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PM Modi lays foundation stone of Tata-Airbus C-295 transport aircraft manufacturing facility in Vadodara

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ANI
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PM Narendra Modi Gujarat Tata Airbus Project
Image: PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a visit to Gujarat, laid the foundation stone of C-295 transport aircraft manufacturing facility in Vadodara today.

PM Modi was felicitated and presented with a memento by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Tata Sons chairperson N Chandrasekaran at the occasion.

The C-295 transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force will be manufactured by Tata-Airbus, said Defence Ministry officials.

Apart from making 40 aircraft, this facility at Vadodara would be manufacturing additional aircraft for Air Force requirements and exports, as per Defence Secretary Aramane Giridhar.

Speaking on the occasion, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, “Today, for the first time in the country, the foundation stone of an aircraft manufacturing facility is being laid by the private sector. It is certainly a matter of pride for the defence sector as well as for the entire country.”

“It is not just a foundation stone but a milestone in the defence sector’s ‘Atmanirbharta’ journey. C-295 aircraft manufactured at this facility will be state-of-the-art aircraft with superior capabilities and global standards. It will significantly enhance the logistic capability of Indian Air Force,” Singh added.

With the launch of the C295 aircraft manufacturing facility, India will enter an illustrious league of about only a dozen nations with the capacity to manufacture military transport aircraft. -Currently, the US, Japan, UK, Russia, France, Italy, Spain, Ukraine, Brazil, China, and Japan has that capacity.

Tata-Airbus combine had said that C-295 manufacturing is “the first Make in India aerospace program in the private sector involving the full development of a complete industrial ecosystem; from manufacture to assembly, test and qualification, to delivery and maintenance of the complete lifecycle of the aircraft.”

Under the terms of the deal, 16 C-295 aircraft are scheduled to be delivered between September 2023 and August 2025 in flyaway condition, while the remaining 40 aircraft will be manufactured at the Vadodara facility.

In another first, “indigenous content in the planes will be the highest ever in India, and 96 percent of the work that Airbus does in Spain will now be done at the new facility.”

The Defence Ministry said this project “offers a unique opportunity for the Indian private sector to enter the technology-intensive and highly competitive aviation industry. It will augment domestic aviation manufacturing resulting in reduced import dependence and expected increase in exports.”

Further, 13,400 parts, 4600 sub-assemblies and all significant component assemblies will be manufactured by 25 domestic MSME suppliers spread across seven states.

All these 56 aircraft will be fitted with an indigenous electronic warfare suite developed by Bharat Electronics Ltd and Bharat Dynamics Limited.

As per the Allied Market Research report, the military transport aircraft industry is set to reach USD 45 billion industry size by 2030. Tata-Airbus facility is due to complete its IAF commitment by 203 products and start exporting its products to other nations as well.

Given the fact that the military transport aircraft industry is much more robust and technologically advanced machine than commercial airliners, C295 manufacturing will open up prospects for the development of domestic commercial aircraft manufacturing will pick up.

Indian airline companies are one of the biggest buyers of commercial aircrafts with an ever-expanding order book of 1,100 aircraft since 2011.

Demand for commercial aircraft coupled with the C295 aircraft manufacturing facility and associated supply chain will create the required ecosystem to support the development of the commercial aircraft manufacturing industry in India.

The Vadodara facility will be initially geared to manufacture 8 aircraft per year, but it has been designed such that it can also cater to the additional needs of Indian armed forces or exports.

As per Defence Ministry, following the delivery of 56 aircraft to IAS, the combine will be allowed to sell India-built C295 aircraft to civil operators and to countries cleared by the government. It is believed that the Vadodara facility will replicate the success of Brahmos in missile exports.

Big boost to the Make in India: India has embarked on a massive transformation of its defence sector through the ambitious Make in India program of the Modi government.

Several projects for the domestic manufacturing of various defence platforms like missiles, field guns, tanks, aircraft carriers, drones, fighter planes, tanks, and helicopters are currently underway and are fulfilling the defence modernization needs of the Indian armed forces. However, military transport aircraft was one of the critical missing links in the entire defence industrial complex chain.

The JV between Tata and Airbus has plugged that missing piece and will significantly boost the Make in India program of the Narendra Modi government.

