Tag: Delhi

Saurabh Bharadwaj

Saurabh Defends Arrest Of Punjab Cong MLA In Drug Case

By LokMarg

Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday defended the move by the AAP government in Punjab to have Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira arrested over alleged connections with a drug smuggling racket, saying that the narcotic menace could have a devastating impact on the state’s youth.

Speaking to ANI on Tuesday, Bharadwaj said, “This matter had been in the high court earlier. Evidence (of the Congress leader’s link to the drug racket) had been presented before the high court as well. The evidence only serves to establish his connections with drug peddlers. Punjab’s youth are being addicted to drugs and spoilt.”

Advocating zero tolerance in such cases, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader added, “I don’t think even his party would stand with him as he has been found to be involved in a drug case,” he added.

Even as the ruling AAP and the Congress, which are partners in the Opposition bloc INDIA, were at loggerheads over the arrest of MLA Khaira in a drug case, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said his party was not against any leader but ‘drug menace’, urging “all parties” to join them in the ongoing crackdown.

While the Congress labelled the arrest as a demonstration of the AAP’s vindictive politics, the ruling party said it was part of their “zero-tolerance policy” against drugs.

Earlier, in 2015, two cases blew the lid off a cross-border drug smuggling network in Punjab’s Fazilka. One of these cases led to the seizure of heroin, gold biscuits, weapons, cartridges, and Pakistani SIM cards while the other was of a fake passport racket being run in Delhi.

Nine smugglers, including Gurdev Singh, Manjit Singh, Harbans Singh, and Subhash Chander, were sentenced in October 2017 in connection with the Fazilka case.

According to the chargesheet filed in the case, Khaira was closely associated with Gurdev, the leader of the Fazilka drug smuggling racket, and is also accused to have sheltered him. The primary accusations against Khaira include supporting an international gang of smugglers, having sheltered him and receiving financial benefits from drug traffickers, and enjoying the proceeds of crime.

On February 16,, a Supreme Court bench of Justices BR Gavai and Vikram Nath quashed the summoning order against Khaira in the drug case. (ANI)

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Earthquake Of Magnitude 4.1 Strikes Arunachal

Two Earthquakes Hit Nepal, Tremors Felt In Delhi-NCR

By LokMarg

Earthquake tremors were felt in the Delhi-NCR region on Tuesday afternoon with some people coming out of their residences and offices for safety.  

National Centre for Seismology said two earthquakes hit Nepal on Tuesday – the first had 4.6 magnitude on the Richter Scale that hit Nepal at 2:25 pm. The other measured 6.2 on the Richter Scale and occurred at 2:51 pm.

“Earthquake of Magnitude: 4.6, Occurred on 03-10-2023, 14:25:52 IST, Lat: 29.37 & Long: 81.22, Depth: 10 km, Location: Nepal,”  National Centre for Seismology said in a tweet. 

“Earthquake of Magnitude: 6.2, Occurred on 03-10-2023, 14:51:04 IST, Lat: 29.39 & Long: 81.23, Depth: 5 km, Location: Nepal,” it added. 

More details are awaited. (ANI)

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CBI Kejriwal's Residence

CBI Registers Preliminary Enquiry To Probe Irregularities In Construction Of Kejriwal’s Residence

By LokMarg

The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a preliminary enquiry to probe the alleged irregularities in the construction and renovation of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s official residence here, the CBI sources said.

The BJP has alleged that around Rs 45 crore was spent on the “renovation” of Kejriwal’s official residence – 6, Flagstaff Road – in the Civil Lines area of the city.

Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has lambasted the BJP for the CBI’s move.

“The BJP is leaving no stone unturned in finishing off the Aam Aadmi Party. Today, there is only the AAP seeking votes on the basis of work done in the field of health and education. However, the BJP does not want the poor to receive the best education and healthcare services. This will lead to the defeat of the BJP’s religion and caste-based politics,” the AAP said in a statement. 

“This was the reason why the country’s best Education Minister, Manish Sisodia, and best Health Minister, Satyendra Jain was put behind bars. Now, all the central agencies have been deployed to take on Delhi CM, Arvind Kejriwal. However, the blessings and love of Delhi’s two crore people lie with CM Kejriwal. Till now, they (central government) have registered more than 50 cases against him. Nothing came out in any of them, nothing will come out in this either,” the AAP said.

