Archives for 2017

Srinagar: Ten soldiers were killed as two avalanches hit Gurez Sector of Kashmir, an army official said today.

An avalanche hit an army camp in Gurez sector of Bandipora district near the Line of Control last evening in which several soldiers were trapped, the army official said.

He said rescue operations were launched and seven soldiers including a Junior Commissioned Officer were saved. “Bodies of three soldiers were retrieved his morning,” he said.

The official said another avalanche hit a patrol party which was on its way to a post in Gurez sector last evening. “Rescue teams have so far retrieved seven bodies from the spot of the incident,” the official said.

Yesterday, an officer was killed an avalanche at Sonamarg in central Kashmir Ganderbal district while four members of a family died in another avalanche in Gurez sector yesterday.

Authorities have issued a high danger avalanche warning in hilly parts of snow-bound Kashmir valley in view of fresh snowfall which has been going on intermittently for past three days.

(Agencies)

Nasheman Weekly, the country’s largest selling Urdu weekly today completes 55 years of glorious publication, establishing a new benchmark in Urdu journalism.

Founded in 1962 by the late Usman Asad, Nasheman currently has a circulation of over 1.20 lac; a feat hardly matched by any other Urdu publication in India.

Nasheman, an Urdu word for ‘nest’, garnered a legendary status among our readers from the very onset. With popular weekly columns like ‘Thapdakhen’ (slaps or smacks), the paper depicts the prevalent social and political conditions of the times in the most starkest terms. Such is Nasheman’s popularity, that it is bought by one, sold to another for double the price, and then sold again to triple the price.

The paper is circulated not only in India but also abroad, copies of it are shipped to UAE, Saudi Arabia and many other countries.

Under the founder’s son, Rizwan Asad’s current editorship, we have remained true to our essence. We still are the staunchest critique of socio-political inequities, we still are the largest selling Urdu weekly in the country.

The year 2014, also saw Nasheman venture into the world of online journalism, with the daily online English edition, which explores news and analysis from an independent, alternative perspective. We would be also starting a print edition in English in the coming months.

On our editor’s behalf, we would like to thank all our readers, staff members and everyone of those, who have been part of this soulful journey.

Panaji: A probe was ordered on Wednesday into the foiled jailbreak bid at South Goa’s Sada sub-jail late on Tuesday, in which one inmate died, a senior officer said.

Several people, including jail guards, were injured during the attempted escape, the officer added.

Speaking to reporters Additional Inspector General of Police Siddhivinayak Naik said: “Yes, a probe has been ordered into the incident.”

Deputy Superintendent of Police Lawrence D’Souza said inmate Vinayak Korbatkar died due to severe stab injuries which he received in the melee.

“He was declared dead on arrival at a hospital,” the officer said.

Korbatkar was involved in the stabbing of another criminal, Ashpak Bengre, earlier in 2017.

South Goa Collector Swapnil Naik told reporters that the incident happened on the eve of shifting prisoners to the newly constructed Colvale Central jail, 15 km north of Panaji.

“The escape attempt took place after a fight broke out between two groups in the jail. They later attacked our jail guards and tried to escape from the main gate. But they were stopped by police,” Naik said.

Late on Tuesday night, 45 prisoners and undertrials attempted to escape from the sub-jail, located 40 km from Panaji, after assaulting jail guards. The sub-jail is under repair.

Nine prisoners and four guards were treated for minor injuries at a government-run facility.

(IANS)

New Delhi: Former editor-in-chief of Times Now and senior journalist Arnab Goswami, who is expected to launch his ‘Republic’ channel soon, has met a roadblock, with controversial BJP leader Subramanian Swamy raising objections to the channel’s name.

Swamy has written to the ministry of information and broadcasting, stating that as per the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950, the name ‘Republic’ cannot be used for commercial and professional purposes.

In the letter addressed to the ministry, Swamy stated, “It has come to my notice that a new TV channel under the name style of: ‘Republic’ is in the process of being launched. The channel will be led by Arnab Goswami. The ministry of corporate affairs filings show that Goswami…has become a director in ARG Outliner Media Private Limited and SARG Media Holding Private Ltd on 19-11-2016. The channel is to go by the name of ‘Republic’.

“It may be noticed that certain names and emblems have been prohibited from being used under the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 for professional and commercial purposes,” the letted stated, adding that as per the schedule accompanying the statute under item 6, there is an express prohibition from using the word ‘Republic’ would be contrary and a direct breach of the Act.

Swamy urged the ministry to look into the issue and determine if it was prohibited to issue a licence to a company of such name.

(Agencies)

New Delhi: Senior BJP leader Vinay Katiyar on Wednesday said there were “more beautiful women star campaigners than Priyanka (Gandhi Vadra).”

Ms. Vadra is one of the star campaigners of the Congress for the coming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and has also played an important role in forging an alliance between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party.

To a question, the BJP’s leader said, “It doesn’t matter… there are girls and women who are more beautiful than her [Ms. Vadra] and are also star campaigners.”

