Archives for March 2021

New Delhi: Banking operations including cheque clearance across the country got affected on Monday as bankers under the aegis of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) have gone on a nationwide strike to protest against the proposed privatisation of two state-owned lenders.

UFBU, an umbrella body of nine unions, had given a strike call for March 15 and 16, and claimed that about 10 lakh bank employees and officers of the banks will participate in the strike.

However, branches of private sector lenders like ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank are open as they are not part of the strike.

In the Union Budget presented last month, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced the privatisation of two public sector banks (PSBs) as part of the government’s disinvestment plan.

The government has already privatised IDBI Bank by selling its majority stake in the lender to LIC in 2019, and has merged 14 public sector banks in the last four years.

According to All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) general secretary CH Venkatachalam, services at branch level; cheque clearance; and government transactions have been affected.

Besides, money markets and stock markets are also going to face problems as payments would be impacted, he said.

Members of UFBU include All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), All India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC), National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE), All India Bank Officers’ Association (AIBOA) and Bank Employees Confederation of India (BEFI).

Others are the Indian National Bank Employees Federation (INBEF), Indian National Bank Officers Congress (INBOC), National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW) and National Organisation of Bank Officers (NOBO).

Kancheepuram (TN): Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan’s car was allegedly attacked by a young man late Sunday when the actor-politician was proceeding towards a hotel here after campaigning for the April 6 Assembly polls, a party leader said.

Haasan was not injured in the incident though his vehicle’s windscreen was damaged.

MNM leader and retired IPS officer A G Mourya tweeted that his party chief’s car windscreen was damaged and the man who “attempted to attack” Haasan was handed over to the police.

Mourya said the party would not be scared by such elements. His tweet was retweeted by the official Twitter handle of Makkal Needhi Maiam.

Local television channels aired visuals of a young man, said to be the assailant, being taken away by police personnel for allegedly attacking Haasan’s car.

Police officials could not be reached immediately for a comment.

The youth, reportedly drunk, was allegedly assaulted by some MNM cadres and members of the public. He was later taken to a hospital by the police.

Baghpat: Siding with farmers protesting the Centre’s new agriculture laws, Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik here on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah not to offend them.

Speaking at an event in his home district, Malik said if the Centre gives legal guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP) for crops, farmers will relent.

The Meghalaya Governor also claimed to have prevented the arrest of farmer leader Rakesh Tikait when he heard rumours about it.

“None of the laws are in favour of farmers. Wherever one goes, there is a lathicharge, Malik said, adding that no one can save the country where farmers and soldiers are not satisfied.

Describing the condition of farmers as bad in the country, Malik said, “They are getting poorer day by day while the salary of government officials and staff increases after every three years. Whatever is sown by a farmer is cheap and whatever he buys is expensive. They do not know how they are becoming poor.”

Apparently referring to Sikh farmers protesting against the laws, Malik said, The Sikh community does back down and forget things even after 300 years. Indira Gandhi (ex-PM) had got the ‘Mahamrityunjay Mantra Jaap’ done after the Operation Blue Star.”

“I belong to a farmer’s family. Hence, I can understand their problems. I will go to any extent to solve the problems of farmers,” he said.

Chennai: The ruling AIADMK on Sunday unveiled a super populist manifesto for the April 6 Assembly polls, promising, among others, houses free of cost to people, Rs 7,500 annual subsidy to farmers, free solar cooking stoves and washing machines.

Educational loan waiver, government jobs to families without anyone in state service and many more sops were announced.

Notably, the ruling party, an ally of the BJP, said it would urge the Centre to scrap the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act and strive to bring education to the state list from the concurrent list of the Constitution.

Essential commodities given through Public Distribution Outlets would be door delivered to beneficiaries.

An initiative along these lines was recently launched by the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh government.

Increase in maternity leave for women government employees from nine months to one year and construction of new buildings with modern medical facilities for about 2,000 Amma Mini Clinics found mention in the manifesto.

To those not owning houses,the government would build and provide houses free of cost in rural and urban areas under the ‘Amma Illam Thittam’ (Amma Housing Scheme) and interest on housing loans availed from cooperative housing societies would be waived on loan repayment.

As part of measures to bring about economic equality, Rs 1,500 per month would be disbursed to all ration card holders and the amount would be credited to bank accounts of woman family heads, senior AIADMK leader C Ponnaiyan said here.

Women would get a 50 per cent fare cut in town buses, Ponnaiyan, also the party’s organising secretary said, underscoring the important aspects of the manifesto at the party headquarters.

Distribution of solar powered cooking stoves, washing machines and six LPG cylinders a year -all free of cost- to rice category ration card holders, a subsidy of Rs 7,500 per year to farmers to incentivise farm production were among the over 160 promises made by the ruling party, that has been in power in Tamil Nadu since 2011.

“To protect the interests of students and parents, educational loans would be waived,” the party said. However, aspects like criteria for waiver and beneficiaries was not known immediately.

Steps to get fuel prices reduced, expanding the rural employment guarantee scheme to 150 days from the present 100, increase in subsidy under the Amma Green Housing Scheme from Rs 2.43 lakh to Rs 3.40 lakh were promised.

College students who have been getting 2 GB data to support studies would get it throughout the year.

“For sure, a government job will be provided to one person from a family without anyone in government service.”

Increase in social security pensions for beneficiaries, including senior citizens, from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000, ‘Amma’s gift (Amma Seervarisai)’ like household items for newly wed couples under the state’s marriage financial support scheme, free of cost cable TV connections to rice ration card holders and two free mosquito nets to poor were among the promises.

The financial assistance to differently abled would be increased to Rs 2,500 from Rs 1,500.

