Tuesday, 6 March 2018

Manohar Parrikar writes to Goa Governor about treatment abroad

PANAJI: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on early Wednesday wrote a letter to state Goveror Mridula Sinha informing her that he would be going abroad for further treatment. Parrikar 62 was flown to Mumbai and admitted to the Lilavati Hospital last evening for a check-up. From there he was taken to the US for treatment in the early hours of Wednesday. In the letter Parrikar also informed the governor about the interim arrangement of a Cabinet advisory committee to guide the state administration. The letter says that he would be chairing the meeting of the council of ministers whenever it is held through video conferencing from abroad. I have been also advised by the expert team of doctors in Goa as well as in Mumbai and subsequent consultation with doctors abroad to travel overseas for a specialised treatment of my medical condition reads the letter. He said that during his absence in the state the meeting of council of ministers whenever held shall be presided over by him through video conferencing or by circulation. If that is not possible http://ds-spanndecken.de/user/arfplayer/ for any reason or I may decide at later point of time the minister nominated by me shall preside the meeting and I will separately instruct the chief secretary in such exigency the letter adds. He also informed that a team of three ministers - Sudin Dhavalikar (MGP) Francis D Souza (BJP) and Vijai Sardesai (Goa Forward Party) - will function as a Cabinet advisory committee. The committee shall meet at least once a week at such point of time and place and is empowered to decide unanimously among themselves on certain important financial year ending issues. The committee shall consult the finance department before taking any financial decisions Parrikar said in the letter. Parrikar was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai on February 15 and discharged on February 22. On the same day he returned to Goa and presented the Budget in the Assembly but the session was truncated to only four days owing to his illness. He was later admitted to the Goa Medical College and Hospital after he suffered from dehydration. Before leaving for Mumbai on Tuesday Parrikar held a series of meetings including one with senior state ministers. Earlier in the day Goa BJP general secretary Sadanand Tanawade said that Parrikar will fly to the US tomorrow for further treatment.
By: Express News Service | Mumbai/panjim | Updated: March 7 2018 4:56 am Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Mumbai. (ANI Twitter) Related News Goa CM Manohar Parrikar likely to travel to US for specialist expert treatment May go abroad for full recovery: CM Manohar Parrikar in video to GoansManohar Parrikar likely to undergo treatment in US sets up committee to oversee Goa governanceGoa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar left for the US late Tuesday night from Mumbai for further treatment. Earlier the official Twitter handle of Goa CMO had tweeted that Parrikar will be leaving for the US saying that doctors in Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai had advised him to go abroad for treatment. The family has been in talks with doctors in the US and had approached a medical facility said BJP sources. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Parrikar in hospital during his recent visit to Mumbai he had told the family and the state party leaders to ensure the best treatment for him. Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo had said on February 21 The PMO is updated on the medical condition of our Chief Minister and he has also suggested to take Parrikar to US if the treatment demands. In a video message Monday Parrikar thanked Goans for their prayer and sought a medical leave. He also said he might travel abroad for treatment. In a letter to Governor Mridula Sinha Parrikar mentioned that he is likely to leave for the US for specialist expert treatment officials at the Governor s Office said. The letter which was dispatched Monday hours before Parrikar left for Mumbai reads I have also been advised by the expert team of doctors in Goa as well as in Mumbai and subsequent consultation with the doctors abroad to travel overseas for specialist expert treatment. For all the latest India News download Indian Express App More Related News BJP breaks silence says not correct to speculate on Manohar Parrikar s health Manohar Parrikar s health improving: Goa BJP Tags: Manohar Parrikar PPilar MiroMar 7 2018 at 8:32 amThe gentleman in question Mr Parrikar has already lost quite a bit of weight as seen in the latest picture accompanying this article. Whatever he has it is not mild pancreat i t i s. The politicians in India dissimulate. The press and the doctors play along with it. The politicians or their handlers use vague words specialised expert treatment. The press repeats it. Most likely Mr Parrikar will have contacted some Indian immigrant oncologists in the US some NRI cancer doctors that is who will play along with this for American doctors certainly will not. If the loss of weight is a mark of cachexia a sign of stage IV cancer then more than deluding his cons t i t uents Mr Parriker is deluding himself.(0)(0) Reply SSubramanianMar 7 2018 at 6:06 amBJP says that the Ancient Hindus were the inventors of Advanced Medical Treatrment like Plastic Surgery Antibiotics and so and so forth. The HINDU NATIONALIST say that GOMUTRA and Cow Dung is the cure almost all major diseases. Why Manohar Parickar cannot take treatment in INDIA? For Dehydration why he must go for USA for treatment by wasting tax payer s money?(1)(1) ReplyBlack cobraMar 7 2018 at 6:24 amRemember ex PM Morarji Desai ? He live for 100 years. He practised auto therapy.! There are many wonder treatments in Ayurveda and Unani . But for certain ailments people still go abroad.(0)(1) ReplyBlack cobraMar 7 2018 at 6:25 amAuto Mitra therapy(0)(0)
PANAJI: Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar left for a medical checkup at Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai on Monday and may travel to the US for further treatment. Before leaving for Mumbai Parrikar who also holds the finance portfolio constituted a three-member cabinet advisory committee comprising senior ministers Ramkrishna Sudin Dhavalikar Vijai Sardesai and Francis D Souza and authorised them to sanction up to Rs 5 crore in his absence for emergency needs that includes administrative expenses. Sources said Parrikar who had a meeting of his party MLAs and senior functionaries on Monday gave a broad hint that he may be away for six to eight weeks from the state if he goes to the US for treatment. Senior officials told TOI that an order would be issued in a day or two outlining the arrangements that would be in place to run the affairs of the state. It will all be spelt out in black and white a top bureaucrat said. Late in the evening in a video message Parrikar said it was due to the prayers and blessings of all Goans that his health has improved and he was able to come to Mumbai for his first checkup. And for complete recovery if the doctors in Mumbai recommend that I should go out of the country for a few days for treatment of this illness and to get well then I may do so. Parrikar who left for Mumbai at 3.30pm held meetings with his cabinet colleagues including Sardesai and D Souza and briefed them about his plans. He will go to Mumbai and decide on the next course of treatment. In case he has to travel abroad the three-member committee will look after the day-to-day affairs of the government. The purpose of forming a committee is to have a collective wisdom of the ministers D Souza said. Sardesai said the reason for forming a ministerial panel and entrusting it with financial powers was to ensure that the government machinery did not come to a standstill over financial approvals. Any financial sanction above Rs 5 crore will be taken via videoconferencing with the CM he said. Dhavalikar who was away in Delhi leading an allparty delegation from Goa to impress upon the Centre to resolve the mining crisis in the state did not attend the meeting. The three-member committee has one senior minister representing both the allies Goa Forward Party president Sardesai and MGP s Dhavalikar while former deputy CM D Souza is representing BJP. Parrikar who holds charge of 20 portfolios including home also held meetings with top bureaucrats and police officers before leaving for Mumbai.
Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has informed Governor Mridula Sinha that he was likely to travel to the US for specialised expert treatment for his medical condition .The letter dated March 5 also said that the Chief Minister had already consulted doctors abroad for his treatment. I have been advised by an expert team of doctors in Goa as well as in Mumbai ... to travel overseas for specialist expert treatment of my medical condition. CommentsClose X As such I am likely to leave for the US Mr Parrikar said in his letter.The Chief Minister who has been in and out of hospitals since February 15 left for Mumbai s Lilavati Hospital on Monday evening where he is being treated for mild pancreatitis according to an official statement.
By: Express News Service | Panjim | Published: March 6 2018 6:38 pm In a video message late in the evening on Monday Manohar Parrikar had thanked Goans for their prayer as he sought a medical leave. (File Photo) Related News For further treatment Manohar Parrikar leaves for USMay go abroad for full recovery: CM Manohar Parrikar in video to GoansManohar Parrikar likely to undergo treatment in US sets up committee to oversee Goa governanceIn a letter to Governor Mridula Sinha Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has mentioned that he is likely to leave for the United States of America for specialist expert treatment officials at the Governor office said. A copy of the letter is also been given to the three ministers of the newly formed Ministerial Committee confirmed officials. The letter which was dispatched on Monday hours before he left for Mumbai reads I have also been advised by the expert team of doctors in Goa as well as in Mumbai and subsequent consultation with the doctors abroad to travel overseas for specialist expert treatment of my medical condition. As such I am likely to leave for the United States of America as per the medical advise on and from Mumbai. Governor Mridula Sinha had visited Parrikar earlier in the day which finds mention in the letter with the CM thanking her as he writes As mentioned to you yesterday in our meeting when Your Excellency had been gracious enough to pay a visit and inquire about my health I have been advised to fly out to Mumbai at Lilavati Hospital under whose care I had been initially treated for my medical condition. In his absence the entire administration is now being handled through the ministerial committee while separate ministries are expected to update the CM through video conferencing every Wednesday. Parrikar is being treated at Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai and is on leave for six weeks since Monday March 6. In a video message late in the evening on Monday he had thanked Goans for their prayer as he sought a medical leave. For all the latest India News download Indian Express App More Related News BJP breaks silence says not correct to speculate on Manohar Parrikar s health Manohar Parrikar s health improving: Goa BJP Tags: Manohar Parrikar Gulzara Singh AzadMar 7 2018 at 7:37 amWe wish the CM of Goa recovers fully . BJP has to ensure that every Indian citizen who needs such medical care is supported without any distinction of the class the citizen belongs to . It seems a poor citizen and a minister are classified diffe ly when it comes to Mefical Help even within the country why? There needs to be set guidelines and the Queue must be common for all citizens rich or poor if the Government is to give financial assistance . We see ads in the Newspaper for seeking help for child suffering from cancer and the treatment cost is beyond means of ordinary citizens . What does Govrnment have to sY on this front ? Sab ka Saath Sab ka Vikas ... Slogan only I think ?(0)(0) Reply Binoy GuptaMar 6 2018 at 6:54 pmWhy the name of the disease should be kept a secret..(4)(0) ReplyRaman KayMar 6 2018 at 8:21 pmWe hear that he has Pancrea is an inflammation of pancreas. Steroidal shots can control inflammation. But If this organ continues to be problematic then it is good idea to take it out just like appendix. We do not need spleen pancreas for our survival. One can supplement insulin from outside and control sugar.(1)(0) ReplyPPilar MiroMar 6 2018 at 8:30 pmThey are continuing with the subterfuge that he has mild pancrea t i t i s which any doctor on any street in India can treat. In fact it often goes away by itself. However if he has pancreatic cancer no amount visiting expensive oncology centers in the US such Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York will do anything. The survival rates for State IV is less that 1 per cent. It is what Steve s had and he could have had any treatment at his beck and call. There is a lot of adaptive lying in India by ordinary people by doctors by politicians.(1)(0)Trevor MothaMar 6 2018 at 10:41 pmMay his soul rest in peace(0)(2)
PANAJI: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah for the party s victory in Tripura. Congratulations @narendramodi ji Shri @AmitShah ji BJP karyakartas and the people of North East for the splendid performance of BJP in assembly polls and for this historic victory in Tripura Parrikar tweeted. The BJP is heading for a comfortable victory in the Tripura state assembly elections trumping the Communist Party of India (M) which was in power in the northeastern state for more than two decades. The BJP is in alliance with the tribal-based IPFT outfit crushing the CPI-M led Left Front in one of the country s last remaining red bastions. A virtual political non-entity all these years in the tiny northeastern state where it had drawn a blank in terms of seats and secured only 1.5 per cent of votes in the assembly polls five years back the saffron outfit Bharatiya Janata Party has raised prospects of getting an absolute majority on its own with its candidates leading in 32 constituencies in the 60-strong assembly.
