RIVANCH

Nagpur : The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Saturday announced that it would launch a National Register of Citizens (NRC) 'awareness campaign' in West Bengal in December. VHP national general secretary Milind Parande said here that the programme would cover all districts in the eastern state. File image of Amit Shah. PTI The NRC containing names and certain relevant information for identification of Indian citizens in Assam is maintained by the Central government. Union home minister Amit Shah had recently said the NRC would be extended to West Bengal, triggering a sharp reaction from its chief minister Mamata Banerjee. "The NRC was implemented in Assam under the supervision of the supreme court. However, the Centre would be implementing the exercise in West Bengal," said Parande. He said Hindus need not fear about the process "as not a single Hindu would have to leave the country after NRC." According to the VHP leader, altogether 8,000 Hindus from Pa

New Delhi:  A man has been for arrested for allegedly snatching the handbag of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's niece Damyanti Ben Modi, police said on Sunday. Damayanti Ben's purse containing cash of Rs 50,000 and two mobile phones were wrenched from her grasp by two persons when she was alighting from an auto-rickshaw on Saturday morning. Based on a complaint by her, police registered a case and later identified the two snatchers. The accused has been identified as Nonu, police said, adding the stolen items have been recovered. Damayanti Ben Modi is the daughter of the prime minister's brother Prahlad Modi. Two persons on a scooter snatched her purse, mobile phones, some documents and other valuables around 7 am when she got down at the Gujrati Samaj Bhawan in North Delhi's Civil Lines area, a senior police officer said. The incident occurred a few kilometres away from the residence of Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. from Fir

New Delhi: A layer of haze lingered over the national capital on Sunday as its air quality index (AQI) deteriorated further and touched the 245 mark, which falls in the poor category. The adjoining areas of Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Noida, Baghpat, Murthal recorded their AQI at 287, 233, 275, 258 and 245 respectively. The air quality in Karnal district of Haryana turned "very poor" overnight. It touched the 351 mark in the AQI index, according to Central Pollution Control Board data. An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'. Representational image. Reuters On Saturday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said smoke from crop residue burning in neighbouring states has started reaching Delhi and the air quality has started deteriorating. "It has been widely reported that the smoke coming to Delhi

India-China engagement is always accompanied by lofty rhetoric. Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi's latest schmoozing was described by the Chinese president himself as "in-depth", "heart-to-heart", "candid" where they apparently talked of "pragmatic cooperation" and "consolidating the foundation". Later, in a long statement published by Xinhua  — part of China's state-controlled media network — Xi is quoted as saying that "China and India should be good neighbors who live in harmony and work together as good partners", and that "the dragon and the elephant (should) dance together." For his part, in his opening remarks before the delegation-level talks on Saturday, Modi evoked Wuhan spirit which, according to him, had given a "new momentum and trust to relations" and coined a new catchphrase — Chennai Connect — to mark the "start of a new era of cooperation between the two countries." As this

India was declared open defecation free by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an address from the Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad on the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. However, for the residents of Shahu Nagar in Mahim, nothing about 2 October seemed different. Except for the pandal that had been set up along the tracks to mark the nine-day Hindu festival of Navratri, the view remained unchanged, as did the stench of human waste. For years, the people living on the eastern side of the Mahim railway station on the suburban line have been defecating either on the tracks or in the shadow of scrub nearby. To them, the promise of a clean toilet is an election special, and the government's claim of the country becoming open defecation free "a lie". "They constructed toilets in villages where people have all the land in the world, but forgot about a city like Mumbai where one doesn't even have the space needed to relieve oneself. Officials have now starte

Mumbai : A level-3 fire broke out at a residential building, Aaditya Arcade near Dreamland Cinema on Charni road in Mumbai on Sunday. Fire tenders rushed to the spot to douse the flames. As many as eight people who were trapped inside have been rescued by the fire brigade. Mumbai: Rescue operation is underway at Aaditya Arcade building near Dreamland Cinema, Charni road where a level-3 broke out this morning. Fire brigade personnel have moved inside the building for the operation. pic.twitter.com/P1zxbdKkE6 — ANI (@ANI) October 13, 2019 Rescue operations are still underway. No casualties or injuries have been reported yet. Further details are awaited from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2pfYhwP Asian News International

The communication blockade imposed in Jammu and Kashmir entered its 70th day, even as restrictions on civilian population continued. The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries has estimated that the losses caused to the economy due to the lockdown has crossed Rs 5,000 crores. The worst affected sector is tourism as the curfew and communication blockade, which started on 5 August, arrived right in the middle of peak business and tourism season. Another section of people hit by the blockade are apple farmers who have been unable to harvest or sell their produce. Apples contribute close to 15 percent to Kashmir's economy. Other than tourism and apple trade, transport and small businesses are other sectors which are majorly affected. There are other locals who depend on these small traders for their livelihood as well. In this episode, we will speak to Kashmiri journalists Javid Ahmed and Mansoor Peer to understand the repercussions of the lockdown on the economy and workforce.

