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Archives for August 2018

‘All post offices to be linked to India Post Payments Bank system by Dec 31’

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All the 1.55 lakh post offices in the country would be linked to the India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) system by December 31, 2018, Communications Minister Manoj Sinha said on Wednesday.

The India Post Payments Bank is scheduled to be launched nation-wide on September 1.

“On the day of the launch, IPPB would have 650 branches and 3,250 access points spread across the country,” the minister told reporters.

By the end of 2018, the number of access points would increase to 1.55 lakh, of which 1.30 lakh branches would be in rural areas, Sinha said.

Further, account holders of the Post Office Savings Bank would also be able to avail IPPB services by linking their accounts, he added.

The account holders in the payments bank would be provided a QR card and they can authorise transactions with the card and their biometrics, he added.

Meanwhile, the Union cabinet on Wednesday approved for revision of the project outlay for setting up of the payments bank from Rs 800 crore to Rs 1,435 crore.

The additional sum of Rs 635 crore is on account of Rs 400 crore for technology costs and Rs 235 crore for human resource costs, according to an official statement.

The bank would provide services such as current account, savings account, remittances, money transfer, direct benefit transfer, enterprise and merchant payment, the minister informed, adding that the services would be available through multiple channels including counter services, micro ATM, mobile banking applications, SMS and IVR (Interactive Voice Response).

Congress former Minister Baburao Chinchansur joins BJP

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Veteran Congress leader and former minister Baburao Chinchansur joined the BJP party on Wednesday in the presence of state BJP president BS Yeddyurappa and Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Niranjan Jyoti.

A two-time MLA from Gurmitkal constituency, Chinchansur, who belongs to the Koli Kabbaliga community had risen to the post of Textile Minister in former CM Siddaramaiah’s cabinet. He was however dropped form Siddaramaiahs’s cabinet in the year 2016. In the recently held state assembly elections, he was defeated by JD(S) candidate Naganagowda Kandkur by a margin of 25,000 votes.

Speaking to media persons Chinchsaur said that he decided to switch his loyalty after being sidelined by the Congress party. He further stated that the Congress had not recognised the Koli Kabbaliga community even after 70 years of Independence. On the contrary the BJP has recognised the party and even made Ramnath Kovind the President, and also made Niranjan Jyoti a minister, he said adding that he aims to bring the Koli Kabbaliga community under the Scheduled Tribes category.

He also alleged that few Congress leaders had conspired for his defeat him in the recently held elections.

Meanwhile Baburao’s switch, ahead of the 2019 elections could be beneficial for the saffron party which is looking to strengthen its base in the Hyderabad- Karnataka region.

SC orders house arrest for activists

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In a huge relief, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed that the five human rights activists arrested across the country in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon incident in Maharashtra should be kept under house arrest.

An apex court bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra ordered house arrest on a petition by eminent historian Romila Thapar and four others challenging the Tuesday arrests.

Taking a dim view of the crackdown, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said: “Dissent is a safety valve of democracy. If it is not allowed, the pressure cooker will burst.”

He noted that the arrests had taken place nine months after the violence in Maharashtra.

Talking to reporters later, lawyer Prashant Bhushan said the Supreme Court had issued notices to the central and Maharashtra governments.

Those arrested on Tuesday included Varavara Rao in Hyderabad, Gautam Navlakha in Delhi, Sudha Bharadwaj in Haryana and Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonzalves in Maharashtra.

Asiad 2018: Boxers Amit, Vikas enter semis

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Indian boxers Amit Panghal and Vikas Krishan notched up contrasting victories to enter the semi-finals of their respective weight categories at the 18th Asian Games here on Wednesday.

Both of them thus ensured a spot on the podium for themselves as the losers in the last four stage are awarded bronze medals.

In the quarter-finals, Amit overpowered Kim Jang Ryong of North Korea by a unanimous 5-0 decision in the men’s light flyweight (49 kilogram) category.

Vikas faced a much tougher challenge against Tuoheta Erbieke Tanglatihan of China in the men’s middleweight (75kg) division. The Indian was stretched to the limit by his agile and technically strong opponent before eking out a narrow 3-2 win.

In the semi-finals, Amit will take on Paalam Carlo of the Philippines while Vikas will face Kazakhstan’s Amankul Abilkhan.

But there was bad news for Indian fans in the women’s section as Sarjubala Devi lost 0-5 to Chang Yuan of China in the 51kg quarter-finals.

Amit was far superior for his opponent and dominated all the three rounds. The bout saw a fast opening round with both boxers coming up with repeated barrage of punches.

Amit repeatedly used a low guard in an attempt to draw the Korean in and create gaps in his defence. At the same time, the Indian’s quickness and superior technique allowed him to maintain a strong defence.

The Indian Army boxer continued to beat his opponent’s defence and land punches at regular intervals in the second round.

