Category: News

Modi Pays Tribute To Soldiers on Armed Forces Flag Day

By LokMarg

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid tribute to the soldiers on the occasion of Armed Forces Flag Day and lauded the service of the brave hearts, saying that their dedication to protecting our nation is “unparalleled.”

“Today, on Armed Forces Flag Day, we honour the courage, commitment and sacrifices of our brave soldiers. Their dedication in protecting our nation is unparalleled,” PM Modi said in a post on X.

He further urged everyone to contribute to the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund.

“I also urge you all to make contributions to the Armed Forces Flag Day fund,” he added.

The Armed Forces Flag Day is observed every year on December 7 since 1949 in honour of soldiers who fought to keep the country safe.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also appealed to the people to wholeheartedly donate to the Armed Forces Flag Day (AFFD) Fund and become a part of the government’s endeavour to ensure the welfare of the ‘Veer Naris’, ex-servicemen and their families, said a press release by the Ministry of Defence on Thursday.

In a message on AFFD, which is celebrated on December 7, Rajnath Singh termed it the moral responsibility of every citizen to contribute to the efforts being made by the Ministry of Defence towards the care, assistance, rehabilitation and treatment of veterans, war widows and their dependents through a number of welfare schemes.

“It is our collective duty to ensure that they get due recognition from all of us,” he said.

The Defence Minister emphasised that the soldiers safeguard the borders with discipline, dedication and patriotism, besides making a valuable contribution to relief and rescue operations during natural and man-made disasters as well as peacekeeping missions across the globe, said the official statement by the Ministry of Defence.

Rajnath Singh also paid tribute to the brave soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the motherland, with many becoming physically disabled to protect the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the nation. (ANI)

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Vasundhara Raje's son MP Dushyant

Vasundhara Raje’s Son Dushyant Behind It, Alleges MLA Lalit Meena’s Father

By LokMarg

Amidst suspense over the chief ministerial pick in Rajasthan post the victory registered by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the father of MLA Lalit Meena claimed that the newly elected legislator from Kishanganj had been confined in resort alongwith four others by Vasundhara Raje’s son MP Dushyant Singh.

“I had gone to take him (Lalit Meena) from ‘Resort’…Dushyant Singh took him along. Kanwar Lal an MLA tried to stop me, he asked me to first talk to Dushyant Singh and then take him (Lalit Meena). A total of five MLAs were there at the resort,” Former State Vice President Hemraj Meena, who is the father of lalit Meena told reporters on Thursday.

Hemraj Meena claimed his son was called by another legislator, Kanwar Lal Meena, to the resort for a meeting and was not allowed to leave. Lalit Meena then informed his father about the situation.

“MP Dushyant had brought my son and the MLAs of Jhalawar-Baran to Jaipur. When Lalit did not return home in the evening, I talked to him. He said that I am in a resort on Sikar Road and the people were not letting him return,” he added.

He further said that five MLAs including Lalit Meena were stopped at “Resort” on Sikar Road. When I got the information, I went there and brought them out.

“There were MLAs from Jhalawar and Baran, there were 2 MLAs from Jhalawar and 3 MLAs from Baran including my son Lalit Meena. A day before yesterday, Dushyant Singh ji had brought him to meet Vasundhara ji and made him stay in the resort. I also told the state in-charge Arun Singh ji and also told the organization general secretary Chandrashekhar and then the president (CP Joshi) also reached there and Bhajanlal Sharma (MLA) also reached there,” he added.

Senior BJP leader and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje will meet party president JP Nadda in Delhi amid a suspense over the BJP’s CM pick for Rajasthan on Thursday.

The election results in four states, especially the losses in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, came as a huge blow to the Congress’s hopes for 2024 as it is now out of power across a vast swathe of the Hindi heartland.

The BJP, which had been battling close to 20 years of incumbency, won a resounding mandate bagging 163 seats while the Congress finished a distant second at 66 seats.

