue, as well as imposes a ban on the exports of high-tech goods (quantum computers and 3D printers) to Russia in line with the government’s decision as of May 10. These measures enter into force on May 20,” the ministry said.
The list of the goods, banned for the exports to Russia, includes oil refining equipment, quantum computers and their components, electron microscopes, atomic force microscopes, 3D printers and their consumables, equipment for the production of organic light emitting diodes, equipment for the production of microelectromechanical circuits, equipment for the production of high-efficiency solar cells for hydrogen fuel and renewable energy, vacuum pumps, refrigeration equipment designed for extremely low temperatures, materials that make it difficult to detect electromagnetic waves, and other equipment.

Japan has joined the sanctions campaign against Russia after the latter launched the military operation in Ukraine on February 24. (ANI/Sputnik)

Amid the ongoing anti-encroachment drive in the national capital, Delhi Police on Thursday arrested Aam Admi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan who along with locals was protesting against South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) at Madanpur Khadar area.

He has been booked for obstructing a public servant from discharge of duty.
Amanatullah claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party through the civic body is running bulldozers over the houses of poor people.

“The lathi-charge by the police on the people opposing the BJP’s “bulldozer system” is unconstitutional. We are against the anti-people policies of the BJP, and I will always raise my voice for the rights of the people, no matter how many times I have to go to jail for this,” tweeted Amanatullah in a series of tweets.

“Delhi Police has arrested me. Can imprison me, not my spirits,” he said in another tweet.

The SDMC on Thursday ran bulldozers in several areas of West Delhi including the Khyala and Chand Nagar areas of Vishnu Garden. Earlier, it carried out the demolition drive in the Madanpur Khadar area, where people protested against the move of SDMC.

The locals raised anti-encroachment slogans and sat on the roads in an attempt to stop the bulldozers that were brought to carry out the drive in the presence of the Delhi police.

Khan said that the people of the area had already removed the encroachments at his request.

“Wazu Khana’ and toilets outside a mosque here were removed in presence of police, earlier. When there are no encroachments, why have they come here? Just to do politics?” the AAP MLA said.

Khan further alleged that the MCD is carrying out the drive to “disturb the atmosphere”.

“When I removed all the encroachments, then the MCD has come to disturb the atmosphere. Why else have they come? If there is any encroachment in my constituency, tell me, and I will remove it,” he said. (ANI)

Two pilots died after a helicopter crashed at Raipur’s Swami Vivekanand Airport on Thursday night during a “routine” training sortie.

According to the state government, initial indications suggest technical malfunction as the cause of the crash.
“Chhattisgarh state helicopter crashed at Raipur’s Swami Vivekanand Airport tonight at around 9.10 pm. It was on a routine training sortie. Initial indications suggest technical malfunction as the cause of the crash. Captain Gopal Krishna Panda and Captain A P Shrivastava have unfortunately succumbed to injuries following the crash,” it said.

A detailed technical investigation on behalf of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Chhattisgarh Government will be undertaken to ascertain the exact cause.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel expressed deep anguish at the loss of lives. He has asked officials to provide immediate relief to the bereaved families.

“Just got a sad news about the state helicopter crashing at the airport in Raipur. In this tragic accident, both our pilots Captain Panda and Captain Srivastava have died. May God give strength to his family members and peace to the departed soul in this time of grief,” Baghel said in a tweet. (ANI)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Western countries were worse hit by the most severe sanctions imposed on Moscow in history for its action in Ukraine.

Russia has been imposed several sanctions by the Western countries after Putin sent troops into neighboring Ukraine on February 24.
In a meeting on economic issues on Thursday, Putin noted that a number of countries are already encountering the threats of hunger and if the sanctions against Russia continue, the European Union (EU) may also encounter consequences that would be difficult to reverse.

“The blame for this entirely and completely rests with the elites of the Western countries who for the sake of preserving their global domination are ready to sacrifice the rest of the world,” the Russian leader stated, as per TASS news agency.

Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is causing global economic disruptions, impacting the security of global energy supply, fertilizer and food provision, and the functioning of global supply chains in general. The most vulnerable countries are affected most severely.

“In turn, Russia is confidently coping with external challenges,” he added.