Tripura: The Chief Minister of Goa Manohar Parrikar has congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the President of Bhartiya Janata Party Amit Shah for the party s victory in Tripura.Mr Parrikar tweeted it is a historic win and a splendid performance by the party. Congratulations to PM @narendramodi ji Shri @AmitShah ji BJP Karyakartas and the people of North East for the splendid performance of BJP in assembly polls and for the historic victory in Tripura. Manohar Parrikar (@manoharparrikar) March 3 2018The BJP has ended a two-decade run of the Manik Sarkar government in Tripura and is heading for a comfortable victory in the state assembly elections.BJP chief Amit Shah thanked people of Tripura and said Manik Sarkar s defeat has made it clear that the Left is not right for any part of the country . In the last 25 years the Left has done nothing for the development of Tripura said Mr Shah.A virtual political non-entity all these years in Tripura where it had drawn a blank in terms of seats and secured only 1.5 per cent of votes in the assembly elections five years back the BJP has raised prospects of getting an absolute majority on its own with its candidates leading in 32 constituencies in the 60-strong assembly.The BJP and its new regional partner Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party or NDPP have also pulled ahead in Nagaland and will form government if they hold on to current leads. CommentsClose X In Meghalaya the ruling Congress is leading but could fall short of a majority and is scrambling to try and ensure that the BJP does not manage to gather regional allies for a post-poll alliance to form government.(With inputs from IANS)
PANAJI: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today presented in the state assembly a Rs 17 123-crore budget for 2018-19 an increase of 6.84 per cent over the ongoing fiscal with a stress on education and job creation. Parrikar who was undergoing treatment at a Mumbai hospital for a pancreatic ailment returned here this afternoon. The chief minister was present in the assembly complex for half an hour during which he chaired a meeting of his Cabinet tabled the budget and witnessed the passage of vote-on-account for five months. The budget session was curtailed to four days owing to Parrikar s ill-health. In his speech in the House which lasted only five minutes Parrikar said he could not present an elaborate budget because of his ill-health but would make a supplementary statement before the end of the current financial year. The gross total budgetary expenditure is Rs 17 123.28 crore for the coming https://www.charitychoice.co.uk/fundraiser/arfplayer fiscal as against Rs 16 027.01 crore for 2017-18 an increase of 6.84 per cent. The total estimated expenditure on revenue account is Rs 11 795.40 crore while that on capital account is Rs 4 218.25 crore. The allocation for capital account expenditure has been increased by 10.70 per cent against the revised estimate for the last year which stood at Rs 3 808.72 crore. Parrikar said that overall for FY 2018-19 the annual financial statement indicates a revenue surplus for the fifth year in succession. The revenue surplus is estimated at Rs 144.65 crore he said. The chief minister said his government has put a stress on generating employment for which Rs 548.89 crore has been allocated under the heads of industry labour and employment and information and technology. For the education sector (including medical education) a total of Rs 2 445 crore has been allocated. Public debt receipts are estimated at Rs 1 769.22 crore resulting in a fiscal deficit of Rs 763.68 crore he said. As per the Economic Survey 2017-18 tabled in the assembly the gross state domestic product (GSDP) for 2017-18 is provisionally estimated to be Rs 70 257 crore a growth of around 10 per cent over the previous fiscal. The total public debt is estimated at Rs 13 937.37 crore. The public debt to GSDP ratio is hence 18.06 per cent.

Supreme Court stays amendment of Delhi Master Plan 2021

NEW DELHI: In a move that echoes concerns voiced by the city s resident welfare associations the Supreme Court restrained the Centre Delhi government and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on Tuesday from amending the Delhi Master Plan 2021 to give relief to traders from the ongoing sealing drive. The upshot of the SC move is that the sealing drive against carrying on with business operations from residential premises in violation of law will continue as the apex court expressed its deep annoyance over DDA the civic bodies and the Delhi government not bothering to file replies to queries raised by the court. What are you doing? You are telling the Supreme Court that you can do whatever you want to do. It is not acceptable. It is contempt of court and we can ask your vice-chairman to appear before us for not complying with our order. This dadagiri has to stop the bench told DDA s lawyer. The court had asked for responses on the adverse impact of amendment of the Master Plan and a bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta slammed the authorities for not complying with its order and said it amounts to contempt of court. It said any proposed amendment will not be enforced without the court s approval. The bench had sought on February 9 an explanation from DDA along with the Delhi government and the civic corporations on whether proper research or study was carried out on the impact of the proposed amendments on the environment and the existing infrastructure https://www.namestation.com/u/shopozoind of the capital. It had asked the authorities to respond on nine points including pollution traffic congestion environment fire safety and population. The ministry of housing and urban affairs had held detailed consultations that aimed at changing floor area ratio norms to provide relief from sealing and also incorporate measures to curb the operation of pubs restaurants and clubs in mixed-use areas. But with the authorities concerned failing to file response the SC directed them to put the amendment of the Master Plan on hold. The bench had earlier termed DDA as Delhi Destruction Authority for destroying the city by allowing rampant unauthorised construction with no basic amenities and had asked it not to succumb to pressure to regularise illegal structures by amending the Master Plan in haste without holding consultations with stake-holders. The sealing drive was revived in January for unauthorised constructions after the SC allowed the court-appointed monitoring committee to identify and seal illegal premises as government authorities had failed to check building of such illegal structures. The apex court had ordered in March 2006 to seal all unauthorised constructions in the city and appointed a monitoring committee which was given the task to conduct and monitor the sealing drive. The sealing drive went on till January 2012 when the court asked the committee not to proceed further as the government has brought in force the 2021 Master Plan for regularising some of the illegal structures.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed proposed changes to the Delhi Master Plan 2021 PTI reported. The Master Plan 2021 is a blueprint for the planning expansion and development of Delhi. The Delhi Development Authority has proposed changes to the plan that would protect traders from a Supreme Court-monitored sealing drive.The top court pulled up the Delhi government the Delhi Development Authority and the Municipal Corporations of Delhi for not filing the affidavits it had asked for on whether they did an environment impact assessment before proposing the changes to the Master Plan PTI reported. This is contempt and nothing short of contempt the bench of Justice MB Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta said. This dadagiri has to stop. The proposed changes would not only increase the floor area ratio for commercial establishments but also allow use of basements to run businesses and rationalisation of conversion charges the Hindustan Times reported. Floor area ratio is the relationship between the usable floor area allowed for a building and the total area of the plot on which the building stands. The court had earlier criticised the civic bodies of Delhi for keeping their eyes closed and waiting for disaster to happen after they proposed the changes to the Master Plan. The top court said it appeared that the Delhi Development Authority was succumbing to some pressure . What about the people who are staying in Delhi? it asked.The sealing drive Acting on instructions from a Supreme Court-appointed committee civic officials shut down shops and restaurants in south Delhi s Defence Colony Market on December 22 for alleged unauthorised constructions.The civic body has since taken action against shops in 20 markets including Khan Market Mehar Chand Market Sundar Nagar Hauz Khas Rajendra Nagar Chhatarpur and Vasant Kunj. The shops were sealed as they allegedly have not paid conversion charges and for encroachment and illegal construction among other things.
New Delhi: Asking the Delhi Development Authority or DDA to stop dadagiri the Supreme Court has stayed the proposed amendment to Delhi Master Plan 2021 which sought to legalise extra construction of both residential and commercial complexes.Coming down heavily on the DDA for not filing an affidavit analysing the environmental impacts and safety issues of the proposed changes the top court said this dadagiri has to stop...you can t tell Supreme Court that you will do what you want to do. The Supreme Court was hearing petitions against the unauthorised use of residential premises for commercial purposes.A month ago the top court pulled up the urban body saying it had its eyes closed and were waiting for disaster to happen while hearing a petition filed against the sealing of commercial premises in Delhi on the orders of a court appointed panel.A bench of Justices Madan Lokur and Deepak Gupta said You have learnt nothing from Uphaar fire tragedy and incidents in Bawana and Kamala Mills. CommentsClose X The court today reprimanded Bhartiya Janata Party lawmaker OP Sharma for raising slogans against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during the sealing drive by the monitoring committee in east Delhi. You can t use derogatory language or slogans against the Chief Minister or Prime Minister just because he belongs to another party the bench said. The court though dropped contempt charges against Mr Sharma and Councilor Gunjan Gupta who had obstructed the sealing drive.The DDA headed by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal had recently approved the proposed changes to some rules in the city s Master Plan 2021 which could benefit traders facing the threat of sealing. The top court had earlier said it appeared that the DDA was succumbing to some pressure...what about the people who are staying in Delhi?
