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August 28, 2021 I Saturday YEAR : 7 I ISSUE NO.: 222 PAGES : 4 I PRICE : ₹.1/Annual Subscription : ₹.300/Editor: Kapilkumar M. Hirpara www.sunvillasamachar.com AHMEDABAD EDITION
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Delhi schools to reopen in 2 phases from Sept 1 Delhi added 46 fresh Covid-19 cases and no additional deaths on Friday, according to data from the state government’s daily health bulletin, recording a positivity rate of 0.06%. This number has been below 1% for 89 days, and below 5% for 99 days. Agency News: New Delhi Schools, colleges and other educational institutes in the Capital can resume physical classes in a phased manner from September 1, Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said on Friday after a decision taken by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on account of a
marked improvement in the Covid-19 situation in the city.Delhi added 46 fresh Covid-19 cases and no additional deaths on Friday, according to data from the state government’s daily health bulletin, recording a positivity rate of 0.06%. This number has been below 1% for 89 days, and below 5% for 99 days. The city has added a daily average of 32 cases
over the past seven days, and has only 412active cases as of Friday.“The kind of education that can be imparted through physical classes can never be substituted by online classes. So we have decided to allow schools to open,” Sisodia, also the state education minister, said at a news briefing at the Delhi secretariat. “From September 1, all government schools will open for classes
9 to 12, all private schools can also resume classes for 9 to 12 standards. Coaching centres can also start classes for students of 9 to 12 standards,” he said, adding that colleges can also resume physical classes from September 1. While Sisodia said the government will observe the situation for a week before resuming junior classes, a senior DDMA official,
speaking on condition of anonymity, said the authority has approved classes 6 to 8 to restart from September 8. No decision has been taken on reopening junior classes yet, he added. Soon after the announcement, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, “In view of decreasing Covid cases, schools are being slowly reopened in Delhi with complete precautions, so that
the learning loss for students can be reduced. We have to bring back life on track and take care of studies as well as health of students.” Delhi added 46 fresh Covid-19 cases and no additional deaths on Friday, according to data from the state government’s daily health bulletin, recording a positivity rate of 0.06%. This number has been below 1% for 89 days, and below 5% for
99 days. The city has added a daily average of 32 cases over the past seven days, and has only 412active cases as of Friday. “The kind of education that can be imparted through physical classes can never be substituted by online classes. So we have decided to allow schools to open,” Sisodia, also the state education minister, said at a news briefing at the Delhi secretariat.
Militants shoot 5 truckers dead Round One to CM in Assam, set 7 vehicles ablaze Baghel in C’garh tussle Agency News: Guwahati
Kangana Ranaut is elegance personified in the green saree.
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Disagreements Appear In 19 Oppn Parties’ Grouping The 19 Opposition parties, which hope to collectively take on Narendra Modiled BJP in the next national election, have to settle thorny internal issues before looking at the larger political goals.To start with, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s demand to set up a core committee has not found support from all quarters, even as some leaders have already told Sonia Gandhi to continue to chair this group.
India delivers 10 million shots in single day in new vax landmark India’s Covid-19 vaccination drive broke a new record on Friday. More than 10 million doses were administered in a single day across the country for the first time since the start of the mass inoculation programme on January 16, according to data on the Union health ministry’s Co-WIN dashboard.A total of 10,064,376 doses were administered on Friday, according to government data, bettering a previous high of 8.8 million doses set on August 16.“Record vaccination numbers today! Crossing 1 crore is a momentous feat. Kudos to those getting vaccinated and those making the vaccination drive a success,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on Friday. Buoyed by Friday’s record numbers, the country’s pace of vaccination, which has been patchy so far, has settled into high gear. In the past week, an average of 6.9 million doses has been administered across the country every day – the highest pace ever recorded, according to HT’s dashboard.
Five persons were killed and one injured after suspected militants belonging to the Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA) fired indiscriminately at seven trucks and set them ablaze in Assam’s Dima Hasao district, police said on Friday.The trucks, loaded with cement, coal and other materials, were on their way to a cement factory at Umrangso when they were stopped at Diyungbra at around 8.30 pm on Thursday and attacked by
the group.A cement factory’s refusal to yield to the DNLA’s extortion demands recently may
have probably triggered the attack, police said. “The group fired at the vehicles for several
minutes and then set them afire. Five persons were killed and one sustained injury,” Dima Hasao superintendent of police Jayant Singh said.“Additional forces were rushed to the spot immediately after the incident and a combing operation is underway to nab the culprits,” he added. Formed in April 2019, the DNLA is an Assambased insurgent group which seeks an independent nation for the Dimasa community through armed struggle. Dimasa is one of the indigenous tribes of the state.
after his rival, chief minister Amarinder Singh, held a show of strength with 55 of the party’s 80 lawmakers in the state. It appeared to be in response to party general secretary Harish Rawat asking the Punjab Congress chief to remove two of his advisers after their comments kicked up a row.“I’ve conveyed to the high command that if I meet public
expectations through the Punjab model, I’ll not let the Congress lose ground in politics for 20 years. But if you don’t allow me to take decisions, I’ll hit back hard,” Sidhu said in Amritsar. At the event, Sidhu also indirectly attacked Singh and his policies.Rawat, who is also the Punjab affairs in-charge, downplayed Sidhu’s remarks. “I will see the context in which
Sidhu made these remarks. Mr Sidhu is the respected chief of the Punjab unit. Who else has the power to take decisions if not the state presidents?” he said.Singh and Sidhu have been locked in a bitter war for control of the party in Punjab since May.In June, the central leadership brokered a truce and elevated Sidhu to state unit chief overriding.
Sidhu lashes out as adviser forced out; Rawat eyes exit Agency News: Chandigarh
A combative Navjot Singh Sidhu issued a veiled threat to the Congress as one of his key advisers was forced to quit over controversial remarks on Kashmir on Friday, deepening the party’s crisis in poll-bound Punjab.Sidhu’s comments came on Thursday night, hours
Agency News: New Delhi Bhupesh Baghel appeared to gain the advantage in the tussle for the chief minister’s chair in Chhattisgarh after a marathon meeting with the Congress top brass on Friday, saying that he invited former party chief Rahul Gandhi to visit the state next week and that the latter had accepted. Baghel, who met Gandhi for the second time in three days, said that he had said “everything” to his leader. “There was political conversation, talk about policies, about the state of Chhattisgarh. In the end I requested Rahul ji to come to Chhattisgarh and he accepted. He will come next week.” Asked if he would still be chief minister when Gandhi arrived in Chhattisgarh, Baghel said he had invited him “as chief minister”. The developments came three days after Baghel and his rival for the CM’s chair, state health minister TS Singh Deo, held long meetings with Gandhi, after which Baghel flew back to Raipur, organised a show of strength, and met loyalists. Ahead of Friday’s crucial meeting, at least 45 of the
party’s 70 lawmakers also flew to the Capital. Congress leaders involved in the deliberations said during the meeting with Gandhi, Baghel spoke about the achievements of his government and listed some schemes to emphasise his success story before inviting the former party president to Chhattisgarh next week. Also present at the meeting were the party’s party general secretary incharge, PL Punia, and party general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and KC Venugopal. Asked about the reported two-and-a-half-
year power-sharing agreement, Baghel pointed to a public denial by Punia. “Previously, Punia ji had made this clear. Once the general secretary says this, is anything left?” Two Congress leaders pointed out that the show of strength of MLAs by the CM went in Baghel’s favour. “With the BJP aggressively playing the OBC (other backward class) card, the leadership also didn’t want to do anything against the wishes of the MLAs that would help the BJP,” said a senior leader on condition of anonymity.
