[Nasheman news] New Delhi Former Defence Minister George Fernandes, long-time socialist and a trade unionist, who fought the Congress all his life died on Tuesday after prolonged illness. He was 88.

Fernandes, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, has been out of the public eye and has been bedridden for more than eight years, family sources said.

He had a cold and cough and was taken to the Max Hospital in Saket by his wife, Liela Fernandes, earlier in the day, when doctors said that the veteran leader was already dead.

His son, who lives in New York, is expected back in a day or two, after which the funeral will take place, the sources said.

Fernandes, a long-time socialist, rose to political prominence when he led the Bombay Taxi Unions Association and defeated “uncrowned king of Bombay” S.K. Patil, a Congress heavy-weight in the 1967 general election.

A fire-brand and hardworking Fernandes, only 37 then, campaigned tirelessly, covering large swathes of the constituency with his workers. And when the results were declared, he unseated the ‘king’ with 48.5 per cent of the votes.

Fernandes later joined the Janata Dal. He served as Railway Minister in the V.P. Singh government from 1989 to 1990. He was instrumental in setting up the Konkan Railway project, connecting Mangalore and Bombay.

In 1994, Fernandes formed the Samata Party, which later allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party. He was appointed convenor of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and served as the Defence Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government for two terms, between 1998 and 2004. 

His term was eventful as it witnessed the Kargil War and Pokhran test. 

[Nasheman news] Jammu One-way traffic will move on the Jammu-Srinagar highway on Tuesday from Srinagar to Jammu, a traffic department official said. No vehicle will be allowed in the opposite direction.

“Traffic from Qazigund will move onwards after 1 p.m. as many trucks moving towards Srinagar as per Monday’s schedule have not crossed the Jawahar Tunnel yet,” he added. 

Reports also said a fresh landslide has hit the road at Anokhi Fall in Ramban district and clearance operation was underway.

The strategic highway was closed for six consecutive days and was partially restored from Jammu to Srinagar on Monday.

[Nasheman news] Patna Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday said the Ayodhya case that has been pending for almost 70 years, should be heard soon as the people of the country expect the construction of a grand Ram temple where the Babri Masjid once stood.

Speaking to the media here, Prasad said: “The Ayodhya case has been pending for the last 70 years. The Allahabad High Court order was in favour of the temple (in 2010), but then it is on hold in the Supreme Court now. This matter should be cleared soon.”

He said that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah have said that the matter should be resolved under a Constitutional ambit. 

The Minister said many people complain that many issues, including those relating to Sabarimala and adultery are heard expeditiously. 

“But the people feel that the Ram temple matter should also be heard soon without any further delay,” Prasad said, adding, “We all respect the Supreme Court, we have our faith in the judiciary.”

His remarks came after reports that the case would not be heard on January 29 as scheduled due to the non-availability of one of the judges of the five-member Supreme Court constitutional bench. 

[Nasheman news] New DelhiPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged first time voters to register and cast their ballots in the coming Lok Sabha polls.

Delivering his first “Mann Ki Baat” address of 2019, Modi said: “This year, the Lok Sabha elections will be held in our country and this will be the first time that youth born after 2000 will vote.

“An opportunity has come for them to take the responsibility of the nation on their shoulders. They are now going to become a partner in the decision-making process of the country. I urge the youth to register themselves as voters.”

Modi also hailed the Election Commission (EC) for holding elections across the length and breadth of the country and said that the people of the country were proud of it. 

“The EC was formed on January 25, 1950 and the day is celebrated annually as National Voters Day. Seeing the scale on which the elections are held in India, it is natural for people across the world to be surprised. “

He said the EC was an institution that every citizen must be proud of. 

“In our country, no stone is left unturned to ensure that every citizen of India, who is a registered voter, gets an opportunity to vote.”

He said when we hear that a polling station is set up 15,000 feet above sea level in Himachal Pradesh, voting arrangements are made in far-flung islands of Andaman and Nicobar, or even in a remote forest area of Gujarat, where there is only one voter, “it is very natural to be proud of the Commission”.

“I commend the EC for contiinuous efforts to strengthen our democracy. I also commend the election in all the states, all security personnel. other employees, who participate in the voting process and ensure free and fair elections,” he added.

[Nasheman news] KochiPrime Minister Narendra Modi, who will arrive here later Sunday, is slated to dedicate the Rs 16,504 crore single largest investment in Kerala when he unveils an integrated Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) refinery expansion complex.

He will lay the foundation stone of the complex which is a complete “Make in India” initiative aimed at reducing dependence on imports.

The Prime Minister is also scheduled to dedicate the Mounded Storage Vessel of the Indian Oil Corporation Limited and will then move on to Ettumannor in Kottayam district to lay the foundation stone of a Skill Development Institute, promoted by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Later in the evening, Modi will address a state meeting of the Yuva Morcha in Thrissur after which he will return to Delhi.

This will be Modi’s second visit to Kerala this month. 

[Nasheman news] New Delhi Former President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday expressed his “deep sense of humility and gratitude” to the people of India for being awarded Bharat Ratna, saying that he had received much more from the people than what he had given in return.

“It is with a deep sense of humility and gratitude to the people of India that I accept this great honour, the Bharat Ratna, bestowed upon me. I have always said and I repeat that I have got more from the people of our great country than I have given to them,” the former President said in a statement.

Mukherjee urged the people strengthen their resolve to live up to the ideals of the Constitution.

“Our Founding Fathers have guided us this far, let us go farther with greater vigour and spirit to create an India of our dreams. On this Republic Day, let us strengthen our resolve to live up to the ideals of our Constitution,” Mukherjee said.

“The dynamism of our Constitution exemplified in the ideals of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity sets the tone of our development. We must strive to protect and preserve these foundational ethics,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the former President for his contribution to Indian politics and the growth trajectory.