NEW DELHI: The deadline for mandatory linking of Aadhaar to avail various services and welfare schemes run by the government may be further extended beyond March 31 the Centre indicated in the Supreme Court on Tuesday. The Centre said that since some more time would be needed to conclude the prolonged hearing in the Aadhaar case the government may extend the deadline from March 31. A five-judge Constitution bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A K Sikri A M Khanwilkar D Y Chandrachud and Ashok Bhushan agreed with the contention of Attorney General K K Venugopal. We have extended the deadline in the past and we will extend the deadline again but we may do it by the end of month to enable the petitioners in the case conclude the arguments Venugopal said. The bench said It is a very valid point raised by the Attorney General and the court would not allow repetitive arguments made by the petitioners counsel in the matter. On December 15 last year the apex court had extended till March 31 the deadline for mandatory linking of Aadhaar with various services and welfare schemes. Earlier senior advocate Shyam Divan who had led the arguments challenging Aadhaar and its enabling Act said that the deadline of March 31 be extended as it was highly unlikely that the hearing in the case challenging the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar Act will be concluded. The deadline for mandatory linking of Aadhaar with various services and welfare schemes is March 31. This will have all India ramification as various institutions would have to adjust themselves accordingly Divan said. Justice Chandrachud said even if the court reserved its verdict on March 20 the banks and other institution would have only 10 days left which might be difficult. The bench then called the Attorney General for assistance in the issue. At the fag end of today s hearing Venugopal appeared before the bench and made the statement about the possibility of extension of the deadline. Senior advocate Arvind Datar who argued against the Aadhaar scheme said it violated the fundamental rights of citizens. The hearing would continue on Wednesday. Earlier on February 22 former Karnataka high court judge Justice K S Puttaswamy had told the apex court that several deaths had reportedly taken place due to starvation on account of glitches in the Aadhaar-based public distribution system and the court must consider granting them compensation. He had urged the bench to consider granting compensation to those who had suffered on the ground of exclusion due to Aadhaar particularly the kin of the starvation death victims. Earlier the top court had observed that the alleged defect of citizens biometric details under the Aadhaar scheme being collected without any law could be cured by subsequently bringing a statute. It had said that the Centre came out with the law in 2016 to negate the objection that it was collecting data since 2009 without any authorization but the issue which needed consideration was what would happen if the data collected earlier had been compromised.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court (SC) today refused to grant Karti Chidambaram interim protection from a possible arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) . The top court though did agree to hear his writ petition challenging ED proceedings against him without registering any FIR. Karti s counsel Kapil Sibal today strenuously pleaded with the SC for interim protection saying his client could be taken into custody by the ED after his CBI custody expires today. Meanwhile the national investigative agency has asked a Delhi court to extend their custody of Karti by another eight days. That hearing is scheduled for 2 pm today reported Times Now. We are willing to co-operate in every way and we also did so. I am worried about my arrest said Karti via his lawyer Kapil Sibal to the Supreme Court. Karti a son of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram was arrested last week on corruption charges and a day later remanded in CBI custody for five days that is until today. Yesterday he filed a writ petition in the SC challenging the ED and CBI probe into matters not mentioned in their FIR which is to do with allegedly dodgy approvals granted to a company called INX Media. He said in his writ petition in the SC that he has cooperated fully with the investigating agencies but that they are looking into matters unrelated to investment in INX Media. He further said the ED and the CBI were trying to drag him into matters not even mentioned in the FIR lodged by the CBI in May last year. The top court agreed to hear this petition today and then issued a notice to the ED and the CBI on the money laundering case registered against Karti. The apex court clarified though that the issuance of notice will have no bearing on any proceeding pending against Karti before a trial court or elsewhere. The SC scheduled the next hearing for March 8. Karti was arrested by the CBI last week on the basis of statements from INX Media promoters Peter and Indrani Mukerjea who alleged that they paid him over Rs 3 crore in bribe. The Mukerjeas claim that they were prompted by Karti s father P Chidambaram who as the then-finance minister was in charge of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board. The board is the nodal agency for granting approvals to companies to access foreign funds. Karti s counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi claimed his client he had no connection with the firm which allegedly received kickbacks. The arrest is motivated. He hasn t been given a single summon in the last 6 months Singhvi added. Singhvi contended that in connection with the May 2017 FIR the CBI has spent roughly 22 hours with Karti in August last year and no fresh summons were issued to him after August 2017 till today which shows the agency has nothing more to ask him. Read this story in Bengali
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that parliamentarians determining their salary and perks themselves was an moral and ethical issue and sought for data on how much amount was spent on pension and other facilities provided to former lawmakers. The apex court observed this while hearing a petition which has raised several questions including how MPs could themselves determine their salaries and perks and also sought scrapping of pension to them. Attorney General K K Venugopal told a bench comprising justices J Chelameswar and Sanjay Kishan Kaul that the Finance Bill 2018 contained provisions regarding salary and pension of MPs and also about revision of their allowances after every five years starting from 1 April 2023 on the basis of cost inflation index. Venugopal also referred to a judgement by a five-judge constitution bench of the apex court and said that the issues raised in the petitions were already being dealt with by the larger bench. Regarding the court s query on setting up of an independent mechanism for determination of salaries and allowances of the MPs the Attorney General said that elaborate procedure was already being followed for fixing the salary. During the hearing when an advocate representing one of the petitioners raised the issue of burden on the exchequer due to payment of pension and entitlement of several other facilities to former MPs the bench asked Do you have any data of how much amount has been spent on it? The lawyer said that they would place the data in this regard before the apex court. The counsel also contended that even after death of an MP his or her family members were entitled to pension for life. When the issue of MPs determining their salaries themselves was raked up the bench said it is a moral ethical issue. The second is propriety issue that they fix it (salary) themselves . The bench also dealt with the arguments advanced by the petitioners that pension was given to a MP even if he or she was elected to the House only for a day. It observed that several MPs have got successive tenures in the Parliament and they have dedicated their whole life . S N Shukla general secretary of petitioner NGO Lok Prahari argued in the court that earlier the MPs were entitled for pension after having a tenure of four years in the House but this has now changed and even if a person was elected as an MP for a day he or she was entitled for pension and other facilities. When the petitioners raised the issue of increase in the assets of lawmakers the bench this was already been dealt with by the top court. Regarding the arguments that lawmakers were not prohibited from carrying out their professional works including practice as advocates the bench said it would not be appropriate for us to comment on this is pending . The apex court observed that lawmakers were entitled for salary and allowances so that they could maintain themselves in a dignified manner and even after a sitting MP or MLA loses election he or she has to be in constant touch with the people and move around. The arguments in the matter remained inconclusive and the court has fixed the case for tomorrow. The court had last month directed the Centre to clarify its stand on setting up of an independent mechanism for determination of salaries and allowances of the MPs after the government had said the issue was under consideration . The apex court had in March last year agreed to examine the constitutional validity of laws granting pension and other perks to retired MPs and had sought responses from the Centre and ECI on the issue. The NGO has approached the apex court challenging the Allahabad High Court order dismissing its plea which had claimed that pension and other perks being given to MPs even after demitting office were contrary to Article 14 (Right to Equality) of the Constitution. The plea has also said that Parliament has no power to provide for pensionary benefits to lawmakers without making any law. It has also claimed in the plea that pension and other amenities granted to ex-MPs were unreasonable and sought withdrawal of such facilities while questioning various provisions of the law framed by Parliament.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has not even taken charge in Tripura and yet it has already run into its first controversy. Visuals emerged on Monday evening of people using a bulldozer to bring down a statue of Russian Communist leader Lenin in Belonia a town about 90 kilometres away from Agartala. Members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) alleged that the act with vandals yelling Bharat Mata ki Jai was carried out by BJP workers though the saffron party has denied it. Meanwhile violence was reported in a number of other places in the state forcing the imposition of section 144 which bars groups of more than three gathering in public places. Home Minister Rajnath Singh also spoke to Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy and the police and asked them keep a check on violence till a new government was formed in the state. Tripura Police said they arrested the man who was driving the bulldozer who has since been let out on bail. But the BJP while denying that the people involved were its workers have made various noises in an attempt to explain away the vandalism. BJP South District Secretary Raju Nath said that for years there has been resentment against this statue. Whatever happened in Belonia is the outcome of public fury said BJP spokesperson Subrata Chakraborty. BJP Member of Parliament Subramanian Swamy called Lenin a foreigner a terrorist of sorts and said the CPI(M) could well keep the statue in its office. BJP leader Ram Madhav tweeted a picture of the statue being brought down with his party s Tripura campaign slogan Chalo Paltai meaning let s change only to delete his post later.Tathagata RoyMost egregious was the response of Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy whose Twitter posts have frequently revealed blatant communal bigotry. As Governor Roy is responsible for overseeing the maintenance of law and order in the state particularly at sensitive times such as the transition between two governments. Instead of condemning the violence Roy seemed to justify it that too with problematic logic: What one democratically elected government can do another democratically elected government can undo. And vice versa https://t.co/Og8S1wjrJs Tathagata Roy (@tathagata2) March 5 2018 Remember the new BJP-run government in Tripura does not take charge until March 9. Moreover the BJP has clearly disavowed the move saying it was the public that was involved not BJP workers. So what democratically elected government could Roy be talking about? Indeed by choosing to condone the vandalism Roy is simply encouraging more violence and seeking to somehow explain it away by referring to public anger. That the person responsible for law and order in the state could espouse what amounts to a fascist stand forcing the Union Home Ministry to step in is grounds at the very least to ask if he remains qualified for the post at all though his past Twitter commentary should make it amply clear that the Centre is not bothered about his suitability. Conversation from the BJP and its supporters online has gone on to ask questions about Lenin and why his statue should be standing in India at all but this is an obvious diversion: Nobody is contesting the right of the new government to make decisions in a democratic legal manner even if the Left will feel miffed. The question here is whether Roy and the BJP are doing enough to prevent mob violence and vandalism or simply paying lip service to the idea of law and order while condoning the actions of the violent crowds anywhere. So far at least it seems like the latter holds true. Will of the mobThis majoritarian and frankly fascist viewpoint is dangerous especially if it spreads further as it seems to have in many other parts of the country. In the past Left governments that the BJP claims to oppose have espoused similar views. Over the last few years attacks on Muslims transporting cattle have for some time been defended as justifiable acts of violence against those offending Hindu sentiments . In Tamil Nadu the BJP has already said that statues of Erode Venkata Ramaswamy a massively popular Tamil thinker known as Periyar who is considered the founder of the Dravidian movement and a man hated by Hindutva supporters will be next. The danger of letting such statements go without condemnation and worse giving them oxygen and support is that it encourages an atmosphere of majoritarianism elsewhere. Consider the comments of Art of Living founder Ravi Shankar known to his supporters as Sri Sri in an interview to India Today this week. Shankar has for some time now been trying to be a peace broker in the Babri Masjid case involving the mob demolition of a mosque by Hindutva supporters who believe it stood over the birthplace of Ram. Whether this is connected to his desire for a Nobel prize Shankar has portrayed his approach to the dispute as the most reasonable. But in order to make the argument in his interview he told the news channel that whatever decision is taken by the Supreme Court which is hearing the land dispute at the moment could lead to a Syria-like civil war. If court rules against a temple there will be bloodshed. Do you think the Hindu majority will allow it? he said. The BJP has generally tended to dismiss Shankar s comments though the spiritual leader claims to have the support of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath known as Yogi to his supporters. Democratic not majoritarianNevertheless it is not just Shankar s effort that is misguided his argument also needs to be dismissed: The question is not whether the Hindu majority will allow it but whether the government those responsible for maintaining law and order will follow the decision of the top court of the land. Shankar is almost presuming that no one will listen to the Supreme Court and so the stakeholders in what is at the end of the day a legal dispute should commit themselves to an out-of-court settlement before things get out of hand. He may not mean it as a threat but that is what Shankar s comments sound like. Of course there have been many occasions in the past when mobs have been able to commit unspeakable crimes from the 1984 anti-Sikh riots to Babri Masjid to the Gujarat riots in 2002. But these have almost always been accompanied by explicit or tacit support from governments or major political parties. Where governments have been firm about shutting down violence something that Prime Minister Narendra Modi claims he accomplished in Gujarat after 2002 its impact has been minimised. This is the danger the BJP is flirting with by allowing majoritarian sentiments to be aired as if they are the norm. It may work in the party s favour at the moment but the mainstreaming of such ideas that mobs can decided what to do with public monuments or even be used to influence the way a legal dispute is decided is a threat to the very democratic fabric of the nation.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday asked Unitech to file a list of its unencumbered properties including that of its subsidiaries -- both in India and abroad -- as it again did not say anything on the bail plea by the real estate major s Managing Director Sanjay Chandra. ... the competent authority of the Unitech Limited shall file an affidavit mentioning the details of its properties and its subsidiaries situate in India as well as outside which are free from encumbrances the court said. A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud added: If the affidavit is not true proceedings shall be initiated under Section 340 of the CrPC. Under the section the court can record a complaint on the veracity of the documents produced before it. Meanwhile the court asked the Pioneer Urban Land and Infrastructure Ltd. to deposit Rs 40 crore -- Rs 30 crore by March 30 and remaining by April 5. The firm which is a partner of Unitech moved the court against the execution proceedings going on against the https://community.sony.com/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/503029 applicants before the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. The court said the execution proceedings shall be stayed subject to the applicants (Pioneer Urban Land and Infrastructure Ltd) depositing Rs 40 crore before the Registry of this Court . The money shall be distributed amongst the home buyers who have claimed refund in respect of the concerned project before the National Commission it said. The court said counsel Nikhil Nayyar appearing for those who have approached the National Commission seeking relief would provide their list to amicus curiae Pawanshree Agarwal so that he could tally them with the names in his portal. The Pioneer Urban Land and Infrastructure Ltd had pooled its land with that of Unitech and they were jointly executing project on the polled land the court was told. The court clarified: We may clarify that the proceedings shall remain stayed where there is collaboration of the applicants (Pioneer Urban Land and Infrastructure) with Unitech Limited. The other proceedings against the applicants (Pioneer Urban Land and Infrastructure) barring which is not covered by the collaboration agreement shall continue. The court also asked the Managing Director of JM Financial Asset Restructuring Company Ltd along with a competent officer to be personally present in the court March 12 -- the next date of hearing -- to answer the questions put by the court . It ordered this after senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi told the bench that the assets restructurings company was willing to finance Unitech s housing projects. The counsel for the JM Financial Asset Restructuring Company pleaded ignorance about his client willing to invest in the embattled company s housing project as being said by Rohatgi.