The third round followed a similar pattern as Amit emerged a deserving 5-0 winner.

Vikas’ middleweight quarter-final bout saw a slow start with both boxers reluctant to be too adventurous, preferring to sit back and size up their opponent instead.

Vikas managed to take the initial momentum when he landed a couple of scoring punches. The Chinese boxer tried to be more aggressive as the round neared its closing stages, but Vikas’ strong defence stood him in good stead.

Vikas however, suffered a cut above his left eye in the final minute of the opening round which seemed to affect his performance for the rest of the fight.

With Vikas struggling with the cut, Tuoheta dominated the second round. Needing a big comeback going into the third and final round, the Indian adopted a much aggressive approach. Both boxers ramped up the intensity and the fight saw an exciting finish.

Confident India aim to level series in 4th Test

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After a morale-boosting win at Nottingham, India will be aiming to level the five-match rubber when they take on England in the fourth cricket Test starting at the Rose Bowl Ground here from Thursday.

After a narrow 31-run loss in the first Test at Edgbaston, the visitors suffered an innings defeat at Lord’s and were on the verge of losing the series. However, the Virat Kohli-led Indian team bounced back in the third Test to register an emphatic 203-run victory, keeping the series alive.

Kohli’s side still trail 1-2 in the series and will be eyeing to replicate their previous show to level the series before going to the decider.

On Thursday, the Indian skipper is most likely expected to stick with the winning combination.

Kohli currently leads the run charts with 440 runs, which includes two centuries and as many half-centuries and once again, the Indian batting will more or less depend on the 29-year-old.

Vice captain Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara scored 81 and 72 runs respectively in the third Test and both will need to repeat their performance here.

With Murali Vijay axed from the remainder of the series, Shikhar Dhawan and Lokesh Rahul would once again open India’s batting, while Hardik Pandya is likely to be retained in the playing XI after his all-round show in the third Test.

Hardik had bagged six wickets conceding 50 runs at Nottingham beside playing an unbeaten 52-run knock in the second innings.

In the bowling department, the visitors would in all likelihood opt for three pacers, keeping in mind the green-top laid out for the fourth Test.

The trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami returned a handful from the third Test, with Bumrah’s fifer ripping through the English batting order in the second essay.

Ravichandran Ashwin is expected to recover from his injury and will shoulder the responsibility as the lone spinner in the side, and in case of a forced change, left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja is already warming the bench for the first three Tests.

On the other hand, England will hope their misfiring opening combination of Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings to give them a decent start.

England’s batting so far, has revolved around the likes of skipper Joe Root, Jos Buttler and injured stumper Jonny Bairstow, who is expected to play as a specialist batsman in the fourth Test.

Batsman James Vince was called up to the England squad as cover for Bairstow, but there are growing calls for his inclusion into the playing eleven nevertheless.

The bowling unit will once again be on expected lines with the star pair of James Anderson and Stuart Broad leading the attack that comprises all-rounders Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes.

It will be interesting to see whether England will persist with leg-spinner Adil Rashid or bring in an additional batsman and part-time spinner in Moeen Ali to bolster their batting.

Squads:
India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh Pant (WK), Karun Nair, Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Hanuma Vihari, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.

England: Joe Root (Captain), Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Jonny Bairstow (WK), Jos Buttler (WK), Oliver Pope, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Sam Curran, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes, Ben Stokes, James Vince.

Cochin airport opens after two weeks

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The Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) on Wednesday commenced normal operations after a two-week closure due to floods in Kerala.

It was shut on August 15 after the airport was flooded, causing widespread damage to infrastructure.

The first aircraft, a domestic flight, touched down at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, airport officials said.

CIAL authorities said that in a day or two, the airport would be functional like earlier.

For the past three days, more than 1,000 people were engaged in putting the airport back in order, cleaning and repairing the systems which became non-functional after flood waters entered the complex.

According to CIAL, the disaster has caused a loss of around Rs 300 crore to the airport. A temporary compound wall has been erected after the earlier one was washed away.

The airport was first closed on August 9, for a few hours, after which it was again shut on August 15.

The Cochin airport is the busiest of three airports in Kerala and handled 10 million passengers in 2017-18 fiscal.

Four policemen killed in J&K militant attack

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Four policemen were killed in a militant attack on Wednesday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district, officials said.

Police said the militants fired at the escort party of a senior police officer in Arhama village, about 2 km from Shopian town.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) S.P. Pani said the exact details were being ascertained.

Reports from the area said the senior police officer was not with the escort party which was going for repairs of the vehicle when it came under attack.

According to reports, the militants decamped with three service rifles of the slain policemen.

Arrest of activists amount to human rights violation: NHRC

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The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Wednesday served a notice on the Maharashtra government demanding a report on the arrests of five civil rights activists in a nationwide swoop by the Pune police on Tuesday.