Maharashtra Assembly elections 2019: Narendra Modi to hold rallies in Jalgaon, Sakoli today Prime Minister Narendra Modi will campaign in Jalgaon and Sakoli on Sunday to seek a fresh term for the BJP-led government in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections. Will be campaigning in Maharashtra tomorrow. Looking forward to addressing rallies in Jalgaon and Sakoli. The NDA is going to the people based on the stellar work of our Government led by the youthful and visionary CM @Dev_Fadnavis Ji. We seek five more years to serve the state. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 12, 2019 The assembly election in Maharashtra is scheduled to be held on 21 October and the counting will be held on 24 October. The ruling BJP-Shiv Sena coalition, which also includes other small parties, is in direct contest with the Congress-NCP alliance. Modi also said that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is going to the people on the basis of stellar work of the BJP government led by Maharas

The Murshidabad triple murder was being dubbed a case of political violence, with the male victim being dubbed another one of RSS workers who were targeted because of their political affiliation. The claim is politically potent enough that it is roiling West Bengal politics as the Bharatiya Janata Party accused Trinamool Congress for the case. The pattern, the accusation and the ensuing politics appear all too familiar, as in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls. However, this time around, the problem is that not just the local police but also the family seems to be denying a political angle to the case . On Tuesday, Bandhuprakash Pal, a 40-year-old school teacher, his wife Beauty (30) and their son Angan (5) were found brutally murdered at their home in Lebu Bagan area of Jiaganj. The news soon hit headlines with various media outlets identifying Bandhuprakash as an RSS worker and the BJP attacking the ruling Trinamool Congress for unleashing an 'endless cycle of violence' again

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's niece has become the latest victim of snatching in the national capital with her purse containing cash of Rs 50,000 and two mobile phones wrenched from her grasp by two persons when she was alighting from an auto-rickshaw on Saturday. Based on a complaint by Damayanti Ben Modi, daughter of the prime minister's brother Prahlad Modi, police registered a case and later identified the two snatchers. The incident happened soon after Damayanti Ben reached Delhi from Amritsar in the morning. Two persons on a scooter snatched the woman's purse containing Rs 50,000, two mobile phones, some documents and other valuables around 7 am when she got down at the Gujrati Samaj Bhawan in North Delhi's Civil Lines area, a senior police officer said. The incident occurred a few kilometres away from the residence of Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. She informed police and on her statement, the case under secti

Dismissing reports of an economic slowdown, Union Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday said three movies earning Rs 120 crore in a single day suggested that the economy was "sound". Commenting on International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva's remarks on the economic slowdown being more pronounced this year in India and Brazil, Prasad said IMF's measurement was incomplete. "We never said that we will give government jobs to everyone, " he said, while accusing unnamed persons of "organising against the government and misleading people over unemployment". Prasad, who is Mumbai to campaign for the BJP for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, said, "I was also told that on 2 October, which is observed as one of the national holidays, three Hindi movies garnered Rs 120 crore business on that day. Unless the economy is sound in the country, how can only three movies collect so much business in a single da

New Delhi: The national capital's air quality remained "poor" for the third day on the trot on Saturday and is likely to deteriorate further, even as experts said the situation is better than that in the last few years. Representational image. ANI The Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) recorded the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) at 221, which falls in the "poor" category. The city's AQI is predicted to deteriorate to 256 on Sunday. SAFAR said stubble burning in neighbouring states contributed 2 percent to the total concentration of PM 2.5, particulate matter 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter, in Delhi on Saturday and it will increase to 6 percent by 15 October. Pollution levels will move towards "very poor" by the third week of October, it said. A senior official said the air quality is not likely to deteriorate drastically for the next two to three days as the wind speed is not enough to transp

