Archives for February 2021

NEW DELHI: Less than three million foreign tourists visited India in 2020, a dip of around 75 per cent as compared to the previous year, due to travel restrictions imposed to control the coronavirus pandemic, the government informed Parliament on Tuesday.

Tourism Minister Prahlad Patel said that while in 2019, the number of foreign tourist arrivals was 10.93 million, the number stood at 10.56 million in 2018.

It was in 2017 that foreign tourist arrivals crossed the 10 million-mark.

There were 10.4 million arrivals in that year, he said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

Last year, foreign tourist arrivals stood at 2.68 million and “no formal study has been instituted for assessment of loss of revenue in 2020”, Patel said.

“However, several rounds of discussions and brainstorming sessions with industry stakeholders indicate massive loss of revenue, foreign exchange and jobs. In view of the highly unorganised nature of the sector, the impact in numerical terms can only be ascertained in due course,” the minister said.

“With an aim to incentivize stakeholders in the tourism industry, the guidelines for the scheme of Market Development Assistance (MDA) for providing financial support to stakeholders for the promotion of domestic tourism have been modified to enhance the scope and reach of the scheme, so as to provide maximum benefits to the stakeholders,” Patel told the House.

In addition, promotional activities have been incorporated including online promotions and the extent of financial assistance permissible has been enhanced, he said.

According to the police, BSF troops stopped a group of cattle smugglers at Devipur village on Monday when they were trying to smuggle cattle into Bangladesh.

AGARTAL: A 23-year-old man was shot dead by Border Security Force (BSF) personnel near the India-Bangladesh border in South Tripura district after a scuffle with a group of cattle smugglers

According to the police, BSF troops stopped a group of cattle smugglers at Devipur village on Monday when they were trying to smuggle cattle into Bangladesh.

An altercation broke out between the BSF troops and the cattle smugglers which turned into a scuffle and the BSF personnel opened fire.

One person, identified as Jashim Mian, suffered injuries and died at a hospital later, they said.

Khalek Mian, the father of Jashim Mian, alleged that BSF personnel abused him when he had gone near the border for tending cow and when his son rushed to the spot to save him, an altercation ensued and the BSF personnel opened fire.

The villagers rushed Jashim Mian to the Belonia sub-division hospital.

The villagers claimed that Jashim Mian was a graduate from Belonia College and had nothing to do with cattle smuggling or any illegal activities and that the incident occurred far from the international border.

However, the BSF in a press statement on Monday night said that a group of seven-eight cattle smugglers were damaging border pillars with an intention to smuggle cattle and when BSF troops tried to resist the smugglers attacked them with lathi and matchet, which resulted in serious injuries to one jawan.

Meanwhile, a large crowd gathered encircling the BSF troops, and sensing danger they opened fire from Pump Action Gun (PAG) resulting in the injury of one person who died in hospital, it said.

BARUIPUR: Diamond Harbour MLA Dipak Haldar joined the BJP on Tuesday, a day after he quit the Trinamool Congress.

The two-time legislator, whose assembly segment is part of Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee’s constituency, joined the BJP along with several other local TMC leaders and workers at a public meeting here in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district.

Haldar quit the ruling party accusing the TMC leadership of not allowing him to work for the people.

He had skipped a recent public rally by Banerjee, raising speculation about his political aspirations.

NEW DELHI: The Union Health Ministry has decided to depute two multi-disciplinary teams to Kerala and Maharashtra, which are contributing to almost 70 per cent of total COVID-19 active cases, to collaborate with state health authorities in instituting public health measures for virus management.

At a time when almost all states and union territories are showing a declining trend in the number of cases and deaths due to COVID-19, Kerala and Maharashtra continue to report a large number of cases, the ministry said.

“At present, these two states alone are contributing to almost 70 per cent of active COVID-19 cases in the country,” it said.

As on Tuesday Maharashtra has 44,944 active cases while Kerala has 69,456 active cases, according to the health ministry data updated at 8 am.

The Central team to Maharashtra comprises experts drawn from National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) and RML Hospital, New Delhi.

The Kerala team shall comprise senior officials from the Ministry of Health along with experts from Regional Office of Health and Family Welfare, Thiruvananthapuram and Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi.

The teams shall work closely with the state health departments, take stock of on ground situations and recommend necessary public health interventions to contain the large number of cases being reported by these states, the ministry said.

