Indian defence firm Solar group on Tuesday said they had bagged orders from Armenia for the Pinaka rockets manufactured indigenously.
“The life and range of upgraded Pinaka rocket launchers are more than their previous version despite the price being almost the same. We have received an export order from Armenia which is to be completed within two years,” Solar Group chairman Satyanarayan Nuwal told to agencies.
Speaking at the Defexpo-2022, he said Nigeria and Indonesia have too expressed interest in the Mukti barrel rocket launcher system developed indigenously by the firm in partnership with DRDO.
Armenia has been in a state of conflict with its neighbour Azerbaijan.
India had earlier tasted success in the export sector in Armenia when it transferred the indigenously developed Swathi weapon locating radar to that country.
Pinaka has also received a boost from its own orders from the Indian Army which is looking at inducting a large number of regiments of these rockets under the artillery.
Pakistan top investigative agency chief on Tuesday refused to answer tough questions over underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Sayeed, both of whom are among terrorists most wanted by Indian security agencies.
Director-General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Mohsin Butt, who is part of a two-member delegation from Islamabad who is in the national capital to participate in the Interpol General Assembly refused to make any comments on the whereabouts of Dawood and Hafiz Sayeed who are believed to have been provided sanctuary by Pakistan.
Butt refused to comment on a question by media over whether Pakistan will hand over Dawood Ibrahim and the Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed to India.
Participation of the Pakistani delegation comes despite tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi over cross-border terrorism and Pakistan’s efforts to internationalise Kashmir in several global forums including the recently concluded UN General Assembly.
The General Assembly is INTERPOL’s supreme governing body and meets once a year to take key decisions related to its functioning. Earlier today Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Interpol’s Assembly.
The four-day event will culminate on October 21 and is witnessing participation by delegations from 195 Interpol member countries comprising of ministers, police chiefs of countries, heads of national central bureaus, and senior police officers.
The Interpol General Assembly meeting is taking place in India after a gap of about 25 years – it was last held in 1997. The General Assembly is Interpol’s supreme governing body, comprising representatives from 195 member countries that meet annually. Each member country may be represented by one or several delegates who are typically ministers, chiefs of police, heads of their Interpol National Central Bureaus, and senior ministry officials.
Legislator Sanjay Shirsat, who is member of the Shiv Sena faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, suffered from chest discomfort and high blood pressure in Aurangabad, a doctor who attended him said on Tuesday.
The MLA was shifted to Mumbai by an air ambulance on Tuesday morning after being given medicines to stabilise his health parameters, he said.
Shirsat, who represents the Aurangabad West constituency, faced chest discomfort and had breathing problem on Monday evening after which he was admitted to a private hospital here. His blood pressure was also high and he was given medicines, Dr Unmesh Takalkar from the hospital told a TV channel. After Shirsat was stable and felt better, he was shifted to Mumbai in the morning, the doctor said.
The Centre on Tuesday 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.
The affidavit was filed on a plea of advocate Ashwini Upadhyay seeking uniformity in the personal laws regulating succession, inheritance, adoption, marriage, divorce, maintenance and alimony.
The Centre while seeking dismissal of the plea said, “It is settled position of law as has been held in a catena of judgements by this court that under our constitutional scheme, Parliament exercises sovereign power to enact laws and no outside power or authority can issue a direction to enact a particular piece of legislation.”
It further said that Article 44 of the Indian Constitution is a directive principle requiring State to endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for all citizens. The ministry said that Article 44 is to strengthen the “Secular Democratic Republic” object as enshrined in the Constitution’s Preamble.
“This provision is provided to effect integration of India by bringing communities on the common platform on matters which are at present governed by diverse personal laws. Thus, in view of the importance and sensitivity of the subject matter, in-depth study of various personal laws is required,” it said.
It told the top court that it is conscious of the matter and that the 21st Law Commission undertook a detailed examination of the issue by inviting representations from several stakeholders, however, since the said Commission’s term ended in August 2018, the matter will be placed before the 22nd Commission.
“As and when the Report of Law Commission in the matter is received, the Government would examine the same in consultation with the various stakeholders involved in the matter,” said the ministry.
The petitions sought uniform grounds for divorce, alimony, succession, inheritance, adoption, marriage, and maintenance for all citizens of the country, keeping with the spirit of the Constitution and international conventions.