In Rajasthan, the vote count painted a starkly different picture to what some of the pollsters had predicted, with the BJP poised to form the government, winning 115 seats, and the Congress trailing at 69 seats. Of the 90 assembly constituencies in Chhattisgarh, the BJP bagged 54 while the Congress won 35. (ANI)

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General Manoj Pande Northern Border

Agnipath Scheme Is A Path-Breaking Manpower Intake Exercise: Army Chief Pande

By LokMarg

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Manoj Pande on Thursday said that the introduction of the Agnipath scheme has been a path-breaking manpower intake and management methodology that will ensure induction of youthful profile and bring more technologically adapted and oriented soldiers into all ranks and files of the forces

Addressing the convocation cum scroll presentation ceremony at the College of Military Engineering (CME) in Pune, General Manoj Pande said, “The scheme will also ensure that the best of the best are retained as core manpower at their end and the integration of Agniveers into the units and subunits is the key, as their assessments and retention in service are based entirely on merit.”

Emphasizing the role of the officers in mentoring Agniveers, Gen Pande said, “You all are going to be important stakeholders at the grassroots in your units. I want you to provide professional leadership and mentorship as expected from a good sub-unit commander.”

Army Chief Manoj Pande also emphasised the utility of cutting-edge technology in the forces.

“Approach each task, not just as an engineer but as a problem solver and innovator. The technological progression in multiple domains today and the use of contemporary techniques and solutions in the realms of combat engineering must engage your attention,” the Army chief said.

Stressing the adoption of new age technology and that that focus should extend beyond the conventional methodology, the Army Chief said, “Our need is to be proficient in leveraging advanced technology such as drone surveys, augmented and virtual reality and its usage to enhance its ability to visualise and simulate project scenarios.”

“Incorporate technologies like drones for surveys, virtual reality and 3D printing in the execution of combat engineering projects,” he added.

The Army Chief further said that the Indian Army has embarked on a path of transformation in the last year.

“The need for the transformation has accrued essential four key drivers, such as unprecedented trends in the geo-strategic landscape, the limitless potential of destruction technology, transforming the changing character of war and profound changes in the socio-economic situation,” he said.

“To address these imperatives to affect the changing design, we implemented a transformation roadmap a year ago,” said the Army Chief, adding that good progress was necessary to ensure continued focus and impetus across all wide pillars of the transformation roadmap. (ANI)

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sports infrastructure projects

Centre Sanctioned 340 Sports Infrastructure Projects Worth Rs 3566.68 Cr: Anurag

By LokMarg

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has sanctioned 340 sports infrastructure projects of various categories in various States and the Union Territories (UTs) across the country, including Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, at a total cost of Rs 3566.68 crores, Union Minister Anurag Thakur told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

Thakur responded in a written reply to the query “whether the government has taken any steps to improve the sports infrastructure in the States of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh”.

Sports’ being a state subject, the responsibility of creation and upgradation of sports infrastructure facilities lies with respective state governments, Thakur said, central government supplements their efforts by bridging critical gaps.

However, he further said, that under the “creation and upgradation of Sports Infrastructure” component of the Khelo India Scheme, this Ministry renders financial support for the creation of basic sports infrastructure such as sports complex, synthetic athletic tracks, synthetic hockey fields, synthetic turf football grounds, multipurpose halls and swimming pools along with sports equipment.

“Further, under National Sports Development Funds (NSDF), the government supports various institutions and individuals for the creation and upgradation of Sports facilities across the country. Till date, this Ministry has sanctioned 340 sports infrastructure projects, the total cost of various categories in various States/UTs across the country, including the States of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh at a total cost of Rs 3,566.68 crores,” added the Minister.

Asked whether the government has set up any new Khelo India Centres (KICs) in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, the Minister shared data which shows that 1,000 KICs are notified and 820 are operational.

As per the data, a total of 20,489 athletes were trained in these KICs as on November 30 this year. (ANI)

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Delhi AQI

Air Quality In Delhi Remains Poor

By LokMarg

The air quality in the National Capital continued to remaim in ‘poor’ category on Thursday.

The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi, as per SAFAR-India (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research), was recorded at 276 on Thursday morning.