US vows revenge as toll mounts The attacks led a witness, Jamshad, to head there in the morning with his wife and three small children, clutching an invitation to a Western country he didn’t want to name. Agency News: Washington The US pressed on with a monumental evacuation process from Afghanistan on Friday amid fears of more bloodshed a day after the suicide attack at Kabul airport killed well over 100 Afghans and 13 US service members, and President Joe Biden vowed to hunt down those responsible for the terror strike. In an emotional speech, Biden said the evacuations will be completed, and declared to the extremists responsible for the bombings: “We will not
forgive, we will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay.” He said the Islamic State (IS) group’s Afghanistan affiliate was to blame for the Thursday attacks and that there was no evidence that they colluded with the Taliban, who now control the country. The group, IS-Khorasan (ISK) – an enemy of both the US and the Taliban – too claimed responsibility for the attack. It said in a statement that one of its suicide bombers had targeted “translators and collaborators with the American army” near the Kabul airport. Two
officials said on the condition of anonymity that the Afghan death toll in Thursday’s bombing was higher than first anticipated – at least 169 -while the US said it was the deadliest day for American forces in Afghanistan since August 2011. The 13 US service members who died included 10 Marines, a Navy sailor and an Army soldier. The military has not identified them or given a service affiliation for the last
victim The attack underlined the realpolitik facing Western powers in Afghanistan: engaging with the Taliban, who they have long sought to fend off, may be their only chance to prevent the country sliding into a breeding ground for extremist militancy. At the White House on Thursday, Biden – already facing strong criticism at home and abroad over the chaos surrounding troop withdrawal that led to the Taliban’s
lightning advance to Kabul -asked for a moment of silence to honour the service members. He bowed his head, and ordered US flags to half-staff across the country. Asked by a reporter if he bore any responsibility for the deaths, he said: “I bear responsibility fundamentally for all that’s happened of late.” As for the bombers and gunmen involved, he said, “We have some reason to believe we know who they are.” He said he had instructed military commanders to develop plans to strike IS “assets, leadership and facilities”. The US warned that more attacks could come ahead of President Biden’s fast-approaching deadline to withdraw American forces from Afghanistan by Tuesday. Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said: “We certainly are prepared and expect future attempts” at terror attacks.
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SUNVILLA SAMACHAR Editorial
SUNVILLA SAMACHAR Supreme Court Hearing Next Week On Pegasus Spyware Is Of Crucial Importance The Supreme Court’s observation on Wednesday that the two bench of judges headed by the Chief Justice of India N V Ramanna will be issuing a comprehensive order on the petitions challenging the use of the Israeli Pegasus spyware for snooping, is of special importance in influencing the political situation on the eve of the state assembly elections in2022.The significance of the comment by the CJI lies in the fact that the bench has taken note ofthe tactics of the centre, especially its Solicitor General Tushar Mehta in avoiding answer tothe real issue which is at the core of the main petitions. The simple question is did anycentral agency hire the Israeli company NSO for this software and if so who. Any nationalgovernment has every right to hire a foreign organisation for security purposes, especially inrelation to deal with terror and intelligence gathering. Modi Government is also entitled to dothat, but in case of this Pegasus use, it was not for information gathering from the antiIndiaoutfits but from the country’s own politicians, activists and journalists.The Defence Ministry has strongly denied any such deal. That is accepted but what aboutthe other agencies belonging to the home ministry or the NSA’s office. There has been nodenial on this. In fact the Home Minister is refusing to comment on this issue. TheGovernment has also ruled out the setting up of any joint parliamentary committee to probethe issue. The monsoon session of Parliament came to an abrupt end on this Pegasus issueand now the Supreme Court remains the only forum which can do justice in clearing themystery over the use of Pegasus spyware.The learned judges have to note that India is having expanding relations with Israel duringthe last seven years of Narendra Modi regime and there have been many agreements withthe Israeli Government headed by the former Prime Minister Netanyahu who had friendlyrelations with Narendra Modi. Only few months ago, Israel got a new Prime Minister and hewould not mind helping investigating the role of the NSO in India, if properly requested.Facts are, India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval visited Israel in March2017preparatory to the Prime Minister’s visit in July that year. He had comprehensive talkswith Israeli authorities on Israeli assistance for strengthening the security system inIndia. NSA has every right to do that in the country’s security interests as a part of fightingpotential terror threat to India. India is one of the biggest customers of weaponry andsecurity devices from Israel and NSO is a leading security services equipment providerincluding high grade software for surveillance.The Pegasus spyware use is not just a case of violation of privacy, or illegal surveillance orsnooping by security agencies. It is much more. The Pegasus is military grade spywarewhich takes surveillance and hacking to a new level altogether. If this is used by the centralagencies on the opposition leaders and the human rights activists, apart from journalists, thiscannot be done without the approval from the highest political authorities. That way, the buck stops at PMO and the Home Ministry. PM has to get cleared of the allegations if those are‘unfounded’ as the official sources are saying.The NSO itself has stated in its official website that the company “licenses its products onlyto government intelligence and law enforcement agencies for the sole purpose of preventingterror and serious crime”. It is also known that the licenses are given under the supervisionof the Defense Export Control Agency of the Israeli ministry of defence. And suchtransactions are done only at the intergovernmental level. Just as Indian Prime Ministersigned a deal on Rafale planes with the French President as a part of inter governmentagreement. So the question may be asked during PM’s visit in July 2017, was such an intergovernment agreement was done?The Mexican government has confirmed that the Pegasus spyware was acquired in 2011first by the defence ministry and later by the National Security Intelligence Service and otherstate security forces. Mexico seems to have acknowledged their acquiring the Pegasusspyware but the Modi government refuses to give any straight answer to the issue though itis of paramount importance to the polity of the Indian state.More information has been coming - Kapilkumar M. Hirpara from different countries.