Attacking the BJP, the AAP further added, “No matter how many investigations the BJP gets conducted against CM Kejriwal, he will continue to raise his voice for common men. He is ready to pay the price for making the country achieve the position of the world’s number one nation”. 

Earlier this year, the Directorate of Vigilance issued show-cause notices to Public Works Department (PWD) officials in connection with the alleged expenditure on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence. 

In April, hundreds of BJP leaders and workers staged a massive demonstration against Kejriwal.

 “It is questionable that a person who claims to be ‘Kattar Imaandar’ spends 45 crores rupees on the renovation of the official residence. He spent 11 cr on his wardrobe, obviously, questions will be raised,” BJP leader Harish Khurana had said. (ANI)

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Jeong-Hwan Guard Of Honour

South Korea Chief Of Staff Park Jeong-Hwan Receives Guard Of Honour In Delhi

By LokMarg

Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korean (South Korea) Army General Park Jeong-Hwan was presented with a Guard of Honour at the majestic South Block Lawns in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Prior to the event, the Korean Army General laid a wreath at the National War Memorial.

The South Korean Chief of Staff is in India to take part in the biennial Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference set for a three-day run in New Delhi, and discuss military and arms cooperation with his counterparts.

The armies of India and the US hosted the 13th biannual IPACC, the 47th annual Indo-Pacific Army Management Seminar (IPAMS), and the 9th Senior Enlisted Forum in the national capital from September 25-27.

The gathering was notably the largest conference for land forces (army, marines, etc.) in the region.

The objective for these meetings is to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region through mutual understanding, dialogue, and friendship. Senior land commanders will have a venue to share opinions and ideas as well as grow and deepen their connections through this, the official release of the US embassy said.

This year’s conference’s theme is “Together for Peace: Sustaining Peace and Stability in the Indo-Pacific Region.”

The both larger plenary sessions and more intimate break-out sessions at the conference.

Participants took part in vibrant conversations on subjects including peacekeeping operations, humanitarian aid/disaster relief, leadership development, and women’s emancipation as well as hear from eminent guest speakers.

Participation in IPAMS has grown from nine nations at the first conference held in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1977, to 31 nations in Seoul, Korea in 2017.

IPACC is now held every two years and is co-hosted by the United States Army and the hosting country.

IPAMS is the longest running land forces conference held every year. In 2014, the SELF was added allowing senior enlisted members to experience the same fellowship, discussion and sharing opportunities, but from a different perspective, the US Embassy release read.

An opening ceremony kickstarted on September 26 at the Manekshaw Center, preceded by a joint press conference at 9 am with the Indian Army Chief, General Manoj Pande, and General Randy George, U.S. Army Vice Chief of Staff. (ANI)

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Arvind Kejriwal Winter Action Delhi Planning Department

Kejriwal To Announce Winter Action Plan To Tackle Air Pollution

By LokMarg

The Delhi Government is tightening its grip on air pollution by intensifying its efforts towards implementing a comprehensive plan to combat winter pollution. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will announce the Winter Action Plan on 29 September, according to an official statement of the state government. 

Providing further information, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said in a statement, “We are preparing a Winter Action Plan to curb winter pollution in Delhi on the basis of reports given by the departments. A joint meeting regarding the Winter Action Plan of all the 28 concerned departments was held on September 14 in the Delhi Secretariat and different responsibilities were assigned to the departments. Instructions have been issued to all construction agencies to strictly follow the norms related to dust pollution.”

In the meeting, officers from Environment Department, DPCC, Development Department, Delhi Cantonment Board, CPWD, DDA, Delhi Police, DTC, Revenue Department, DSIIDC, Education Department, DMRC, PWD, Transport Department, NHAI, Delhi Jal Board, DUSIB, NDMC were present. All departments were instructed to submit detailed action plans under the Winter Action Plan to the Environment Department by September 25.

Environment Minister Gopal Rai said, “Keeping in mind the phenomenon of rising pollution in Delhi during winters, the Delhi Government is preparing a ‘Winter Action Plan’. We conducted a high-level meeting of 28 government departments on September 14th in this respect. In that meeting, all the departments were given a unique goal, to be included in the Winter Action Plan.”

He continued, “Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will present this Winter Action Plan in front of the citizens of Delhi on September 29th, 2023. All the government departments will act in unison in the implementation of the Winter Action Plan to curb the rise of pollution in ensuing winters.”

