Breaking News, August 3

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said giving away crores of rupees from the government exchequer to "friends" will lead to economic crisis, and not by providing free facilities to people, insisting that there should not be a ban on pre-poll announcements by political parties.

His remarks came after the Supreme Court asked all the stakeholder, including the Centre, Niti Aayog, Finance Commission and the RBI, to brainstorm the issue of freebies announced during elections and come out with "constructive suggestions", noting that no political party would oppose freebies and debate on it in Parliament.

A bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli, while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL), termed the issue of political parties promising freebies as "serious" and indicated that it would order setting up a body for suggesting measures to the government to deal with the issue.

The Centre, through Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, apprised the bench of its fresh stand in the matter and supported the PIL, saying the distribution of freebies inevitably leads to "future economic disaster".

"Providing facilities to the people for free will not cause an economic crisis," Kejriwal said in a series of tweets in Hindi, reacting to the apex court's directive.

But there will be an economic crisis "by giving free benefits of lakhs of crores of rupees to friends," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor added in a veiled attack on the BJP-led central government.

Kejriwal questioned the move to bring the spotlight on the issue and wondered how the announcement of freebies during elections would lead to an economic crisis.

"Ban on announcements before elections? Why? How will announcements lead to economic crisis?" he asked.

Without naming anyone, he alleged, "their target is somewhere else."

Kejriwal insisted that there should not be a ban on announcement of freebies during elections and called on the people to consider whether the governments should provide good education to children and free medical treatment to people or waive the repayment of loan of those "looting" the country's banks.

"Whether our children should get free/good education, whether every Indian should get good medical treatment for free or outstanding loan of those looting the bank be waived -- the country should consider this," he said.
Kejriwal, however, favoured giving loan waiver as well as "free or cheaper" facilities to private companies. He also favoured providing facilities to the ministers for free.
"Announcements should not be banned. That not more than a part of the government budget is spent on free(bies) may be considered," he said.
He added, "Free should include facilities provided to the ministers and the free/cheap facility and waiver of loans to any company."

Rajasthan Animal Husbandry Minister Lalchand Kataria on Wednesday exhorted officials to pull all stops to control the lumpy disease spreading among animals.
Kataria held a review meeting with the district level officials here regarding lumpy skin disease which has so far taken lives of more than 1,000 cows and other bovines across the state.
In the meeting, he said that the state government is making all possible efforts with full awareness and sensitivity to save the cattle from this disease.
He directed the officers to work on mission mode for the prevention of the disease.
Kataria, after discussion with the district officials, inquired about the status of infection, measures being taken for prevention, availability of medicine, and condition of medical personnel and directed them to make resources available in accordance with the need.
He directed them to immediately reach spots where infection is reported and make people aware about preventive measures.
He said that state medical teams and teams from neighbouring districts have been sent to the affected districts.
For the affected districts, 29 veterinary doctors and 93 livestock assistants have been deployed from other districts.
Approval of 30 additional vehicles has been issued for effective monitoring and treatment of sick animals.

The US looks forward to working closely together with India to advance bilateral priorities at the United Nations, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said as she met India’s new Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj. 

“A pleasure to meet with India's new Permanent Representative to the UN, @RuchiraKamboj, yesterday. Look forward to working closely together to advance US and India priorities here in New York,” Thomas-Greenfield said in a tweet on Tuesday.

Kamboj, 58, assumed charge as India’s first woman Permanent Representative to the UN here and presented her credentials to Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

“I am deeply honoured to assume office as the Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, the more so, in this significant year when we

celebrate the 75th anniversary of India’s independence,” Kamboj said in a brief statement to PTI.

Kamboj hit the ground running as she participated in an informal meeting of the Security Council on Monday, a day before she presented her credentials to the Secretary General.

“I look forward to a productive tenure weaving our national priorities into the multilateral framework over the course of the rest of our tenure in the Security Council and beyond,” she said.

A 1987 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, Kamboj was previously Ambassador of India to Bhutan and was in June appointed India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, succeeding Ambassador T S Tirumurti.

She assumes charge as India is half-way through the second year of its two-year term as non-permanent member of the 15-nation UN Security Council.

India's tenure at the Council will end in December this year when the country will also preside as President of the powerful UN organ for the month.

Kamboj joins the group of women Ambassadors at the Council, including US Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield and UK Permanent Representative Ambassador Barbara Woodward.

It also includes Norway's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York Mona Juul, UAE's Ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh.

Ireland's PR Ambassador Geraldine Nason is heading to Washington as her country's envoy. 