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Union Min Rane resumes Jan Ashirwad Yatra Agency News: New Delhi After the heat and dust over his arrest, Union Minister Narayan Rane on Friday resumed his “Jan Ashirwad Yatra” by demanding to know as to what kind of bravery the Shiv Sena-led MVA Government displayed when it arrested him like a “dacoit” “or a “robber” using such a huge police force at a time when it is supposed to be addressing the problems of the people. Resuming the third phase of his “Jan Ashirwad Yatra” at Ratnagiri in coastal Konkan region, a belligerent Rane trained his guns at his bête noir and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, by saying: “You arrested a Union Minister like you arrest a dacoit and that too using a police force of 250 personnel. What kind of bravery it was, doing such a thing when the people are distressed, farm loan waiver has not happened and flood-affected people have not received relief?”. Rane -- who was apparently still bitter about the manner in which he was arrested from Sangameshwar
in Ratnagiri district on Tuesday “tight-slap-slur” against Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray – vowed not to spare ruling Shiv Sena. “Your Government has no money to compensate the flood-affected people. What kind of things do you say against me? I am not going to spare you. If you want to dig into my past, please do. You have been digging into my past for the last two years. But you have not found anything against me.. I also know your past. How were Ramesh More and Jaya Jadhav murdered?,” he asked. “Who ordered the acid attack on the sister-inlaw? Why is the Sushant Singh Rajpurt death case not closed yet? Why is Disha Salian’s death still a mystery? I will unravel all these things layer by layer. As much of law you know, we also know..Don’t step on my toes..I will roar once again as I used to do in the coming days,” Rane said. Rane was responding to a fiery editorial published against him in the Shiv Sena’s official mouth-piece “Saamana” on Thursday demanded.
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Sidhu Faction Rattles Gandhis Guj HC rejects plea to modify order on anti-conversion law Over Anti-Captain Rebellion Agency News: New Delhi In Punjab Congress, the infighting is at the peak after the party high-command named Navjot Singh Sidhu as PCC chief and Captain Amarinder Singh as the party face for 2022 Assembly polls. With Sidhu camp inciting a fresh rebellion against Captain and seeking
his immediate replacement, a rattled party high-command asserted to the dissenting leaders that as far 2022 Assembly polls in Punjab was concerned, Amarinder Singh would remain the CM face. AICC in-charge for Punjab Harish Rawat said, We will contest 2022 Punjab elections under the leadership of Captain Amrinder Singh."
Former CBI Director US Misra dies Agency News: New Delhi Former CBI Director US Misra passed away on Thursday. Uma Shankar Misra, an IPS officer of Orissa Cadre (1968-batch) took over as Director of CBI on December 6, 2003 and retired on December 6, 2005. He was the 21st Director of CBI after its formation in 1963. Misra held important positions in the Orissa Police as well as in the Government of India. He worked in various
capacities in the CBI including SP, DIG and Special Director in CBI and went on to head the agency. Underlining that Misra was a “highly decorated officer with true professional acumen, the CBI in its condolence message said, “The officers and all ranks of Central Bureau of Investigation deeply mourn the demise of US Misra, former Director, CBI and pray to the Almighty to provide the family strength, succour and fortitude to bear with this tragedy.”
Risk of blood clots higher post SARS-CoV-2 infection Agency News: New Delhi Underscoring the importance of vaccination, a UK study on Friday said that the risk of developing adverse events such as blood clots is considerably higher after infection with SARS-CoV-2 virus than after immunisation with Pfizer and AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines. Some of these events have led to the restricted use of the OxfordAstraZeneca vaccine, known as Covishield in India, and in a number of countries. The research published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ)
used findings from more than 29 million people, who were vaccinated with the first doses of either vaccine between December 2020 and April 2021. The findings showed though there was an increased risk of having a blood clot after the first doses of either vaccine.
Ayodhya gearing up for Prez visit on Sunday Agency News: New Delhi
The administration is gearing up for President Ram Nath Kovind’s maiden visit to Ayodhya where he is scheduled to arrive by a presidential train along with Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday. President Kovind is slated to stay in Ayodhya for around four hours. District Magistrate of Ayodhya, Anuj Kumar Jha, said that the administration was working round the clock to
make a foolproof arrangement for the President’s visit and was coordinating with other state agencies to make the event memorable. The administration has made arrangements of over five quintals of flowers to deck up the city from Ayodhya railway station to the programme venue besides giving a saffron hue to the entire city. Railway authorities said that Ayodhya railway station’s platform number 1, where the presidential train would halt, had been decorated. They said a special vehicle.
Rawat remarks came after the four rebel Punjab ministers — Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Charanjit Singh Channi – who led the move, had a meeting with him in Dehradun. They are also trying to meet Congress President Sonia Gandhi in Delhi.
Agency News: Ahmedabad
The Gujarat High Court on Thursday turned down the State Government’s plea seeking rectification of its recent order in which it stayed the operation of section 5 of the new anticonversion law.Section 5 of the Gujarat Freedom Of Religion (Amendment) Act, 2021 mandates that religious priests
must take prior permission from the district magistrate for converting any person from one religion to another.Moreover, the one who got converted also needs to “send an intimation” to the district magistrate in a prescribed form.“We do not find reason to make any changes in the order passed by us on August 19,” a division bench of Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice
Biren Vaishnav after hearing the arguments put forth by state Advocate General Kamal Trivedi. Trivedi, on behalf of the State Government, told the bench that section 5 of the Gujarat Freedom Of Religion (Amendment) Act, 2021 was there ever since the original law was enacted in 2003 and it has nothing to do with marriage per se.
