DALLAS, TX (TIP): The University of Texas at Dallas has conferred Indian industrialist Naveen Jindal with a lifetime achievement award in recognition of his accomplishments in industry, politics and education.
An alumnus of the University of Texas at Dallas’ 1992 batch, Jindal received the award in a ceremony held on March 25. Jindal is the second person to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Texas at Dallas after Nobel Laureate Aziz Sancar, according to a media release. As a student at the university, Jindal served as both Student Government vice president and president and earned the Student Leader of the Year Award. He was recognized with the University’s Distinguished Alumni award in 2010.
To celebrate the success of their distinguished alumni, the University of Texas at Dallas honored him by rechristening their School of Management as the Naveen Jindal School of Management in 2011.
The lifetime achievement award is the highest honor that the University of Texas Dallas bestows on alumni, to recognize a graduate whose extraordinary contributions have bettered society, transformed the university and inspired others to reach new heights of excellence, the release said.
(Source: PTI)
Year: 2023
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Industrialist Naveen Jindal conferred lifetime achievement award by University of Texas at Dallas
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H-1B visa cap for FY 2024 reached, successful applicants informed: USCIS
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): In a statement on Monday, March 27, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services said it has received enough electronic registrations during the initial period to reach the fiscal year 2024 H-1B numerical allocations (H-1B cap), including the advanced degree exemption — the master’s cap.
“We have randomly selected from the registrations properly submitted to reach the cap and have notified all prospective petitioners with selected registrations that they are eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition for the beneficiary named in the applicable selected registration,” it said.
H-1B cap-subject petitions for the financial year 2024, including those petitions eligible for the advanced degree exemption, may be filed with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from April 1, 2023, if based on a valid, selected registration. Only petitioners with selected registrations may file H-1B cap-subject petitions for 2024 fiscal and only for the beneficiary named in the applicable selected registration notice, the USCIS said.
The US Congress has set the current annual regular cap for the H-1B category at 65,000. Of this, 6,800 visas are set aside under the terms of the legislation implementing the US-Chile and U.S.-Singapore free trade agreements. Unused visas in this group become available for H-1B use for the next fiscal year’s regular H-1B cap.
(Source: PTI) -
US watching Rahul Gandhi’s case in Indian courts: US Official
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): The United States is watching the court case of Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi, an official has said while observing that Washington continues to engage with India on the shared commitment towards democratic principles and the protection of human rights, including freedom of expression.
Gandhi was on March 23 sentenced to two years in jail by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his “why all thieves have Modi surname” remark. A day later, he was disqualified from the Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction in the case. “Respect for the rule of law and judicial independence is a cornerstone of any democracy. We are watching Mr. Gandhi’s case in Indian courts and we engage with the Government of India on our shared commitment to democratic values, including, freedom of expression,” the State Department’s Deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters at a news conference on Monday, March 27.
“In our engagements with our Indian partners, we continue to highlight the importance of democratic principles and the protection of human rights, including freedom of expression, as a key to strengthening both our democracies,” he said.
Responding to a question, Patel said it is normal and standard for the United States to engage with members of opposition parties in any country where it has bilateral relationships.
Opposition parties in India stepped up their offensive against the Narendra Modi government and observed a “black day for democracy” on Monday, three days after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha. The BJP condemned the ruckus created by the Opposition in Parliament and accused the Congress of resorting to “low-level politics” in its bid to justify Gandhi’s remarks against the OBC community.
(Source: PTI) -
Supreme Court slams ‘silence of state’ on ‘vicious circle’ of hate against minorities
“The moment religion is separated from politics, all this will stop,” says Justice Joseph
NEW DELHI (TIP): The Supreme Court on March 29 slammed the “silence of the state” to spiraling incidents of hate speeches made against minority communities, including Muslims, but the Centre pushed back, asking the court why it did not take suo motu cognizance of a video clip from Kerala showing a child being made to threaten Hindus and even Christians. When a Bench of Justices K.M. Joseph and B.V. Nagarathna asked the Maharashtra government for an explanation about hate speech incidents in the State, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta asked the court to take a moment and see what was happening in other States like Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
“A spokesperson of DMK party says that if you want equality you should butcher all the Brahmins…. No FIR has been registered. He continues to be a spokesperson of the party… Now, please hear this clip from Kerala. This is shocking. It should shock the conscience of this court. A child has been made to say this. We should be embarrassed. He says, ‘Hindus and Christians should prepare for final rites’,” Mr. Mehta addressed the court.
“Yes, we know,” Justice Joseph responded. “Then Your Lordships should have taken suo motu cognizance,” Mr. Mehta said. Justice Joseph said the country was caught in a “vicious circle of hate” and the solution lay in expunging religion from politics. The moment religion is separated from politics, all this will stop,” Justice Joseph said.
But Mr. Mehta refused to agree that hate had anything to do with politics.
“No, this has everything to do with politics. Politicians make use of religion,” Justice Joseph stood firm.