Krishnagar: A grocer, stated to be a BJP worker, was shot dead in front of his wife by unidentified miscreants in Nadia district. A police officer on Saturday said 52-year-old Haralal Debnath was gunned down at Habibpur under the Ranaghat police station area on Friday night. Representational image. Reuters Claiming Debnath to be a party worker, Local BJP MP Jagannath Sarkar blamed the Trinamool Congress for the killing. The ruling party denied the charge."We were preparing to close our shop. Two persons came posing as customers and asked for some goods. When my husband turned to give them those goods, they fired at him and fled," the victim's wife Chandana Debnath said. Chandana raised an alarm and local people gathered at the spot. They took Debnath to Ranaghat Hospital where he was declared brought dead. Superintendent of Police, Ranaghat police district, VSR Ananthnag, said, "We are investigating the matter." Nadia South BJP president Manabendra Nath

Kolkata: West Bengal police have detained two persons on Saturday in connection with the Murshidabad triple murder case taking the number of detainees in the case to four, police said. Representational image. Reuters A team of CID officials visited the crime spot on Saturday, a day after the investigating agency was asked to join the investigation, the police said. The triple murder had acquired political overtone s on Thursday with the BJP and West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar hitting out at the Mamata Banerjee government over the killings and the RSS claiming that the teacher was its supporter. Bandhu Prakash Pal, a 35-year-old teacher, his pregnant wife Beauty and 8-year-old son Angan were found lying dead in pools of blood in their house at Jiaganj in Murshidabad district on Tuesday when Durga Puja festivities were on. According to the police, prima facie evidence and initial investigation suggested that it was a case of personal enmity and had nothing to do with politi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the much-awaited Kartarpur corridor, connecting the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Punjab's Gurdaspur with Darbar Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan, on 8 November. Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Saturday announced on Twitter, "With the blessings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji , Sikh Panth's ardaas for 'khule darshan deedar' of Sri Kartarpur Sahib to finally become reality! On 8 November, history will be created with PM @narendramodi ji inaugurating the #kartarpurcorridor (ICP)." With the blessings of Guru Nanak Dev ji, Sikh Panth’s ardaas for ‘khule darshan deedar’ of Sri Kartarpur Sahib to finally become reality ! On Nov 8th, history will be created with PM @narendramodi ji inaugurating the #kartarpurcorridor (ICP). 1/2 pic.twitter.com/wBHeTRZcma — Harsimrat Kaur Badal (@HarsimratBadal_) October 12, 2019 Speaking to media, Badal said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Kartarpur corrid

The Murshidabad triple murder is roiling West Bengal politics with the Bharatiya Janata Party claiming that one of the victims was an RSS member. Barbs were traded with the ruling Trinamool Congress, which claimed that the schoolteacher was a victim of "BJP infighting".  This, even as the state police said they found no evidence to that effect and the victims' family pleaded for the issue "not to be politicised." On Tuesday, Bandhuprakash Pal, a 40-year-old school teacher, his wife Beauty (30) and their son Angan (5) were found brutally murdered at their home in Lebu Bagan area of Jiaganj.  The news soon hit headlines with various media outlets identifying Bandhuprakash as an RSS worker and the BJP attacking the ruling Trinamool Congress for unleashing an 'endless cycle of violence' against workers of Opposition parties. However, the victims' kin said Bandhuprakash, the 40-year-old teacher, was not associated with any political party. File image

The Murshidabad triple murder is roiling West Bengal politics with the Bharatiya Janata Party claiming that one of the victims was an RSS member. Barbs were traded with the ruling Trinamool Congress, which claimed that the schoolteacher was a victim of "BJP infighting".  This, even as the state police said they found no evidence to that effect and the victims' family pleaded for the issue "not to be politicised." On Tuesday, Bandhuprakash Pal, a 40-year-old school teacher, his wife Beauty (30) and their son Angan (5) were found brutally murdered at their home in Lebu Bagan area of Jiaganj.  The news soon hit headlines with various media outlets identifying Bandhuprakash as an RSS worker and the BJP attacking the ruling Trinamool Congress for unleashing an 'endless cycle of violence' against workers of Opposition parties. However, the victims' kin said Bandhuprakash, the 40-year-old teacher, was not associated with any political party. File image

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday agreed to set up a new mechanism for matters relating to trade and investment and felt the two countries should cooperate on important regional and global issues. Prime Minister Modi had around five-and-half hours of one-on-one talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping spread over two days. It was followed by delegation-level talks. Here is the crux of what the two countries leaders discussed, and what they didn't, as detailed by Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale at a briefing on the outcome of the second informal summit between the two leaders in the coastal town of Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu: Among one of the important developments was China's assurance that it will sincerely act upon the massive trade deficit between India and China. President Xi has said that China is ready to take concrete measures to reduce the trade deficit, which currently stands at a whopping $57 billion, which the other country ju