The Indian Armed forces will no longer have to depend on the old Avro planes of the 1960 generation for their transportation needs.

car bombing attack in Somalia, at least 100 killed

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PTI
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Somalia car blast
car bombing attack in Somalia, at least 100 killed 3

 Somalia’s president says at least 100 people were killed in Saturday’s two car bombings at a busy junction in the capital and the toll could rise in the country’s deadliest attack since a truck bombing at the same spot five years ago killed more than 500.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, at the site of the explosions in Mogadishu, told journalists that nearly 300 other people were wounded. “We ask our international partners and Muslims around the world to send their medical doctors here since we can’t send all the victims outside the country for treatment,” he said.

The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group, which often targets the capital and controls large parts of the country, claimed responsibility, saying it targeted the education ministry. It claimed the ministry was an “enemy base” that receives support from non-Muslim countries and “is committed to removing Somali children from the Islamic faith.”

The group usually doesn’t make claims of responsibility when large numbers of civilians are killed, as in the 2017 blast, but it has been angered by a high-profile new offensive by the government that also aims to shut down its financial network.

Somalia’s president, elected this year, said the country remained at war with al-Shabab “and we are winning.”

The attack in Mogadishu occurred on a day when the president, prime minister and other senior officials were meeting to discuss expanded efforts to combat violent extremism and especially al-Shabab. The extremists, who seek an Islamic state, have responded to the offensive by killing prominent clan leaders in an apparent effort to dissuade grassroots support for the offensive.

The attack has overwhelmed first responders in Somalia, which has one of the world’s weakest health systems after decades of conflict. At hospitals and elsewhere, frantic relatives peeked under plastic sheeting and into body bags, looking for loved ones.

Halima Duwane was searching for her uncle, Abdullahi Jama. “We don’t know whether he is dead or alive but the last time we communicated he was around here,” she said, crying.

Witnesses to the attack were stunned. “I couldn’t count the bodies on the ground due to the (number of) fatalities,” witness Abdirazak Hassan said. He said the first blast hit the perimeter wall of the education ministry, where street vendors and money changers were located.

Delhi CM Kejriwal told the reason behind liquor policy loss

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ANI
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Delhi Excise Policy AAP Arvind Kejriwal
Image: PTI

Amid row over Delhi’s excise policy, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is on a visit to Gujarat on Sunday, said that Rs 4,000-5,000 crore was going to be generated from the policy, but there was a loss in revenue due to the intervention of Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena.

“Excise policy of AAP was supposed to generate revenue of Rs 4000-5000 crore but just two days before its implementation LG made many changes to it due to which 300-400 shops could not be opened. Their license fees and revenue did not come. This is the reason behind less revenue,” Kejriwal told media persons here.

This came after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla slammed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the RTI’s new disclosures in the matter of the Excise Policy scam case.

Poonawalla alleged that the ‘New Liquor Policy of AAP’ caused a huge loss. He said that in 288 days, there has been a loss of Rs 2,000-2,300 crore.

“AAP’s New Liquor Policy caused a loss of almost Rs 2000-2300 crore. The previous liquor policy had earned Rs 768 crore in September alone which means nearly Rs 25 crore per day, while the new policy could earn Rs 5,036 crore in 7.5 months meaning Rs 14.4 crore a day,” BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said underscoring that the new policy should have garnered profit instead of bearing a loss of Rs 8 crore per day.

Poonawalla further alleged that this was the ‘tip of the iceberg’ and said that “Sharab ghotaala” was much bigger than this. Apart from this, there are many other losses due to the corruption and commissions taken by the AAP leaders and middlemen to make “Sharab policy for the Sharab mafia,” he alleged.

He further accused the AAP government of using this money in the Punjab elections and said it is now being used for Gujarat. The elections in Gujarat are slated to be held soon, for which the political parties are pressing hard to register a victory.

The BJP spokesperson further said whenever questions are raised about Liquor policy, the AAP diverts the matter or starts “playing the victimhood card”.

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Terming the new excise policy by the AAP government in the national capital as “Paapkari”, Poonawalla said that “AAP ka Paap has been exposed.”