Justice Nagarathna said hate speeches have made cracks in the idea of fraternity. She said hate speeches were made by “fringe elements” of all sides who have “no stuff in them”.
“When Vajpayee and Nehru spoke, people came from rural areas to hear them… Unfortunately, now, people with no stuff in them, fringe elements from every side are making these hate speeches… where are you taking India? Now are we going to start taking contempt action against every person in India… where are we taking this court… is there no restraint on freedom of speech… If there is intellectual deprivation, you can never take this country to the number one position in the world. Intellectual deprivation comes only when there is intolerance, lack of knowledge and lack of education. That is where we should concentrate first… We should as a society take a pledge to restrain ourselves from saying these things,” Justice Nagarathna said.
Justice Joseph said “before we think of trying to be a superpower, we should first follow the rule of law”.
The court said hate speech strikes a mortal blow to dignity.
“The most important thing is dignity. If it is demolished on a regular basis… look at the statements being made ‘Go to Pakistan’… They are people who chose this country. They are like your brothers and sisters. Remember what you pledged in school ‘All Indians are my brothers and sisters… Maybe I am too old-fashioned… I am retiring in four months, turning 65… Seventy-five years ago we as a nation started a journey. Our objective was to be a country that will follow the rule of law… We should never go down to that level of hate,” Justice Joseph said.
To this, advocate P.V. Yogeshwaran, appearing for a Hindu party, assured “it will never be as long as my client is the majority in this country”.
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Punjab Government reaches out to Akal Takht, ‘releases’ 348 detainees
CHANDIGARH (TIP): A day after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann alleged that Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh was playing into the hands of the “ Badals- controlled” Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee over the crackdown on “Waris Punjab De” chief Amritpal Singh, the government, in a bid to reach out to Takht, today reportedly “released” 348 of the 360 detainees.
On March 27, Jathedar had served a 24-hour ultimatum on the state government for the release of the detainees.
Akal Takht Jathedar’s personal assistant Jaspal Singh said a government representative called them to inform about the release of the detainees. He claimed that the official concerned also assured that the remaining 12 taken into preventive custody under Section 107/151 of the CrPC would be released soon.
The phone call reportedly took place hours before a Twitter post of Akal Takht Jathedar asking the Sikh Sangat to participate in the Panthic congregation was withheld in India.
Yesterday, the CM tweeted, “History shows that the Badals have abused the position of Jathedars for their personal benefit. The Jathedar should have issued the ultimatum for acting on cases relating to sacrilege or disappearance of ‘swaroops’ of Guru Granth Sahib.”
Minutes later, the Jathedar responded to the tweet and asked the CM to save Punjab and reunite innocent youth with their mothers. The current move may defuse the “tense situation” between the government and Akal Takht as the latter had also asked to withdraw cases registered under the National Security Act. On March 25, the Jathedar had asked Amritpal to surrender before the police and join the probe.
(Source: TNS) -
Europe gets fourth South Asian origin Prime Minister; Humza Yousaf elected Scotland’s next First Minister
EDINBURGH/ NEW YORK / NEW DELHI (TIP): With Humza Yousaf’s election as Scotland’s next First Minister, Europe now has four PMs of South Asian heritage. His election will revive the demand for independence. “The people of Scotland need independence now more than ever,” he said.
“From Punjab to our Parliament, this is a journey for our generations,” he tweeted.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Portugal’s PM Antonio Costa and Ireland’s PM Leo Varadkar have their roots in India.
Humza’s election will revive the demand for independence. “I will ensure our drive for independence is in fifth gear. The people of Scotland need independence now more than ever,” he said. Scotland voted against independence by 55 per cent to 45 per cent in 2014. In 2016, most of Scotland had voted against leaving the European Union and gaining its membership was also one of Yousaf’s major election plank.
“From the Punjab to our Parliament, this is a journey for our generations. From Punjab to Pollok, people from across the world and here at home have been offering me their good wishes, grateful for all the kind messages I have received,” he tweeted.
UK PM Rishi Sunak’s parents are of Indian origin, Portugal’s Socialist Prime Minister Antonio Costa is also of Indian descent and Goan-descent Leo Varadkar is back for a second term as Ireland’s PM. Varadkar had returned as the Taoiseach (Prime Minister of Ireland) in December last year. He was first elected as Ireland’s youngest PM in 2017 at the age of 38. Antonio Costa, Portugal’s PM since 2015, holds an OCI card which he had displayed along with his Portuguese passport at an India-EU meeting.
Yousaf’s grandparents had arrived in Scotland from Pakistan in the 1960s and is the first Muslim leader of a major UK political party and also the first Muslim to lead a country in Western Europe. His mother was born into a South Asian family in Kenya. The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is also of South Asian origin. -
Spouses of H-1B visa holders can work in US, says judge; a large number of Indians to benefit
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): A judge has ruled that spouses of H-1B visa holders, a significantly large number of whom are Indians, can work in the country, in a big relief to foreign workers in the American tech sector who have been struggling to make ends meet.