2020 December 8 ,2020 and March 26, 2021. This will be the fourth “Bharat Bandh’, by the farmers and second in 2021. On Thursday, the farmers’ protest against the three contentious laws completed nine months since they first arrived at the Delhi
borders. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha said the move is aimed at further strengthening and expanding the farmers’ agitation which began in Nov last year. Addressing a press conference at Delhi’s Singhu border, Ashish Mittal from SKM said ,”We
are calling for a ‘Bharat bandh’ on Sept 25. “This is happening after a similar ‘bandh’ was organised on the same date last year, and we hope that it would be more successful than the one last year which was held amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Farmers call for Bharat bandh on September 25 Agency News: New Delhi Farmer groups protesting against the farm laws on Friday called for a ‘Bharat Bandh’ on September 25 to intensify their fight. They had earlier called Bharat Bandh on September 25,
Mehbooba served notice for violations of Covid norms Agency News: Jammu
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and president of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti has been found guilty of violating Covid-19 appropriate behaviour and other standard operating procedures by the Union Territory administration. According to official sources, after the PDP chief addressed a largely attended public gathering in South Kashmir area of Shopian on August 25, Executive Magistrate Ist class/ Tehsildar Shopian served her a notice to explain as to why action under the relevant sections of the Disaster Management Act and the Indian Penal Code may not be initiated against you for violations of Covid appropriate behaviour and SoP’s. “It has come to the
notice that PDP President Mehbooba Mufti had called a public gathering beyond the prescribed number and the time in violation of the COVID-19 SOPs in vogue. I am serving a notice under Section 51(b) of the Disaster Management Act (DMA) 2005 and you are directed to explain as to why action under the relevant sections of the DMA and
Kerala logs 32,801 HC dismisses petition Covid cases, 179 die to call off probe Agency News: New Delhi
Amidst concerns expressed by veteran medical doctors about the high speed transmission of Covid-19 in the State, 32,801 new persons were diagnosed with the pandemic in Kerala on Friday, says a release by Veena George, Health Minister. The Health Department tested 1.7 lakh samples throughout the State during the last 24 hours which also saw 179 patients succumbing to the pandemic. With this, the death toll in the State reached 20,313. The Test Positivity Rate as on Friday evening was 19.22. The fact that 31, 281 out of the 32, 801 new patients were afflicted with the disease through contact
adds to the seriousness of the situation in the State, according to doctors in the Government service. “It looks like things have gone out of control in Kerala and the Government should take immediate emergency measures to check the fatalities,” said a doctor with more than three decades experience in Government service. There is no let up in the number of health workers getting afflicted with Covid-19. On Friday, 116 health workers tested positive all over Kerala putting a question mark on the depleting number of medical staff available to take care of the patients. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who was briefing the media regularly.
Tripura BJP leaders’ visit to Kolkata sparks speculation Agency News: Kolkata Amid reports that the Trinamool Congress would soon do to BJP in Tripura what the latter did to it in Bengal before this year’s Assembly elections, speculations ran high over senior BJP leader and MLA Sudip Roy Burman’s visit to Kolkata on Wednesday along with three other party Legislators. While the BJP leadership remained tightlipped about a possible split in the Tripura saffron ranks Trinamool sources in Bengal confirmed that a meeting had taken place between Roy Burman — a former Trinamool Congress-turned-BJP leader— and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. There chemistry between Roy Burman— a former Health
According to sources the TMC is in touch with Pradyot K Manikya Deb a descendent of the Tripura royal family who founded ‘The Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA) and won 19 out of 28 seats in the Tripura Autonomous District Council elections. Minister of his State and a close aide of Trinamool national vice president Mukul Roy-— and Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb had deteriorated particularly after he was sacked from his post in 2019. His visit to Kolkata coincides with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visit to Tripura where she would reportedly assess the pandemic situation and other economic issues of the North-eastern State. There was no statement coming out
the Indian Penal Code may not be initiated against you”. Responding to the notice on Fiday PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti dragged the name of Lt-Governor Manoj Sinha in her crisply drafted reply. Instead of explaining, the position with regard to violations of Covid 19- appropriate behaviour Mehbooba Mufti said, “it was strange and baffling that on the very same day Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha presided over a function attended by hundreds of people and that too indoors.Why wasn’t the same yardstick applied to Honorable L-G”? “COVID-19 virus does not discriminate but unfortunately it’s painfully obvious that this administration does. Your actions reek of bias, and political space for those who disagree with the ruling party is deliberately being choked”.
of the Trinamool camp about the contents of the Friday’s meeting but sources said that a good chunk of BJP legislators in Tripura could gradually shift allegiance and join the TMC ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections in that State. On whether Roy Burman and other three MLAs were likely to join the TMC sources said they could soon change their party. If he joins the TMC then Mamata Banerjee’s outfit may get a huge shot in the arm in
Tripura considering the fact that Burman a former Opposition Leader has a good following that State. One TMC leader and minister on Friday said that “as the entire BJP in Tripura is made up of TMC we are sure that the party will collapse before the next elections… Roy Burman episode is a prelude to that.” Reportedly unhappy with Biplab Deb— who had allegedly curtailed his leverage in Tripura politics — Roy Burman had twice went to Delhi to meet Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda but both of them refused to meet him. And if the two parties join hands then the BJP could be in trouble in that state, inside sources said. Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress Chatra Parishad the students.
Agency News: New Delhi The Madras High Court on Friday dismissed a petition filed by Anubhav Ravi, a local leader of the AIADMK from Nilgiri seeking a directive to Tamil Nadu Police to call off further investigation into the Kodanad Estate heist case of April 2017. Meanwhile, the sessions court in Nilgiri district which was to hear the case on Friday, adjourned the same to September 2 in response to a request made by the lawyers representing the AIADMK. The case has many political implications as the estate measuring 900 acres and the mansion built inside the vast stretch of forest land was owned by late J Jayalalithaa, former chief minister and the AIADMK General Secretary. The Estate was a favourite retreat of Jayalalithaa and she
had spent a lot of time in the sprawling estate which was designated as her unofficial headquarters. The Estate bungalow was robbed allegedly by a group of people and the security guard Om Bahadur was found murdered on April 24, 2017. Since Jayalalithaa passed away intestate, there were allegations that the robbery was part of a move by someone to remove valuable documents from the Estate Bungalow. What added mystery to the incident was the death of Kanakaraj, a former driver employed by Jayalalithaa in the estate. Kanakaraj, listed as the prime accused in the heist case was killed in a road accident at Salem. K V Sayan, an associate of Kanakaraj, who too figured in the case as a prime suspect had a providential escape when the car in which he and his family were travelling.
Chhattisgarh leading state in providing forest land deeds This information was given at a meeting of Tribal Welfare Department held under the Chairmanship of Union Tribal Agency News: Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh is a leading state in the country in providing individual and community forest rights land deeds, it was announced on Friday. So far, 21,95,228 hectares of land have been distributed to 4.86 lakh individuals, an official communication
said. This information was given at a meeting of Tribal Welfare Department held under the Chairmanship of Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda here. The Minister told the officials to work with coordination for better living of the tribals in the remote areas of the state. He said that programmes for the development of the tribal community are being run well and this is commendable. Munda handed over trophies and certificates to Chhattisgarh Tribal Welfare Minister Dr Premsai Singh Tekam in 11 subcategories for excellent showing in procurement, processing and marketing of minor.