He also said, “Last year, we worked together with all the agencies involved in the construction business in Delhi to keep a noose on pollution. Today, I am appealing to them to follow the norms related to dust pollution. Action would be taken against all those agencies who violate the law. A separate action plan will be made for 13 hotspots to reduce pollution. This time special monitoring will be done on hotspots to reduce pollution.” (ANI)

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AIIA Delhi

Diplomats From East, SA Visit All India Institute Of Ayurveda In Delhi

By LokMarg

The 15-member delegation of diplomats and representatives from East and Southern African countries visited the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), New Delhi on Tuesday and explored the cutting-edge science and interventions of AIIA in the field of Ayurveda and integrative health care.

After joining the G20 bloc under India’s 2023 presidency, the African nations are all set to explore the power of Indian Systems of Traditional Medicine and Integrative health care.

The diplomats from Namibia Ethiopia, Uganda, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, Kenya and Rwanda visited the Ayurvedic institution premises. 

Prof (Dr.) Tanuja Nesari, Director, AIIA, Pramod Kumar Pathak, Consultant, Ministry of Ayush, Puneet R. Kundal, Joint Secretary, (East & Southern Africa Division), Ministry of External Affairs and staff of the institute welcomed diplomats & explained to them about various achievements of India in Traditional Medicine.

In his video message, Minister of Ayush and Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal welcomed the African delegation and said that this visit will help in achieving the objective of Universal Health Coverage in African nations through the potential of traditional medicine systems of India.

Taking to X, the Ministry of Ayush shared about the delegation visit saying, Diplomats and representatives of East and Southern African Countries today visited @AIIA_NDelhi. They were apprised of how AIIA is working towards providing high standards of education, research, and patient care through Ayurveda. (ANI)

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CWRC Karnataka

CWRC Asks Karnataka To Release 3000 Cusecs Of Water To TN Till Oct 15

By LokMarg

The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) has recommended Karnataka to ensure release of 3000 cusecs of Cauvery water at Biligundlu starting from September 28 upto October 15, 2023. The amount of water to be released was earlier 5000 cusecs. 

In its 87th meeting of CWRC held in New Delhi today, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu made their submissions before the committee.  

The submission made by Karnataka stated that the shortfall in cumulative inflows to the state’s four reservoirs upto September 25 was 53.04 per cent.

“The Government of Karnataka in the order dated September 13 has declared 161 Talukas in the State as severely drought-affected and 34 Talukas as moderately drought-affected. Out of this, 32 severely drought-affected Talukas and 15 moderately drought-affected Talukas fall in the Cauvery basin. This aspect needs utmost recognition and invites critical consideration by the committee,” the submission said.

The submission further stated that Karnataka was not in a position to release any water from its reservoirs or contribute any flows from its reservoirs to the flows to be maintained at the interstate border of Biligundlu.

Tamil Nadu urged CWRC that Karnataka has to release the shortfall quantity immediately and further flows as per the distress proportion. Tamil Nadu also urged CWRC that Karnataka too had to reduce its irrigation supply based on the distress proportion.

Earlier, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday accused opposition parties Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka of “doing politics” over Cauvery water sharing row.

Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, CM said, “It’s most unfortunate that BJP and JDS both are doing politics in Cauvery issue. It is just because of politics, not for the people of the state or the people”.

The Karnataka CM also urged the Water Management Authority to implement a distress formula for Water Sharing when there was a water shortage.

“So far no distress formula has been implemented. We have been praying for the distress formula in Cauvery water sharing issue. SC or CWMA have not given distress formula solution, whenever there is less rain, there should

be distress formula to share water” Siddaramaiah said. 

The order from the CWMA comes on day where organisations organised a bandh in Bengaluru against the CWMA’s decision ordering the government to release water. 

There have also been protests in Trichy and other regions of Tamil Nadu along the Cauvery delta where the farmers allege they do not have enough water to ensure Kurai (Paddy Crop) Cultivation. (ANI)

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Vande Bharat Trains

Modi To Launch Nine Vande Bharat Trains On Sunday

By LokMarg

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate nine Vande Bharat Express trains on September 24, at 12:30 PM via video conferencing.

These new additions to the Vande Bharat fleet represent a significant stride towards enhancing connectivity across the nation and offering world-class amenities to rail passengers, read the press release by the Prime Minister’s Office.

Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “Tomorrow PM Modi will be inaugurating the Jamnagar-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Train here”.