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
US District Judge Tanya Chutkan dismissed a lawsuit filed by Save Jobs USA which had approached the court to dismiss the Obama-era regulation that gave employment authorization cards to spouses of certain categories of H-1B visa holders. Save Jobs USA is an organization comprising IT workers who claim they lost their jobs to H-1B workers. Tech companies such as Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft had opposed the lawsuit. The US has so far issued nearly 1,00,000 work authorizations to spouses of H-1B workers.
In her order, Judge Chutkan said the primary contention of Save Jobs USA is that Congress has never granted the Department of Homeland Security authority to allow foreign nationals, like H-4 visa-holders, to work during their stay in the United States. But that contention runs headlong into the text of the Immigration and Nationality Act, decades of executive-branch practice and both explicit and implicit congressional ratification of that practice, she wrote. The judge wrote that Congress has expressly and knowingly empowered the US government to authorize employment as a permissible condition of an H-4 spouse’s stay in the United States.
The fact that the federal government has had longstanding and open responsibility for authorizing employment for similar visa classes further manifests Congress’ approval of it exercising that authority, she said.
The Department of Homeland Security and its predecessors have authorized employment not just for students, but also for their spouses and dependents, Judge Chutkan wrote in the ruling.
Also, the Department of Homeland Security has long extended work authorization to spouses of foreign government officials and spouses of employees or officers of international organizations, the judge wrote as she dismissed the lawsuit filed by Save Jobs USA.
(Source: PTI) -
Michael Jackson ‘lied’ about being in a relationship with Brooke Shields
Actress Brooke Shields opened up about her friendship with King of Pop Michael Jackson and said the star once lied that she was his girlfriend. Back when she was 28 years old, Jackson told a live TV interview with Oprah Winfrey that she was his girlfriend but he was reportedly in a relationship with someone else, reports mirror.co.uk. Now 57, Shields said: “I called him up and I think I said, ‘This is kind of pathetic that you need to do this. I am having a shot at a normal life – you cannot drag me into crazy town.’” She claims Jackson laughed it off and despite their closeness as friends, the pair never kissed or dated.
She added: “There was one moment when we were in the car and the cameras were there and he grabbed me to kiss me and I said, ‘No! Stop! We are just friends and you need me as a friend’. I remember the early days when other actresses were after him and he was kind of cute, before the shift. But it never even crossed my mind,” she told The Times. Brooke Shields also shared the cover page of The Sunday Times magazine on her Instagram:
In her upcoming documentary titled Pretty Baby, Brooke is overcome with emotion as she sits at her dining table with her two daughters, Rowan and Grier Henchy as they discuss the 1978 film of the same name.
She said she doesn’t understand why her mother didn’t help her when filming the kissing scene and claims director Louis Malle snapped at her for making a repulsed face.
Her co-star Keith tried to reassure her, saying the kiss “doesn’t count. It’s pretend. It’s all make-believe”.
Rowan says she will never watch the movie before asking her mother: “Would you have let us (do that) at the age of 11?” “No,” Brooke replies instinctively and her shoulders collapse. Source: IANS -
Liv Tyler set to return to Marvel Cinematic Universe after 16 years
Hollywood actress Liv Tyler is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, 16 years after her last appearance.
She will appear in 2024’s ‘Captain America: New World Order’ reprising her role from 2008’s ‘The Incredible Hulk’ as scientist Betty Ross, the daughter of General Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross, reports ‘Variety’.
That role was originated by the late William Hurt, who reappeared several times for Marvel Studios, starting with 2016’s ‘Captain America: Civil War’, in which Ross had become Secretary of State. Harrison Ford is stepping into the role of Thaddeus Ross for ‘New World Order’, in which the character has become President of the United States. ‘Variety’ further states that in ‘The Incredible Hulk’, Tyler’s Betty Ross was the love interest for Edward Norton’s Bruce Banner; after Norton was replaced by Mark Ruffalo, Tyler’s character was mentioned in passing, but the actor had not returned in the role.
‘New World Order’ stars Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson, who took on the mantle of Captain America in Marvel’s 2021 Disney+ series ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ with the blessing – and the supposed off-screen death – of Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers. Carl Lumbly, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas and Tim Blake Nelson fill out the rest of the cast.
Julius Onah is directing from a script by Malcolm Spellman and Dalan Musson. Kevin Feige and Nate Moore are producing. Tyler most recently appeared on the first season of the Fox series ‘9-1-1: Lone Star’ and opposite Brad Pitt in the 2019 sci-fi drama ‘Ad Astra’.
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Reese Witherspoon divorces husband Jim Toth
Reese Witherspoon announced her separation with husband Jim Toth after 11 years of marriage. The Academy Award-winner took to her Instagram to share a joint statement on Friday, announcing that they have made the ‘difficult decision’ after a ‘great deal of care and consideration’ and would want privacy at this time.