On Wednesday, the AQI in the national capital, as per the data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), was in the ‘poor’ category at 286.

However, AQI in some areas of Delhi was recorded in the ‘very poor’ category on Thursday morning. As per the data from CPCB, the AQI at Anand Vihar stood at 348, in the ITO at 313, and in the Ashok Vihar area at 323 on Thursday at 8:00 a.m.

A cyclist from the city, Dev, while speaking to ANI, said, “The pollution level seems to be high now. Breathing gets difficult, visibility gets impacted and there is also a headache sometimes.”

Earlier, the AQI across Delhi improved from ‘very poor’ on Tuesday to ‘poor’ on Wednesday morning. As per the data from CPCB, the AQI at Anand Vihar stood at 291, in the IGI airport area at 279, in the ITO at 252, and in the Narela area at 283 on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted no rainfall in the National Capital till December 11. There will be clear skies with shallow to moderate fog in the morning across the city.

Delhi has been experiencing air quality in the range of ‘severe’ to ‘very poor’ over the last few weeks.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said last week that Grap-3 has been lifted in the national capital but the government is trying to ensure that Grap-1 and 2 are strictly implemented.

“Due to the change in weather during the last two days, there has been a decline in pollution. The Commission for Air Quality Management has lifted the restrictions of Grap-3. The ban on BS-3 petrol and BS-4 diesel vehicles and the ban on construction demolition have been lifted,” Gopal Rai said.

“GRAP 3 is imposed when AQI is 400, but it continued despite low AQI because fluctuations were visible in AQI after Diwali. If the wind speed slows down, AQI may increase again, hence GRAP-1 and GRAP-2 should be strictly implemented. For this, directions are being given to all the departments again,” he added.

The air quality index from 0 to 100 is considered ‘good’, 100 to 200 ‘moderate’, 200 to 300 ‘poor’, 300 to 400 ‘very poor’ and from 400 to 500 or above ‘severe’. (ANI)

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NIA Rameshwaram Cafe blast case.

NIA May Take Up Khalistani Terrorist Pannun Issue During FBI Chief’s India Visit

By LokMarg

With Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray expected to visit India next week, sources have said that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is preparing to take up the issue of Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun with the visiting US official.

It is expected that Wray will meet officials of both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as well as NIA here in the national capital during his India visit, said sources.

The US ambassador to India Eric Garcetti confirmed at an event in Delhi on Wednesday about the visit of FBI Director Christopher Wray next week.

Wray’s planned visit comes amid a US federal investigation into an alleged plot to assassinate Sikh radical Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil, for which the US administration levelled allegations against an Indian national and an Indian agency official.

Speaking about India-US relations during a panel discussion at the Carnegie ‘Global Technology Summit’ held in New Delhi, Ambassador Eric Garcetti said, “This was the Number 1 country she (US Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen) went to outside the United States. Four times this year. The Secretary of State (Antony Blinken) just came here for the third time. Secretary of Defence (Lloyd Austin) for the second time. The FBI director is here next week.”

The FBI Director’s visit, aimed at strengthening cooperation between the United States and India on a range of law enforcement issues, comes days after US Principal Deputy National Security Adviser (NSA), Jonathan Finer, was in Delhi to meet with Vikram Misri, India’s Deputy National Security Adviser.

During the meeting, the issue of the assassination plot had come up.

Last month, the United States charged an Indian national named Nikhil Gupta with conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and murder-for-hire charges for allegedly plotting to assassinate Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York City.

As per the Court documents filed by the US Justice Department, an unnamed Indian government official colluded with Gupta in the plot to kill Pannun.

Subsequently, New Delhi has formed a high-level special Enquiry Committee to thoroughly investigate the issue. (ANI)

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Victory In MP, Rajasthan, C’garh Due To Team Spirit: Modi

By LokMarg

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the recent win of the BJP in Assembly polls in three states was due hard work of all the party workers.