SUNVILLA SAMACHAR
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SPORTS - BUSINESS
Ronaldo returns to United in dramatic detour Agency News: Manchester For Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester was always Red.In a fast-moving deal that stunned the world of football, Ronaldo secured a return to Manchester United on Friday — a day after telling Juventus he no longer wanted to play for the Italian club.“Welcome back, Cristiano,” read a tweet posted by United. Within minutes, the club’s official website had crashed. Ronaldo is 36 years old, a completely
Former England captain ‘Lord Ted’ Dexter dies
different player to the skinny, outrageously skillful 17-yearold winger who first arrived at United from Sporting Lisbon in 2003 with a box of tricks but little end product. In the following six years, he scored 118 goals in 292 appearances and swiftly became one of the most fearsome strikers in the world, winning the first of his five Fifa world player of the year awards.Ronaldo will join for a fee of 15 million euros, with 8 million euros in add-ons. The transfer is subject to agreement
India’s top-ranked tennis player Prajnesh Gunneswaran progressed to the second round of the US Open qualifiers with a straight set win over Brayden Schnur of Canada. Gunneswaran got the better of the world No 232 Canadian 6-4, 7-6 in one hour 37 minutes on Wednesday night. The 31-year-old Indian will lock horns with American Christopher Eubanks in next round.
States’ fiscal deficit to moderate to 4.1% of GDP in FY 22: India Ratings Agency News: New Delhi ndia Ratings and Research on Friday said it expects the aggregate fiscal deficit of States in the country to moderate to 4.1 per cent of GDP in the current financial year from its earlier expectation of 4.3 per cent.In line with the slight moderation in its forecast for fiscal deficit in FY22, the agency expects the aggregate debt/GDP ratio to come in lower at 32.4 per cent in FY22.
Agency News: New Delhi
Turin to Lisbon, and saying the world would soon be made aware of his next move. By then, United was the clear front-runner after
Manchester City pulled out of the running. It is a short-term move by United, no doubt. But one that will shake up the Premier League.
Former England cap- 3rd Test: Siraj subjecttain ‘Lord Ted’ Dex- ed to boos from the crowd ter dies Agency News: New Delhi
Agency News: New Delhi
of personal terms, visa and a medical examination.It is the latest blockbuster move of the transfer window, coming barely two weeks after Lionel Messi — Ronaldo’s long-time rival — joined Paris Saint-Germain after his contract at Barcelona expired. On Thursday, Ronaldo met with Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri and told him he wanted to leave the club where he had spent the last three years after joining from Madrid. By Friday, Ronaldo was boarding a private jet from
Former England captain Ted Dexter has died at Wolverhampton after a bout of illness, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) said on Thursday. He was 86. “After a recent illness he passed away peacefully in the Compton Hospice in Wolverhampton at midday yesterday, surrounded by his family,” the MCC said. A powerful middle-order batsman and medium-pace bowler, Dexter played 62 Tests between 1958 and 1968, leading the side in 30 of those and scoring 4502 runs at an average of 47.89, besides taking
66 wickets. Known for his ability to dominate top-class fast bowling, he slammed nine hundreds, six of which were scores of above 140. He was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame earlier this year. Dexter worked as a journalist and broadcaster post retirement and also served as England’s chairman of selectors. He was also instrumental in devising the players’ ranking system that was later adopted by the ICC and is currently known as the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings. In a First-Class career that spanned from 1956 to 1968, he scored more than 21000 runs and claimed 419 wickets.
Agency News: New Delhi
Pace bowler Mohammed Siraj was introduced to bowling on Thursday, the second day of the third Test, amid boos from the crowd here at the Headingley.The 27-year-old pace bowler, who took eight wickets in the second Test at Lord’s, was brought into the attack only after 15 overs had passed in the day and on arrival to the run-up mark, a section of the crowd began booing him. The Hyderabad bowler was hit by a ball thrown by the crowd on Wednesday, the first day of the ongoing Test. It upset India skipper Virat Kohli.“I think somebody threw the ball inside on Siraj so he was upset. Yes, you
can say whatever you are going to chant but don’t throw things on the fielders and all those things. It is not good for cricket,” explained India wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant after the end of play on the first day of the third Test here at Headingley.This isn’t the first time the Indian cricketers are facing misbehaviour from the English crowd. During the first session of the third day’s play in the second Test at Lord’s, fans had thrown bottle corks at India opener K.L. Rahul.The crowd, however, loves to target Siraj whether in England or Australia. On the tour of Australia that ended in January this year, the pacer, as well as teammate Jasprit Bumrah, were allegedly subjected.
Sensex slips 95 pts in early trade; Nifty hovers around 16,600 Equity benchmark Sensex dropped over 95 points in early trade on Friday, tracking losses in index majors HDFC twins, Infosys and ICICI Bank amid unabated foreign fund outflows.The 30-share index was trading 96.18 points or 0.17 per cent
Agency News: New Delhi Strong buffers to help Indian banks withstand asset risks: Moody’s India’s second coronavirus wave is increasing asset risks for banks, but the country’s economic recovery, a tightening of loan underwriting criteria, and continued government support will prevent a sharp spike in
problem loans, according to a Moody’s Investors Service report. “A severe deterioration of banks’ asset quality is unlikely, despite an expected rise in new loan impairments, particularly among individuals and small businesses that were hit hardest by the virus outbreak. This is because government initiatives like the emergency credit linked guarantee scheme
(ECLGS) have been effective in providing immediate liquidity for businesses,” Moody’s Vice President and Senior Credit Officer Alka Anbarasu said. In addition, accommodative interest rates and loan restructuring schemes will continue to mitigate asset risks, such that the coronavirus resurgence will delay but not derail the improvements in
banks’ balance sheets that had begun before the pandemic Moody’s rated banks also have stronger loss-absorbing buffers, which will help them withstand the asset quality decline and maintain their credit strength. Banks had reinforced these buffers in the past year through increases in capital, loan-loss reserves, and profitability.
India’s top oil firm Indian Oil Corp (IOC) on Friday said it will invest close to Rs 1 lakh crore to raise its refining capacity by almost a third in the next 4-5 years as it saw fuel demand continuing to grow in near future.Addressing the company’s annual meeting of shareholders, IOC Chairman
team examined data on 5,92,571 participants living in the US and the UK from March 24, 2020 and followed them until December 2, 2020. During follow-up, 31,831 participants developed Covid-19. Compared with individuals in the lowest quartile of the diet score, those in the highest quartile had a 9 per cent lower risk of developing Covid-19 and a 41 per cent lower risk of developing severe Covid-19. “These findings were consistent across a range of sensitivity analysis accounting for other healthy behaviors,
social determinants of health and community virus transmission rates,” said lead author Jordi Merino, a research associate at the Diabetes Unit and Center for Genomic Medicine at MGH. “Although we cannot emphasise enough the importance of getting vaccinated and wearing a mask in crowded indoor settings, our study suggests that individuals can also potentially reduce their risk of getting Covid-19 or having poor outcomes by paying attention to their diet,” added Andrew Chan, a gastroenterologist.