The statement read: “We have some personal news to share… It is with a great deal of care and consideration that we have made the difficult decision to divorce. We have enjoyed so many wonderful years together and are moving forward with deep love, kindness and mutual respect for everything we have created together. Our biggest priority is our son and our entire family as we navigate this next chapter. These matters are never easy and are extremely personal. We truly appreciate everyone’s respect for our family’s privacy at this time. – Reese and Jim.” The actor turned off the comments on her post. -
Raghav Chadha, Parineeti get congratulatory message amid dating rumors
Bollywood actor Parineeti Chopra has been in the headlines for her rumoured relationship with Aam Aadmi Party leader Raghav Chadha. The two were recently spotted together outside a Mumbai hotel after a lunch date.
Earlier, they met for a dinner date at Westin hotel in the Goregaon area of Mumbai.
As their videos and pictures from these meetings took social media by storm, the latest on their relationship has built curiosity among netizens like never before.
Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjeev Arora, on Tuesday, took to his Twitter account and congratulated Raghav and Parineeti for their “union”. Along with a picture of the two, he wrote, “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to @raghav_chadha and @ParineetiChopra. May their union be blessed with an abundance of love, joy, and companionship. My best wishes!!!”
In no time his fans were ready with their questions. A Twitter user commented, “Getting married or what?.” Another wrote, “Congratulations @raghav_chadha& @ParineetiChopra for getting married. May got bless you!.”
There have been rumours that the couple has been dating for some months now and have decided to take their relationship to the next level. According to a Times of India report, Parineeti and Raghav will get married soon and their roka ceremony likely to happen in a few days.
The report says, “There has been no formal ceremony yet, but the families are discussing it and there will be some ceremony soon. Both families are happy about the two being together, but fixing a date for any ceremony is difficult considering the two are busy with their respective schedules. The ceremony will be a small, intimate affair with close family members.”
There are reports that suggest that the two have known each other since their time in the UK. While Parineeti studied at Manchester Business School, Raghav is a London School of Economics passout.Both Parineeti and Raghav attended the first India UK Outstanding Achievers award in London in January. Source: TNS -
Priyanka Chopra says was being pushed into a corner in Bollywood
Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas has revealed the reason she left Bollywood and moved to working in the US. She said that she had “beef with people” and was pushed into a corner.
She also revealed that she was not the happiest with the work she was getting from the Hindi film industry.Priyanka was speaking to Dax Shepherd on his podcast Armchair Expert and said that for the first time as she was feeling “safe” during their conversation.
Talking about her music career, Priyanka said Anjula Acharia of Desi Hits spotted her in a music video and called her up when she was shooting for ‘Saat Khoon Maaf’. She asked if she would be interested in a music career in US.
“I was being pushed into a corner in the industry (Bollywood). I had people not casting me, I had beef with people, I am not good at playing that game so I kind of was tired of the politics and I said I needed a break,” she said.
“This music thing gave me an opportunity to go into another part of the world, not crave for the movies I didn’t want to get but I would require to schmooze certain clubs and cliques of people. It would require grovelling and I had worked a long time by then that I didn’t feel like I wanted to do it,” she added.
“So when this music thing came I was like ‘fu** it I’am going to America’,” she said.
She talked about all the stars she worked with from Pitbull, Will.I.Am to Pharell Williams and even met JayZ. However, when the music career did not work out, she quickly realised she was ‘much better at my day job’.
She then shared that someone suggested that she try out for acting roles in the US as well. Which she did and eventually landed herself the lead role in ‘Quantico’ in 2015.
After that, Priyanka was been seen in big budget Hollywood releases such as ‘Baywatch’, ‘Matrix: Revolutions’, ‘The White Tiger’ and will be seen in ‘Citadel’ and ‘Love Again’.
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Unfinished work along LAC; military, diplomacy at work: Jaishankar
New Delhi (TIP)- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday, March 29, said there was “unfinished work” along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and that the militaries and diplomats on both sides were working to find a solution to the issue.
Jaishankar, speaking at Network18’s ‘Rising India Summit’, deplored attempts by Rahul Gandhi to draw parallels between the situation along the LAC with China and the Ukraine conflict.
“What is today happening in Ukraine, if you follow the two sides, is one would say that they are threatened by the expansion of NATO and the character of the regime in Ukraine,” he said.
“The West would say that Russians have expansionist designs. What is the analogy between that and India-China? There is no NATO in play here, there is no regime character in play here. I just don’t see the comparison,” he said.
Jaishankar also said “canards” were floated about buffer zones being created in India’s patrolling areas.
He said since the Galwan clash of 2020, the combination of military and diplomacy has made progress, but admitted that the two sides have not been able to “sort everything out”.
“Whatever has been done is mutual and negotiated. But this is still unfinished work,” Jaishankar said about the present situation along the LAC.
He said to understand the relationship with China, one has to understand the nature of the problem between the two countries.