“Some of them are artists and heroines… they are more beautiful than her,” he said.

Later talking to reporters, Mr. Katiyar tried to downplay his remarks, saying it was an internal matter of the Congress as to whom they want to appoint as their campaigner.

But, he added that if the Congress is under the “impression that they have the beautiful face of Priyanka for campaigning, then to counter that the BJP also has many beautiful faces which it may ask to campaign for.”

However, he said, “…It is wrong and unfair to compare beauty with capability but Congress is doing this.”

Mr. Katiyar’s own name is missing from the BJP’s campaigners’ list for the elections, despite the fact that he hails from Uttar Pradesh.

Remarks expose BJP’s mindset towards women: Priyanka

Ms. Vadra said Mr. Katiyar’s remarks expose the BJP’s mindset towards the better half of the country’s population while the Congress sought an apology for insulting women.

Congress hit out at Mr. Katiyar, saying it reflects the “petty and insulting culture of BJP that commodifies women” and accused the BJP of insulting India’s womanhood for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah should apologise.

“If that’s all BJP sees in my colleagues who are each strong, brave and beautiful women that have battled through all sorts of hardships to get where they are, then he makes me laugh even more. Because he exposes the BJP’s mindset towards the better half of the population of India!!!,” Ms. Vadra said in response to Mr. Katiyar’s remarks.

Coming down heavily on the firebrand BJP leader, better known for pushing the Hindutva agenda, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said BJP has “insulted” India’s womanhood and such conduct, behaviour and words prove BJP’s mentality.

“BJP has insulted India’s womanhood. Such conduct, behaviour and words prove BJP’s mentality. Time for PM Modi and Amit Shah to apologise,” he said.

Mr. Surjewala said BJP-RSS suffer from a “deep rooted and retrograde anti-women mindset. There is a long list led by Mohan Bhagwat and Kailash Vijayvargiya“.

“Disparaging and atrocious remarks of Vinay Katiyar on Priyankaji reflect the petty and insulting culture of BJP that commodifies women.

“To adjudge India’s women by physical features and not by their capacity, capability, strength and sacrifice proves the lowly BJP mentality,” he said.

The Congress leader also said that if Mr. Modi and Mr. Shah have any respect left for women in the country, they should display courage by initiating strict action against Mr. Katiyar for his remarks otherwise women will show their power by voting against the BJP.

Ms. Vadra’s husband Robert Vadra attacked the BJP leader and demanded that Mr. Katiyar publicly apologises for his “misogynist” and atrocious” remarks.

“Shocked at misogynist and atrocious remarks of BJP MP Vinay Katiyar saying there were ‘prettier star campaigners’ in his party than Congress’s Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. This exposes the shameful mindset of some of our political leaders.

“We all need to respect women and accept them as equals instead of commoditising and objectifying them. As a society, we need to bring in a change. Vinay Katiyar should publicly apologise for his remarks,” Mr. Vadra said in his Facebook post.

(PTI)

New Delhi: In relief to farmers who reeled under cash crunch on account of demonetisation, the government today decided to waive Rs 660.50 crore interest on short-term crop loan for November-December 2016 and grant Rs 400 crore to Nabard to bear refinancing cost of co-operative banks.

A decision in this regard was taken at the Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to help farmers who faced hardships because of scrapping of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes from November 8 mid-night.

“The Cabinet today approved interest waiver of Rs 660.50 crore for two months (November-December 2016) for farmers who have taken short-term loans from co-operative banks,” Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh told PTI after the meeting.

According to a government release, the Cabinet has approved Rs 1,060.50 crore towards “the cost of interest waiver for two months (November-December, 2016) for crop loan disbursed by co-operative banks between April 1 2016 and September 30 to farmers and providing interest subvention and administrative cost to Nabard on short-term borrowing of about Rs 20,000 crore for on-lending to cooperatives banks in the current financial year”.

According to the proposal, farmers who have paid interest on short-term loans during the demonetisation period of November and December will get the refund in their bank accounts through direct benefit transfer (DBT).

He said further a sum of Rs 15,000 crore allocated during 2016-17 to implement the Interest Subvention Scheme (ISS) has already been utilised.

The government, the release said, waived the interest on short-term crop loans as farmers faced difficulty following cancellation of legal tender character of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.

They faced problems in encashing the cheques received against sale proceeds of their kharif (summer) produce in mandis. Inadequacy of cash constrained the farmers in carrying out rabi (winter) sowing operations and servicing the interest of the short-term crop loans, especially in view of the restrictions imposed on co-operative banks, it said.

The government provides short-term crop loans up to Rs 3 lakh at subvented interest rate of 7 per cent per annum. An additional incentive of 3 per cent is provided to farmers for prompt repayment of loans within due date.

For 2016-17, the government has set a target to disburse agri credit of Rs 9 lakh crore, of which Rs 7.56 lakh crore has been disbursed to farmers till September of this year, as per the official data.

(Agencies)