The matter came to light when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided the residence of Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia on August 18, in connection with the alleged scam in the implementation of the Delhi government’s liquor policy, which now stands withdrawn. Sisodia was among 15 others booked in an FIR filed by the CBI.

Excise officials, liquor company executives, dealers, some unknown public servants and private persons have been booked in the case.

Sisodia, in charge of the excise department, has been under the scanner for alleged deliberate and gross procedural lapses which provided undue benefits to the tender process for liquor licensees for the year 2021-22. The excise policy was passed in chief minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi Cabinet in the middle of the deadly Delta Covid-19 pandemic in 2021.

The Delhi government’s version is that the policy was formulated to ensure the generation of optimum revenue, eradicate the sale of spurious liquor or non-duty paid liquor in Delhi, besides improving user experience.

The CBI had filed a case against alleged corruption in the 2021-22 excise policy. The excise policy was subsequently withdrawn by the AAP government. Sisodia was among 15 others booked in an FIR filed by the CBI.

Excise officials, liquor company executives, dealers, some unknown public servants, and private persons were booked in the case. It was alleged that irregularities were committed including modifications in the Excise Policy and undue favors were extended to the license holders including waiver or reduction in license fee, an extension of L-1 license without approval, etc.

Halloween Horror: Death toll in Seoul stampede rose to 151

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ANI
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South Korea Seoul Stampede Halloween Party
Image: Reuters

The death toll in the horrific Seoul Halloween stampede rose to 151, with 19 of them identified as foreigners, South Korea’s news agency reported citing fire authorities.

During a briefing, Choi Seong-beom, the head of the fire department in Yongsan, said the death toll from Saturday’s accident rose to 151, which included 19 foreigners.

Their nationalities include those from Iran, Uzbekistan, China and Norway, Choi added. The agency also reported that the victims in their 20s accounted for the age group most affected by the horrific Seoul Halloween stampede.

Moreover, the agency, citing the Seoul metropolitan government, said Sunday it has received about 270 reports of missing persons related to the deadly stampede during Halloween parties in the Itaewon district.

At least 151 people were killed and 76 others were injured after a deadly stampede during Halloween celebrations in Seoul’s Itaewon district on Saturday at 10:20 pm (13:20 GMT), agency reported citing the officials.

The incident reportedly occurred after a large group of people rushed to an Itaewon bar after hearing an unidentified celebrity visited there, local media reported.

Social media footage showed several people being assisted by rescue officials and private citizens at the scene, and numerous ones performing CPR on people lying in poor condition on the streets. The packed Halloween festivities in South Korea’s capital of Seoul took place after covid restrictions were removed, the local officials said.

The festivities marked the participation of more than a lakh visitors and the number of casualties is only expected to rise. Emergency officials received at least 81 calls from people with breathing difficulty, “South Korea’s News Agency reported.

A large crowd pushed forward on a narrow street during Halloween festivities, resulting in dozens needing first aid. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered the dispatch of the emergency medical team to the area and said hospital beds should be prepared to minimize casualties, his office said.

Numerous people had trouble breathing when the chaotic stampede occurred as dozens were seen giving CPR to people lying lifeless on streets post-incident. South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol presided over an emergency response meeting Sunday over the deadly stampede, as per the officials.

“Shortly after the accident, Yoon came to the presidential office in Yongsan and presided over a response meeting related to the Seoul Itaewon Halloween accident,” the presidential office said.

“The top priority is transporting and rescuing the patients and providing prompt medical treatment for the affected people,” local media reported quoting Yoon as saying.

Authorities are still looking into the exact cause of the accident as the investigation is underway. Emergency forces were dispatched following the crowd surge which resulted in fatalities. Firefighters and police officers also reached the Itaewon neighbourhood in Seoul to bring the situation under control.

The central govt is working to providing 10 lakh jobs: PM Modi

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PTI
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi Rozgar Mela
Image: PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said his government was working on providing ten lakh jobs.

In a video message to a `Rozgar Mela’ (employment fair) organized by the Gujarat government here, he also said that the number of government jobs for the youth will rise.

As many as 5,000 persons got appointment letters from the Gujarat Panchayat Service Board while 8,000 persons were given appointment letters by the Gujarat Sub Inspector Recruitment Board and Lokrakshak Recruitment Board during the event, held ahead of Assembly elections in the BJP-ruled state. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel distributed the appointment letters.