Addressing media persons after a meeting of BJP members of Parliament held today, Union Minister Prahlad Joshi said “During the BJP Parliamentary party meeting today, PM Modi said it was the result of the hard work of all the party workers that the BJP achieved a massive victory in three states.

“The PM appreciated everyone’s work. He also said that all BJP MPs and ministers have to participate in Vikas Bharat Sankalp Yatra from December 22 to 25 January.”

Joshi said that during the meeting held ahead of the commencement of proceedings of the day, the Prime minister said the election victory should not be attributed to anyone’s personal victory but was a collective win for the party.

At the meeting the PM also asked party members to not call him “Modi ji.”

“Don’t distance me from the public by making me ‘Modi ji’. I am Modi,” Prahlad Joshi said citing the Prime Minister.

Apart from this Union Minister and BJP leader Joshi said, “PM Modi shared an interesting fact today. While being in government when the Congress party faced elections 40 times in states, it got success only seven times. Whereas BJP got a chance to seek repeat mandate 39 times and got success 22 times.”

“Our percentage is 56 percent and Congress’s is 18 percent. Thus the figures prove that people’s biggest choice now is BJP,” Joshi said.

Prime Minister Modi got a rousing welcome on from BJP MPs at the Parliamentary Party meeting held ahead of the commencement of proceedings of the fourth day of the Winter Session of Parliament began for the day.

BJP National President JP Nadda welcomed the Prime Minister at the meeting and party MPs welcomed PM Modi with chants of “Modi ji ka swagat hai” and loud applause.

The meeting, the first by BJP during the current Winter Session comes amid suspense over the selection of Chief Ministers in these three states.

The BJP Parliament Party meeting was held at the Balayogi Auditorium in the Parliament House complex. (ANI)

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Modi Congratulates ISRO As Chandrayaan-3’s Propulsion Module Took Successful Detour

By LokMarg

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated the Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) for achieving another technological milestone in space.

Chandrayaan-3’s Propulsion Module took a successful detour. In another unique experiment, the Propulsion Module is brought from Lunar orbit to Earth’s orbit.

Responding to the X post of ISRO about this achievement, the Prime Minister posted on X, “Congratulations @isro. Another technology milestone achieved in our future space endeavours includes our goal to send an Indian to the Moon by 2040.”

In another unique experiment, like the hop experiment on the Vikram Lander, the Propulsion Module (PM) of Chandrayaan-3 was moved from an orbit around the Moon to an orbit around Earth, said the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

“Chandrayaan-3 Mission: Ch-3’s Propulsion Module (PM) takes a successful detour! In another unique experiment, the PM is brought from Lunar orbit to Earth’s orbit. An orbit-raising manoeuvre and a Trans-Earth injection manoeuvre placed PM in an Earth-bound orbit,” ISRO posted on X.

The primary objective of the Chandrayaan-3 mission was to demonstrate a soft landing near to lunar south polar region and perform experiments using the instruments on Vikram and Pragyaan.

The spacecraft was launched on July 14, 2023, on board an LVM3-M4 vehicle from SDSC, SHAR. On August 23, Vikram Lander made its historic touchdown on the Moon and subsequently Pragyan rover was deployed. The scientific instruments in Lander and Rover were operated continuously for 1 lunar day as per the defined mission life. The mission objectives of Chandrayaan-3 have been completely met. (ANI)

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Amit Shah POK

Shah Blames Nehru For PoK

By LokMarg

Blaming Jawaharlal Nehru for Pakistan occupying part of Jammu and Kashmir which belongs to India, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that due to the “two blunders” of the former Prime Minister, Kashmir had to “suffer for years.”

While replying to a debate on the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 in Lok Sabha, Shah noted that Nehru made “two blunders”– declared a ceasefire without winning the entire Kashmir (during India-Pakistan war in 1948) and also took the Kashmir issue to the United Nations.

Shah asserted that if Nehru had taken the right steps, PoK would be an integral part of India today.