March 31 deadline for Aadhaar linkage may be extended: Govt to SC

NEW DELHI: The deadline for mandatory linking of Aadhaar to avail various services and welfare schemes run by the government may be further extended beyond March 31 the Centre indicated in the Supreme Court today. The Centre said that since some more time would be needed to conclude the prolonged hearing in the Aadhaar case the government may extend the deadline from March 31. A five-judge Constitution bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A K Sikri A M Khanwilkar D Y Chandrachud and Ashok Bhushan agreed with the contention of Attorney General K K Venugopal. We have extended the deadline in the past and we will extend the deadline again but we may do it by the end of month to enable the petitioners in the case conclude the arguments Venugopal said. The bench said It is a very valid point raised by the Attorney General and the court would not allow repetitive arguments made by the petitioners counsel in the matter. On December 15 last year the apex court had extended till March 31 the deadline for mandatory linking of http://newhive.com/kkmyntra/profile/feed Aadhaar with various services and welfare schemes. Earlier senior advocate Shyam Divan who had led the arguments challenging Aadhaar and its enabling Act said that the deadline of March 31 be extended as it was highly unlikely that the hearing in the case challenging the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar Act will be concluded. The deadline for mandatory linking of Aadhaar with various services and welfare schemes is March 31. This will have all India ramification as various institution would have to adjust themselves accordingly Divan said. Justice Chandrachud said even if the court reserved its verdict on March 20 the banks and other institution would have only 10 days left which might be difficult. The bench then called the Attorney General for assistance in the issue. At the fag end of today s hearing Venugopal appeared before the bench and made the statement about the possibility of extension of the deadline. Senior advocate Arvind Datar who argued against the Aadhaar scheme said it violated the fundamental rights of citizens. The hearing would continue tomorrow. Earlier on February 22 former Karnataka High Court judge Justice K S Puttaswamy had told the apex court that several deaths had reportedly taken place due to starvation on account of glitches in the Aadhaar-based public distribution system and the court must consider granting them compensation. He had urged the bench to consider granting compensation to those who had suffered on the ground of exclusion due to Aadhaar particularly the kin of the starvation death victims. Earlier the top court had observed that the alleged defect of citizens biometric details under the Aadhaar scheme being collected without any law could be cured by subsequently bringing a statute. It had said that the Centre came out with the law in 2016 to negate the objection that it was collecting data since 2009 without any authorisation but the issue which needed consideration was what would happen if the data collected earlier had been compromised.
To guard against unauthorised linking of mobile sim cards with the Aadhaar cards the Unique Identification Authority of India has asked the telecom companies to provide information to users regarding the sim cards linked with their Aadhaar card. The decision was taken after a string of reports emerged that some sim card dealers along with operators and agents were misuing the Aadhaar linking facility to issue new sim cards and reverify existing numbers according to a report in PTI. The UIDAI has warned telecom operators against such activities and asked them to roll out the new service to users by March 15. The last date for linking of Aadhaar with mobile sim cards is March 31 after which those who haven t linked their sim cards face disconnection. Apart from mobile disconnection those who haven t linked their Aadhaar cards with their bank accounts and PAN cards will not be able to use the services that come attached to it. They will face problems in filing tax returns and operating their bank accounts. Some of the other services where Aadhaar linking is needed are post office accounts for services like PPF and KVP and insuirance policies and mutual funds.
NEW DELHI: The UIDAI has directed all telecom operators to enable a facility that will allow subscribers to check the mobile SIMs which are linked to their Aadhaar number a step to guard against any unauthorised linking. The decision was taken after the UIDAI came to know about some retailers and agents of telecom companies allegedly misusing Aadhaar authentication facility to issue new SIMs or to re-verify mobile numbers other than that of the Aadhaar holder. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has now instructed telcos to ensure that their retailers or agents do not indulge in fraudulent activities related to unauthorised authentication transactions. It also asked the operators to have sufficient supervision to avoid any unauthorised authentication transactions. UIDAI CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey told PTI In order for people to know which mobile number is linked to Aadhaar all telecom operators have been asked to provide this service to their customers by March 15. The telcos have been asked to provide mechanism including SMS-based facility that will not only allow their subscribers to check whether their mobile number is linked with Aadhaar but also be informed about other mobile numbers issued or verified against their Aadhaar number. The telecom service providers will provide facility to their subscribers through channels such as customer care number email web portal SMS or app to report any unauthorised mobile number linked with their Aadhaar number. The telecom service providers have been asked to invalidate unauthorised linkings and initiate action in such matters. Sources said that instances had come to UIDAI s notice where multiple successful authentication transactions were being performed under the guise of failed authentication and the same was being misused for issuing new mobile SIMs or reverifying subscribers other than the Aadhaar number holder. In light of the above the telecom service providers are hereby directed to immediately take note of such misuse and curb the malpractices... the UIDAI said in its recent direction issued to telecom operators. With over 1.2 billion residents already enrolled for the Aadhaar -- the unique 12-digit number backed by fingerprints iris scans and certain demographic details -- the programme today is the world s largest biometric database. Aadhaar is required as an identity proof of residents by various government and non-government entities. For instance the government has made it mandatory for verifying bank accounts and PANs (which helps track tax filings) to weed out black money and bring unaccounted wealth to book. The same for cellphone SIMs has been mandated to establish the identity of mobile phone users. Against the 142.9 crore active mobile subscribers in 85.7 crore cases the mobile connections have already been linked with Aadhaar.
Aadhaar number and issue of invoice for sale of alcohol has been made mandatory for retail liquor vends in Haryana a top official said. Moreover no liquor sale will be allowed in around 200 villages on the request of panchayats in the state. While not raising the strength of liquor vends for 2018-19 the M L Khattar government proposed massive hike of about 57 per cent in excise duty on country liquor and up to 10 per cent increase on Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) which may lead to increase in liquor prices. In the new excise policy for 2018-19 unveiled here today the Haryana government proposed an 8 per cent increase in minimum retail price (MRP) of country liquor while preferring not to touch the MRP of IMFL. Haryana posted 13 per cent growth in excise and VAT revenue on liquor at Rs 5 682 crore over last fiscal s mobilisation despite the ban imposed by the Supreme Court on liquor vends within 500 meters of national and state highways an official said. For applicants L-2/ L-14 A which are retail vends Aadhaar card has been made mandatory. It will help in conducting the verification of applicants and check any shortcomings said Haryana Additional Chief Secretary (Excise and Taxation) Sanjeev Kaushal while talking to reporters here today. In another important move the excise policy also made mandatory for liquor vends to issue invoice for the sale of liquor to customers. Earlier the invoice was mandatory if the liquor sale was more than Rs 1 000. But now we have made compulsory for vends to give invoice to customers with every sale of liquor said Haryana ACS who was accompanied by the Excise and Taxation Commissioner Ashima Brar. Kaushal said the basic quota of Country Liquor (CL) has been raised from 950 lakh proof litres (PL) to 1 000 lakh PL and of IMFL from 550 lakh PL to 600 lakh PL. The number of retail outlets will remain the same as was in 2017-18 said ACS adding that the government had brought down the number of vends from 3 491 in 2016-17 to 2 323 in 2017-18. He said excise duty on CL has been increased from Rs 28 to Rs 44 per PL whereas on IMFL it has been increased from Rs 44-200 per PL to Rs 49-210 per PL. He informed that the MRP of CL had been increased from Rs 130 per bottle to Rs 140 per bottle. Asked what could be the impact on retail prices of liquor Kaushal said no increase in MRP of IMFL had been proposed. Manufacturers will look at their prices. But we do not expect them to change their prices (in case of IMFL) he said. To a query Haryana ACS said liquor will not be sold in as many as 198 villages which is the highest ever number of Panchayats whose request for not opening liquor vends was granted. During this year we received 500 resolutions passed by Gram panchayats against opening of liquor vends. However out of these 198 were found to be genuine he said. Kaushal said it has been decided that for environment protection the distilleries would provide 20 per cent quota in glass bottles for CL. To tighten noose around those involved in the practice of illegal sale and smuggling of liquor Kaushal said Haryana government has also decided to set up an Enforcement Wing headed by Excise and Taxation Commissioner (ETC). He said that the export duty on CL has been reduced from Rs. 1.5 to Rs. 0.50. Kaushal said Re 1 per bottle of CL IMFL or beer sold in the state would be utilised for the promotion of sports activities whereas Rs 3 Rs 5 and Rs 7 respectively for every bottle of beer CL and IMFL sold would be transferred to Panchayati Raj Institutions for development activities in the rural areas. The distribution of these funds would be in the ratio of 70:20:10 for Panchayats Panchayat Samitis and Zila Parishads. Apart from this keep in view the interest of the people it has been decided that the licence for serving liquor for one day during function at commercial places like banquet halls would be granted online he added.