The LIC share sale -- the largest issue despite being a highly trimmed down one, has pushed government holding in listed companies to a high of 7.15 per cent in the June quarter from 5.48 per cent in the March quarter.
But in value terms, government holding in NSE companies jumped by 20.24 per cent to Rs 16.99 lakh crore  -- primarily due to LIC issue, which is now valued as the tenth largest in terms of market capitalisation of Rs 4.29 lakh crore -- in the June quarter. It was Rs 14.13 lakh crore in March 2022, according to an analysis by Prime Database.
This is way lower than the value of Reliance Industries which has a market cap of Rs 17.63 lakh crore.
The government shareholding, (as a promoter) in NSE listed companies has jumped to 7.15 per cent as of June 30, 2022, from 5.48 per cent in March 2022.
According to Pranav Haldea, the managing director of Prime Database Group,  this was primarily on account of the Rs 20,557-crore LIC IPO in May (which is only around a third of what was initially planned, selling only 3.5 per cent).

 Global facility management company ISS Group on Wednesday said it is planning to expand its workforce by 20-30 per cent over the next three years due to strong economic growth across the manufacturing and services sectors.

Currently, ISS India has over 43,400 employees managing more than 180 million square feet of area for over 1,000 clients across the country, the company said in a statement.

The company is looking at a significant uptick in the India business over the next 2-3 years, it added. In India, ISS' pan-India presence and its proven self-delivery model is a preferred outsourcing choice for many companies looking to diversify deeper into Tier II and III cities.

Based on these strong tailwinds, ISS India is aiming to almost double its revenues in the country over the next 3-5 years, it added.

The Delhi University's academic council on Wednesday approved a new process to admit students to undergraduate courses based on Common University Entrance Test (CUET) scores. As per the new process, a central portal will be designed for admission to all colleges, and admission will be done as per the rules stated in the Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS). "The academic council has approved the guidelines framed by the standing committee for admitting students to undergraduate courses," a member of the council said. Admission through the CSAS will be conducted in three phases – submission of the CSAS 2022 application form, selection of programmes and filling of preferences, and seat allocation and admission. Seats will be allocated based on a merit list, as per the guidelines issued by the university.

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the Maharashtra government to file a reply on a petition challenging its decision to stay circulars relating to certain appointments and development projects taken up by the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) administration.
A division bench headed by Justice S V Gangapurwala, while directing for the reply affidavit to be filed by August 17, said it would like to know the reason (behind the decision).
Government pleader P P Kakade had sought time to respond to the plea which was allowed.
"We would like to know the reason...we may not go into the sufficiency of the reason," the court said.
The petitioners' lawyer, S B Talekar, then sought for an order of status quo. The bench, however, said no such order of status quo would be required as the matter is now sub-judice.
The petition, filed by five persons, some of them former Indian Administrative Service officers and social workers, said the present government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had issued four government resolutions (GRs) cancelling orders passed by the previous MVA dispensation headed by Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray.
Shinde took oath as CM on June 30 along with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis after the collapse the Shiv Sena-led coalition government. Shinde is yet to expand his two-member cabinet.
 

India and Japan on Wednesday took stock of their cooperation in the skill development initiatives.The discussions were held in the third meeting of the joint working group (JWG) on specified skill workers (SSW). The two countries signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on specified skilled workers in January 2021 in order to promote the movement of skilled workers from India to Japan for employment on a contractual basis.

"During the JWG meeting, both sides took stock of the existing cooperation between India and Japan under SSW and concurred that there was considerable potential to boost the number of SSW workers from India to Japan," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. "In this context, they held discussions on ways to further enhance the implementation of SSW programme by identifying challenges in the existing system and exchanging views on the way forward," it said. The key issues discussed during the meeting included demand-supply matching, raising the number of test centres in India, expanding the sectors of implementation, raising awareness about the SSW programme in India and promoting the Japanese language in India.

Tamil Nadu has received 242.9-mm rainfall during the SouthWest monsoon, which is over 94 per cent more than the average rainfall, State Revenue and Disaster Management Minister K K S S R Ramachandran said on Wednesday. With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting heavy rains this week, the State administration has taken precautionary measures for rescue and relief operation, he said. “During this SouthWest monsoon, the State received 242.9 mm rainfall from June 1 to August 2. This is 94 per cent in excess of the average rainfall,” the Minister said. During the last 24 hours, 32 districts of the State got an average rainfall of 5.48 mm. Tiruttani received the maximum of 113 mm and Perambalur the lowest at 5.82 mm, Ramachandran said in a release here. Chinnakallar in Coimbatore received 85 mm while Palakode and Marandahalli in Dharmapuri district received 75 and 72 mm rainfall, he said. About 14 districts received rainfall between 33.60 mm and 5.82 mm. 

A court here awarded life imprisonment to a couple and their son for killing a rape victim in a decade-old case. Assistant District Government Counsel Kalpana Pandey said the incident took place on February 16, 2012 at Ikaunagarh village falling under the Sultanpur Ghosh police station limits.
The 15-year-old girl was raped by a minor boy. "A few hours later, the brother of the accused, Karan, mother Shanti and father Om Prakash took the victim forcibly to a forest area where they strangled her," said Pandey.

Then they hanged the body from a tree to make it look like a case of suicide, Pandey added. The government advocate said seven witnesses appeared during the hearing of the case.  The judge, after hearing statements of the witnesses, awarded life imprisonment to Karan, Shanti and Om Prakash and also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on each of them.