“On the auspicious day of Dhanteras, we held a Rozgar Mela at the national level where we distributed appointment letters to 75,000 candidates,” PM Modi said in his address.

Such Melas will continue to be organized at the national and state levels in the coming months, he said.

“The Central government is working on providing ten lakh jobs, and the states and Union territories are also getting associated with the campaign. The number of government jobs given to the youth will rise significantly,” he said.

“Your appointment will hugely reinforce the campaigns for last-mile delivery and saturation of coverage of government schemes,” he told the new recruits.

Modi credited the new industrial policy of Gujarat for creating job opportunities and praised reforms like the abolition of the interview process for Class 3 and 4 government posts.

“Our goal is to make India a developed nation by 2047. The next 25 years are very critical for the country. We need a lot of development and you should fulfill your duty to society and the country,” he said.

He was informed that in 2022 the Gujarat government has almost met its target of giving 35,000 government jobs in a year, the prime minister said.

SRA Flat Scam: Ex-Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar denies allegations by Somaiya

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ANI
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Mumbai SRA Flat Scam Kishori Pednekar
Image: PTI

The Mumbai Police has interrogated former Mayor and Shiv Sena (Thackeray faction) leader Kishori Pednekar in connection with the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scam case which involves the complaint of at least nine people alleging ‘no flats in exchange for their money.

“A total of nine people had filed a complaint that money was taken in the name of getting SRA flats, but did not receive them,” the Mumbai Police said adding that Dadar Police have arrested a close aide of former Mayor Kishori Pednekar.

According to the police, Pednekar has not been named in the FIR so far. BJP leader Kirit Somaiya has alleged the Former Mumbai Mayor of possessing six SRA flats at Gomata Janata SRA Worli, reacting to which she said that she would put a lock on its door if she found any shop or the residence in her name.

“Despite the SRA has already said that I do not have any role in this case, Kirit Somaiya continues to make false allegations. The media can speak to the chairman and security of this society and if any shop or residence is claimed to be in my name, I will put a lock at it,” former mayor of Mumbai Kishori Pednekar said.

She further gave an ultimatum of seven days to conduct the inquiry and said that she lives here in this society on rent. “Do inquiry within 7 days; I stay here on Rent. Is it illegal to stay on rent? What kind of politics is it that I have been called for an inquiry at Dadar police station? You have the power of Central government,” she said expressing her faith in the police and the constitution.

Pednekar has also written a letter to the CEO of SRA to conduct inquiry within seven days.

She further said that she doesn’t like when here name is taken with the four persons arrested in the case and if required, she can produce her bank statement to the police.

This has come freshly as a new problem of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) after the arrest of Sanjay Raut in Patra chawl land scam case. Raut was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on August 1 in connection with alleged financial irregularities in the redevelopment of the Patra Chawl in suburban Goregaon in Mumbai.

On June 28 this year, Sanjay Raut was summoned by the ED in connection with the prevention of the money laundering case pertaining to the Rupees 1,034 crore Patra Chawl land scam. Back in August, the wife of Shiv Sena MP was also summoned by the agency in connection with the Patra Chawl land case.

The MP’s wife Varsha Raut was summoned by the central agency after the ED officials raided the Shiv Sena leader’s home, who is also a close aide of former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, and after detaining and questioning him (Sanjay Raut) for several hours, arrested him.

The people aware of the matter had said that the ED officials seized Rs 11.50 lakhs of unaccounted cash from his residence during the raids. Soon after the ED officials detained him in connection with the Patra Chawl land scam case, the Shiv Sena leader said that he “won’t be cowed down”.

In April this year, the ED had attached immovable properties worth Rs 11.15 crore, including a flat at Dadar, held by Sanjay Raut’s wife Varsha and eight land parcels at Kihim near Alibag, jointly held by the latter with Swapna Patkar.

India to contribute USD 500,000 to United Nations Trust Fund for Counter Terrorism: EAM S Jaishankar

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ANI
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EAM S Jaishankar UNSC Counter Terrorism
Image: ANI

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said that India will contribute USD 500,000 to the United Nations Trust Fund for Counter Terrorism this year to aid capacity-building support to member states in combating terrorism.

