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J&K: Police books Srinagar bridegroom for using firecrackers in his marriage

Firecrackers banned in Telangana

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir today booked a bridegroom for using firecrackers during his marriage last night, violating the orders issued by the district magistrate, Srinagar.

A police official said that a case against the bridegroom has been filed in Batmaloo police station, Srinagar. “Use of firecrackers was directly in violation of the rules set by the district magistrate,” he said.

A police spokesman said that firecrackers are prohibited within the territorial jurisdiction of Srinagar district. “An order in this regard stands promulgated by the Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar,” the spokesman said, adding that last night, firecrackers were heard in Batmaloo.

During the investigations, it was found that the firecrackers were used during the marriage ceremony of Bilal Ahmad Shah, of Reck Chowk Batmaloo, by his family and friends.

The spokesman said that in this regard a case stands registered. “Investigation of the case is in process,” the statement said.

Srinagar police urges people not to use firecrackers anywhere within the territorial jurisdiction of the district.

-CHK

Environment Ministerial meet to review air pollution, stubble burning on Oct 1

generic medicines
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar

New Delhi (NVI): Union Minister Prakash Javadekar today said that the Environment ministers of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan will hold a meeting on October 1 to review the issue of air pollution and stubble burning in the county.

The environment ministerial meet will also be attended by state pollution control boards, municipal corporations and various other urban bodies.

This meeting comes with the issue of stubble burning in the backdrop which causes immense air pollution yearly especially in the Northern states of India.

Speaking at a media briefing today, Javadekar said, “This year meeting with Environment Ministers of Delhi and neighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, along with the respective Environment Secretaries, members of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi Development Authority will be held virtually on October 1.”

Javadekar also highlighted that the problem of air pollution in the winter months in Northern states especially Delhi, apart from man-made factors are caused by meteorological and geographical factors.

In addition to this, he said that Central, state government and citizens need to work together towards mitigation of air pollution and it is a shared responsibility.

The Union Minister also said that in 2016 Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the real time Air Quality Index which acts as a key input in identifying pollution hotspots and directing policy efforts towards mitigation of air pollution.

The problem of air pollution in winters especially in the national capital is also related to meteorological reasons as well, he added.

The significant factor affecting Delhi’s Air Quality is ventilation index, defined as the product of wind speed and mixing height, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said in a statement.

“Winters are dominated by cold, dry air, and ground based inversion with low wind conditions, which makes the air stagnant and creates an unfavourable condition for dispersion,” it added.

Javadekar also stated the central government has done a series of initiatives to mitigate air pollution over the years. It closed down Badarpur power plant, phased out Sonipat power plant, and constructed the Peripheral Expressway.

“In a bid to control pollution, we gave a push to e-vehicles, and today more than 3 lakh vehicles are e-vehicles in the country,” he added.

-RJV

Nearly 100% increase in COVID recoveries

COVID cases

New Delhi (NVI): The Ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW) today said India had witnessed close to 100% increase in novel coronavirus (Covid-19) recoveries in the past month.

The ministry further said that more than 82 per cent of India’s coronavirus patients had recovered from the disease and were discharged.

“India has witnessed close to 100 per cent increase in recoveries in the past month. More than 82 per cent of total cases (exceeding 50 lakhs) recovered and discharged. Active cases (lower than ten lakhs) a small proportion (less than 1/5th) of total cases,” the ministry said.

According to the health ministry’s dashboard, India’s Covid-19 count currently stands at 6,074,702, only behind that of the United States and ahead of Brazil. However, of these, 5,016,520 are recovered cases, giving India a recovery rate of 83 per cent.

India’s recovered cases are also the highest in the world, contributing more than 20 per cent of total global recoveries. Globally, more than 24 million have recovered from the disease, in a caseload of over 33 million, as per worldometers.

Meanwhile, India’s active cases and deaths, meanwhile, contribute 15.85% and 1.57% respectively to its total number of Covid-19 cases. While the number of active cases is 962,640, the death toll stands at 95,542.

-CHK

India rejects China’s claims on location of LAC in Ladakh

MEA

New Delhi (NVI): India today categorically rejected the Chinese interpretation of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, saying that it has never accepted the so-called unilaterally defined 1959 LAC and this position has been consistent and well known, including to the Chinese side.

MEA spokesman Anurag Srivastava, while responding to queries on a media report, quoting a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement regarding China’s position on the LAC, said that the 1959 claim made by Beijing was not mutually agreed upon.

Srivastava said that India and China have committed to clarification and confirmation of the LAC to reach a common understanding of the alignment of the LAC, under various bilateral agreements.

He mentioned the agreements between both the sides including the 1993 Agreement on Maintenance of Peace and Tranquility along the LAC, 1996 Agreement on Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) in the military field, 2005 Protocol on Implementation of CBMs, 2005 Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for settlement of the India-China Boundary Question.

