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Muzaffarnagar (UP): A wall of a mosque collapsed killing an imam in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, police said on Wednesday.
The deceased was identified as Tahir Kasmi, 60, the general secretary of Muzaffarnagar City Jamiat Ulema Hind.
The wall of the mosque in the Kotwali police station area of the district collapsed Tuesday evening, trapping the imam under the debris.
He was taken to a hospital where doctor pronounced him dead on arrival, Kotwali police station SHO Mahaveer Singh said.
Agartala: A total of 400 companies of central forces will be deployed in Tripura to ensure free and fair assembly elections later this month, a senior police officer on Wednesday.
Elections to the 60-member assembly will be held on February 16.
“Around 200 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) will be arriving here by first week of February for area domination, patrolling and flag march apart from counter insurgency operations,” Assistant Inspector General (Law & Order) Jyotishman Das Chowdhury said.
“In total, 400 companies of central forces will be deployed in the state to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections. This will be in addition to the state’s own security personnel and BSF jawans who guard the India-Bangladesh border,” the officer said.
Out of the 3,328 polling booths, 1,100 have been categorised as sensitive’ and 28 were identified as critical’, he said.
“A special drive for vehicle checking has been launched and so far 11,000 vehicles have been inspected,” Chowdhury said.
Contraband worth Rs 5.89 crore has been seized by security forces in the last few weeks, he said, adding, firearms were also recovered by the law enforcement agencies.
The Election Commission has already launched a Zero Poll Violence’ campaign in the northeastern state.
In the last assembly elections in 2018, 300 companies of central forces were deployed in Tripura.
BENGALURU: Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi on Tuesday said her party is setting the agenda for the upcoming Karnataka assembly election with BJP promising ‘Namma Clinic’ on the lines of Delhi’s Mohalla Clinics and Congress promising 200 units of free electricity as has been implemented in the national capital.
The party will fight in all the 224 assembly constituencies across the state in the election, which is less than three months away, and the list of candidates would be announced in the first week of March, the AAP leader said at a press conference here.
The party leader said people do not want a “copycat version of the Delhi model of governance and want the original”. Hence, the party has decided to fight the election in Karnataka with all its vigour.
She said the BJP and the Congress are “poor copycats in implementing schemes”.
While the saffron party has been in power for the past three-and-half years, it is only at the brink of assembly polls that it is promising to implement the ‘Namma Clinics’ based on the Mohalla Clinic model of Delhi, she claimed.
“If you (BJP) were serious about providing high-quality healthcare, why has it not been done all these years? It goes to show that a copycat is only a copycat,” Atishi charged.
She wondered why the BJP made a promise of 24,000 classes under the ‘Viveka’ scheme in Karnataka at the end of its tenure.
“My question is why they were not built in the last five years. You (BJP) have been in power, you had the budget and yet you have not built them,” Atishi sought to know.
The AAP leader said the Congress is promising 200 units of free electricity if voted to power, which is similar to AAP’s scheme, which has already been implemented in Delhi.
She challenged the Congress that the people of Karnataka will believe the party’s promise of free electricity if it gives free electricity in the states where it is in power such as Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh before the date of the Karnataka assembly election.
Regarding the Janata Dal (Secular), she said the party is now talking about high-quality education.
“You can see that the entire election agenda of the Karnataka state assembly election has been set by the AAP because people want change as they are tired of corruption,” said the AAP MLA, representing Kalkaji in Delhi.
“The AAP has shown that they can bring high-quality education, high-quality healthcare, and they can give 200 units of free electricity to the people and that is the reason people are gravitating towards our party,” Atishi pointed out.
The party will contest all 224 seats and there was a tremendous response on the ground, the AAP leader said. “I urge the people of Karnataka to choose an honest party, which has delivered its promises,” she said.
KOLAR: Kicking off its election campaign, the Congress laid out a non-vegetarian meal for Vokkaliga leaders and prominent persons from the community in the Kolar assembly segment. It was the first such meeting for Vokkaliga leaders, with former minister Krishna Byre Gowda, MLA K Srinivasa Gowda, K Y Nanje Gowda, MLC Anil Kumar and former Chintamani MLA Dr Sudhakar appealing to voters to support Siddaramaiah in the upcoming election.
The meeting was held on the outskirts of Vemgal and chaired by Congress leaders from the Vokkaliga community. The meeting could also be the first such in Kolar by the Congress. Those who addressed the meeting targeted the JDS, particularly the Deve Gowda family, claiming that they are keen to promote their family interests and were not in favour of Vokkaligas. Instead of choosing a Vokkaliga leader for the Mandya election, the party fielded Kumaraswamy’son Nikhil, they claimed.
The leaders said that Kolar MLA K Srinivasa Gowda, who won on a JDS ticket and has joined the Congress, was neglected, his seniority was forgotten, and so was his contribution to the party. They appealed to the gathering to ensure support for the Congress in the upcoming election and elect Siddaramaiah, which will benefit the entire district.
BENGALURU: Unified Payment Interface (UPI), which transformed the payment landscape, has grown from 17% of the total digital transactions in India in FY19 to 52% of the total 8,840 crore financial digital transactions in FY22.
According to the Economic Survey, on average, between FY19 and FY22 CY, growth in UPI-based transactions in value and volume terms has been 121% and 115%, respectively. In December 2022, UPI touched its highest-ever mark with 782 crore transactions worth Rs 12.8 lakh crore.
Apart from India, NPCI, through its international arm NPCIL(National Payments Corporation of India International) is pushing for acceptance of RuPay/UPI powered apps, cross-border remittance and UPI-Like deployment in international markets such as Singapore, UAE, France, the Netherlands, among others. Also, UPI is one of the major contributory factors to the growth of e-commerce.