He made this announcement during his keynote address at the plenary session of the UNSC special meeting of the Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) on ‘Countering the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes’ in New Delhi today.

Addressing the UNSC’s special meeting in the national capital, Jaishankar said, “India will be making a voluntary contribution of half a million dollars to the UN Trust Fund for Counter Terrorism this year to augment the efforts of Office of Counter-Terrorism in providing capacity-building support to member states in preventing and countering the threat of terrorism.”

In his address, minister Jaishankar highlighted the global threat of terrorism is growing and expanding, particularly in Asia and Africa, despite the UN Security Council’s (UNSC) best efforts to combat the “gravest threat to humanity”.

“Terrorism remains the gravest threat to humanity. The UN Security Council in the past two decades has evolved an important architecture built, primarily around the counter-terrorism sanctions regime to combat this menace. This has been very effective in putting the countries on notice that had turned terrorism into a state-funded enterprise,” he said.

“Despite this, the threat of terrorism is only growing and expanding, particularly in Asia and Africa, as successive reports of 1267 sanctions committee monitoring reports have highlighted,” he added.

India is hosting the two-day anti-terrorism meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The ongoing meeting in Delhi is being held under India’s chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC).

Jaishankar told CTC members that their presence in Delhi at the special meeting demonstrates the importance that the UNSC member states and a wide range of stakeholders, place on this critical and emerging facet of terrorism.

The ministry of external affairs (MEA) said that UNSC members, including the 15 present and 5 incoming, leading experts from the UN’s operational partners and specialized agencies come together to discuss threats posed by the use of technologies for terrorist purposes.

“The Special Meeting opened with a Plenary Session that saw remarks by FMs of Gabon, Ghana, India and UK, deputy FMs of Albania and UAE as well as senior UN officials,” MEA tweeted.

“To be followed by thematic briefings on the misuse of three focus technologies: Information and Communication Technologies New payment technologies and fundraising methods Unmanned aircraft systems, including drones,” the ministry added.

Gujarat: committee to implement Uniform Civil Code likely in state soon

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ANI
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Gujarat Government Uniform Civil Code
Image: PTI

Ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls in Gujarat, the state government is likely to move a proposal to constitute a committee to evaluate implementing the Uniform Civil Code in the state, according to sources.

The committee is likely to be formed under a retired High Court judge. Earlier the Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh governments had announced their decision to implement the Uniform Civil Code.

Uniform Civil Code is a proposal in India to formulate and implement personal laws of citizens which apply to all citizens equally regardless of their religion, gender and sexual orientation. Many political leaders have backed the UCC saying that it will bring equality in the country.

However, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has termed it “an unconstitutional and anti-minorities move”, and called the rhetoric for bringing the law an attempt by Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Central governments to divert the attention from the concerns of inflation, economy, and rising unemployment.

Notably, in Bharatiya Janata Party’s 2019 Lok Sabha election manifesto, BJP promised the implementation of UCC if it comes to power.

The Centre earlier this month told the Supreme Court that it could not direct Parliament to frame or enact any law on Uniform Civil Code in the country.

The Ministry of Law and Justice in its affidavit stated that the matter of policy is for the elected representatives of the people to decide and no direction in this regard can be issued by the Centre.

“It is for the legislature to enact or not to enact a piece of legislation,” the ministry told the apex court.

Notably, in Bharatiya Janata Party’s 2019 Lok Sabha election manifesto, BJP promised the implementation of UCC if it comes to power.

Maharashtra: Ajit Pawar slams state govt after losing major projects

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ANI
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Maharashtra Ajit Pawar Tata Airbus Project
Image: PTI

Maharashtra’s former Deputy Chief Minister and currently the leader of the opposition Ajit Pawar criticised the Shinde-Fadnavis government after the state lost the Tata Airbus project to Gujarat.

“Despite having 100 times more conducive environment for the business in the state compared to other states, still we are losing the projects,” he said.

Pawar took a swipe at the Shinde-Fadnavis government calling their claims to be erroneous. “After Vedant Foxconn went to Gujarat, they went to Delhi, I don’t know what happened there but the Shinde-Fadnavis government had promised bigger projects to entire the state, instead the state lost the Tata Airbus project as well,” he said.

