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Varavara Rao arrested in plot to assassinate PM

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The Maharashtra Police on Tuesday arrested Maoist ideologue Varavara Rao here for his alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his family members said.

A police team from Pune arrested the revolutionary writer after searching his house and the houses of his family members and friends including a journalist.

Varvara Rao was shifted to the government-run Gandhi Hospital for a medical check-up. He is likely to be produced before a court here before shifting him to Pune.

In June, police in Pune had allegedly recovered a letter mentioning a plan to assassinate Modi from the house of one of the five persons arrested in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence.

The letter written by a person identified only as ‘R’ reportedly mentions a plot to kill the Prime Minister on the lines of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

It also referred to requirement of Rs 8 crore to purchase a M-4 rifle and four lakh rounds to execute the plot. The letter reportedly mentions Varvara Rao’s name.

Varvara Rao, who heads ‘Veerasam’, an association of revolutionary writers, had strongly denied the allegations. He had said that all five arrested in the case were working for the betterment of downtrodden.

BJP posters dub Rajiv Gandhi ‘father’ of mob lynching

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Days after Congress President Rahul Gandhi denied his party’s links in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Delhi BJP spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga on Tuesday put up posters here describing the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi as the “father” of mob lynching.

Bagga told IANS, “I have put up the posters across the city to remind Rahul Gandhi that his father was the director and producer of mob lynching in the country in 1984.”

Rahul Gandhi said in London on Friday that the Congress was not involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in which nearly 3,000 Sikhs were killed, mostly in the national capital, after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

The Congress condemned the BJP posters.

Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said: “We have a despicable poster outside the BJP office denigrating a deceased Prime Minister (Rajiv Gandhi) who lost his life in service to the nation. Reflects BJP’s petty mindedness.”

(Ians)

Fuel price hike – Petrol at Rs 85.47, diesel hits record high of Rs 73.90 a litre

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Diesel prices touched record high levels across metro cities and prices of petrol too inched nearer their all-time peak across major cities. As per the daily price notification issued by the state-owned oil firms, in Delhi, diesel price is at Rs 69.61 per litre. In Mumbai, the diesel is sold at Rs 73.90 per litre, Rs 72.46 in Kolkata and Rs 73.54 per litre in Chennai. The new revised rates are applicable from August 28, morning 6 am.

On the other hand, prices of petrol in Delhi is raised to Rs 78.05 per litre. In Mumbai, price of per litre petrol is Rs 85.47. While in Kolkata and Chennai, petrol is priced Rs 80.98 and Rs 81.09 per litre, respectively.

The rise in prices of diesel gains significance as it is mostly used in transportation of food and agricultural products and an increase in its price may lead to higher inflation. The surge in fuel prices is largely attributed to the recent rise in crude oil cost and the high excise duty levied on transportation fuel in the country.

In line with an increase in diesel prices, petrol prices too are on the rise and are nearing their all-time high levels. The all-time high petrol prices in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai are Rs 78.43, Rs 81.06, Rs 86.24 and Rs 81.43 per litre, touched in May 29.

As per a report of PTI, petrol and diesel will not come under the purview of GST in the immediate future as neither the Centre nor any of the states is in favour on fears of heavy revenue loss.

Mayawati says Modi government ignoring Kerala

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Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Tuesday accused the Modi government of giving a step-motherly treatment to flood-hit Kerala and demanded that the calamity be declared a “national disaster”.

The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said in a statement that despite the magnitude of the crisis, Kerala was not given adequate help by the central government.

This was done because the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was playing politics even in such testing times for Keralites, she said.

The BSP leader said that Kerala was suffering huge losses, both of life and property, in the worst floods in nearly a century.

But despite demands for more funds and help, the central government was turning a blind eye to the crisis. “The BSP condemns in the harshest words such petty politics by the central government and the BJP.”

Giving up on its biased approach, the NDA government should instead provide more assistance, funds, relief and help in the rehabilitation process in the state, she said.

“At a time when millions of individuals are doing something or the other to help those in crisis in Kerala, the union government should also come forward with a positive mindset.”

She said it was unfortunate that while the union government was not declaring the Kerala floods a national disaster, it was not even approving the levying of a cess under state GST as sought by the Kerala government.

Mayawati directed her party cadres and office bearers, specially in south India, to extend all possible help to those affected by the floods in Kerala which have claimed hundreds of lives, caused widespread destruction and left thousands without homes.

(IANS)

Militants attack senior NC leader’s home

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Militants attacked the home of former Jammu and Kashmir Finance Minister and National Conference leader Abdul Rahim Rather in Badgam district on Tuesday, police said.

Police said the militants fired at the ancestral home of Rather in Badipora village. “Guards posted there repulsed the attack, forcing the militants to flee,” a police officer said.

The National Conference leader was not at his house during the attack, which did not injure anyone.

Google’s payment app for India ‘Tez’ becomes Google Pay

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Readying its digital payment service for India, Tez, for a global roll out, Google on Tuesday renamed the app as Google Pay and introduced new features that could soon help its Indian users get instant “pre-approved” loans from some banks.

