[Nasheman news] Lucknow Fog continued to wreak havoc in most parts of Uttar Pradesh for the second consecutive day on Saturday, officials said.
According to the regional Met Office, a layer of fog has engulfed most parts of eastern, western and central Uttar Pradesh, leading to disruption of rail, vehicular and air traffic.
More than a dozen trains, including Poorva Express, Purushottam Express and the Farakka Exress, were running behind schedule due to fog and intense cold wave.
An official of the Northern Railway (NR) however claimed that due to installation of ‘fog pass’ devices, the situation was much better than previous years.
As many as 6,940 such devices have been fitted in trains all over India, of which NR has 2,648, an official said.
Vehicular traffic has been adversely impacted due to the fog and inclement weather across the state, especially on the national highways, the Yamuna Expressway and the Agra-Lucknow Expressway.
There is report of a car pile up on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway at Khekhda in Baghpat district, leaving a dozen injured.
Snowfall in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir has also contributed to the sharp fall of mercury in Uttar Pradesh.
People were left shivering on Saturday and morning walkers gave their routine a brief adieu due to drop in temperature.
According to sources, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi also cancelled his two-day trip to Amethi, his parliamentary constituency, due to poor visibility and bad weather late on Friday.
The weatherman said the cold wave is here to stay and foggy conditions will prevail for the next few days.
Karnataka Minister’s staffer caught with Rs 14-lakh cash
Bengaluru, Jan 5 (IANS) A staffer of Karnataka Congress Minister C. Puttaranga Shetty was caught with unaccounted Rs 14 lakh in cash at the entrance of the state secretariat in the city centre, police said on Friday.
“We have detained the Minister’s staffer Mohan and seized the cash (Rs 14 lakh) from him at the secretariat, as he could not explain its source or account for it,” city central Deputy Commissioner of Police Devaraj told reporters here.
Shetty, a legislator from Chamarajanagar Assembly segment in the southwest old Mysuru region, is the Social Welfare Minister in the JD(S)-Congress coalition government in the southern state.
Vidhana Soudha Police Station Inspector Shankarachar registered a case against the accused and detained him for questioning on the cash he was carrying in a bag and had come to the secretariat on a two-wheeler.
“We are interrogating Mohan to explain why he was carrying so much of cash and its source as he didn’t have documentary support for it,” a police officer told IANS on the condition of anonymity.
According to unconfirmed reports, an additional Rs 11.76 lakh was also found with Mohan when the police carried a search on him and his bike.
Modi, Shah hail Sitharaman for ‘demolishing’ Congress campaign on Rafale
[Nasheman news] New DelhiTop BJP leadership including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Amit Shah on Friday hailed Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for her reply in the Lok Sabha, saying she demolished Congress’ lies and misinformation campaign on Rafale fighter jets deal.
Soon after Sitharaman’s speech, Modi tweeted: “Defence Minister @nsitharaman’s speech in the Parliament demolishes the campaign of calumny on Rafale.”
He also posted the video of her reply after a debate in the lower House on the Rafale deal.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah said: “A LIE goes only so far and no further. Defence Minister Smt @nsitharaman ji has completely demolished Congress party’s lies and misinformation campaign on Rafale with her excellent speech loaded with facts.”
Shah tweeted and congratulated Sitharaman for “bringing the truth to the nation”.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley tweeted: “Well done! Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman ji, for an outstanding performance. You demolished the fake campaign. We are all proud of your performance.”
Goa’s iconic Raj Bhavan building now on state’s tourism map
[Nasheman news] Panaji Goa’s iconic Raj Bhavan, a 16th century colonial structure, is now on Goa’s tourism map.
The structure houses the official residence of Goa’s governor, as well as a sea-facing view overlooking the Dona Paula bay and a stunning historic chapel.
It was formally opened on Friday for the ‘Raj Bhavan Darshan’ tour in association with the Goa Tourism Development Corporation, which functions under the aegis of the state Tourism Ministry.
“The tour will enable tourists to gain a historic view of Raj Bhavan as well as enjoy the beauty of the place,” said corporation chairperson Dayanand Sopte.
“We will also be adding more elements, such as short programmes depicting the cultural aspects of Goa, to these tours so that visitors learn more about the true Goa,” Governor Mridula Sinha said at the inauguration ceremony.
The tours will be open to the general public and tourists only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Tax raids on Karnataka actors, producers continue in Bengaluru
[Nasheman news] Bengaluru Searches by the Income-Tax sleuths of four top Kannada film actors and three producers continued on the second day in their premises across the city for alleged tax evasion, an official said on Friday.
“The searches are on in all the premises of the actors and producers. We cannot say if they conclude by Friday, as the officials are going through voluminous files, documents and other materials related to source of income, investments and collections,” the official told IANS on the condition of anonymity.
The four Kannada or sandalwood super stars are Shivaraj Kumar, his younger brother Puneeth Kumar, Sudeep and Yash. The three film producers are Rockline Venkatesh, C.R. Manohar and B. Vijay Kiragandhur.
“A press note can be issued only after the searches are completed,” added the official.
About 30 teams consisting of 5-6 officers in each team from the Income Tax (Investigations) cell began the search and seize operation on Thursday at 8:00 a.m. in 27 locations across the city where the actors and producers have their offices and residences.