The nine Vande Bharat Express trains scheduled for the inauguration are Udaipur – Jaipur Vande Bharat Express, Tirunelveli-Madurai-Chennai Vande Bharat Express, Hyderabad – Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express, Vijayawada – Chennai (via Renigunta) Vande Bharat Express, Patna – Howrah Vande Bharat Express, Kasaragod – Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express, Rourkela – Bhubaneswar – Puri Vande Bharat Express, Ranchi – Howrah Vande Bharat Express, Jamnagar-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express, read the press release.

The introduction of these nine trains aims to enhance connectivity across eleven states, including Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, West Bengal, Kerala, Odisha, Jharkhand, and Gujarat.

These Vande Bharat trains will be the fastest along their respective routes, significantly reducing travel time for passengers.

For instance, the Rourkela- Bhubaneswar – Puri Vande Bharat Express and Kasaragod – Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express will be approximately 3 hours faster than the current fastest trains on their routes, read the release.

Similarly, the Hyderabad – Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express will save more than 2.5 hours, and the Tirunelveli-Madurai- Chennai Vande Bharat Express will reduce travel time by over 2 hours.

In line with Prime Minister Modi’s vision to improve connectivity to important religious destinations, the Rourkela- Bhubaneswar – Puri Vande Bharat Express and Tirunelveli-Madurai- Chennai Vande Bharat Express will connect the significant pilgrimage towns of Puri and Madurai, read the release.

Additionally, the Vijayawada – Chennai Vande Bharat Express, operating via the Renigunta route, will provide connectivity to the revered Tirupati Pilgrimage Centre.

These newly introduced Vande Bharat trains will set a new standard for rail service in India.

Equipped with world-class amenities and advanced safety features, including Kavach technology, they represent a step towards providing modern, fast, and comfortable travel options for commuters, professionals, business travelers, students, and tourists alike. (ANI)

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Global Mobile Theft Delhi

Global Mobile Theft Syndicate Busted In Delhi, Three Arrested

By LokMarg

With the arrest of three accused, Delhi Police on Saturday claimed to have busted an international mobile phone theft syndicate. 

112 stolen mobile phones were recovered from their possession, the police added. 

According to the police, two of the accused are natives of South Delhi while the other one belongs to West Bengal. 

“Around 2,240 stolen smartphones worth Rs 4.5 crore were sent to Bangladesh via West Bengal,” said Rajesh Deo, Deputy Commissioner of Police, South-East Delhi. 

Further details are awaited. 

Earlier on Tuesday, the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of Delhi Police has arrested a drug trafficker and recovered 1.541 kg of heroin from his possession. (ANI)

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Raghav, Parineeti Receive Grand Welcome At Udaipur Airport

By LokMarg

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha and actor Parineeti Chopra received a grand welcome at Udaipur airport on Friday.

Several photographs and videos of the couple arriving at the Udaipur airport from Delhi have circulated on social media.

The couple was greeted with Dhols and music as they exited the airport gates. Raghav and Parineeti will tie the knot in Udaipur reportedly over this weekend.

A group performed bhangra to welcome them.

Parineeti wore a red jumpsuit with a cream shawl. She finished her look with black sunglasses. Raghav opted for a black sweater and blue denim.

Earlier, the duo hosted Sufi night for their close friends and family members. Parineeti Chopra’s cousin Priyanka gave it a miss but the actor’s mother Madhu Chopra and brother Siddharth marked their presence at the special function organised at Raghav’s residence in the national capital. Prior to the musical night, Parineeti and Raghav sought blessings at a Gurudwara in New Delhi, where they participated in Ardas and Kirtan.

The duo exchanged rings on May 13 at Kapurthala house in New Delhi in the presence of their loved ones. The star-studded ceremony was attended by several politicians including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, former finance minister P Chidambaram, and Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray.

Before their engagement, both Raghav and Parineeti had kept mum about their relationship. Parineeti and Raghav reportedly knew each other for several years before they began dating. The couple was recently spotted scouting for locations for weddings in Udaipur, hinting that they will follow in her cousin Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas’ footsteps and tie the knot in a lavish wedding in Rajasthan.

Reportedly, the couple will tie the knot in Rajasthan. Wedding festivities will take place on September 23 and 24, as per several reports. 

Meanwhile, on the work front, Parineeti will share screen space with Diljit Dosanjh in ‘Chamkila’. Helmed by Imtiaz Ali, the film revolves around two famous Punjabi singers Amarjot Kaur and Amar Singh Chamkila.  She also has ‘Mission Raniganj: The Great Bharat Rescue’ alongwith Akshay Kumar in her kitty. (ANI)

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