A month before the expiry of the deadline around 80 per cent of bank accounts and 60 per cent of mobile connections have been linked with national biometric identifier Aadhaar according to a senior official at UIDAI. The government has mandated submission of the 12-digit unique identity number by every bank account holder by March 31 2018 to weed out unaccounted wealth. For the same purpose Aadhaar linking with income-tax permanent account number or PAN has also been made mandatory. By March 31 all mobile SIM cards are also to be linked with Aadhaar to establish the identity of mobile phone users. Out of the 109.9 crore banks accounts almost 87 crore have been seeded with Aadhaar said the official of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) which issues the national ID number. Of this 58 crore have already been verified while in case of the rest the authentication process is underway with the documents that have been submitted to the banks the official said. The official further said that as against the 142.9 crore active mobile connections 85.7 crore have already been linked with Aadhaar. When contacted UIDAI CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey told PTI: Yes about 80 per cent of the bank accounts have been seeded with Aadhaar and we hope that the remaining will be covered soon...Financial losses caused to banks and genuine account holders through identity frauds will be curbed. With over 1.2 billion residents already enrolled for Aadhaar -- a unique 12-digit number backed by fingerprints iris scans and certain demographic details -- the programme today is the world s largest biometric database. Aadhaar is required as an identity proof of residents by various government and non-government entities. While a five-judge Constitution bench is hearing a clutch of pleas challenging the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar programme as things stand today PAN bank accounts credit cards insurance policies mutual funds pension plans and social welfare benefits will have to be linked to Aadhaar by March 31 2018. To further safeguard the user and strengthen security the UIDAI recently announced a new concept of Virtual ID which an Aadhaar-card holder can generate from its website and give for various purposes including SIM verification instead of sharing the actual 12-digit biometric ID. The soon-to-be-introduced Virtual ID a random 16-digit number will give the users the option of not sharing their Aadhaar number at the time of authentication. Aadhaar has also announced that it will soon include face recognition alongside iris or fingerprint scan as a means of verifying the users helping those who face issues in biometric authentication or have worn-out fingerprints.
HighlightsDigiLocker is the same as eAadhaar issued by UIDAI UIDAI is as an issuer of digital Aadhaar in DigiLocker DigiLocker is aimed at the concept of paperless governance DigiLocker is a cloud-based platform for issuance storage sharing and verification of documents and certificates according to digilocker.gov.in. It is aimed at the concept of paperless governance and helps in securing lot of documents online and safe. Now DigiLocker also allows citizens to access their digital Aadhaar card number. Digital Aadhaar in DigiLocker is the same as eAadhaar issued by UIDAI(Unique Identification Authority of India). UIDAI is as an issuer of digital Aadhaar in DigiLocker said DigiLocker on it s official website.Digital Aadhaar in detailDigiLocker has partnered with UIDAI to make it available automatically to its users when they link their DigiLocker account with Aadhaar said DigiLocker. The advantage of digital Aadhaar is that it can now be used in the same way as any other DigiLocker document.Here are the steps to get eAadhaar in DigiLocker if you already have Aadhaar linked DigiLocker:1. Login to DigiLocker with your credentials2. Upon login to DigiLocker you will see a dialog box with a message to get your eAadhaar3. Click on Click here link. OTP box will appear in the dialog4. You will receive an OTP on your mobile number linked to Aadhaar. Enter this OTP in the OTP box and click Verify OTP button5. On successful validation of the OTP you will be redirected to Issued Document page where URI for eAadhaar will be listed CommentsClose X 6. Click on Save icon next to Aadhaar Card on Issued Document page7. Your eAadhaar will be saved to Uploaded Document section.
ALSO READ 5 Maoists held 4 Naxals arrested in Jharkhand CRPF jawan injured in Jharkhand encounter Chhattisgarh: CRPF soldier injured in encounter with Maoists CRPF Chhattisgarh Police attacked by naxals during patrol span.p-content div id = div-gpt line-height:0;font-size:0 Seven Maoists including four carrying rewards on their heads were arrested and a cache of arms and ammunition and over 300 adhar cards were seized by CRPF and the district armed police in raids since Monday in Giridih district of Jharkhand police said today. The raids took place in Akbaki village superintendent of police Surendra Kumar Jha said adding 13 firearms including AK-47 and INSAS rifles were seized in the raids. Among the others arrested Sunil Manjhi carries a reward of Rs 25 lakh on his head Geeta the lone woman Rs 15 lakh Charlie alias Shekhar and Sohan Bhaiya Rs five lakh each the police said. The firearms included a AK 47 rifle INSAS and SLR rifles hand grenades large quantity of live cartridges the police said adding more than 300 Aadhaar cards were also seized. Police have begun investigation following the seizure of the large number of Aadhaar cards. The raids are still on the police said adding it was led by additional superintendent of police Deepak Kumar and comprised of battalions from Cobra CRPF Jharkhand Jaguar besides the district armed police.(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
CHANDIGARH: Army recruitment officers (AROs) have started taking extra precautions while selecting candidates from Haryana after coming across a number of cases where aspirants used fraudulent means to join the forces. In the latest instance an officer in Charkhi Dadri district of Haryana has come across at least five instances where youths tampered with their Aadhaar cards and got recruited. According to information accessed by TOI the aspirants used the facility to make corrections in Aadhaar cards and either entered the details of their siblings or entered fresh educational qualifications obtained through the open school system to become eligible. Director ARO Charkhi Dadri Col A K Pillai has written a letter to the Charkhi Dadri deputy commissioner who is authorised to access Aadhaar data to get information about the five candidates who allegedly made illegal corrections. Pillai told TOI Ashok (name changed) was overage to participate in the army s recruitment process. So he used his younger brother Sandeep s documents to participate in the selection process... 17 cases of fraud in 2018; process on to file FIRs Pillai said As Aadhaar is mandatory for participation he made corrections in his Aadhaar card by adding the name and date of birth of his brother after providing necessary documents to the Aadhaar authority http://www.foodspotting.com/kkmobik. In other cases candidates procured fresh matriculation certificates from the open school system with a new date of birth and minor changes in name (like Rajbir Chaudhary would be changed into Rajbir Singh). Again they made a request for corrections in the Aadhaar database which is permissible by producing some documents and appeared for the selection process with fresh details. Their biometrics thus remained unchanged explained the officer. Pillai who is in-charge of recruiting youths from four districts including Dadri Mahendergarh Rewari and Bhiwani says they have found many cases of impersonation and cheating by local youths keen to join the army but making corrections in Aadhaar details is a new way to deceive authorities. Once I receive information on the five suspect cases I will start the process of registering an FIR he said. Candidates were also found to have procured PAN cards on the basis of changed details. ARO conducts one recruitment rally in a year to fill vacancies allotted by the Army headquarters. Around 20 youths were booked last year by the police for adopting various cheating methods in the selection process. As many as 17 cases of fraud have been detected this year and the process of filing FIRs has been started. In most of the cases the cheating was detected after the candidates were selected but had not yet joined the training centres.

Monday, 19 February 2018

Justin Trudeau, Modi no-show and the protocol conundrum

NEW DELHI: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to meet Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday after reaching out to him in an apparent attempt at pacifying him over the issue of his country s alleged abetment of Sikh radicalism. The Canadian envoy to India was despatched on Sunday to set up a meeting with the Punjab CM even as Trudeau spent the day with his family at the Taj Mahal ET has learnt. Trudeau is scheduled to be in Punjab on Wednesday for a visit to the Golden Temple. Singh tweeted on Monday: Look forward to meeting Canadian Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau in Amritsar on Wednesday. I m hopeful that this meeting will help strengthen the close Indo-Canadian business ties as well as the deep-rooted peopleto-people relations between our two countries. Look forward to meeting Canadian Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau in Amritsar on Wednesday. I m hopeful that this meeting will help strengthen the close Indo-Canadian business http://www.question2answer.org/qa/user/kkmobik ties as well as the deep-rooted people-to-people relations between our two countries. Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) February 19 2018 The Punjab CM had earlier accused Indian-origin members of Trudeau s cabinet of maintaining links with Sikh separatists and the issue threatened to loom large over the Canadian PM s ongoing visit as well as Indo-Canadian bilateral ties. Singh had refused to meet the Canadian defence minister Harjit Sajjan last year on the same grounds. The issue is expected to figure prominently in Trudeau s talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well when the two meet on Friday. On Sunday behind the scenes efforts were being made to extend an olive branch from the Canadian PM to the Punjab CM people aware of the development told ET. They said these efforts were led by the Canadian defence minister Sajjan whose links with Sikh radicals have been closely monitored in India. The Punjab CM had accused a number of ministers in the Trudeau cabinet of being sympathisers of Sikh radicals and he had been the most vocal in charging the Canadian government with stoking extremism among Canada s Sikh community. His comments found support from the security establishment at the Centre which has been closely following revival of Sikh radicalism on Canadian soil. India took note of Trudeau s appearances at events where Sikh separatist leaders were also present and the issue was raised in private conversations between Modi and Trudeau the people cited earlier said. A motion in the Ontario legislature last year to label anti-Sikh riots at the Golden Temple in 1984 as a genocide and recent decisions by more than a dozen Canadian gurdwaras to ban entry to Indian diplomats in their official capacity fuelled India s concerns over growing radicalism in Canada. Trudeau and his ministers including Sajjan had been seeking to allay India s concerns but without much success so far.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau s first official visit to India has not been the love fest many expected it to be. Instead it has led to speculation in the media both in Canada and India that the Indian government accorded him a lukewarm reception because of his alleged support of Sikh separatist Khalistani groups in his country.The speculation started when Trudeau was received at Delhi airport on Saturday night by Minister of State for Agriculture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. This was in stark contrast to Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally greeting global leaders on the tarmac with a bear hug as he did when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in January. Modi who is in Karnataka also did not meet Trudeau when the latter visited the prime minister s home state of Gujarat on Monday. The two leaders are scheduled to meet only on Friday at the end of Trudeau s week-long visit. The media also noted that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath did not greet the Canadian leader when he visited the Taj Mahal with his family on Sunday.However former Indian high commissioner to Canada Vishnu Prakash denied the government had snubbed Trudeau. In an interview to Scroll.in he said the government had followed protocol and extended all due courtesy to the visiting leader. But he admitted there was concern in India over the Trudeau government s wooing of Sikhs in Canada as this had emboldened Khalistani elements working against India.Edited excerpts from the interview:The fact that the Canadian prime minister was welcomed at the airport by a junior minister in the Narendra Modi cabinet seems to have prompted some commentary both in the Canadian press and the Indian media that this was a snub. How do you look at it?There is no snub whatsoever by any stretch of the imagination. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is an esteemed guest. He is on a state visit. He is here on the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he has been accorded all due courtesy as per protocol.Not just in India but the world over the standard protocol is that a minister of state receives a head of government while it is a cabinet minister in the case of a visiting head of state. India has accorded every courtesy and gone by protocol in warmly welcoming every guest.Be that as it may is everything alright between the Indian and Canadian governments in light of Trudeau s politics and what we see happening in Canada for example the Ontario Provincial Parliament s adoption last year of a resolution terming the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India a genocide?This relationship is important to both countries. We are both G20 countries Canada is also part of the G7. We have complementary economies we have similarities like democracy rule of law a vibrant diversity the Indian diaspora. The relationship is good. There are a number of areas where we are doing well. It is not just a one-issue relationship. The countries have invested a lot of political capital diplomatic capital It was important it is important and it continues to be important.On the other hand there is certainly concern in fact major concern in India about the nature of vote-bank politics in Canada. We are also a democracy a multi-ethnic society so we understand vote-bank politics. There is no difficulty whatsoever on the matter of the Canadian leadership cultivating segments of its own populace or in particular courting the Sikh vote within gurdwaras. This is all a part of politics in any democracy.What we are concerned about is that successive Canadian governments in general and the Liberal government headed by Trudeau in particular have gone beyond the needs of political arithmetic and have been courting or mollycoddling radical elements Khalistani elements in particular.And there are these incidents you mentioned: the Liberal government in the Ontario Provincial Parliament passing a resolution terming the 1984 riots a genocide Trudeau appearing on Khalistani platforms with Khalistani flags where known terrorists who have the blood of innocent people on their hands were eulogised. These are cause for concern because frankly Canadian soil is being used by Khalistani elements for anti-India activities.What about Canadian gurdwaras banning the entry of Indian officials in recent months? We did not see strong condemnation from anybody in the Canadian government.This is not the doing of the Canadian government but certainly radical elements have been emboldened. The great Sikh religion that is inclusive benign open to all ethnicities and communities is being hijacked by a very small section of Khalistani elements who control the gurdwaras in Canada. They not only control the gurdwaras but through that they corner a lot of the funds that devotees bring in and they misuse that money. They misuse that platform. It is for the first time that a place of worship a gurdwara is being declared out of bounds to Indian officials.The good news is that there are sober and influential Sikh voices in Canada who have distanced themselves from this approach and from that resolution. But certainly an emboldened section of Khalistani elements continues to make mischief.How do you see this play out when Trudeau meets Modi later this week?There is a shadow on the relationship. There is no doubt about it. But as I said this is not a one-issue relationship. On the matter of Khalistani elements operating out of Canadian soil we have been taking this up with our Canadian friends for a long time and at all levels. It has been taken up with Trudeau also.We would expect a friendly country to show more sensitivity to India s concerns and not allow anti-India activities or hatred and disaffection against India to be whipped up by just a few misguided elements who have made this their business because 99.9% of the Sikh diaspora is friendly towards India and considers India their cultural home. It is just a microscopic section of the diaspora that is doing what it is doing but in the last two to three years since the Liberal government came to power we find they are emboldened.In fact this small section is radicalising Sikhs and this is something we have shared with our Canadian friends too. At the end of the day if you radicalise Sikh youth who are all Canadian youth and give them unsheathed swords to brandish these are not good signs for any democracy or any liberal progressive society.In your understanding why is the approach taken by Justin Trudeau different from say his predecessor Stephen Harper?The Liberal government is courting the Sikh vote and there is no problem with this. If you look at Canadian politics the majority of Sikh votes have always gone to the Liberal Party which is seen as supportive of the community. But why this government is going beyond political needs and arithmetic is beyond me. I do not see them getting an extra bang for their buck but somehow they have decided they are also going to sup with the radicals. They give the radicals the oxygen of publicity by appearing on their platforms. They give them respectability and that emboldens them.I have served in Canada and am very fond of these wonderful people. But I do not understand why this pandering should be taking placeCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a gurdwara in Ottawa. (Credit: Reuters)You have been quoted as saying Canada has truly been a land of opportunity for the Indian diaspora . That needs to be noted as well. And much can be done to improve trade relations between the two countries.I call it the three Es of the relationship economic energy and education.On the economic front there is a lot of scope and things are happening. Canadian pension funds are very bullish on India investing between 12 billion and 15 billion Canadian dollars. And there are large companies like Brookfield and Fairfax Holding We are negotiating a deeper more comprehensive economic partnership agreement. This should boost our trade and economic relationship.Canada is an energy superpower and we need energy. Canada can gradually become a key element for India s energy security. We are already importing uranium from Canada.Similarly education. Imagine there was a 60% increase in Indian students going to Canada in one year in 2017. And for good reason: Canada provides quality education. We also routinely give three-year work visas to scholars who have graduated from Canadian schools. And it is not one-sided.A controversy is also brewing over the Canadian prime minister reportedly deciding to not meet Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh over the latter s remarks that members of Trudeau s cabinet have links with Khalistani separatists and then later extending an olive branch to Singh.The chief minister of Punjab is on record saying that it is an honour to receive the esteemed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada when he visits Amritsar. Going by media reports I read that the high commissioner of Canada was asked to go to Punjab to invite Amarinder Singh for a meeting perhaps with Trudeau. This is very much in keeping with the quality of the India-Canada relationship. We are very happy that the esteemed guest is visiting the holy city of Amritsar and the Golden Temple which is open to people of all faiths. And that is a very happy development.
Written by C. Raja Mohan | Published: February 20 2018 12:04 am Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes part in an armchair discussion at the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad India on Monday Feb. 19 2018. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP) That domestic politics often trumps the enlightened pursuit of national interest abroad is not news. In most countries especially democracies the cultivation of narrowly-based domestic constituencies for electoral reasons has its unfortunate consequences for the conduct of foreign policy. Delhi s perennial focus on elections of one kind or another makes its leaders quite sensitive to the domestic political considerations of India s foreign interlocutors. But Delhi is struggling to make sense of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau s political indulgence of Sikh extremists in Canada. To be sure Sikhs form a third of the Indian community in Canada of roughly 1.2 million or 3 per cent of Canadian population. That only a small section of Sikhs is hostile to Delhi makes Trudeau s approach truly baffling. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is more than eager to serenade visiting leaders in his home state Gujarat did not travel to Ahmedabad to be with Trudeau on Monday. This underlines the new cooling that is enveloping the relationship. On the face of it the Canadian PM s visit is indeed a valuable opportunity to clear the air on Trudeau s attitude towards Sikh separatism. But it is not apparent at the writing of this column whether he is ready to affirm a strong commitment to the unity and territorial integrity of India and dissociate himself from the Khalistanis. Trudeau s team has been sending conflicting signals even after he landed in India on Saturday. Delhi is disappointed that despite its repeated efforts including at the highest political levels to flag the question of Sikh separatism in Canada Ottawa has seemed reluctant to address India s concerns. Delhi however has rightly decided it must stay engaged with Trudeau who leads one of the world s top economies and is a member of the Group of Seven advanced nations. But Delhi has good reasons to keep its fingers crossed. It is entirely possible that Trudeau s visit instead of putting aside the Khalistan issue could end up aggravating the differences with India. Those with longer memories in Delhi worry that Trudeau s trip could turn out to be the worst diplomatic disaster in India since Queen Elizabeth s visit in 1997. Although the Queen came to India to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Independence a series of incidents ruined the visit. As the Queen travelled to Pakistan before arriving in India the foreign secretary of the Labour government Robin Cook told the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that London could help find a just settlement of the Kashmir dispute. At a moment when Jammu and Kashmir was on the boil Delhi was provoked into an outrage. Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral responded to the British offer to mediate by dismissing the United Kingdom a third rate power . When the Queen visited Amritsar to lay a wreath at the memorial for the martyrs of the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre her husband Prince Philip was quoted as saying the the number of deaths may have been exaggerated . A scuffle with the Indian media on the tarmac as the royal aircraft prepared to take-off at the end of tour wrapped up the troubled trip. Two decades later the Indian media is a much larger and far more challenging entity that can amplify even the smallest of Trudeau s missteps into a huge political controversy. Whether Trudeau s visit will help or harm bilateral relations is likely to be decided in Amritsar. Trudeau is scheduled to visit the Harmandir Sahib on Wednesday. One would have thought that Trudeau s meeting with Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh would send a clear political signal about Canada s rejection of Sikh extremism. After all the Khalistanis have especially targeted Singh. But there have been conflicting signals from Canada on whether Trudeau wants to meet Singh or not. Over the weekend Canadian media cited officials saying that Trudeau had no plans to meet with the CM. Later reports and Singh himself have suggested the opposite. It seems that efforts to arrange a meeting between the two are ongoing. It is indeed tragic that India-Canada relations have become a political hostage to the Khalistan question. What a fall from the exalted tradition of liberal internationalism that once bound Delhi and Ottawa. In the early years of the Cold War India and Canada sought to create political breathing room for middle powers in a fraught bipolar world. At the bilateral level civil nuclear collaboration between the two countries was a shining example of scientific internationalism during the Cold War. India and Canada did fall out when Delhi conducted a nuclear test in 1974 but their bitter arguments were at least about the principles of non-proliferation. It is a pity that Canada s vote-bank politics have grounded a relationship that was ready for take-off just before Trudeau s election. Modi and Trudeau s predecessor Stephen Harper had unveiled in 2015 a vision for strategic partnership that was to build on the many shared interests between the two countries. One can only hope that Trudeau and his team have the political will to put the partnership with India back on track and skill to navigate this difficult moment. The writer is director Carnegie India Delhi and a contributing editor on foreign affairs for The Indian Express . For all the latest Opinion News download Indian Express App More From C. Raja Mohan India Iran and a divided Middle East Awareness of Iran s domestic politics its involvement in multiple conflicts of the Middle East must inform Delhi s engagement .. As India looks west Delhi must come to terms with a changing Middle East and the opportunities it presents.. Turmoil in Maldives: What India must do Fixing other people s problems is never easy. But it is a burden of major powers especially in their region.. Tags: Justin Trudeau Kabir KabirFeb 20 2018 at 8:59 amWhat a foolish mistake this man Trudeau is making! Among Sikhs sympathisers for Khalistan are a small minority. Most Sikhs very much love India and all of India loves and respects Sikhs for the contributions they have made to the country. This Canadian PM has been badly advised. He needs better advisers. What a pity that they are ruining their relationship with India for inconsequential reasons. Meanwhile the Indian government is doing the right thing in trying in convey our displeasure with their strange stance.(0)(0) Reply Concerned PersonFeb 20 2018 at 8:56 amIt time to Charge Tradeau with sponsoring terrorism On June 23 1985 Air India Flight 182 was bombed midway in the sky as it was heading towards its destination - New Delhi. The flight took off from Montreal in Canada and was scheduled to stopover at the London Heathrow Airport. There were no survivors. All 329 people onboard the aircraft were killed. Majority of them were Canadian by nationality. Remembering the tragedy noted writer Khushwant Singh wrote in Outlook (November 15 2004) that among the worst (terror strikes) was the blowing up of Air India s Kanishka (June 23 1985) which killed all its 329 passengers and crew including over 30 Sikhs. Canadian khalistani murderers sponsored this cowardly dastartdly act of terrorism. Hold the imbecile thug Trudeau accountable for his policies.(1)(0) Reply Concerned PersonFeb 20 2018 at 8:12 amShould not have invited the imbecile canadian thug Trudeau without a public denounciation from him of khalistani terrorism. Remember Canadian Khalistani terrorists blew up a air plane murdering hundreds of innocents.(8)(0) Reply Rana AliFeb 20 2018 at 7:05 amCanada is a democracy where individual rights are respected. Not like India where minorities are insulted with hate speech by extreme elements on daily basis. Anyways what India has to to Canada in return for billions of dollars? More immigrants and nothing else.(2)(7) ReplyBBablooFeb 20 2018 at 7:30 amIf Trudeau loves the sikhs extremists so much why he doesnt give them land in Canda to build Khalistan there? As is India is land of filth and poverty .... no point doing anything here for the gora sahibs... just leave us alone with our fate... the goras can give khalistans (or whateveristan) on their land as much as they want....(7)(2) ReplyRana AliFeb 20 2018 at 8:28 amSikhs sacrificed immensely for India since 1947. What they asked for was autonomy for them in Punjab and in return they got state repression. In India they face jails and fake police encounters if they ask for their rights. But India should realize it can not force other democracies like Canada to use inhuman tactics on ethnic groups.(0)(1) Suren Singh SahniFeb 20 2018 at 7:04 amElements of extremism is prevalent in religion and communities .Sikhs have been hard done by the various Governments especially both the major parties have been involved in the massacre of innocents.If Justice is not served people lose faith and demand independence NE India Adivasis and Dalits are also fighting for Justice Kashmir last 70 years we have not resolved outstanding issues between two nuclear powers for the settlement of the dispute.By snubbing Canadian PM India has sent the message to the World and to our neighbours about the arrogance of the political elites.Why not a Single countries of SAARC like India ?(1)(14) Reply Load More Comments
08:41 (IST) Speculation about snub to Trudeau wrong: Govt sources Prime Minister Narendra Modi not receiving his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau at the airport a courtesy he extended to some world leaders in the past has triggered speculation in Canada that it was a snub to him for the rising Sikh radicalism in that country. However government sources strongly rejected the speculation insisting normal diplomatic protocol has been extended to Trudeau PTI reported. They also expressed surprise over the Canadian side preferring to schedule Trudeau s official engagements in Delhi at the fag end of the tour as against the normal practice of having bilateral meetings during the first part of such visits.