Senior TMC MP and spokesperson Saugata Roy said that the party has made it clear time and again that it is contesting the upcoming elections with Mamata Banerjee as the CM face.

KOLKATA: The Trinamool Congress said on Sunday that Mamata Banerjee will be the chief minister of West Bengal for the third time when the party is voted to power, asserting that those suggesting her nephew Abhishek Banerjee will be appointed to the top post are trying to create confusion.

Speaking to reporters, senior TMC MP and spokesperson Saugata Roy said that the party has made it clear time and again that it is contesting the upcoming elections with Banerjee as the chief ministerial face.

“Everyone knows that Mamata Banerjee will be our chief minister for the third time. How can Amit Shah make such a claim? There has been no talk in the party to appoint Abhishek as the future CM. Such claims are only aimed to create confusion,” Roy said.

Addressing a BJP rally in Howrah virtually, Shah claimed that the agenda of the TMC dispensation is to make Banerjee’s nephew the next chief minister of the state.

Hitting out at BJP leader Rajib Banerjee, Roy said that people like him are certainly “traitors” as they enjoyed every benefit of staying in power and deserted the party just before the elections.

Rajib, who switched over to the BJP from TMC on Saturday, told the rally in Howrah that the more the leaders who changed sides are called traitors, the more they will get people’s support.

Speaking at a press conference, TMC leader and state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said that leaders who are coming to the state ahead of the elections to “mislead the people” are justly called “outsiders”, in an apparent reference to Shah.

She said people of different communities living in the state are not branded “outsiders” by her party, but those coming to the state for making false claims.

Without naming anyone, Bhattacharya said MPs from Uttar Pradesh, “an unemployed” politician from Madhya Pradesh, a leader from Gujarat are coming to the state before the polls to mislead the people.

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Sandip Soparrkar is undoubtedly one of the most talented choreographers we have in Bollywood. The dancer Choreographer never fails to impress us, be it with his brilliant performances or elegant style. He recently has been featured on the cover of a leading lifestyle magazine Enlighten India and looks absolutely dashing in his edgy style and we are totally loving it!

Sandip Soparrkar along with Mr. Mitesh Mehta, Chairman, Enlighten India, Beautiful model actress Sheela Tiruchi, Celebrity Photographer Akash Kumbhar, who shot the cover photo,  launched the magazine’s January- February 2021 cover featuring dance maestro Sandip Soparrkar. The event was compared by the television host Ankita Dolawat at the colourful restaurant Roots of India in India’s entertainment capital Mumbai. At the launch Sandip Soparrkar with actress Sheela Tiruchi performed a sensual and romantic dance on an old Bollywood track ‘Chand Si Mehbooba Hogi Meri’.

Addressing the gathering, Sandip Soparrkar appreciated the work of people associated with the magazine and praised the team behind the sensational picture. The choreographer said, “To me the three E’s of dance are to entertain, to educate and to enlighten, so you can very well understand how honoured it feels to be on the cover of Enlighten India.”

Mr. Mitesh Mehta, Chairman, Enlighten India said, “It has been over a decade that Enlighten India has featured many stars, but for the first time we have featured a Choregrapher, Sandip Soparrkar has been doing exceptional work in the field of dance and social work and this cover is the acknowledge of his illustrious work.”

The MLA from Etawah Sadar has told police that she received the messages on WhatsApp with the logo of Pakistani intelligence agency ISI.

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh’s BJP legislator Sadar Sarita Bhadauria has received multiple messages on WhatsApp from a Pakistani number threatening to kill her, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and senior BJP and RSS leaders, police said on Monday.

The MLA from Etawah Sadar has told police that she received the messages on WhatsApp with the logo of Pakistani intelligence agency ISI.

According to her, the first message was received on Saturday around 11 pm.

By Sunday morning she had received eight messages threatening to kill her, the prime minister, and senior BJP and RSS leaders, police said.

Senior Superintendent of Police of Etawah Akash Tomar said, “The MLA has received messages on her WhatsApp. I have seen the message. It has come from a mobile number of Pakistan starting with +92. We are probing the matter and also reviewing security arrangements for the legislator.”

Bhadauria had won 2017 Assembly election from Etawah Sadar by defeating Kuldeep Gupta of Samajwadi Party by 17,342 votes.

She came into politics after the murder of her husband Abhayveer Singh Bhadauria in 1999.

The MLA said she would continue to fight for the people and would not get intimidated by any such message.