80 per cent COVID-19 immunity lost in 6 months in some after Pfizer shot: US study
Agency News: New Delhi 80 per cent COVID-19 immunity lost in 6 months in some after Pfizer shot: US studyCOVID-19 antibodies produced by the Pfizer vaccine decreased more than 80 per cent in senior nursing home residents and their caregivers six months after receiving their second dose, a US study has found.The research led by Case Western Reserve
University and Brown University in the US studied blood samples of 120 nursing home residents and 92 health care workers.The researchers particularly looked at humoral immunity -- also called antibody-mediated immunity -to measure the body’s defences against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19.The yet-to-be published study, posted on the preprint server medRxiv, found that individuals’ antibody
levels decreased more than 80 per cent after six months.The results were the same in seniors, with a median age of 76, and caregivers, with a median age of 48, and old alike, according to the researchers.Earlier research by the team found that within two weeks of receiving the second dose of vaccine, seniors who had not previously contracted COVID-19 already showed a reduced response in antibodies that was substantially lower than the younger caregivers experienced.By six months after vaccination, the blood of 70 per cent of these nursing home residents had “very poor ability to neutralise the coronavirus infection in laboratory experiments,” said David Canaday, a professor at the Case Western Reserve University.The results support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC), recommendation for booster shots.
Monoclonal antibody treatment combo cuts hospitalisation among high-risk Covid patients: Study
lower at 55,852.92. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty slipped 23.70 points or 0.14 per cent to 16,613.20.M&M was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding over 1 per cent, followed by HDFC, Tech Mahindra, ICICI Bank, Infosys and IndusInd Bank.On the other hand, UltraTech Cement, Bajaj Finserv, L&T, Tata Steel, Bajaj Finance and Bharti Airtel were among the gainers.In the
previous session, the BSE index ended just 4.89 points or 0.01 per cent higher at 55,949.10. And the broader NSE Nifty advanced 2.25 points or 0.01 per cent to its fresh closing peak of 16,636.90.Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) remained net sellers in the capital market as they offloaded shares worth Rs 1,974.48 crore on Thursday, as per provisional exchange data. Elsewhere in Asia, bourses
in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Seoul were trading with gains in mid-session deals, while Tokyo was in the red.Equities in the US ended on a negative
note in the overnight session. Meanwhile, international oil benchmark Brent crude surged 1.03 per cent to USD 71.80 per barrel.
Shrikant Madhav Vaidya said petrol demand is already back at pre-COVID levels and diesel the most used fuel in the country - should return to normal levels by Diwali.“Forecasts by various agencies see Indian fuel demand climbing to 400-450 million tonne by 2040 from the present 250 million tonne. This offers enough legroom for all forms of energy to co-exist,”
he said.To cater to that demand surge, IOC is aggressively rolling out new projects. “These translate into refining capacity expansion of over 25 million metric tonne per annum, including (subsidiary) CPCL, and an investment commitment of close to Rs 1 lakh crore over the next 4 to 5 years,” he said. IOC operates 11 refineries that convert crude oil into
valued fuels such as petrol and diesel. These have a combined capacity of 81.2 million tonne.It plans to raise the capacity of its Koyali refinery in Gujarat to 18 million tonne from the current 13.7 million tonne while the same at Panipat refinery in Haryana is planned to go up to 25 million tonne from the current 15 million tonne. Expansion is also planned
at Guwahati and Barauni refineries while a new plant is being built at the subsidiary, Chennai Petroleum Corp Ltd (CPCL).These expansions will take IOC’s refining capacity to 106.7 million tonne.Vaidya said IOC is focusing on optimally integrating current refining processes to yield more chemical products per barrel of oil.
Agency News: New Delhi
IOC to invest Rs 1 lakh cr to expand refining capacity: Chairman Agency News: New Delhi
People whose diets were based on healthy plant-based foods such as fruits and vegetables had lower risks of getting Covid-19 and of having severe disease after infection, finds a study Although metabolic conditions such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes have been linked to an increased risk of Covid-19, as well as an increased risk of experiencing serious symptoms once infected, the impact of diet on these risks is unknown. The study led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and published in the journal Gut, suggests that public health strategies that improve access to healthy foods and address social determinants of health may help to reduce the burden of the Covid-19 pandemic. The beneficial effects of diet on Covid-19 risk seemed especially relevant in individuals living in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation. For the study, the
Strong buffers to help Indian banks withstand asset risks: Moody’s
Sensex slips 95 pts in early trade; Nifty hovers around 16,600 Agency News: New Delhi
Health Plant-based foods may cut risk of Covid infection, severity: Study
A combination of two monoclonal antibody treatments keeps high-risk COVID-19 patients out of the hospital when infected with mild to moderate disease, according to an observational study published in The Lancet’s EClinicalMedicine journal.Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-produced molecules engineered to serve as substitute antibodies that can restore, enhance or mimic the immune system’s attack on pathogens.The combination of the monoclonal antibody treatments -- casirivimab and imdevimab -- has been given emergency use authorisation (EUA) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).The research enrolled nearly 1,400 patients at Mayo Clinic in the US, of whom 696 received the drug combo between December 2020 and early April while an equal matched cohort did not receive it.The disease status of the patients was evaluated at 14, 21 and 28 days
after treatment.At each point, the numbers for hospitalisation were significantly lower in the treated group.At day 14, 1.3 per cent of the treated group were in the hospital, compared to 3.3 per cent of those who had not been treated, the researchers said.At day 21, only 1.3 per cent treated were hospitalised, compared to 4.2 per cent of those who had not been treated, they said.The study found that at the end of 28 days, 1.6 per cent of those treated were hospitalised versus 4.8 per cent of those who had not been treated.This translated to 60-70 per cent relative reduction in hospitalisation among treated patients, according to the researchers. Of those who were subsequently hospitalised, the rates of ICU admission and mortality were low, they found.“Once again, this real-world study suggests that when patients who are at high risk due to a range of comorbidities contract a mild or moderate case of COVID-19, this combination of monoclonal
injections gives them a chance of a nonhospitalised recovery. In other words, they recover safely at home,” said Raymond Razonable, an infectious diseases specialist at Mayo Clinic, and senior author of the study.A previous study by Mayo Clinic researchers suggested the use of bamlanivimab reduced hospitalisations in high-risk patients by 40–60 per cent.That study involved 2,335 treated patients from Mayo Clinic between November of 2020 and February.Comparing their outcomes with 2,335 untreated patients, the ICU admission and mortality rates also were significantly lower with monoclonal antibody treatment. The researchers noted that the FDA in April revoked the EUA for bamlanivimab alone and now endorses use of combination monoclonal antibodies.“Our conclusion overall at this point is that monoclonal antibodies are an important option in treatment to reduce the impact of COVID-19 in high-risk patients.