“Building for India has often meant Google building for everyone all around the world,” Caesar Sengupta, Vice-President, Next Billion Users initiative and Payments, Google, said at its annual Google for India event here.

“At the moment, nothing is changing about the experience in India other than the name,” he said, adding that Google is working with a few of India’s top banks — HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Federal Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank — to offer pre-approved, instant loans to their customers, right from within Google Pay.

This feature will roll out to eligible users within the next few weeks, Google said.

With the roll out of this feature, eligible users will see a notification telling that that they are pre-approved.

Next, the users would have to decide how much they want to borrow, and how quickly they would like to repay.

Finally, after reviewing the terms of the loan, the bank will deposit the money in
their bank account instantly — without the need of any additional paperwork, Google said.

“In coming weeks and months, Google is making Pay even more useful through expanding the places users can pay in-store and online, expanding services for merchants, and working with the banks to provide instant loans to Google Pay users,” Sengupta said.

Google launched the Tez app in India last year and since then over 55 million people have downloaded the app and more than 22 million people and businesses actively use the app for digital transactions every month.

Google Pay works with all major banks in India on BHIM UPI (Unified Payments Interface).

(IANS)

Iranian MPs refer Rouhani to judiciary over economy

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Iran’s parliament has referred President Hassan Rouhani to the country’s judiciary after he failed to impress legislators with his explanation of his government’s handling of Iran’s economic struggles.

Rouhani was summoned by parliament on Tuesday for the first time since taking power five years ago to answer questions on a range of economic issues, including unemployment and inflation.

In voting after the session, which was broadcast live on state television, MPs expressed dissatisfaction with four out of five of Rouhani’s responses.

The leader has been under intense pressure since US President Donald Trump withdrew from a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and several world powers, worsening an economic crisis and sparkings a series of domestic protests.

In Tuesday’s session, he blamed Iran’s economic woes on an “American conspiracy” and urged parliament to support his cabinet.

“There is an anti-Iran group sitting in the White House that is planning a conspiracy against us,” Rouhani said. “But together we will tackle this phase.

Iran unemployment crisis, rising living costs bite amid sanctions
“It should not be said we are facing a crisis. There is no crisis. If we say there is, it will become a problem for society and a threat,” he said.

Political unrest
Parliament has already impeached Rouhani’s labour and economy ministers this month and the president replaced the head of the central bank, amid concerns about the sharp depreciation of the national currency, which has lost more than half of its value since April.

While Iran’s parliament has the power to impeach a president, Rouhani is protected by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who recently said that removing the president would “play into the hands of the enemy.”

Parliament asked Rouhani about:
Unemployment, slow growth, the rial
Financial reforms
Access to global financial services
Banking
Smuggling
The MPs quizzed Rouhani on his government’s failure to tackle the rise of unemployment, slow economic growth and the fall of the rial, as well as cross-border smuggling operations.

The president said he had asked the country’s Revolutionary Guard to help stamp out illicit trade.

The only answer which legislators accepted related to international banking sanctions, which they agreed were beyond the government’s control.

Hardliners, who always opposed the nuclear deal and any thaw in relations with the West, have called on Rouhani to step down.

The case will now be referred to the country’s judiciary for consideration.

Aljazeera

Warning for bangalureans, Flood expected in september

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Bengalureans felt the ripple effect of floods in Kodagu District (where a rainfall of 768mm left villages ravaged) on August 24, when the city received 43 mm of rainfall till 9 pm. Areas such as Malleswaram, Rajajinagar, Hebbal, Sadashivanagar, Kengeri, Adugodi and Mysore road received very heavy rainfall.
Once the rain started, Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) issued warnings by dispatching messages through their mobile application to certain key areas. The centre has forecast heavy rain in the immediate future, and has intimated the same to BBMP. Scientists warn that 80 mm to 100 mm of rainfall could be enough to cause a disaster in Bengaluru.

Encroachment of Storm Water Drains (SWD) is largely responsible for the accumulation of water in low lying areas. An unnamed official source from the BBMP has said that the encroachment removal drive could not be taken up last year, as there were no surveyors. The drains deteriorate without maintenance, eventually reducing their ability to withstand rainfall up to a mere 35 mm to 40 mm. Thus, even if rainfall is not as heavy as it was in September 2017 (120% above normal levels), there is a possibility of flooding.

BBMP dispatches 100 pourakarmikas to clean Kodagu post flooding
BBMP corporators from all 198 wards have donated their monthly salary towards helping the victims of the flood- ravaged Kodagu District. The amount collected by Mayor Sampath Raj was Rs 2.8 crores for Kodagu and 1 crore for Kerala. Currently, 32 rehabilitation centers in Kodagu are providing shelter to 3000 people, and the death toll has reached 20.

Around 300 male pourakarmikas were sent to clean up the mess created by landslides, destroying the scenic landscape of the region. They were led by a team of 10 senior BBMP officials and health inspectors. The Kodagu district officials had requested the BBMP for 100 mobile toilets for women, specifically in relief camps. The toilets were sent overnight by truck, and have already been installed for usage.