“Pranab Da is an outstanding statesman of our times. He has served the nation selflessly and tirelessly for decades, leaving a strong imprint on the nation’s growth trajectory. His wisdom and intellect have few parallels,” Modi tweeted.

[ Nasheman news] BengaluruIn a bid to increase industrial production capacity, Karnataka is developing manufacturing clusters in nine districts under “compete with China” scheme of the state, Governor Vajubhai Vala said on Saturday.

“The state government is implementing the ‘Compete with China’ scheme, by developing industrial clusters in nine districts. Action is being taken to create one lakh jobs in each cluster,” the Governor said in his Republic Day address here.

The southern state, which is a pioneer in IT and manufacturing businesses, had approved 1,958 projects with an investment of Rs 3.49 lakh-crore, under its Industrial Policy 2014-19, Vala said.

These projects will create employment opportunities to 10.28 lakh people, he added.

“Karnataka stood first in the country in attracting investments,” Vala said in his speech.

According to the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s data from November last year, Karnataka saw the highest investment in the country for the first three quarters of 2018.

The ruling Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S)-Congress coalition government led by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy last year announced identifying nine districts across the state to set up industrial clusters to foster innovation and product diversification, thereby creating new jobs.

Ballari, Bidar, Chikkaballapura, Chitradurga, Hassan, Kalaburagi, Kolar, Koppal and Mysuru were identified for the scheme, by developing industries that could compete with China in industrial production.

The scheme aims to have manufacturing-related activities taking place right from village level, to the taluk (sub-district) and district levels of each cluster.

Nasheman News : India on Tuesday shared with Pakistan the coordinates of the Kartarpur Corridor crossing point along the International Border with Pakistan to enable Sikh pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan.

“Pursuant to the decision taken by the government of India on November 22, 2018, to expeditiously realise the long pending proposal to establish Kartarpur Corridor, India has today (Tuesday) shared the coordinates of the zero point (crossing point) of the corridor along the International Border with Pakistan,” said an External Affairs Ministry statement.

“India has also proposed two set of dates, February 26 and March 7, 2019, for the visit of Pakistan delegation to New Delhi to discuss and finalise the modalities so that Indian pilgrims can visit the holy Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib using the corridor at the earliest,” it stated.

The Union Cabinet in November last year decided to develop the Kartarpur Corridor from Gurdaspur in Punjab to the International Border to facilitate pilgrims’ passage to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan as part of the 550th birth year celebrations of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev, later this year year.

Later that month, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan performed the ground-breaking ceremony to develop the corridor in the presence of Indian Ministers.

According to reports, in December, Pakistan issued 14 key recommendations to India on the Kartarpur Corridor to facilitate visa-free pilgrimage by Indian Sikhs to the holy gurdwara.

NAadhaar cards are now valid travel documents for Indians under 15 and over 65 travelling to Nepal and Bhutan, according to a Home Ministry communique.

Indians other than those in the two age brackets will not be able to use Aadhaar to travel to the two neighbouring countries, for which no visas are needed, clarified the communique issued recently.

Indian citizens going to Nepal and Bhutan don’t need a visa if they have a valid passport, a photo identity card issued by the government of India or an election ID card issued by the Election Commission, it added.

Earlier, persons over 65 and under 15 could show their PAN card, driving licence, Central Government Health Service (CGHS) card or ration card, but not the Aadhaar, to prove their identity and visit the two countries.

The Aadhaar card has now been added to the list, explained a senior Home Ministry official.

“Now, persons in the age group of over 65 years and below 15 years have been allowed to use Aadhaar as a valid travel document,” the official told media.

Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique identification number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). It is being made mandatory for using a host of government services.

Giving details, the official said a certificate of registration issued by the Embassy of India, Kathmandu, to Indian nationals is not an acceptable travel document for travelling between India and Nepal.

“However, the emergency certificate and identity certificate issued by the Indian Embassy in Nepal will be valid for single journey for travelling back to India,” he said, citing the communique.

Teens between 15 to 18 years will be allowed to travel between India and Nepal on the basis of an identity certificate issued by the principal of their school in a prescribed form, the officer said.

In case of a family (like husband, wife, minor children and parents) travelling together, all persons will not be required to carry relevant documents (such as a passport or an election ID) if one of the adult members has valid travel papers, he said.

However, the other family members must have some proof of their identity with a photograph and their relationship as a family, such as a CGHS card, ration card, a driving licence or an ID card issued by school/college, the official explained.

Indian nationals travelling to Bhutan need to have either an Indian passport with minimum validity of six months or a voter identity card issued by the Election Commission of India.

Bhutan, which shares borders with the Indian states of Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and West Bengal, has about 60,000 Indian nationals, employed mostly in the hydroelectric power and construction industry.

In addition, between 8,000 and 10,000 daily workers enter and exit Bhutan everyday in border towns.

About six lakh Indians live in Nepal, according to data by the Ministry of External Affairs.

These include businesspersons and traders who have been living in Nepal for a long time, professionals (doctors, engineers, IT personnel) and labourers (including seasonal/migratory) in the construction sector, it said.

Nepal shares a border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand

[Nasheman news] Jammu The Jammu-Srinagar highway was closed on Monday following fresh snowfall in the Bannihal sector that saw over a foot deep snow accumulate on the strategic route, a Traffic Department official said.

No vehicular movement would be allowed on the highway during the day keeping the safety of travellers in mind. The situation will be reviewed after the weather improves,” he said.

Intending travellers have been advised not to undertake journey without finding out the latest status of the road from traffic helplines in Jammu and Srinagar.

The MET has forecast moderate to heavy snowfall in the Kashmir Valley and rain in the Jammu division during the next 24 hours till Tuesday.