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28.08.2021, Saturday
LOCAL NEWS
Five lions caged from Pipavav port released away from territory The forest department had caged three lionesses and two sub-adult lionesses from Rajula Vidi near the busy Pipavav port on August 18. Sunvilla News: Ahmedabad THE FIVE Asiatic lions which were caged by forest department from near Pipavav port on the sea coast of Amreli on August 18 have been released in western part of Gir forest, away from their territory near a railway line and highway connecting the port. Forest officers termed this exercise a “management issue” saying the big cats were facing threats of accidents near the port.
Nikki Tamboli oozes sexiness in the asymmetrical dress.
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Salahuddin Sheikh used Covid centre to divert foreign funds When Covid-19 pandemic hit the city last year, accused Salahuddin Sheikh played a key role in starting a centre on WaghodiaRoad where Covid patients were treated. But investigations have ledpolice to reveal that he actually used the centre as a front to illegally divertmoney he got through foreign donations.Cops are now scanning the bank accounts of this centre and otherorganisations that Sheikh was connected to.“Prima facie investigations show that he used this Covid centre too fordiverting foreign funding,” said a senior police official.
MSU to set up language labs across campus M S University is planning to set up language laboratories across its campus. A language lab for English and Sanskritwas inaugurated by MSU vicechancellor professor Parimal Vyas at the BBA building of the Faculty of Commerce.“We are planning to have such labs all around the university. I am very happy to see that the BBA programme has taken theinitiative. This lab will be an inspiration to other programmes and buildings,” said Vyas.Vyas said that language skills are the need of the hour not only for students.
Three booked for cheating 30 daily wagers of Rs 93L in Gondal Three agents of Gondal Mercantile Cooperative Society in Gondal town of Rajkot were booked on Wednesday forcheating at least 30 people, mostly daily wagers, of Rs 93.45 lakh over the past couple of years.An FIR was lodged against Ketan Bhalala, his brother Dinesh Bhalala and Anil Bhalala, by Sanjay Dabhi (28), a resident ofKhodiyar Nagar in Gondal town. Dabhi alleged that the accused collected money from him but did not deposit it with thecooperative society. Gondal police said that like Dabhi, 30 others have lodged complaints against the trio. To date, it has beenrevealed that the accused cheated over 30 people of Rs 93.45 lakh, said police.The accused were booked under various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) including 420.
The forest department had caged three lionesses and two sub-adult lionesses from Rajula Vidi near the busy Pipavav port on August 18. Forest officers had initially maintained that the carnivores were captured for screening them for diseases. After being captured, the five lionesses were kept in Jasadhar rescue centre in Gir (east) wildlife division. However, BJP MP from Amreli, Naran Kachchhadiya had on Wednesday told media
that the rescued lions were released. While phone calls by to Forest and Environment Minister Ganpavt Vasava went unanswered, forest officers on Thursday confirmed that the lions have indeed been released but in different territory. “They were released in the Gir sanctuary part which is part of Gir (west) but adjoining the boundary of Gir (east) and we are monitoring them since,” Dushyant Vasavada, Chief Conservator of Forests
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Pankaj Kumar appointed new chief secy of Gujarat A native of Patna in Bihar, Pankaj Kumar is currently the Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department. Sunvilla News: Ahmedabad
(CCF) of Junagadh wildlife circle, told The Indian Express on Thursday. The CCF on Thursday said that during the screening, the five lionesses were found to be healthy, they have not been released in their home territory
for fears of accident. He said that one of the lionesses has been tagged with a radio-collar whose signals indicated that the pride was crossing the railway line and the highway connecting the port frequently.
The state government on Friday appointed 1986-batch IAS officer Pankaj Kumar the new Chief Secretary of Gujarat. Kumar will replace Anil Mukim, whose current term ends later this month. Kumar, a native of Patna in Bihar, is currently the
Rioting, attacking police Gujarat government focusing on smart citteam on Aug 20, 17 held ies, villages: Bhupendrasinh Chudasama According to police, on August 20, on the occasion of Muharram, a mob of over 1,500 persons had assembled at a public place in Salaya of Devbhoomi Dwarka and demanded to take out a Tazia procession, permission for which was not granted due to Covid restrictions.
Sunvilla News: Ahmedabad Days after a police team was attacked by a mob of hundreds demanding a religious procession to be taken out in Salaya of Devbhoomi Dwarka, police have identified and arrested 17 persons till Thursday. According to police, on August 20, on the occasion of Muharram, a mob of over 1,500 persons had assembled at a public place in Salaya of Devbhoomi Dwarka and demanded to take out a Tazia procession, permission for which was not granted due to Covid restrictions. The situation escalated and the mob attacked
Gujarat government is planning to provide access to using IoT, artificial intelligence, blockchain, robotics with a human angle while at the same time pharmaceutical and healthcare management to smart cities and smart villages. Sunvilla News: Ahmedabad
the police team by throwing stones and assaulting them. As per an FIR lodged at Salaya police station, amid the stone pelting, the mob also looted the police PCR van and vandalised it. A police motorcycle was also damaged in the incident. Two policemen attached to Salaya police station suffered fractures and head injuries and were admitted to the hospital. According to police, three rounds of tear gas shells were fired to control the rioting mob and a flag march was held. An FIR lodged at Salaya police station booked 1,000-1,500 persons under IPC section 307 for attempt to murder, 391 for dacoity, 323 for assault and 332 for assaulting public servant along with sections of rioting.
Gujarat Congress demands fee waiver for college students
The Gujarat government is focusing on smart cities and smart villages which will require automation using IoT, artificial intelligence, blockchain, robotics
Minor girl accuses Ahmedabad car driver of rape, abduction Agency News: Surat A 16-year-old girl, who had runaway from her home in Anida village in Amreli, was allegedly kidnapped and raped thriceby a car driver from Ahmedabad.Khambha police in Amreli booked Ganpat Parmar for rape and kidnapping of a minor on Wednesday.Parmar was also booked under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO) Ac According to Khambha police, Parmar is a resident of Bavla town in Ahmedabad district. On August 19, the girl had left her home after her father scolded her over domestic work. While standing near the village bus stop, she asked for a lift.
with a human angle while at the same time pharmaceutical and healthcare management is the biggest challenge facing the world, Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama stated during
the virtual inauguration of multidisciplinary international conference on Futuristic Trends for Sustainable Ecosystem (FTSE 2021) organised by Rai University, Ahmedabad from August 26-28.
additional chief secretary, Home Department. A notification issued by the General Administration department of the state government on Friday stated that Kumar will take over as the chief secretary with effect from August 31. An 1985-batch IAS officer, Mukim was appointed chief secretary in November 2019. The government had given him a six-month extension in August 2020 and a second extension in February 2021. Pankaj Kumar has been chosen over two IAS officials from the 1986 batch — Dr Rajiv Kumar Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary, industry and mines department, and Vipul Mitra, Additional Chief Secretary, panchayat, rural housing and rural development department. Another IAS officer from same batch, Dr Guruprasad Mohapatra, former secretary to Government of India, Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, had passed away due to Covid related complications in New Delhi in June 2021. Kumar is a civil engineer and has held important positions in Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited, Gujarat Maritime Board, GSRTC and the revenue department.