We came to know about a girl who was found lying unconscious near a food joint. The PCR rushed to the spot.  She had allegedly been raped by four men. A medical examination conducted. FIR lodged. 6 accused detained: Police (02.08)

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan has drawn bipartisan support at home and backing among the world's democracies. Meanwhile, China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory with no right to an independent identity, has rallied support among fellow authoritarian states. The divided opinions speak both to China's growing global influence and the backlash that has prompted among the world's liberal societies.

With rising cases of monkeypox in the country, the Union health ministry on Wednesday released a list of dos and don'ts to avoid contracting the disease. It also underlined that anyone can catch the virus if they have had prolonged or repeated contact with an infected individual. Among the dos, the ministry advised isolating the infected person from others so that the disease does not spread, use of hand sanitisers, or washing hands with soap and water, covering mouth with masks and hands with disposable gloves when close to a patient, and using disinfectants to sanitise the environment around.

Telangana is likely to witness another crucial bypoll ahead of 2023 Legislative Assembly elections with Congress legislator from Munugode constituency, Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy announcing his resignation from the party and as MLA. Rajagopal Reddy on Tuesday evening said he would seek time from the Legislative Assembly Speaker to submit his resignation.

Fourteen new aircraft stands have become operational at Terminal 1 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport here, said its operator DIAL on Wednesday. These new stands would be able to handle Code C aircraft such as A320 and B737 which have a wingspan measuring between 24 metres and 36 metres, a statement issued by the GMR group-led Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) noted.

Over seven years after the killing of activist Govind Pansare, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday transferred the probe into the case to the Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Maharashtra Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was investigating the case till now.

A batch of 226 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here on Wednesday to pay obeisance at the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said. The 43-day yatra commenced on June 30 from the twin base camps -- traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag and 14-km shorter Baltal in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district.

Several MPs, including central ministers and young parliamentarians, on Wednesday took part in a bike rally in Delhi that originated from the historic Red Fort to pay tribute to the freedom fighters as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. Tricolours in the streets and MPs on wheels, the event sought to heighten the sense of patriotism among citizens while sending out a social message.

Vigilance Commissioner Suresh N Patel was on Wednesday sworn in as the Central Vigilance Commissioner, a communique issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said. He made and subscribed the oath of his office before President Droupadi Murmu, it said.

As rains continued in Kerala, state Revenue Minister K Rajan on Wednesday said that people should strictly avoid going to areas which are inundated or flooded as part of a growing trend of "flood tourism" and warned that police would be used to remove such persons. Rajan said there is a growing trend among people to visit areas which are flooded and try to enter the waters there or catch fish and the same should be avoided as it creates an additional burden on the authorities carrying out relief and rescue operations.

A man, who was released on bail following his arrest in a 2020 rape case, allegedly sexually assaulted the same victim at knife in Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh and threatened her to withdraw the complaint she had lodged against him, police said. The woman complained that the incident, involving the accused and his friend, took place around a month back, they said.

A statue of B R Ambedkar was defiled in Deegh village of the district, police said on Wednesday. A local identified as Pawan informed police about the matter on Tuesday following which a police team reached the spot and got the 1.5-feet tall statue, which had fallen on the ground, reinstalled, Superintendent of Police Anil Kumar said.

With 17,135 new coronavirus infections reported in a day, India's infection tally rose to 4,40,67,144, while the active cases have declined to 1,37,057, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Wednesday. The COVID-19 death toll has climbed to 5,26,477 with 47 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.

Mumbaikars woke up to a rainy morning on Wednesday as showers made a comeback in the metropolis after a gap of around a fortnight. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted partially cloudy sky with the possibility of light rain or thundershowers in the city and its suburbs in the next 24 hours, a civic official said.

The Left government in Kerala has urged the Centre to revoke its decision to limit the simultaneous works under the MGNREGA scheme, saying it would create huge setback in the rural economy which was trying to come out of the crisis inflicted by the COVID-19. Slamming the Centre over the move, state LSGD minister M V Govindan said it was taken without considering the circumstances prevailing in Kerala which tops among states in the implementation of the scheme.

With the addition of 115 coronavirus positive cases, the infection count in Maharashtra's Thane district rose to 7,34,427, a health official said on Wednesday. These cases were recorded on Tuesday, and there are now 779 active cases in the district, he said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will arrive in Bengaluru on Wednesday night to take part in ‘Sankalp Se Siddhi’ conference of the Confederation of the Indian Industries (CII). According to the tour programme, Shah would arrive in the city on Wednesday night from Delhi and attend the CII event on Thursday at 11 am.
He would fly back to Delhi at 2.30 pm.

A new round of US sanctions targeting Russian elites includes a woman named in news reports as Vladimir Putin's longtime romantic partner. The Treasury Department said Tuesday that the government has frozen the visa of Alina Kabaeva, an Olympic gymnast in her youth and former member of the state Duma, and imposed other property restrictions.