“In fact, the two sides had engaged in an exercise to clarify and confirm the LAC up to 2003, but this process could not proceed further as the Chinese side did not show a willingness to pursue it,” the MEA spokesman said.

“Therefore, the insistence now of the Chinese side that there is only one LAC is contrary to the solemn commitments made by China in these agreements,” he added.

Srivastava said the Indian side has always respected and abided by the LAC and mentioned the statement of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in the Parliament recently, in which he stated that it is the Chinese side which by its attempts to transgress the LAC in various parts of the Western Sector, has tried to unilaterally alter the status quo.

In the last few months, the Chinese side has repeatedly affirmed that the current situation in the border areas should be resolved in accordance with the agreements signed between the two countries, the MEA spokesman said. However, when it comes to the position of LAC, Beijing doesn’t respect the agreements between the two countries that have mutually signed so far.

Also, in the agreement reached between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on September 10 in Moscow, the Chinese side has reiterated its commitment to abide by all the existing agreements, Srivastava said.

“We, therefore, expect that the Chinese side will sincerely and faithfully abide by all agreements and understandings in their entirety and refrain from advancing an untenable unilateral interpretation of the LAC,” the MEA spokesman said.

-ARK

Kharif procurement on MSP continues

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): The Kharif Marketing Season 2020-21 has just begun and the government continues to procure Kharif crops at minimum support price (MSP) from farmers as per its existing MSP schemes, the Ministry of Agriculture said.

“Based on the proposal from the states, approval has been accorded for procurement of 14.09 lakh metric tonne (LMT) of Pulse and Oilseeds for KMS 2020-21 for the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana and Haryana,” the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare said in a statement.

For other states and UTs, approval will also be accorded on receipt of proposal for Kharif pulses and oilseeds and procurement of FAQ grade will be made as per Price Support Scheme (PSS), if the market rate goes below its MSP during the notified harvesting period, it added.

The government through its Nodal Agencies has procured 46.35 MT of moong having MSP value of Rs 33 lakhs benefitting 48 farmers in Tamil Nadu till September 28.

Similarly, 5,089 MT of copra (the perennial crop) having MSP value of Rs, 52.40 crore has been procured benefitting 3,961 farmers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu against the sanctioned quantity of 1.23 LMT for Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

The procurement of Paddy during Kharif Marketing Season commenced from September 26, in Haryana and Punjab, the ministry said.

“Upto September 28, the Paddy procurement of 3,164 MT in Haryana and 13,256 MT in Punjab totaling 16,420 MT having MSP value of Rs 31 crore at MSP of Rs 1,888 per quintal has been done from 1,443 farmers of Haryana and Punjab,” it added. However, the procurement of paddy for the remaining states has just commenced from September 28.

Furthermore, the procurement of Cotton for the season 2020-21 shall commence from October 1 and Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) will start purchase of FAQ grade Cotton from October 1 onwards, the ministry noted.

-RJV

PFC signs MoU with Min of Power

New Delhi (NVI): Power Finance Corporation Ltd (PFC) today signed a performance-based ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ (MoU) with Ministry of Power, detailing various targets to be achieved by PFC during the Fiscal Year 2020-21.

The MoU has been signed by Sanjiv Nandan Sahai, Secretary (Power), and R.S. Dhillon, CMD, PFC, in presence of senior officials of MOP and PFC.

Centre has set an ambitious revenue target of Rs 36,000 crore along with various performance-related parameters such as Operating Profit as percentage of Revenue from Operation, PAT as a percentage of Average Networth and Non-financial parameters viz., IPDS-related parameters.

PFC has been delivering exemplary performance from the past years and the ratings from the Government of India stands testimony to the performance.

-CHK

HAL rolls out 300th ALH from its hangar

New Delhi (NVI): The 300th Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH-Dhruv) was rolled out from HAL hangar today, the Defence PSU said, in another major fillip to the indigenous programme.

Speaking on the occasion, R Madhavan, CMD, HAL said, “ALH never looked back from the day when the prototype took its maiden flight on August 30, 1992 and has evolved into a world-class helicopter with its unparalleled performance.”

“The evolution from ALH Mark-I to Mark-IV has been phenomenal and is a boost to the indigenous design and development of helicopters,” he added.

The roll out certificate of the 300th helicopter was handed over to GVS Bhaskar, Chief Executive Officer, Helicopter Complex by YK Sharma, Additional Director General (South Zone), Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DGAQA) at a programme held at HAL’s Helicopter Division.

300th Advanced Light Helicopter

GVS Bhaskar said that the roll out of 300th ALH was a testimony to the capabilities HAL has built over the years with concerted efforts of employees and customer support.

“With more ALH getting inducted into the services our focus on customer support is ever increasing. With over 2,80,000 flying hours ALH has proven to be a multirole helicopter for Any Mission, Any Place, Any Time,” he added.

At present, HAL is producing 73 ALHs contracted for Army (41), Indian Navy (16) and Indian Coast Guard (16). Out of which, 38 ALHs have already been produced and the remaining will be completed by 2022.