The US, along with the G7 nations and European Union (EU) has imposed severe and immediate economic costs on Russia for its “atrocities in Ukraine, including in Bucha”.

On Sunday, Group of Seven (G7) condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine which is placing global food security under severe strain.

They urged Russia to end its blockade and all other activities that further impede Ukrainian food production and exports in line with its international commitments.

“President Putin’s war against Ukraine is placing global food security under severe strain. Together with the United Nations, we call on Russia to end its blockade and all other activities that further impede Ukrainian food production and exports, in line with its international commitments,” read the G7 joint statement.

On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine, three days after recognising the Ukrainian breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as “independent republics”. The Russian Ministry of Defense maintains that the operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only. In response, Western nations imposed comprehensive sanctions against Russia. (ANI)

After an unprecedented number of devotees turned up at the Kedarnath Temple, one of the Char Dhams in Uttarakhand, the Indo-Tibetan Border Force (ITBP) was deployed for crowd management on Friday.

Since the yatra began, as many as 28 tourists en route to Kedarnath have died due to various reasons.
On Thursday, a meeting of the Uttrakhand State government was called over the huge influx of tourists visiting the state for the yatra.

It was decided to deploy the ITBP at the Kedarnath for crowd management. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) will also assist temples in handling the crowds.

Vivek Kumar Pandey, spokesperson of the ITBP said that the force has been deployed for security and streamlining darshan at Kedarnath Temple after a huge influx of pilgrims.

“ITBP has been managing the heavy rush to the Kedarnath temple and the Kedarnath valley,” he said.

Pandey further said that more than 20,000 devotees are visiting the temple daily and due to the pilgrims’ rush places such as Sonprayag, Ukhimath and Kedarnath are packed.

The ITBP teams, deployed at these locations, are keeping a close eye on the movement of the yatris, he said.

“It’s been a week since the portals of the temple were opened on May 6, 2022, and more than 1,30,000 pilgrims have so far visited the Kedarnath Temple,” Pandey added.

The ITBP has also alerted its disaster management teams in the area. Medical teams with oxygen cylinders have been deployed at places and with the help of state administration, drills for medical emergencies and evacuation on requirements are being undertaken.

At Badrinath Temple also, ITBP teams have been helping the temple and civil administration for smooth conduct of darshan and management of the rush of the pilgrims.

The Char Dham Yatra this year has been witnessing an unusual rush of pilgrims as it has been opened after two years after the lifting of COVID restrictions. (ANI)

By Payal Mehta

The Election Commission of India on Thursday announced that polls for 57 Rajya Sabha seats spread across 15 states will take place on June 10.

The biggest share of seats for the Upper House of Parliament comes from Uttar Pradesh where 11 seats will go for election. Out of 11 seats from Uttar Pradesh, the ruling BJP which is in power in the state, as well as at the Centre, is likely to get seven seats and Samajwadi Party may claim the remaining four seats. With the retirement of Satish Chandra Mishra, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will have just one Member of Parliament in the Upper house.

Among those members who are retiring but will return to the Rajya Sabha are Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who was elected from Karnataka, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi from Jharkhand and Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal from Maharashtra.

Another retiring member YSRCP parliamentary leader Vijay Sai Reddy will certainly get re-elected from Andhra Pradesh. Two Rajya Sabha members from Andhra Pradesh- former union minister YS Chaudhary and TG Venkatesh, who left the Telugu Desam Party to join the BJP, are also retiring on June 21. All the four seats from Andhra Pradesh that are falling vacant are likely to go to YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).

Six members from Maharashtra–former Union Minister P Chidambaram, Praful Patel and Shiv Sena parliamentary leader Sanjay Raut– will also retire on July 4. Out of the six seats, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is likely to bag four seats. Out of the four seats, two will be given to Shiv Sena and one each to Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

The chief whip of the Congress party Jairam Ramesh was a Member of Parliament from Karnataka will be looking for re-nomination.

Between April and August this year, 77 Members of Parliament would retire from the Upper House. In the recent Rajya Sabha elections, the BJP was able to win two out of two seats in Assam and one in Tripura.