“The nature of the problem between India and China is that two militaries, which were not deployed at or on or very near the LAC, have done so to a great degree after May 2020. Pre-May 2020, both militaries were primarily located in the depth areas where they had permanent bases and then they would patrol out into the LAC,” he said.
“In 2020, the Chinese breached that in violation of the 1993-96 agreement and brought forces to the LAC. Obviously we countered it. As a result, you have a very, very intricate situation of very multiple close deployments which, by military assessments, is a very dangerous situation to be in,” Jaishankar said. Source: PTI -
NSA Doval to raise London HC violence with UK counterpart
New Delhi (TIP)- India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is expected to raise the incident at the Indian High Commission in London during a protest and the pulling down of Indian National Flag by extremists with his UK counterpart Tim Barrow today during the India-UK strategic dialogue meeting in the Capital.
While the national security establishment is tight-lipped about the dialogue, HT learns that NSA Doval will take up the issue forcefully with his counterpart and ask the Rishi Sunak government to take strong action against separatists who are trying to polarize the Indian diaspora in Britain. While the Indian High Commission in London has filed a complaint with UK Home office and police for the March 19 incident, which followed the crackdown on separatist leader Amritpal Singh’s outfit in India, the Delhi Police has also registered an FIR (number 80/23, dated March 23, 2023) on the basis of a complaint made by an Indian national. The FIR has been registered by Special Cell under sections 109/147/148/149/120-B/448/452/325 of the Indian Penal Code read with Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Section 3(1) of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act (as the Indian HC is sovereign territory of India) and section 2 of the Prevention of insults to National Honour Act.
On the basis of FIR registered and the demarche to the British Government, NSA Doval is expected to ask the Rishi Sunak government to take immediate action against the chief perpetrator of the protest and the breach of Indian HC, Avtar Singhj Purba aka Khanda and his sponsor Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, a proscribed leader of UAPA designated Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) separatist organization. HT also learns that Indian intelligence agencies asked the British police and British intelligence including MI-5 and MI-6 to act against Khanda at least three times in the past, but to no avail. The names of Khanda and some of his associated have been shared by Indian intelligence in the past but the British Intelligence and the Foreign Office have been indifferent to the Modi government’s concerns, Indian officials said.
People familiar with the matter said the Narendra Modi government is waiting for the British Government to act. While India’s QUAD partners US and Australia have taken action against the extremist followers of Pannu and Amritpal Singh, the UK and Canada governments have been more tardy in their approach, the officials cited above added, and said that this could affect bilateral relations.
Prime accused Avtar Khanda, who has been named in the Delhi Police FIR along with others, comes from a family of radicals — his father was involved in the so-called Khalistan movement and his mother is related to Gurjant Singh Budhsinghwala, a KLF leader with strong links to Pakistani deep state. He took the “student visa” route to enter the UK and then managed to get political asylum in that country. Subsequently, he became a presenter in UK-based separatist channel KTV along with Jagjeet Singh Jeeta, and continued to push his separatist agenda. The KTV was shut down by British Telecom Regulator Ofcom after the Indian diaspora filed thousands of complaints against the radical agenda promoted by the separatist channel.
Khanda claims association with SAD (Amritsar), headed by Simarjit Singh Mann, but in the UK, the officials cited above added, the lines between the Pakistani deep state, separatist organisations seeking a Sikh state in India, and others, often blurred.
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AFSPA to be extended in 8 Assam districts
The Assam government will extend the ‘disturbed area’ tag under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) for another six months in eight districts of the state from April 1.
It will be extended for Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao, according to a notification issued by the state home and political department.
The tag, however, would be lifted from Lakhipur sub-division of Cachar district from April 1, following a review of the law and order scenario in the state.
The Centre had earlier announced removal of AFSPA from April 1, 2022 from the entire state of Assam barring nine districts and a sub-division of Cachar district. The state was declared a ‘disturbed area’ under AFSPA during the intervening night of November 27-28, 1990, and this has been extended every six months since then. -
Powerful blast creates crater in ground near India-Pakistan border in J-K’s Kathua
Jammu (TIP)- A powerful blast has occurred at a hamlet near the India-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district, creating a huge crater in the ground and triggering fear among the locals, officials said on Thursday, March 30. Sources said it appears to be an IED blast. It is suspected that the IED might have been carried by a drone and dropped at the wrong site close to the border, they said. Information about the explosion was received around 9.30 pm on Wednesday, Kathua SSP Shivdeep Singh Jamwal told PTI.
“We have also launched a search operation on Thursday morning. The bomb squad has collected the samples from the site and sent them for tests,” the SSP said. Block Development Committee (BDC) chairman Ram Lal Kaliya, a resident of Saniyal village which is just 300 metres from the border post, said, “Around 9.30 pm on Wednesday we heard an explosion. I informed the post incharge who also confirmed the sound of the blast.” The blast site was located after one-and-half hours, he said, adding that a big crater was found in an agriculture field. Source: PTI -
India reports 40% jump in new Covid cases, Delhi govt calls emergency meeting
New Delhi (TIP)- At 3,016 cases, India registered a 40 per cent jump in the new Covid cases in the last 24 hours, said the Union Health Ministry on Thursday, March 30. In view of the rising cases, the Delhi government has called an emergency meeting.