“I support the word that was used here — Nehruvian blunder. Because of the blunder that was committed during the time of Nehru, Kashmir had to suffer. With responsibility, I want to say that the two blunders that happened during the tenure of Jawaharlal Nehru, due to his decisions, because of which Kashmir had to suffer for years. The first is to declare a ceasefire – when our army was winning, the ceasefire was imposed. If there had been a ceasefire after three days, PoK would have been a part of India today…The second is to take our internal issue to the UN,” Shah said.

During the debate, the Home Minister also said that the root cause of terrorism in the region was nothing but Article 370, which was abrogated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government in 2019.

“During the 1994-2004 period, a total of 40,164 incidents of terrorism were registered. During the 2004-2014 period, a total of 7,217 incidents of terrorism took place. During the 2014-2023 period, under the Narendra Modi government, the total incidents of terrorism registered have been around 2,000, which marks a 70 per cent reduction in the incidents of terrorism. That is why I was right in saying that the root cause of separatism, the root cause of terrorism was nothing but Article 370,” he said.

The Home Minister, during his address in the lower house, reaffirmed that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is part of the country.

He said that the Delimitation Commission, set up by the Centre for the delimitation of asssembly and parliamentary constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, has reserved 24 seats for PoK.

“The Delimitation (Commission) went everywhere in J-K. The representatives of several communities, including Kashmiri migrants and people displaced in PoK, had submitted applications to them regarding their representation in state assembly. I am happy that the commission has taken cognizance of this and the (then) Election Commissioner of India has nominated two seats in state assembly for Kashmiri migrants and one seat for a person displaced in PoK, which has been occupied unauthorizedly by Pakistan,” Shah said.

“Earlier there were 37 seats in Jammu (division), now there are 43. Earlier there were 46 in Kashmir, now there are 47. And 24 seats for PoK have been reserved, Kyuki Woh Hamara Hai (because PoK is ours),” he added.

During the debate, Shah also said that these bills pertain to bringing justice to those against whom injustice was done.

He said that, as per figures, around 46,631 families and 1,57,967 people were displaced in their own country. “This bill is to give them rights and representation,” he added.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 seeks to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004.

It was enacted to provide for reservation in appointment and admission in professional institutions for the members of the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and other socially and educationally backward classes.

The bill seeks to amend Section 2 of the Reservation Act to change the nomenclature of “weak and under privileged classes (social castes)” to “other backward classes” and make consequential amendments.

The other bill seeks to provide representation to “Kashmiri Migrants”, “Displaced Persons from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir” and Scheduled Tribes in the Legislative Assembly of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir “to preserve their political rights as well as for their overall social and economic development”.

It seeks to insert new sections 15A and 15B in the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 to nominate not more than two members, one of whom shall be a woman, from the community of “Kashmiri Migrants” and one Member from “Displaced Persons from Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir”, to the Jammu and Kashmir assembly.

Twenty-nine members participated in the debate on the bills. (ANI)

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Zakir Khan

Trailer Of Zakir’s Stand-Up Special ‘Mann Pasand’ Out Now

By LokMarg

Zakir Khan is all set to come up with a new stand-up special titled ‘Mann Pasand’.

Produced by OML, Zakir’s latest stand-up special will see him recounting stories of his childhood friendships with boys, adult relationships with girls, and the clashes that ensued between them on one fateful trip to Goa, peppered with his trademark style of humour.

On Tuesday, the makers unveiled the trailer of ‘Mann Pasand’. Have a look

Excited about it, Zakir said, “I am immensely grateful to the audience who watch, enjoy, and support my content. The overwhelming love and appreciation I receive is what drives me to make more and more people laugh through my performance and acts.”

He added, “Artists are relentless in their pursuit to reach even more people, perform in front of larger audiences, and showcase their content on a global stage, which is extremely difficult, particularly in the case of stand-up artists. But thanks to Prime Video, this arduous journey became easier and possible for me with Comicstaan and Tathastu. And I am excited that my latest special, Mann Pasand, which is fresh, funny, and relatable, will be enjoyed by audience in over 240 countries and territories.”

‘Mann Pasand’ will be out on Prime Video on December 7. (ANI)

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