For the first time in the history of India, the BJP was able to get a Rajya Sabha member from the north-eastern state of Nagaland. Earlier, five seats that fell vacant from Punjab were bagged by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) after a landslide victory in the state Assembly elections.

Seven members of Parliament nominated by the President of India including Dr Subramanian Swamy, boxer-turned-politician MC Mary Kom and actor-turned-politician Rupa Ganguly and Suresh Gopi are also retiring.

Out of 245 seats in the Rajya Sabha, the BJP is the biggest party with 95 members, followed by Congress with 29 seats. (ANI)

By Shalini Bhardwaj

Amid demands for postponing the NEET PG 2022 examination, several states have shown less interest to pursue such a course and there are “slim chances” for such a decision, sources said on Thursday.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has also not received any assurance from the Union Health Ministry after a brief discussion, the sources said.

IMA president Dr Sahajanand Prasad Singh said they met Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in Kevadia in Gujarat.

“We met Union Health Minister and discussed with him the postponement of NEET PG 2022. He said only seven states want to postpone and we are looking into it,” Dr Singh said.

The NEET-PG examination for 2022 is scheduled to be held on May 21.

IMA had written to the Union Health Minister demanding that the exam be rescheduled as “there is lack of time for preparation for the aspirants”.

It had said that the aspirants are “confused which is affecting their mental health too”.

Dr Ved Prakash of IMA said “a reasonable minimum one month period” should be given to the students for preparation for exams in view of the number of subjects they have to cover.

However, some resident doctors said the COVID-19 situation in the country is under control and conducive for conducting the examination.

“COVID scenario in future is unpredictable. Though NEET-PG 2021 was postponed in view of the second wave of COVID-19 last year, we all have experienced the chaos it led to eventually. While the academic session 2021 got delayed due to various reasons, the current academic session 2022 has already been delayed. The exam was scheduled for March 2022 and was postponed to May 2022. Further postponement should be avoided,” a resident doctor said.

The Supreme Court is likely to hear on Friday a petition seeking postponement of the NEET-PG examination. (ANI)

India’s retail inflation surged to eight-year high of 7.79 per cent in April due to a sharp jump in fuel and edible oil prices, the government data showed on Thursday.

The headline inflation is the highest in eight years. Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation in April 2022 is the highest since May 2014, when it stood at 8.33 per cent.

Retail inflation has risen sharply. It stood at 6.95 per cent in March 2022. April 2022 retail inflation data is almost double from 4.23 per cent recorded in April 2021.

The price rise was sharper in rural India. Rural retail inflation rose to 8.38 per cent in April as compared to 7.66 per cent in the previous month and 3.75 per cent in April 2021. Urban retail inflation surged to 7.09 per cent in April as compared to 6.12 per cent in March and 4.71 per cent in April 2021, according to data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

A sharp jump in fuel and food prices has led to a multi-year jump in inflation. Food inflation surged to 8.38 per cent in April from 7.68 per cent in the previous month and 1.96 per cent in April 2021. (ANI)

Shortly after being appointed as Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday said he has taken up the challenge of uplifting the island nation’s crisis-ridden economy and added that ties with India will get much better under his government.

Wickremesinghe, who is the leader of the United National Party (UNP), was sworn in as the prime minister by Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Colombo today. He had previously served as the Sri Lankan prime minister on five occasions.
“I have taken on a challenge of uplifting the economy and I must fulfill it,” Wickremesinghe told reporters.

Answering a question on India-Sri Lanka ties after his appointment, he said, “It will become much better.”

“They should stay. We want them to stay. If they want to talk, yes,” Wickremesinghe when asked about the protesters.

The Indian High Commission in Colombo reiterated the country’s commitment to the people of Sri Lanka after Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the prime minister.

“High Commission of India hopes for political stability and looks forward to working with the Government of Sri Lanka formed in accordance with democratic processes pursuant to the swearing-in of Hon’ble @RW_UNP as the Prime Minister of SriLanka,” the high commission said in a tweet.

“India’s commitment to the people of Sri Lanka will continue,” it added.

Mahinda Rajapaksa stepped down as the prime minister on Monday, following violent incidents reported between pro-government groups and anti-government protesters. (ANI)