The searches are being conducted under Section 132 of the Income-Tax Act, 1961, after warrants were issued to the actors and producers in advance.
Super stars Shivaraj and Puneeth are the sons of Kannada matinee idol and thespian Rajkumar.
According to sources in the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC), the searches were in connection with a couple of recent films with which the actors and producers concerned were associated.
“The films were produced with mega budgets and sold to distributors and exhibitors at a high premium. As they were a superhit at the box office, the collections were also huge. The tax sleuths are verifying accounts and transactions incurred in the films,” a KFCC source told IANS on Thursday.
Some of the blockbusters are Manohar’s ‘Villain’, starring Shivaraj and Sudeep and Vijaykumar’s ‘KGF’ by Yash. Venkatesh’s ‘Nata Parahumana’ with Puneeth as its hero is yet to be released.
Ram temple not narrative for Lok Sabha polls: Rahul
New Delhi (IANS) Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the narrative for upcoming Lok Sabha elections will not revolve around the Ram temple but issues such as jobs, farmers problems and “corruption in the Rafale deal”.
“The narrative is very simple for 2019 elections. Jobs for India’s youth. What will set the narrative is destruction of economy by (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi,” Gandhi said.
“The third narrative is education and healthcare for India’s people. And the last is immense corruption done by Mr. Narendra Modi where he stole Rs 30,000 crore from the nation in the Rafale deal and gave it to his friend,” he added.
The Congress President’s remarks came in response to a media query outside Parliament as to whether the Ram Mandir issue at Ayodhya would affect the upcoming general elections.
Gandhi said that the Ayodhya issue is being heard by the Supreme Court. “Let’s see what Supreme Court will do on Ram temple,” he said.
Union Minister Smriti Irani, who was on Friday visiting Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, the parliamentary constituency of Rahul Gandhi, attacked the Congress President over his remarks.
“Rahul Gandhi has made it clear today that he has no connection with Ram lalla, he has nothing to do with Mandir,” Irani said.
Expedite process to approve BBMP’s ad bylaws : HC
The High Court of Karnataka on Thursday said it expected the State government to expedite the process of approving the Outdoor Signage and Public Messaging Bylaws 2018, which was sent by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike for final consent of the State after considering the objections and suggestions for the draft bylaws notified in October last year.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice S. Sujatha made the observation in this regard when the government counsel said the State required about four weeks to examine the bylaws.
When it was pointed out to the court that illegal posters and flexes were being put up now and then in different parts of the city, the Bench asked what the city police were doing as they are supposed to keep a vigil against such illegal activities, using closed-circuit camera surveillance system and patrolling.
The Bench adjourned till January 7 the hearing on the PIL petition related to illegal hoardings, banners, flexes, etc, while indicating that it will pass orders on the applications filed by the individual advertising agencies and their association seeking permission to be part of the PIL proceedings.
150 shanties gutted in Noida blaze
Nasheman News : Around 150 hutments in Noida were gutted in a massive fire that broke out on Friday morning, police said.
The incident took place at Sarfabad village in Sector 49 of Noida.
Fourteen fire tenders were pressed into service which took nearly three hours to douse the flames.
Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Arun Kumar Singh said that one person, identified as Amzad Dafadar, had been injured in the incident. Dafadar was admitted to the Noida district hospital.
While the reason of the blaze has not yet been established, prima facie it appears that a gas cylinder burst led to the fire, an official told IANS.
Did Sri Lankan woman pray at Sabarimala? She denies
Nasheman News : A 47-year-old Sri Lankan woman, who is said to have prayed at the Sabarimala temple on Thursday night, said on Friday that she was denied a ‘darshan’ by the police.
While TV channels showed a woman having ‘darshan’, a furious Sasikala vehemently denied this had happened.
“I was not allowed darshan by the police and I was sent away,” Sasikala told the media.
Her husband, identified as Sharavanan, said it was only he who prayed at the temple, not his wife.
State Devasom (Temple) Minister Kadakampally Surendran said: “We need not find out if she had darshan or not. The government does not need to know. Women are free to pray. How can we stop women from praying at the temple?”
The TV visuals, however, show a woman moving to have ‘darshan’ but with a different holy kit compared to the one Sasikala was carrying when she spoke to the media.
Before dawn on Wednesday, two Kerala women in the hitherto banned age group (10-50) prayed at the temple, leading to violent protests from those opposed to women’s entry into the shrine.
Sitharaman dismisses allegation of corruption in Rafale deal
Nasheman News : Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday dismissed all allegations of corruption in the Rafale fighter jet deal and hit back at Congress saying while Bofors deal was a scam, the Rafale deal was in national interest which would bring Narendra Modi back as Prime Minister.
“Bofors was a scam, but Rafale was a decision taken in national interest. Rafale will bring back Modi to build a new India and remove corruption,” she said in a reply lasting over two-and-a-half hours in the Lok Sabha to a debate on the deal with French manufacturer Dassault.
The Minister said there was a difference between defence dealings and dealing in defence.
“We deal in defence with national security as a priority,” she said.
She said the first Rafale fighter jet will be delivered in September this year and the remaining 35 aircraft will be delivered by 2022.
Sitharaman also accused the Congress of shedding crocodile tears for HAL.
“Congress government gave 53 waivers to HAL while we have given contracts worth Rs 1 lakh crore,” she said.