It said the arrests were made in violation of the laid-down procedure and so “amounted to human rights violation”. It asked for a factual report in the matter within four weeks.

Taking suo motu cognisance of media reports, the NHRC said “it appears, the standard operating procedure in connection with these arrests has not been properly followed by the police authorities, which may amount to the violation of their human rights.”

The notice was issued to the Chief Secretary and Maharashtra Director General of Police Datta Padsalgikar.

To prove its point, the Commission referred to the reports in which the Delhi High Court stayed the transit remand for civil liberties activist Gautam Navlakha, observing that police have not been able to satisfactorily explain the offence he had been arrested for.

Citing another instance, the commission reiterated reports on lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj’s case for a transit remand was pending before the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Faridabad.

“The activist has told the court that she had nothing to do with the incident for which she has been arrested. According to her, the FIR did not even name her and she is being harassed and arrested only because of her ideology,” the NHRC said in a statement.

“In the case of activist Gautam Navlakha, reportedly, the court has questioned how Pune police managed to get a transit remand from a Delhi court without any witness. The court has also directed translation of the police documents into English which are in vernacular language,” it added.

It also pointed out that earlier it had received a complaint from a Geneva-based NGO pertaining to the illegal arrests of five rights activists in June, some of whom were also raided in April.

Following those arrests, the NHRC had issued a similar notice to the state government on June 29, but the latter did not submit any report.

Tuesday’s arrest of lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj, civil liberties activists Gautam Navlakha, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Fereira and poet-activist Varavara Rao from different parts of India triggered a massive outcry.

As in June, these arrests were made in connection with the ongoing investigations into the January 1 caste riots in Koregaon-Bhima in the Pune district and a subsequent complaint lodged in the matter.

Besides, police raided another eight activists across the country, including Kranti L.C., Fr. Stan Swami, and Anand Teltumbde, in the major operation as part of the ongoing probe into the involvement of Maoist supporters into the Koregaon-Bhima riots.

Officials described Tuesday’s operations as a ‘follow-up’ to similar action taken in April-June when the Pune police swooped on over half a dozen Dalit activists and those involved with the Kabir Kala Manch, which organised an Elgar Conference in Pune on December 31, 2017.

The next day, on January 1, caste riots erupted in Koregaon-Bhima which left one person dead, culminating in a Maharashtra shutdown on January 3 called by the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh, headed by Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of B.R. Ambedkar.

WhatsApp to train users on dangers of fake news

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After being asked by the central government to take steps to stop the spread of disinformation on its platform, WhatsApp on Wednesday roped in New Delhi-based non-profit Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) to create awareness among its users about the need to verify information.

“Our goal is to help keep people safe by creating greater awareness about fake news and empowering users to help limit its spread,” Ben Supple, Public Policy Manager at WhatsApp, said in a statement.

In a meeting with WhatsApp CEO Chris Daniels on August 21, Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad instructed the Facebook-owned platform to comply with the law of the land and take “suitable” steps to prevent its misuse.

The meeting took place after several lynching incidents were linked to the spread of misinformation on the instant messaging platform which has over 200 million monthly active users in India.

As part of the new partnership with WhatsApp, DEF has committed to holding 40 training sessions for community leaders in 10 states across the country where there have been worrisome cases of violence and where there will be state polls before the end of the year.

DEF said it would help educate government officials, administration representatives, civil society organisations and students to spread the word about this challenge.

The training is expected to enable WhatsApp users to differentiate between opinions and facts, and to inculcate a habit of verifying information through simple checks before forwarding it to their friends and family.

In addition, DEF said it would incorporate this new training as part of their network of over 30,000 grassroots community members in seven states.

“We at WhatsApp and DEF hope these training workshops will help build an empathetic and conscious community of WhatsApp users who learn to respond rather than react to every message they receive,” said Osama Manzar, Founder-Director of DEF.

WhatsApp has already taken several technological measures to curb the problem of disinformation, including the introduction of the “forwarded” tag and limiting forwarding to five chats at once.

“In addition to the steps we are taking within WhatsApp, we believe impacting lives through the power of education is critical to helping achieve the vision of a ‘Digital India’,” Supple added.

Asiad 2018: Indian women’s Sepaktakraw team loses to Vietnam

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The Indian women’s Sepaktakraw team lost to Vietnam 0-2 in their Group B Women’s Quadrant Preliminary round at the 18th Asian Games on Wednesday.

India were outplayed by their rivals 21-6, 21-12 in a lopsided encounter.

While they were brushed aside in the first set, the likes of Manisha Kumari impressed in the second dig with her blocks.

India were in the game till 13-8 but from there Vietnam started pulling away and had wasted three match points at 20-9 to eventually seal the tie 21-12.

India had lost to Malaysia 0-2 on Tuesday and succumbed to a 0-2 defeat at the hands of Japan as well.

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