Bengaluru: Former deputy chief minister of Karnataka G Parameshwara's confidante allegedly committed suicide in Bengaluru on Saturday, days after income-tax sleuths raided the residence, office and education institutions of the former deputy chief minister, police said. File image of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara. Wikimedia Commons Ramesh was found hanging from a tree near the Sports Authority of India grounds in the morning, the police said. He hailed from Mellehalli in Ramanagar, they said. He started his stint with Congress as a typist and became close to Parameshwara. The sleuths who raided the residence, office and Siddharth Group of institutions belonging to Parameshwara two days ago and had grilled Ramesh too. Lamenting the death, Parameshwara said he had told Ramesh to be courageous and face the situation boldly. "Dont know why he committed suicide. This morning also, I spoke to him and told him to stay bold," Parameshwara told reporters. P

At least seven people were injured in a grenade attack by suspected militants in the Hari Singh Street Market area of Srinagar on Saturday, police according to NDTV . Three civilians are said to be in a critical condition. Three people were injured in a grenade attack in Srinagar. ANI Militants hurled a grenade in Hari Singh High Street Market, which is a few hundred metres away from Lal Chowk, a police official said. The shops in the market were shut but a few vendors had set up stalls in the area, he added. Additionally, the explosion also damaged the windows of a car. The area has been cordoned off and search operations are underway . Postpaid mobile connections were restored in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday. The attack also comes a day after the Jammu and Kashmir administration came out with advertisements urging people not to be afraid of militants and resume normal life. "Will threat and misinformation prevail or will we take informed decisions on what is best for us

New Delhi : Women will be exempted from the odd-even road rationing scheme which is set to return in the national capital for the third time from 4-15 November, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Saturday. Unlike previous occasions, privately owned CNG vehicles will this time not be exempted, he said. "Women driving alone, cars having all women as occupants and women accompanied by children aged less than 12 years will be exempted," he said. "The decision has been taken keeping in mind their safety," Kejriwal added. A decision on whether two-wheelers should be exempted from the scheme or not is yet to be taken and we are consulting experts, he said. from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2B3gGQ8 Press Trust of India

New Delhi:  The objective of the Narendra Modi government is to proactively put out as much information as possible in public domain to reduce the need for RTI applications, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Saturday. The success of a government does not lie in the high number of Right to Information (RTI) applications, Shah said while addressing the 14th annual convention of the Central Information Commission (CIC). "Low number of RTI applications in spite of convenient avenues to file them means the government's work is satisfactory. Large number of RTI applications does not represent the government's success. "We want to introduce a system where people do not feel the need to file an RTI application to get information," the home minister, who was the chief guest at the event, said. File image of Home Minister Amit Shah. PTI The dashboard system introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ensured that everyone gets information about ongoing schemes

Postpaid mobile phone connections in Jammu and Kashmir will be restored from noon Monday after 69 days of communication blackout since the Centre revoked Article 370 which accorded special status to the state. The announcement was made by state Principal Secretary Rohit Kansal at a press conference Saturday. Rohit Kansal, J&K Principal Secretary(Planning Commission): All post paid mobile phones stand functional from Monday 12 noon in the remaining areas of J&K pic.twitter.com/CJOEXu4vGb — ANI (@ANI) October 12, 2019 Kansal also said that all restrictions on movement have been completely removed and that, for now, internet services will be opened only at tourist spots. Asserting that the government will continue to move on the path of greater relaxation, Kansal said all schools in Jammu and Kashmir will resume. The administration has been examining various options with regard to suspension of mobile phone services which have come in for severe criticism for causing har

Days after an email written by Pooja Sood, the director of artists association Khoj, to contemporary artist Subodh Gupta , in light of #MeToo allegations against him, was made public by the @MeTooIndia handle on Twitter, the association released a statement reiterating that the decision to ask Gupta to step down was "categorical and unanimous". Written by Sood, who is also one of the founding members of Khoj, the letter was sent on 20 December 2018 after Gupta's name was mentioned in multiple anonymous allegations of sexual misconduct. The same email is part of Gupta's defamation suit against @herdsceneand, an Instagram account which carried the allegations. “....both of them are frothing at the mouth at the way this MeToo movement is being used to target people. They too feel it will be in the best interest for us to lie low...” Khoj’s letter to Subodh Gupta shows why women often chose anonymity and social callout over due process. pic.twitter.com/rZOgMRIcel —