On the occasion, HAL also conducted the ‘ground run’ of the first Limited Series Production (LSP) of Light Combat Helicopter-Limited Series Production (LCH-LSP).

This project has been taken up by the company proactively while the order from Services on HAL is in process, it added.

The LCH was piloted by Gp Capt (Retd) Hari Krishnan Nair S, Chief Test Pilot and Gp Capt (Retd) C G Narasimha Prasad, Senior Flight Test Engineer of Flight Operations, Rotary Wing.

-RJV/ARK

PM Modi inaugurates 6 mega projects under Namami Gange in Uttarakhand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated six mega projects in Uttarakhand under the Namami Gange Mission. He also launched the logo of Jal Jeevan Mission, via video conferencing.

The projects include construction of a 68 MLD sewage treatment plant (STP), up-gradation of the existing 27 MLD plant at Jagjeetpur in Haridwar and construction of an 18 MLD STP at Sarai in Haridwar.

Furthermore, the inauguration of 68 MLD Jagjeetpur project also marks the completion of the first sewerage project taken up on hybrid annuity mode of public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

“In the past decades, huge initiatives were taken up to clean river Ganga but those initiatives had neither public participation nor farsightedness. As a result, water of river Ganga was never cleaned,” PM Modi said.

PM Modi said in Prayagraj Kumbh, the serenity of Ganga was experienced by devotees from all over the world and now during Haridwar Kumbh, the whole world is going to experience the bathing of the pure Ganga.

“Today, we are all seeing the results of this all-round work of the government. Today, work on projects worth 30 thousand crores under Namami Gange project is going on or has been completed. The government moved forward in four directions simultaneously,” he said.

The Prime Minister added, “First, started laying a trap of sewage treatment plants to prevent the dirty water falling into the Ganges. Second, building sewage treatment plants that can meet the needs of the next 10-15 years. Third, working towards making 100 big cities and 5,000 villages situated on the banks of river Ganga open defecation free. Fourth, to put pollution in the river Ganga and its tributaries.”

The PM said had the old methods been adopted, the situation would have been equally bad today.

“We have not limited the Namami Ganga Mission to the cleanliness of Ganga, but have made it the largest and comprehensive river conservation program in the country,” he said.

PM Modi said from its origins in Uttarakhand to confluence point in West Bengal, Ganga has enriched the lives of nearly half of the country’s population, adding that the cleanliness of the river is necessary.

-CHK

India, Japan 3-day naval exercise JIMEX-2020 concludes

New Delhi (NVI): The three-day JIMEX-2020 naval exercise between the Indian Navy and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) concluded yesterday. This was the fourth edition of India-Japan maritime bilateral exercise JIMEX.

It was held in the North Arabian Sea from September 26 to 28. During the exercise, ships undertook anti-air and anti-submarine warfare exercises, weapons firings, tracking and tactical maneuvers.

“JS KAGA (DDH 184) and JS IKAZUCHI (DD 107) conducted a bilateral exercise with @indiannavy in the west of India. Both navies improved tactical capabilities and demonstrated a strong ties between JMSDF and India,” the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force said in a tweet.

Surveillance aircraft & helos also participated in the exercise, making JIMEX-2020 the most intensive edition so far.

The exercises were conducted in ‘non-contact’ format and ships waved farewell to each other before parting ways.

India has been engaging with its regional partners to enhance interoperability, especially amidst the border standoff with China and Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.

Apart from Japan, India has been working with the Australian Defence Force to enhance interoperability and deepen engagement under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) for a secure and inclusive Indo-Pacific.

Indian navy and the Royal Australian Navy recently conducted Passage Exercise (PASSEX) in the east Indian Ocean region from September 23 to 24. The two-day exercise involved participation of HMAS Hobart from the Australian side and Indian Naval Ships Sahyadri and Karmuk.

Meanwhile, India is likely to hold a major naval exercise in November with the US and Japan. Australia is also expected to join.

The exercise is crucial in the wake of ongoing faceoff with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). India is expanding the deployment of its warships in the Indian Ocean region in the wake of its tense border standoff in Ladakh.

-ARK

No assembly by-elections in 4 states: ECI

Election Commission
Election Commission of India

New Delhi (NVI): The Election Commission of India (ECI) today said that it has decided not to hold by-elections in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, stating issues in conducting elections in these states.

In a statement, the Election Commission said, “The Commission has decided not to announce by-elections at this stage in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The Commission received inputs expressing difficulties in conduct of elections & issues related to it from Chief Secretaries/Chief Electoral Officers from these states.”

However, there are two vacant assembly seats in Kerala, Assam and Tamil Nadu and one seat is vacant in West Bengal.

The commission further stated that by-polls on one parliamentary constituency of Bihar and two assembly constituencies of Manipur will be held held on November 7.

While, by-elections on 54 assembly constituencies in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, MP, Nagaland, Odisha, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh will take place on November 3. The counting of votes will be held on November 10.

-RJV

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