Racket manufacturing ephedrine drug busted in Bharuch, three arrested Acting on a tip-off, the Bharuch SOG officials carried out raids on Rajshree poultry farm at Sigam village in Jambusar taluka of Bharuch. The officials were accompanied by FSL department officials and found several liquid chemical substances in beakers. Agency News: Surat
Bharuch Special Operations Group (SOG) officials Thursday claimed to have busted a racket which manufactures banned ephedrine drug. Police said they seized 760 grams of banned drug with four litres of different chemicals in liquid form. Three persons have been arrested in connection with the case, while another accused, who is the son of a Congress leader,
is absconding.Acting on a tipoff, the Bharuch SOG officials carried out raids on Rajshree poultry farm at Sigam village in Jambusar taluka of Bharuch. The officials were accompanied by FSL department officials and found several liquid chemical substances in beakers. After chemical tests, it was found that they were manufacturing ephedrine drug. Officials also seized 760 grams of ephedrine drug in solid state and four litres
of ephedrine in liquid state, both worth Rs 9.46 lakh. The police also seized seven different types of chemicals like HCL, ethanol and mono-methyl, along with chemical beakers and funnels, and heaters, used to manufacture the banned drug. Officials have arrested three of the four accused — Omprakash Sakariya, a resident
of Ankleshwar and a native of Pali district in Rajasthan, Aman Singh Narendra Singh, also a resident of Ankleshwar and native of Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh, Nitesh Pandey, a resident of Nala Sopara area in Mumbai. Poultry farm owner Bhavdeepsinh Yadav, the fourth accused, is absconding. Bhavdeepsinh Yadav.
Probe after panchayat member in AAP councillor held for Bharuch complains of forging doc- ‘stopping buses’ to check fitness certificate uments to ‘evict’ him Agency News: Bharuch
Manish Doshi added that a detailed application has been sent to Chief Minister Vijay Rupani demanding fee waiver for the current year. Agency News: Surat Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee chief spokesperson Manish Doshi said, “Amid the situation of recession, inflation and pandemic, the private colleges in Gujarat have increased their annual fee by Rs 29,000-83,000 for the students; how reasonable is that? When in the entire year, not a single day of teaching began
at campuses then why is the fee being hiked? At a time when fee reduction is extremely necessary, the fee hike has put many middle class families in trouble. Why is the government advocating for the private colleges ?” Doshi added that a detailed application has been sent to Chief Minister Vijay Rupani demanding fee waiver for the current year. In the past 14 months, the institutions have been completely shut and there has been on expenses incurred on administration, electricity, laboratory and maintenance expenses. Yet we are hearing that private colleges are pressurizing students and their families to pay the increased fees. Therefore, a representation of Congress leaders have sent an application to the CM demanding immediate fee waiver for one year for all institutions in order to safeguard the interest of five lakh students of Gujarat who are enrolled in these specialized courses.
A probe has begun after a member of the Bharuch District Panchayat from Palej filed a complaint alleging criminal conspiracy and forgery to evict him from his Palej District Panchayat seat in 2012 by proving three biological children through forged documents. The accused in the case, Salim Nizam Pathan, had allegedly lost the polls to the complainant Salim Rehman Pathan.According to the FIR filed at Raopura police station in Vadodara, Bharuch Taluka Development Officer disqualified Salim Rehman from his seat won in the 2010 local body polls, in January 2012, based on the complaint under the two-child policy rules filed by Salim Nizam. “The accused allegedly forged the birth certificate and other documents of Salim Rehman’s nephew Moinuddin Rahim Pathan, born in March 2010, to prove that he was the biological son of the complainant. The
According to the FIR filed at Raopura police station in Vadodara, Bharuch Taluka Development Officer disqualified Salim Rehman from his seat won in the 2010 local body polls, in January 2012, based on the complaint under the two-child policy rules filed by Salim Nizam. accused acquired fake birth certificates, as well as forged the documents of the private hospital in Vadodara… The accused also extracted a forged birth certificate of Moin Pathan from the Birth Registration office of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) located at Badamdibaug. The accused then presented the documents to the
TDO and sought disqualification of the complainant,” the FIR states. The accused, allegedly, also forged the records of the child’s vaccinations. The complainant had approached the Gujarat High Court, which in 2019, dismissed the petition as the term of the District Panchayat had completed. In November 2020, the complainant approached Bharuch TDO to withdraw the disqualification and the order was reversed. In the local body polls held in February 2021, the complainant won the seat again as a Bhartiya Janta Party candidate but his election was challenged again on the same ground. However, the complainant approached the Gujarat HC again and then the Raopura police station. Incharge inspector of Raopura police station, JK Makwana, said, “The case has been filed in Vadodara because the accused had presented a fake certificate of the VMC. We are investigating if more people are involved in the conspiracy.
Agency News: Surat
Surat police on Thursday arrested an Aam Aadmi Party councillor and a party worker for allegedly stopping city buses to check the fitness certificates.AAP Councillor from ward number 4, Kapodara, Dharmendra Vavaliya and party worker Arjun Patel were arrested based on a complaint filed by bus driver Rahul Rokde, a resident of Palsana village in Surat city.Rokde had been working as a driver since the last two years with Hansha Travels private limited company which holds a contract with the Surat Municipal Corporation to run city bus services. Police said that on August 25 evening, when Rokde was driving the bus which was on its way to Utran from Kapodara area, Vavaliya and Patel stopped the city bus and demanded the fitness certificate issued by the Surat RTO. The driver failed to show the certificate and called the supervisor. Meanwhile, the passengers in the bus were
refunded the ticket amount by the AAP councillor.Supervisor Minhaz Patel turned up at the spot and tried to sort out the problem. The AAP Councillor had stopped eight buses which allegedly did not have fitness certificate.Kapdoara police reached the spot and dispersed the mob. After Rokde lodged a complaint with Kapodara police station, police registered an offence under IPC sections 341, 342, 114 against Vavaliya and Patel.Both of them were arrested Thursday and released on bail later in the afternoon. Vavaliya, who is also the SMC Public Transport Mobility Committee member, told “I got information that several buses run by the SMC in the city under contract basis are not having fitness certificates. We checked it at Kapodara and found out that eight Surat city buses were not having fitness certificates. As a member of the Public Transport Mobility Committee of SMC, it is my duty to check the fitness certificate of the buses running in the city.