Justin Trudeau True North A less timid version of Justin Trudeau won t cut it. The NDP must be bolder To challenge the Liberals Jagmeet Singh will have to overthrow Canada s neoliberal consensus Martin Lukacs @Martin_Lukacs Mon 19 Feb 2018 23.29 GMT Last modified on Tue 20 Feb 2018 01.17 GMT Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email View more sharing options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Google Share on WhatsApp Share on Messenger Close NDP leader Jagmeet Singh talks with a passerby as he visits Alma in the riding of Lac St-Jean on October 10 2017. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo At the New Democratic Party s convention this weekend in Ottawa their new leader Jagmeet Singh declared the time to be timid was over. For a party whose shambling meekness in the last election let Justin Trudeau claim the mantle of progressive champion such a shift could not come sooner. That an opportunity exists to capitalize on enormous hunger for change is apparent. Trudeau harnessed it for his route to power only to betray it in office. The environmental Adonis transformed into an oil barons salesman. An electoral reform promise was broken with a shrug. Instead of a peace offensive we ve gotten a military spending spree; instead of novel social programs novelty socks. The agenda the NDP began unveiling this weekend however needs to become a whole lot bolder. Expanding healthcare to cover drugs and dental-care stopping pension theft and new privatizations closing tax loopholes and building affordable housing: this is an end to the disastrous right-wing slide of past NDP leaders but it s not nearly ambitious enough. For years they ve seemed to believe success depended on becoming indistinguishable from centrist corporate-friendly Liberals: the point now is to become demonstrably different. One problem is that the Liberals can claim they are already pursuing many of these policies or as in the case of pharma-care that it may soon be in their platform. But the main problem is this: it doesn t truly break with the neoliberal economic consensus in Canada that has devastated peoples lives and turned so many off politics. Massive tax cuts for the rich deregulation privatization corporate trade deals and more money for prisons and police: this elite agenda has dominated for nearly four decades. It is why two billionaires own as much as wealth as the bottom third; why wages for a majority have not budged; why corporations have been unshackled to treat the atmosphere like a sewage dump. And yet the population seems more clued in than any of the political parties: Trickle-down economics has been laid bare as a cruel hoax in the view of many Canadians. That s not a line from an issue of the Socialist Worker but from mainstream pollsters. None of neoliberalism s consequences is more insidious than the structural timidity it has entrenched. As the state s capacity for positive intervention has been shrunk political parties have withdrawn from proposing solutions that match the scale our crises. Policy has been eclipsed by a fixation on personality. It is folly to think Singh can succeed by playing into this trend rather than bucking it. Dapper suits boasts about boxing or wrestling skills hopey slogans making a show of public access to candid private moments: all of these are already found in Justin Trudeau s playbook. And while the discrimination Singh has faced is vital to share to show the need to combat racism in Canada his individual story can t become a stand-in for a collective vision: he has to be a pitchman not the product. What is firing people up around the world are not flashy personalities but far-reaching policies. It s a good start that Singh has rejected balanced budgets a destructive neoliberal mantra that has transfixed the NDP for a generation and allowed them to be out-flanked by Trudeau. So too is the refreshing fact that Singh has begun arguing the case for taxation. A bold and transformative agenda funded by taxes and historic government spending as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has demonstrated in the UK is not a risk in elections. It is a sure-fire recipe for success. A dramatic challenge to neoliberalism would be just as popular in Canada. The NDP could propose not merely to close tax loopholes but to hike the rates paid by the corporations and ultra-rich which haven t been lower since WW2. To expand healthcare but also create new public services: free tuition universal childcare and a public bank to supplant the predatory loansharks. To defend our deteriorating public infrastructure and to move to publicly own other sectors: energy railways or telecoms providers. To go beyond symbolic support for reconciliation to amplify concrete Indigenous demands for land restitution. And it is not the moment to address the crisis of climate change with prevarication and platitude. That is already the method of the governing Liberals. People are ready to vote for a clean and cooperative economy that unleashes good-paying jobs in renewable energy instead of stop-gaping an oil industry that is on the way out. The surest way to tell that a NDP agenda could massively lift ordinary people s prospects and electrify the public? A backlash from the media and political class. As organizers from Corbyn and Sanders campaigns shared on the outskirts of the convention this backlash only underlined their anti-establishment bonafides. The elite aren t too worried going by their current response: a murmur of self-serving approval for Singh s plans. The NDP has to realize that the howls of out-of-touch pundits would not be a mark of its failure but a guarantee of its promise. It s also how the party could inspire people to go door-knocking for it across the country. What was on display at the Ottawa convention - while larger younger and more diverse than ever - was a party still bent on controlling and managing the energy of its grassroots rather than empowering and channeling it. Widely-supported resolutions on free tuition and more democratic decision-making were resisted and could end up ignored; another on Palestinian rights was stifled completely. There was a similar dynamic when members voted in 2016 to study and engage with the Leap Manifesto: it generated a flood of enthusiasm and revived interest in the party before it was buried by the establishment. The vibrancy of a new generation of activists should not be squandered. If the NDP wants to revive their chances becoming a less timid version of Justin Trudeau won t cut it. They can t hem and haw within Canada s neoliberal consensus they have to overthrow it. Twitter: @Martin_Lukacs Topics Justin Trudeau True North Canada Americas blogposts Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Google Share on WhatsApp Share on Messenger Reuse this content
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family visit the Taj Mahal.Agra: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who arrived in India last evening on a week-long visit is traveling to Agra today to visit the Taj Mahal. Prime Minister Trudeau who is accompanied by his wife and three children left for Agra from Delhi at 9:00 am. He will be visiting the Taj Mahal at around 10:45 am following which the Canadian prime minister will return to Delhi by 3:30 pm. Justin Trudeau who is in India till February 25 will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 23. The objective of Prime Minister Trudeau s visit to India is to expand overall ties between the two countries with a focus on defence and security counter-terror cooperation trade and investment and tackling climate change. Both countries are also expected to deliberate on enhancing cooperation in the civil nuclear sector. A number of Justin Trudeau s cabinet colleagues including Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan Science and Sports Minister Kirsty Duncan and Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi are also visiting India. The ties between India and Canada have been rising steadily. Approximately 1.4 million Canadians are of Indian origin and India is Canada s second largest source of immigrants. Here are the Highlights of Canadian PM Justin Trudeau s visit to the Taj Mahal today: Feb 18 201818:44 (IST)Photos: Justin Trudeau Kicks Off India Tour With Family Visit To The Taj Mahal Photo GalleryNDTV.com Photo Gallery - Exclusive Photos collection brings you the latest news photos news pictures of your favourite celebrities the hottest Models photos Movie Stars images Film Stars photos top Cricketers photos pictures and the first pictures from breaking news. Feb 18 201814:44 (IST) On February 20 he will visit Mumbai where he will hold meetings with top business leaders and meet representatives of Indian Film industry to explore various opportunities in the field of cinema. On February 21 the Canadian PM will travel to Amritsar where he will visit the Golden Temple. He will return to Delhi the same day. The Canadian PM is scheduled to visit Jama Masjid and a cricket ground in the national capital on February 22 besides delivering a lecture at a gathering of Canadian and Indian business leaders. He will then hold wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Modi on February 23. The next day he is scheduled to address a conference of young change-makers before wrapping up his visit.Feb 18 201814:40 (IST) Besides his engagements in Delhi Prime Minister Trudeau will visit Agra Ahmedabad Mumbai and Amritsar. Officials said Jutin Trudeau s his visit to Gujarat will be the first by a Canadian prime minister. Feb 18 201814:36 (IST) This will be an opportunity for the prime minister to promote Canada-India cooperation on a range of issues and highlight Canada s support for a strong united diverse India and to further strengthen the vibrant strategic partnership said a Canadian diplomatic source.Feb 18 201814:36 (IST) In 2017 the two-way merchandise trade between Canada and India amounted to 8.4 billion split equally between exports to and imports from India ( 4 billion each).Feb 18 201814:35 (IST) The negotiators of both the countries met last week to overcome the hurdles in finalising the pact the sources said adding Canadian investments in India were around 15 billion in the last couple of years and a free trade pact will further encourage investors from that country.Feb 18 201814:33 (IST) On trade the sources said Canadian investments in India were likely to decline in absence of a mechanism to protect them and Prime Minister Trudeau and PM Modi may deliberate during their talks on February 23 on making forward movement in firming up the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between the two countries.Feb 18 201814:32 (IST) Ahead of Justin Trudeau s visit to India the national security advisers of India and Canada met in Delhi. The Canadian prime minister s visit is aimed at further boosting strategic ties with a focus on defence and counter-terror cooperation. The two NSAs prepared the ground for Justin Trudeau and Prime Minister Modi to intensify defence and security cooperation. India s concerns over rising Sikh radicalism in Canada are understood to have figured in the meeting held a couple days ago Canadian diplomatic sources indicated according to news agency PTI.Feb 18 201813:18 (IST)For me to be able to be here on an official trip while bringing my kids with me to share this is really special and being able to enjoy this as a dad with my kids is really nice: Canadian Prime Minister #JustinTrudeau on his Taj Mahal visit pic.twitter.com/P1k3q9sUdZ- ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) February 18 2018Feb 18 201813:17 (IST)Message by Canadian Prime Minister #JustinTrudeau in the visitor s book at Taj Mahal in Agra