He further added that one needs to understand that if parties continue to blame each other, then people would lose faith.

Earlier on Friday, former Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray took a dig at the Shinde-Fadnavis government after the ‘Tata Airbus Project’ moved to Gujarat from Maharashtra and said that the industry has no faith in the “Khoke government”.

Earlier on Thursday, the Defence Officials informed that the C-295 transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force will be manufactured by Tata-Airbus at Vadodara in Gujarat.

“Since July, I have been continuously demanding that ‘Tata Airbus project’ should not be moved out of Maharashtra. But it happened again. Why are the projects in Maharashtra going out for the last three months? ” Thackeray tweeted.

Thackeray further lambasted the double-engine government and said that the state government engine has failed even if the Centre is doing well but the state government has failed miserably.

“It can be seen that the industry has no faith in the Khoke government. Now even after 4 projects escape from Maharashtra, will the Industries Minister resign? ” he tweeted.

The scathing attack comes after the states lost multiple projects like the Vedant Foxconn project. “While we were in power in the state and BJP at the Centre, we brought investment of Rs 80,000 crore from Davos and Rs 6.5 lakh crore investment during the Covid period,” he said.

He further expressed that he isn’t unhappy the project is going out of Maharashtra. “The question is why isn’t the government doing anything to bring it to the state? Chief Ministers of other states are coming to Maharashtra to hold meetings and summits with investors, but when our CM went, he went for himself,” Thackeray added.

Former Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray alleged that the CM went to Delhi only for himself and said, “CM Eknath Shinde did not discuss Maharashtra and the various project”.

“Threat of terrorism is only growing and expanding…” says, EAM Jaishankar at UNSC meeting

By
ANI
-
EAM S Jaishankar UN Security Council Terrorism Threat
Image: PTI

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday highlighted the global threat of terrorism is growing and expanding, particularly in Asia and Africa, despite the UN Security Council’s (UNSC) best efforts to combat the “gravest threat to humanity”.

Addressing the UNSC’s special meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee in the national capital, Jaishankar said, “Terrorism remains the gravest threat to humanity. The UN Security Council in the past two decades has evolved an important architecture built, primarily around the counter-terrorism sanctions regime to combat this menace. This has been very effective in putting the countries on notice that had turned terrorism into a state-funded enterprise.”

“Despite this, the threat of terrorism is only growing and expanding, particularly in Asia and Africa, as successive reports of 1267 sanctions committee monitoring reports have highlighted,” he added.

India is hosting the two-day anti-terrorism meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The ongoing meeting in Delhi is being held under India’s chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC).

Jaishankar told CTC members that their presence in Delhi at the special meeting demonstrates the importance that the UNSC member states and a wide range of stakeholders, place on this critical and emerging facet of terrorism.

“That the council is holding this special meeting of its counter-terrorism meetings in India, is also a product of the fact that counterterrorism has become one of the top priorities during our ongoing tenure in the security council,” he added.

Highlighting the flip sides of emerging technologies, Jaishankar said technologies like virtual private networks, encrypted message services and blockchains, have also thrown up new challenges for governments and regulatory bodies.

“The technologies have also thrown up new challenges for governments and regulatory bodies due to their potential vulnerability for their misuse by non-state actors, given the very nature of some of these technologies and the nascent regulatory environment,” the minister said.

“In recent years, terrorist groups, ideological fellow travelers particularly in open and liberal societies and lone wolf attackers have enhanced their capabilities by gaining access to tech. They use tech, money and ethos of open societies to attack freedom, tolerance and progress,” he added.

Furthermore, Jaishankar said internet and social media platforms have turned into potent instruments in the toolkit of terrorists and militant groups for spreading propaganda, radicalisation and conspiracy theories aimed at destabilising societies.

“Another add-on to the existing worries for governments around the world is the use of unmanned aerial systems by terrorist groups and organised criminal networks,” he added.

Lastly, Jaishankar announced that India will be making a voluntary contribution of half a million dollars to the UN Trust Fund for Counter Terrorism this year to augment the efforts of UNOCT in providing capacity-building support to member states in preventing& countering the threat of terrorism.

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