Continued support for release of seven Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convicts, steps to ensure welfare of Tamils in Sri Lanka and to get dual citizenship for Sri Lankan Tamil refugees living in camps in India were assured.

The AIADMK said it would further expand the nutritious meal programme for school students and give laptops to students of self-financing classes of government schools.

Milk (200 ML milk or milk powder) to school students and children attached to Anganwadi centres and Rs two cut in state run Aavin milk price were some of the planned initiatives.

‘Amma banking card’ scheme to provide interest free loans (in association with banks) to help ordinary and poor people repay loans in installments and Rs 25,000 subsidy to purchase e-Autos were assured.

AIADMK pledged to set up an Islamic university, increase assistance to Hindu pilgrims to visit important centres of pilgrimage in India, hike Haj subsidy from Rs six crore to Rs 10 crore and bear the full fare for Jerusalem pilgrims.

Increase in the quota for women in government jobs to 40 per cent (from the current 30 per cent) and appropriate reservation for all castes are some of the other key aspects.

Features, including quota for women in state jobs, found in the ruling party’s 163-point manifesto has already been promised by the DMK, which released its poll document on Saturday.

Mumbai: Mumbai police officer Sachin Vaze, arrested in the probe into recovery of explosives from a car near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence, was on Sunday remanded to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) custody till March 25 by a court here.

The NIA, which arrested Vaze (49) on Saturday night, brought him to the court in south Mumbai after taking him to a local hospital for his medical examination, an official said.

The court remanded him to the central agency’s custody for further probe in the matter, he said.

The NIA, while seeking Vaze’s custody for 14 days, told the court that they had received some inputs about his role in placing gelatin sticks in the SUV that was found parked near Ambani’s multi-storey residence ‘Antilia’ on February 25, and that when he was questioned about it, he admitted his involvement.

Following that, Vaze was placed under arrest, the probe agency said.

Vaze has been arrested under IPC sections 286 (negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance) 465 (forgery), 473 (making or possessing counterfeit seal, etc with intent to commit forgery), 506(2) (punishment for criminal intimidation), 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and relevant provisions of the Explosive Substances Act, the official said.

In its remand plea, the NIA submittedwitnesses’ statements to show Vaze’s involvement in the case.

The central agency also told the court that his custodial interrogation was required to unearth the conspiracy and gather evidence.

Talking to PTI, Vaze’s advocate Sudeep Pasbola, however, said the arrest has been made only on the basis of suspicion and that there was no concrete evidence against him.

“The court remanded Vaze till March 25, but kept the matter for further hearing on Monday. The court has asked the NIA to show what evidence it has collected and what is the stage of investigation,” Pasbola said.

Another defence lawyer, Sunny Punamia, submitted before the court that Vaze’s arrest was “completely illegal”.

“The argument placed before the court was that the accused has been arrested solely based on suspicion and no prima facie case is established in the FIR.

“Therefore, if no prima facie case is established on a bare reading of the FIR against the accused, the detainment and arrest of the accused itself is completely illegal and even one day’s incarceration of the accused would be violative of his constitutional rights,” he said.

The lawyer also said that Vaze’s arrest was also illegal as the accused was not informed of the grounds of the arrest, and he wasn’t given an option to seek legal help and make a call to a relative of his choice.

On these grounds, his custodial interrogation is not warranted, it’s arbitrary and the accused must be released on bail forthwith as the investigation has not been conducted on the settled principles of law, he added.

Vaze was summoned at the agency’s Mumbai office at Cumballa Hill in south Mumbai around 11.30 am on Saturday to record his statement.

The spokesperson said that Vaze was arrested after being questioned by the NIA officials for around 12 hours.

The case was handed over to the NIA after the mysterious death of Thane-based businessman Mansukh Hiran, who claimed that the vehicle had been stolen a week earlier. His body was found in a creek at Thane on March 5.

Hiran’s wife had claimed that her husband had given the SUV to Vaze in November, which the officer returned in the first week of February.

However, during his questioning by the ATS, Vaze had denied using the SUV that was in possession of Hiran.

Credited with eliminating 63 alleged criminals in ‘encounters’, Vaze, a 1990-batch officer of the state cadre, was suspended in 2004 over his role in the custodial death of a 2002 Ghatkopar blast suspect Khwaja Yunus and was reinstated last year.

Vaze, who led the team that arrested journalist Arnab Goswami in November last year in a suicide abetment case, had joined Shiv Sena while he was under suspension. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray recently said Vaze was a member of Shiv Sena till 2008.

MAHARASHTRA: Roads across Nagpur wore a deserted look as the city entered a week-long lockdown on Monday.

“There is no crowding and social distancing is properly maintained during the walks. People are wearing masks,” he further said.

“Unless people sanitise themselves regularly and follow social distancing, we cannot be sure that lockdown will contain the coronavirus,” he added.

Due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, the state government on Thursday decided to impose a lockdown in Nagpur district from March 15 to 21.

Only essential services such as vegetable and fruit shops and milk booths will stay open, according to the order issued by the district administration.

“Complete lockdown to remain imposed in Nagpur City Police Commissionerate area from March 15 to March 21. Essential services will continue,” said Nagpur Guardian Minister Nitin Raut.

The state health department on Sunday evening informed Maharashtra reported 16,620 new COVID-19 cases and 50 deaths in the last 24 hours.

The state had a total of 1,26,231 active cases. The total death toll in the state stood at 52,861.

In the last 24 hours, Mumbai reported 1962 new COVID-19 cases.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had on Thursday said strict lockdown measures will be enforced in some parts of the state to contain the spread of COVID-19.