Highlighting e-commerce in India, the Economic Survey said fashion, grocery and general merchandise to capture nearly two-thirds of the Indian e-commerce market by 2027. E-commerce firms such as Trell, Meesho, and shop 101, are expanding and gaining popularity in Tier 3 and 4 cities.
The survey also talks about start-ups’ ‘Reverse Flipping'(shifting of start-ups domicile back to India). To accelerate reverse flipping, it suggests measures such as simplification of taxation of Employee Stock Options (ESOPs) and simplifying procedures for capital flows.
Vidit Aatrey, Founder and CEO, Meesho said, “With start-ups exploring IPOs, easier domestic listing for foreign inc entities will bolster our markets. India has over $3T of market cap, of which about 1% comes from tech start-ups. The move will allow our market participants to derive a larger share of the value-creation by these firms.”
HAIFA: The Adani Group on Tuesday acquired the strategic Israeli port of Haifa for USD 1.2 billion and vowed to transform the skyline of this Mediterranean city as part of its decision to invest more in the Jewish nation, including opening an artificial intelligence lab in Tel Aviv.
Gautam Adani, whose business empire was rocked by allegations of fraud by US short-seller Hindenburg Research, appeared alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the signing of the deal to takeover Haifa Port and spoke of investment opportunities.
Prime Minister Netanyahu described the Haifa port deal with the Adani Group as an “enormous milestone”, saying it will significantly improve connectivity between the two countries in many ways.
The Port of Haifa is the second largest port in Israel in terms of shipping containers and the biggest in shipping tourist cruise ships.
“I think this is an enormous milestone. Over 100 years ago, and during World World I, it was the brave Indian soldiers who helped liberate the city of Haifa. And today, it’s very robust Indian investors who are helping to liberate the port of Haifa,” Netanyahu said.
The Prime Minister said that he discussed with his “good friend” Indian counterpart Narendra Modi this vision of “having connectivity between our countries in many ways, transportation lines and air routes and sea routes and it’s happening today.”
He said what is happening today has historic importance because “What we see there is a tremendous boost for peace.”
Netanyahu said the region will become an entry point and an exit point for a vast number of goods that reach the Mediterranean and Europe directly without having to go around the Arabian peninsula without having to go through three choke points.
“This is an unequivocal expression of confidence in the Israeli economy,” he said, adding that privatisation of the ports and the entry of new investors strengthen Israel’s economic strength, lower the cost of living and create new opportunities for import and export and strengthens ties between India and Israel.
On his part, Adani said his group will also develop real estate at the port to transform the Haifa skyline.
The 60-year-old Indian tycoon did not make any mention of the Hindenburg row that has already wiped out over USD 70 billion in value from his group stocks.
“We have initiated several dozen technology relationships wherein we have offered the entire Adani portfolio of companies to be a giant sandbox for us to learn together,” he said in his speech.
“We are also in the process of setting up an Artificial Intelligence lab in Tel Aviv which will work in close collaboration with our new AI labs in India and the US.”
In the last six years, Adani group has struck many critical partnerships with companies such as Elbit Systems, Israel Weapon Systems, and Israel Innovation Authority.
Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Ltd in partnership with local chemicals and logistics group Gadot in July last year won an Israel government’s tender to buy the Haifa Port, a major trade hub on Israel’s Mediterranean coast, for about USD 1.2 billion.
Adani’s company has no holdings in the West, so its entry into Israel is a signal for increased maritime traffic between Asia and Europe, and the major Asian players’ need for a hub in the Mediterranean.
“The acquisition of the Haifa port also comes with a significant amount of real estate. And I promise you that in the years to come we will transform the skyline we see around us,” said Adani, the founder and chairman of the group.
“The Haifa of tomorrow – will look very different from the Haifa that you see today. With your support – we will deliver on this commitment and do our part to transform this city.”
He expressed confidence in transforming the entire port landscape.
“We realize that there will be competition from others, but our confidence comes from our belief in the people of Israel and therefore our belief in the Israel Growth story.”
“Our intention is to make the right set of investments that will not just make the Adani Gadot partnership proud but will make the whole of Israel proud,” he said.
Stating that the Israeli spirit makes all the difference, he said his group also aims to establish collaborative relationships with local colleges like the University of Haifa to be able to capitalise on the deep technology expertise available in this city.
Adani said India-Israel friendship dates back to September 23, 1918, when soldiers from the Indian cities of Mysore, Hyderabad and Jodhpur battled here for the freedom of Haifa.
“And earlier today, I had an opportunity to visit the cemetery where our soldiers were put to rest. It was a moving moment for me to reflect on the fact that the port we now share – is part of the same city – where soldiers from both our countries – fought side by side for the ultimate shared cause that we all call — Freedom,” he said.
He went on to state that Israel has always motivated him.
“You have rewritten the rules of what a country with a population of less than ten million can achieve. You have rewritten the rules by proving what a country with very few natural resources can achieve. And you have rewritten the rules by showcasing what a country with self-belief can achieve.”
The elasticity of Israel makes it the world’s most resilient nation.
“Your pace of innovation across multiple sectors amazes me. Your drive for innovation makes me wonder how we can learn from you. You have focused on sustainable growth far before the world was talking about sustainability,” he said.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said the Budget for 2023-24 hopes to build on the foundation of the previous budget and blueprint for India @ 100. She is currently presenting her fifth straight budget at a time when the economy is slowing due to global headwinds and specific sectors need attention.
The minister listed seven priorities of Union Budget 2023-24, including infrastructure, green growth, financial sector and youth power.
She will have to do a tight-rope walk between staying fiscally prudent and general public expectations of lower taxes and a wider social security net, while at the same time firing the engines of the economy before general elections.