pic.twitter.com/8ku5zb15FP- ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) February 18 2018Feb 18 201813:16 (IST) Justin Trudeau writes in the visitors book at the Taj MahalFeb 18 201813:02 (IST) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and children visit the Taj Mahal in AgraFeb 18 201812:49 (IST) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family at the Taj Mahal in AgraFeb 18 201812:47 (IST)#WATCH: PM of Canada #JustinTrudeau along with his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and children Xavier Ella-Grace & Hadrien at Taj Mahal in Agra. pic.twitter.com/DqnxoTqfni- ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) February 18 2018Feb 18 201812:35 (IST) Ahead of the visit Mr Trudeau tweeted Wheels up for India and a busy visit attaching a photograph of his wife and three children boarding the aircraft.Wheels up for India and a busy visit focused on creating good jobs and strengthening the deep connection between the people of our two countries. pic.twitter.com/Jg6UmL9y4S- Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 16 2018Feb 18 201812:35 (IST) The cultural component of the visit is seen as an outreach to estimated 1.4 million people of Indian origin settled in Canada. India is Canada s second-largest source of immigrants.Feb 18 201812:34 (IST) Mr Trudeau s agenda is also expected to include a visit to the Golden Temple in Amritsar and Delhi s Jama Masjid and a cricket ground.Feb 18 201812:34 (IST) In 2017 two-way merchandise trade between Canada and India amounted to 8.4 billion split equally between exports to and imports from India. India was Canada s eighth largest destination for merchandise exports.Feb 18 201812:33 (IST) Counter-terror cooperation is also expected to be a key focus area. India s concerns over Sikh radicalism in Canada is understood to have figured in the meeting between the National Security Advisers of the two nations held a few days ago.Feb 18 201812:33 (IST) His bilateral meeting with PM Modi is scheduled for February 23 during which the two leaders are expected to focus on trade defense civil nuclear cooperation space tackling climate change energy and education.Feb 18 201812:33 (IST) Over the rest of the week Mr Trudeau will participate in business round-tables in Mumbai to promote trade investment and job creation. He will also meet representatives of Indian Film industry to explore opportunities in the field of cinema.Feb 18 201812:32 (IST) Tomorrow Mr Trudeau who is on his first state visit to India will fly to PM Modi s home state Gujarat. Besides a visit to Mahatma Gandhi s Sabarmati Ashram he will also visit the Akshardham Temple in Gujarat and lead a discussion at the Indian Institute of Management on Education and Investment Opportunities with students.Feb 18 201812:31 (IST) Mr Trudeau is accompanied by his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and children Hadrien Ella-Grace Margaret and Xavier James Trudeau. At the airport the family posed for cameras with folded hands in the signature Indian greeting of Namaste.Strategic partnership underpinned by shared values of democracy and pluralism! Namaste to the Right Honorable @JustinTrudeau Prime Minister of Canada as he arrives on the State visit to India from 17-24 February 2018. pic.twitter.com/hcPSLDm0kx- Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) February 17 2018Feb 18 201812:31 (IST) Yesterday Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was welcomed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport by Minister of State for Agriculture Gajendra Singh and Indian Ambassador to Canada Vikas Swarup.A high point for the High Commissioner to receive the Prime Minister of Canada on Indian soil. Aparna and I were delighted to welcome Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau at AFS Palam pic.twitter.com/f7ONqRZL0d- Vikas Swarup (@VikasSwarup) February 17 2018Feb 18 201812:30 (IST) The 46-year-old Canadian prime minister who once remarked that he had more Sikhs in his cabinet than PM Narendra Modi is accompanied by a chunk of his cabinet ministers. This trip he said was focused on creating jobs and strengthening the deep connection between the people of the two nations.Feb 18 201812:29 (IST) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family have reached Agra for a visit to the iconic Taj Mahal. The Trudeaus landed in Delhi last evening on a week-long visit to India that s expected to deepen ties as much with New Delhi as with Indians in Canada.No more content CommentsClose X
.story-content span .story-content p .story-content div color:#000!important;font-family: open sans Arial!important;font-size:15px!important span.p-content div id = div-gpt line-height:0;font-size:0 Push politics aside. Leave economics out. Even then Justin Trudeau s India visit is expected to make big headlines. The Canadian Prime Minister is no stranger to Indians having pulled stunts such as donning a pair of ducky rubber socks at Davos or rolling down stairs. Here s a partial list of the times the Canadian premier s acts went viral on social media. 1. When Trudeau Mansplained The Canadian PM came faced Twitteratti s ire last week after correcting a speaker to refer to mankind as peoplekind while speaking at a charity function in Canada s Edmonton. He was accused of mansplaining feminism to a woman. Later the premier was quoted as saying I made a dumb joke a few days ago that seems to have gone a little viral. It s a little reminder to me that I shouldn t be making jokes even when I think they re funny he added. The progressive leader of a conservative party chose a Cabinet with more than half female members. 2. Rubber Ducky Socks at Davos Justin Trudeau enlivened the dull and drab of World Economic Forum in Davos by sporting a pair of purple and yellow duck socks. He combined it with black shoes and a dark blue suit adding a quirky twist and inspiring the coinage of the term fashion diplomacy . However it was not the first time that he donned a wacky pair of socks https://www.torgi.gov.ru/forum/user/profile/478129.page. He wore a pair of Star Wars themed socks as he met International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde in September 2017. The premier also expressed his patriotism with a unique pair of Maple Leaf socks for Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Justin Trudeau on Pongal. Photo: Twitter 3. Pongal attire Tamilians in Canada were surprised to see Trudeau turn out in a veshti - their traditional attire. The premier uploaded photos of himself on Twitter and Indian tweeple as usual loved it. The Canadian Prime Minister was also seen donning a white Dhoti Yellow silk shirt and an angavastram . One feisty tweet quipped (@amitshah_ ) We want leader like you in India. Our current one is dictator. The Prime Minister had shared a video to wish Tamils in Canada and around the world a happy Pongal. In his address Trudeau said Tamil Canadians make important contributions to our country and help keep Canada open inclusive and strong. 4. Quantum Physics Trudeau was at the famed Perimeter Institute of Theoretical Physics when a reporter mocked him asking if he could explain quantum computing. Not the one to back out the premier gave an explanation that may not have been precise but was lauded by the scientific community. Scott Aaronson a noted quantum computing expert said: The widespread praise for this reply surely says more about how low the usual standards for politicians are and about Trudeau s fine comic delivery than about anything intrinsic to what he said. At a time when leaders like Narendra Modi and Donald Trump make unending errors while talking science the Canadian Prime Minister was celebrated on Twitter Facebook for displaying a genuine understanding of one of the biggest scientific issues of the day. 5. Trudeau s party trick The female heartthrob set heartbeats racing when he was seen falling down stairs during an interview. The 13-second clip shows the premier dressed casually in jeans and jacket theatrically roll down the wooden staircase head first. Later the Canadian premier clarifies that the comedy-tumble is one of his party tricks. Twitterati immediately latched on to the clip after the clip appeared in John Oliver s Last Week Tonight. The British comedian quipped But you cannot deny that it is somewhat satisfying to watch a soul-patch man named Justin with a French accent fall down some stairs. 6. Justin s break-up with Jennifer Aniston Ahead of his visit to India Trudeau found himself caught in a goof-up. The news about Jennifer Aniston s break-up with Justin spread like a wildfire on social media according to news agency ANI. Turns out Justin Theroux and Justin Trudeau s super-similar names are confusing people into thinking that Jennifer Aniston called it quits with the Canadian prime minister. While Theroux and Trudeau share lots of similarities such as same age belonging to famous families French-Canadian descent some major tattoos and the French-speaking skills - this goof-up has come out to be interesting. Justin Trudeau boarding his flight to India with wife and kids. Photo: Twitter Here is how Twitterati took it: One tweet read Ok wait this whole time i thought jennifer aniston was married to the prime minister of canada but i just realized she s married to justin theroux not justin trudeau . Another user tweeted Am I the only person living under a rock who didnt know about Justin Theroux and Jennifer Aniston being together and thought she was splitting from Justin Trudeau? . One user wrote At a glance I thought Jennifer Aniston had separated with Justin Trudeau the Canadian PM and was extremely confused for 30 seconds . Another wrote Read this as jennifer aniston and justin trudeau was disappointed read it correctly am more disappointed . 7. Mayurasana and Vrikshasana Justin Trudeau can perform one of the toughest yoga poses- the peacock pose or Mayurasana. A photo posted by yoga teacher David Gellineau went viral on social media a year after he became Prime Minister. It is said he inherited this prowess from his father. The pose is associated with Indian folklore based on the theme of peacocks destroying snakes that represent human flaws. Trudeau and his wife also did a tree pose or the Vrikshasana in 2015 at a community event. Justin Trudeau celebrating Diwali in Ottawa. Photo: Twitter ( @Justin Trudeau) 8. Diwali Mubarak Trudeau came under fire when he greeted Tweeple with Diwali Mubarak . However he made up for the so-called gaffe with his sartorial choice on the occassion. He turned out in a black sherwani at a cultural event organised by the Indian community in Ottawa. Diwali Mubarak! We re celebrating in Ottawa tonight. #HappyDiwali! pic.twitter.com/HBFlQUBhWX Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) October 17 2017
KOLKATA: Canada today sought Indian investments in the billion-dollar infrastructure sector roadmap of that country over the next 10 years. We see opportunity for Indians participating in the Canadian 180-billion dollar infrastructure (10-year) roadmap Canadian Minister for Infrastructure and Communities Amarjeet Sohi said here today. The areas of infrastructure development include public transit trade corridors port and airport he said after an interaction with members of the Indian Chamber of Commerce. Sohi said Indian investment in Canadian infrastructure is low at present but has the potential to increase. He is part of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau s current India visit which will focus on job creation and strengthening of ties between the two nations. Sohi said he is hopeful that bilateral trade between India and Canada will grow further. Different Canadian funds have so far invested about 10 billion Canadian dollars in India.