The daily positivity rate has been recorded at 2.7 per cent and the weekly positivity rate stands at 1.71 per cent.
There were 1,396 recoveries in the last 24 hours and active caseload stood at 13,509.
The Delhi government has called an emergency meeting after the Covid cases spiked on Wednesday. A total of 300 new Covid infections in the last 24 hours were recorded in the national capital, which is a rise over Tuesday’s 214 cases, as per the Delhi government health bulletin.
Meanwhile, two Covid-19 related deaths have also been reported in the same time span.
The positivity rate of the national capital city has risen to 13.79 per cent. The number of active cases stands at 806 out of which 452 patients are being treated in home isolation.With 163 patients recovering in the last 24 hours, the total number of recoveries so far has gone to 19,82,029, while Delhi’s total caseload is 20,09,361 and the death toll in the city has risen at 26,526. A total of 2,160 new tests — 1490 RT-PCR and 670 Rapid Antigen – were conducted in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 4,07,85,433 while 141 vaccines were administered – 27 first doses, 34 second doses, and 80 precaution doses. The total number of cumulative beneficiaries vaccinated so far stands at 3,74,04,636 according to the health bulletin.
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Plea challenging Rahul Gandhi’s conviction ready, to be moved soon
New Delhi (TIP)- A petition challenging Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s conviction and sentencing by a trial court in Surat in a defamation case is ready and is likely to be filed very soon, sources said on Wednesday, March 29. The party’s top legal advisers are working on the review petition which will be filed before the Surat sessions court in a day or two, they added.
Gandhi was convicted and was given a two-year sentence in the 2019 defamation case over his remarks on Modi surname, following which he was disqualified as MP of Lok Sabha.
The Congress has said that it will fight the matter both politically and legally and will take the issue to the public.
Congress Whip in Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore said the government has deliberately disqualified Rahul Gandhi under a well-planned conspiracy to not allow him to attend Parliament during this budget session.
“This is a totally false case and his disqualification has come to keep him away from Parliament. But, we will fight it both legally and politically,” he told reporters outside Parliament.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission said it was in no hurry to announce bye-election to Wayanad constituency as the trail court has given Gandhi one month to appeal against the court order.
“There is no hurry, we will wait. There is not hurry to do it before exhausting that particular remedy which the trial court had accorded. We will take a call after that,” Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said at a press conference.
He said the vacancy in the Wayanad parliamentary party was notified on March 23 this year and as per the law, a bypoll has to be conducted within six months.
Kumar said the law also states that if the remainder of the term was less than one year, then the election will not be held.
The CEC said that in the case of Wayanad, the remainder of the term is more than a year.
NCP leader Faizal’s LS membership restored
NCP leader and Lakshadweep MP Mohammed Faizal on Wednesday attended Parliament after the Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a notification restoring his membership of the House.Following this development, the Supreme Court disposed of Faizal’s petition seeking reinstatement as an MP after the Kerala High Court stayed his conviction in an attempt to murder case.
A Bench led by Justice KM Joseph took on record the notification issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat restoring the membership of Faizal, who was disqualified as a Lok Sabha MP in January following his conviction in an attempt to murder case and sentenced to a 10-year prison term. The Bench, however, left open the legal question regarding maintainability of his petition. The Bench, however, made it clear that the appeal filed by the UT of Lakshadweep against the HC’s January 25 order staying a Kavaratti Sessions Court survived and would be heard.
Faizal’s case is being keenly observed as it could work as a precedent in the case of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who was disqualified as a Lok Sabha MP on Friday, a day after a Gujarat court convicted him in a defamation case and sentenced him to a two-year imprisonment. Producing the notification before the top court on behalf of Faizal, senior counsel AM Singhvi nothing survived in the matter as his Lok Sabha membership has been restored. -
Gurugram man shoots colleague in fight over chair in office
An employee of a financial firm was shot at by his co-worker near the Ramada hotel here following an argument over a chair in their office, police said. The victim was critically injured and is being treated at a private hospital here, they said on Wednesday, March 29, adding that an FIR has been lodged against the accused, who is a native of Hisar in Haryana. The victim has been identified as Vishal (23), a resident of Firoz Gandhi colony in sector 9 here. After receiving information about the incident, police reached the spot and rushed Vishal to a hospital. Vishal’s family members were informed and based on the complaint of the victim’s brother, a case was lodged under section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 25-54-59 of the Arms Act, police said. In his statement, Vishal said he had an argument with his colleague Aman Jangra regarding a chair in the office on Tuesday. On Wednesday, they again had an argument over the same issue following which he walked out of the office, police said. Vishal alleged that when he was walking on the road, Aman came from behind, took out a pistol and shot at him before escaping from the spot, police said.