Suburban rail, pod taxi and elevated corridor: Three projects get government push
Three much debated projects introduced in the Chief Minister’s budget for improving last mile connectivity have received a push through three different developments over the last one week.

The Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for suburban railway system in Bengaluru could not begin work due to majority ownership by private entity, I-DECK Ltd. This road-block was addressed through ‘in principle’ approval by Railways Ministry to changes in the share holding pattern of the Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development Ltd (K-RIDE), under which the SPV to implement the Suburban Rail Project for Bengaluru, will be set up. In the meeting held in Vidhana Soudha on August 21st, officials from BMRCL and BMTC participated in the discussion on the proposal sent by the state government to grant primary ownership back to the government .

This may be expected to assuage the anger of citizens who have been demanding a well-planned suburban railway network that would solve their commuter related woes. Activists from Citizens for Bengaluru (CfB) are gearing up for a campaign titled #ModaluTrainBeku on August 31st through a staged rail yatra in the afternoon.

Secondly, the pod taxi system is also officially under-way now. The rope-way enabled transit system that is proposed to connect 43 metro stations as a feeder service in the first phase has been suddenly approved by the BBMP without consulting the opposition.

Even with public outcry and scientific studies denying feasibility, the government is keen on elevated corridors for Bengaluru. In a meeting held with all stakeholders on August 25th, the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL) evaluated the possibility of 53 entry and exit ramps every 2 to 3 kms along the corridors, along with parallel lanes for BMTC buses.

400 homes destroyed inside Bellandur slum
Kariyammana Agrahara, a slum settlement of 1500 dwellers and 400 odd houses, located roughly a kilometre away from Bellandur lake, was mercilessly bull-dozed by the BBMP on August 18th. BBMP alleged that the slum was formed over a rajakaluve eight years ago by migrants from UP, Assam and West Bengal.

Mayor Sampath Raj justified the severe action taken, saying the settlement was in the lake buffer zone, on land belonging to the government. He also said that several previous warnings had been issued to residents before the demolition drive.

Alternate Law Forum Lawyer Vinay Sreenivasa took on the accusation of encroachment made by the Palike, and said that the allegation was baseless. He argued that the settlement was situated at a distance of 1.3 km from the Bellandur Lake. This was in accordance with an order issued by the National Green Tribunal stating the buffer zone should be maintained within 50 metres of a water body.

Bangalore airport the world’s second fastest growing
Routesonline, a leading event management company in the field of aviation, released a report on August 22nd ranking the world’s fastest growing airports. The analysis put Kempegowda International Airport’s growth in the second spot, ahead of other airports located in Los Angeles, Madrid, Frankfurt, and Tokyo. KIA even beat Delhi which emerged in the sixth spot.

Experts say that Bengaluru being the Silicon Valley of India, there is a high population of techies who want to travel business class and this has contributed to the rise of passengers every year. In the first half of 2018, a total of 1,58,50,352 passengers were recorded travelling from Bengaluru by flight. This is reportedly an increase of 41,80,852 passengers compared to the first six months of 2017.

Only airports crossing 2.5 million passengers from January to June 2018 were studied for the ranking.

Coalition govt will collapse in few weeks says D V Sadananda Gowda

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Union Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation D V Sadananda Gowda, predicted that the JD(S)-Congress coalition government in Karnataka, will collapse in two to four weeks. Speaking to reporters in Mangaluru on Tuesday,

Gowda said: “Siddaramaiah, H D Kumaraswamy and Deve Gowda can never be together. Bowing to pressure from the high command, Siddaramaiah had agreed to the coalition. All attempts are being made to destabilise the government. Siddaramaiah is daydreaming of becoming chief minister again,” he said.

“There is no way in which BJP can support Congress. BJP aims to free India from Congress. Siddaramaiah needs JD(S) to become CM again. That won’t happen if the current coalition government falls. Siddaramaiah is poor in calculations,” Gowda remarked

Odisha CM announces Rs 1.5 crore for Dutee Chand

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Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday announced a cash award of Rs 1.5 crore for sprinter Dutee Chand for winning the silver medal in the 100 meter event at 18th Asian Games in Indonesia.

Dutee from Odisha had on Sunday sealed the second spot in the women’s 100 meter event at the Asian Games by finishing the race in 11.32 seconds. She missed the gold medal by a mere 0.02 second.

The Chief Minister congratulated Dutee, a hundred-meter sprint national record holder.

“It is a matter of pride that an athlete from Odisha has brought laurels to the country in this event after 20 years. In 1998 Asian Games, Odia Athlete Rachita Panda Mistri had won bronze medal,” said a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office(CMO).

“In recognition of her grit, determination and hard work, the Chief Minister has announced a cash award of Rs 1.5 crore to Dutee Chand,” the statement said.

The state has a special focus on Athletics, considering the performance of its athletes in recent times and the huge potential among the talented youth, the statement said.

To encourage Athletics, the state had organised the 22nd Asian Athletics Championships in 2017 in partnership with International Association of Athletics Federation and Athletics Federation of India.

Odisha is all set to launch the much awaited high-performance Regional Athletics Academy at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar soon. It is a first of its kind at the state level.

(IANS)

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