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Lalit Modi says will take Rahul Gandhi to court
Lalit Modi says will take Rahul Gandhi to courtIPL founder and ex-chairman Lalit Modi on Thursday, March 30, in a series of acerbic tweets lashed out at Rahul Gandhi stating that he will take the Congress leader to court in the United Kingdom over allegations made by the “bag men” of the disqualified MP that he is a “fugitive of justice”.
Rahul Gandhi earlier on March 23 was convicted by a Surat disctrict court and sentenced to two years imprisonment in a defamation case over his ‘Modi surname’ remark made in 2019 during an election rally in Karnataka. In a series of tweets, Lalit Modi wrote that the opposition leaders are “either ill-informed or just vendetta prone” and he looks forward to Rahul Gandhi “make a complete fool of himself” in court.
“i see just about every Tom dick and gandhi associates again and again saying i ama fugitive of justice. why ?How?and when was i to date ever convicted of same. unlike #Papu aka @RahulGandhi now an ordinary citizen saying it and it seems one and all oposition leaders have nothing else to do so they too are either ill informed or just vendetta prone. i have decided to take the @RahulGandhi at least him to court in uk right away. i am sure he will have to come-up with some solid evidence. i look forward to seeing him make a complete #fool of himself. #rkdhawan #sitaramkesri #motilalvohra #satishsharna all bag men of #gandhi family. not to forget #naraindutttewari. how do u all have overseas assets. -
Misuse of probe agencies
Opposition parties’ plea in SC raises significant issues
A plea by 14 Opposition parties alleging arbitrary arrests and misuse of Central probe agencies against political opponents has been listed for hearing by the Supreme Court on April 5. In asking for framing of pre-arrest and post-arrest bail guidelines, the petition claims that there is a clear pattern of investigative agencies being used to target political rivals and dissenting citizens. It is alleged that cases are registered in quick succession to ensure that the accused stays in custody for a prolonged period. Instances have also been cited of slowing down of probe proceedings or a clean chit being given to politicians who have crossed over to the ruling party at the Centre.
The plea contends that 95 per cent of the cases filed by probe agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate in the recent past were against leaders of Opposition parties. This cannot be a coincidence. It amplifies the allegation that the fight against corruption is increasingly being used as an instrument of vendetta politics. The BJP’s counter of zero tolerance for graft is well taken, but the party does not emerge as too different from those it had lambasted when it was in the Opposition for eroding the autonomy of investigative agencies.
The rare convergence of non-BJP parties has some similarity to their coming together in 2019 to demand the random verification of at least 50 per cent electronic voting machines (EVMs) using the voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) in every Assembly segment of a parliamentary constituency. The Supreme Court had then directed the Election Commission to raise the VVPAT-EVM verification from one EVM to five in each Assembly segment. With several states going to the polls later this year, followed by the 2024 General Election, the outcome of the current case can have a bearing on the Opposition’s fortunes.
(Tribune, India)
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Action against Rahul
Undue haste lays bare agenda to pin him down
Lok Sabha officials have acted with undue haste while in first disqualifying convicted Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and then serving a notice on him to vacate his government bungalow by April 22. The fast-tracking of action against Rahul reeks of a political agenda to go for the jugular. Putting on a brave face, the former Congress president has promised that he would abide by the deadline. Considering that it’s usually a long-drawn-out process to make MPs give up government premises in Lutyens’ Bungalow Zone, the Lok Sabha Secretariat needs to explain its overzealousness as well as sense of urgency.
Prioritizing Rahul’s eviction is a lame ploy to divert attention from the key issue: his controversial ouster from the Lower House. The move has come under political attack and judicial scrutiny. A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court, challenging the ‘automatic disqualification’ of lawmakers who are convicted and sentenced to a jail term of two years or more, according to provisions of Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act. The fact that the trial court in Surat suspended Rahul’s sentence for 30 days to allow him to approach higher courts has cast a cloud on the legality of his disqualification. After all, why was he debarred right away when the two-year sentence was supposed to have come into operation a month hence?
The twists and turns of the trial have been no less questionable. BJP MLA Purnesh Modi, the complainant in the defamation case against Rahul, approached the High Court last month seeking resumption of the trial — almost a year after he had himself sought a stay on the proceedings. His curious U-turn set into motion a frantic process that culminated in Rahul’s conviction and sentencing. With the Congress leader set to challenge the trial court’s verdict, the ruling party and the Lok Sabha top brass are well advised not to jump the gun or twist the knife. They should desist from stooping to a new low in vendetta politics. Petty attempts to humiliate a prominent Opposition leader don’t behove the rulers who proudly call India the ‘mother of democracy’.
(Tribune, India) -
Dutch farmers’ poll win has lessons for India
The Dutch farmers’ victory, emerging from continued dissatisfaction with the government polices to cut down nitrate pollution on the farm, comes almost a year after an attempt by farmers in Punjab to contest the state elections drew a blank.
By Devinder Sharma The Farmer-Citizen Movement (BoerBurgerBeweging or BBB) has caused political tremors in the Netherlands. Riding the wave of farmers’ protest against the environment policies of Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s coalition government, the four-year-old party romped home in a provincial election. And expectedly so, after the results were announced on March 16, the Prime Minister said: “This is not the victory we had hoped for.”
The Dutch farmers’ victory, emerging from continued dissatisfaction with the government polices to cut down nitrate pollution on the farm, comes almost a year after an attempt by farmers in Punjab to contest the state elections drew a blank.As the Dutch newspapers, a day after the election results, talked of the ‘historic lesson’ for the four-party ruling coalition that governs the country, there are important lessons to be drawn from the Dutch victory for a coalition of farmer unions that unsuccessfully contested the Punjab elections.
After all, why did the farmer unions fail to tap into popular sentiments that enabled the iconic farmers’ protest at the gates of New Delhi to last for over a year, is a question that will continue to haunt not only the farm leadership but also political analysts and sociologists. But let us first look at why the Dutch farmers’ growing disenchantment with environment policies got such a big electoral backing.
In Holland, which is smaller in size than Punjab, the farmers’ party got 19 per cent of the total votes. It polled 15 lakh votes in a country where roughly 11,200 arable farms exist. On the other hand, there are an estimated 1.09 lakh farming households in Punjab. And yet, the farmers’ political front, the Sanyukt Samaj Morcha, drew a blank.
Although the Netherlands has been hounded by a rise in nitrogen pollution for several years now, last year the government announced plans to cut down nitrogen emissions from the farms by 50 per cent by 2030. Using the climate change argument, it promised to take 3,000 farms out of cultivation and also reduce the dairy cattle number by a third. Offering 100 per cent the value of land to farmers who give up their land voluntarily, the government also made it clear that it had provisioned 24 billion euros for the purpose.
The agitated farmers took to the streets for months. As their anger spilled over, even going to the extent of dumping animal excreta on the streets, hoisting the Dutch flag upside down in villages became an expression of the widespread resentment. Driving tractors to the cities, farmers said agriculture was being used as a soft target, an alibi to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Accusing the government of not acting against the industry, construction and transport sectors with equal determination, farmers said they were being unfairly targeted.
Backed by the citizens’ support, the growing disenchantment with the government policies finally hit the ballot box. “Our worries are not yet over, but, at least, we can fly the flag the right side up again,” Eric Stegink, the party chairman, tweeted after the victory.
Following an intensive farming model for several decades, the Netherlands is the world’s second-biggest agricultural exporter. Using 277.8 kg of fertilizer per hectare, its fertilizer consumption is also among the highest in the world. Engaging with the latest technologies, the Dutch innovations in farming have been widely acclaimed. These impressive gains are reflected through the export statistics. But with four times, by weight, the number of cattle on the farms, it is also the world’s biggest exporter of manure and the biggest exporter of meat in Europe. However, continuous leaching of harmful chemicals into the groundwater had been a political issue in the tiny country. Some people had even lost elections. Desperate to get over the problem, some years ago, Holland had even tried to export cow dung and piggery droppings to India.
When I disclosed that the Netherlands was trying to export cow dung to India, and it was in 1994 at the time of the release of my book GATT and India: The Politics of Agriculture, it became a hot-button issue that was debated in Parliament. With questions being raised about how cow manure could be imported by a country that has the largest population of cattle, some civil society groups had even offloaded cartloads of manure in front of Krishi Bhawan. According to the plan, the aim was to export 5 million tons of manure to India, which would be offloaded in the Kutch region, dried in the sun and mixed with additional nutrients and then marketed by a private company in India. Since the cow dung in western countries is in a semi-liquid form, Holland was to collect it through a network of pipes converging at a port, make biogas which would be supplied to a private company there, and the slurry exported to India. Subsidized by the European Commission, the exports were to be doubled in five years’ time.
Not until Parliament was informed that the import of cow dung had been brought under the negative list (meaning approval from the government required before the import) did the Opposition relent.
The stakes are, therefore, high. Nearly 45 per cent of the nitrogen emissions in Holland come from agriculture. But the answer does not lie in forcing farmers off the land. To be fair, farmers need to be given some more time to bring about the environmental changes required. This will also require a change in research paradigm for agricultural research and development, moving towards environmentally-safe farming practices.
This also has lessons for India. Blindly borrowing the high-tech production techniques and using more chemical inputs will necessitate drastically cutting down on increasing emissions from Indian agriculture in the years to come, which means forcing farmers off the land.
Let us, therefore, not repeat this mistake but, instead, focus on our own inherent strengths. Bring in economic viability on the farm and promote the agro-ecological farming system.
(The author is Food & Agriculture Specialist)