The panels backed by Maharashtra ministers Uday Samant and MLA Bharat Gogawale from the Shiv Sena faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde have suffered defeat in the gram panchayat polls in their native villages.
Besides, the ruling BJP won three gram panchayats in Sindhudurg, the home district of School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar who is also a member of the Shinde group, while the fourth one was bagged by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena faction, sources said on Tuesday.
The results of the elections held on Sunday for 1,079 gram panchayats were declared on Monday. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday claimed to have won a maximum of 397 seats and said along with the CM Shinde-led ‘Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena’, the joint rally has reached 478.
But, in Ratnagiri, the native place of state Industries Minister Samant, people in three gram panchayats – Shirgaon, Phansop and Pomendi Budruk – voted in favour of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and its allies.
In Raigad’s Kaleej-Kharavali village, the native place of Shinde faction’s chief whip Gogawale, the panel backed by him won 10 seats while the Thackeray camp along with the NCP bagged 11 seats and came to power.
The economic offences wing (EOW) of the city police has moved a special court seeking permission for further investigation into the Rs 25,000-crore Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) scam.
Two years ago, it had submitted a C summary report, indicating closure of the case. Special public prosecutor for EOW Ajay Misar filed the plea on Saturday, saying the fresh investigation will take into consideration points raised by the Enforcement Directorate and other protest petitioners after it closed the case (see box). An order is expected on Tuesday.
The EOW submitted it wanted to conduct further investigations on loans to certain sugar mills, specially Jarandeshwar Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Ltd, linked to former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. In August 2019, the Bombay high court had directed the EOW to register an FIR after allegations that loans were granted between 2002 and 2017 to cooperative factories flouting rules and causing losses to the bank. Without naming anyone, the FIR was filed against a former CM, his deputy, ministers and bank directors. Statements of then bank directors, officers and ministers, including former deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who had been a bank director, were recorded. It is alleged that cooperative sugar factories defaulted on payments to MSCB.
The bank, headed by senior politicians, auctioned the sugar mills at throwaway prices, mostly to their relatives, causing huge losses. In 2010, Ajit Pawar was bank director when the Jarandeshwar factory was auctioned to his kin for less than the base price. In 2020, the EOW filed a 95,000-page report, including a C summary report, before a special court. In its C summary report – which indicates the case is filed due to “mistake of facts” or that it amounts to a civil case – the EOW said no cheating or siphoning of funds was found. The police had probed 63 sugar factories and mills. It found the MSCB had obtained all the required sanctions before granting loans to co-operative sector applicants, and Nabard directions and government resolutions were followed as well.
In July 2021, the ED attached the Satara-based Jarandeshwar factory worth over Rs 65 crore. In 2010, it was purchased by Guru Commodity Services Pvt Ltd. A part of the buying funds came from Sparkling Soil Pvt Ltd, a company related to Ajit Pawar and his wife Sunetra. The ED had alleged that Guru Commodity Services is the proxy owner, the mill is actually controlled by Pawar’s Sparkling Soil.The ED has opposed the EOW closure report and challenged it.
The death toll in the helicopter crash near Kedarnath in Uttarakhand earlier in the day rose to seven, said the official. The incident took place around 11:40 am when the chopper was heading towards Guptkashi.
“Seven people died in the crash. The incident took place around 11:40 am. The chopper took place from Kedarnath and was heading towards Guptkashi. The cause of the accident will be known after a proper investigation,’ said C Ravi Shankar, CEO of Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority.
The Uttarakhand Police and teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have reached the spot where the helicopter crashed today. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also ordered a detailed probe into the crash of a helicopter near Kedarnath in Uttarakhand.
According to DGCA, Aryan Aviation Bell-407 helicopter VT-RPN with five passengers took off from Kedarnathji Dham for GuptKashi. The weather was Cloudy over Garud Chatti. In a valley near Garud Chatti, a loud noise was heard and the helicopter caught fire. This is for the present information. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed condolences and said that a detailed inquiry has been ordered into this tragic incident.
“Very sad news has been received about the casualties of some people in the unfortunate helicopter crash at Garuda Chatti near Kedarnath. The SDRF and district administration teams have reached the spot for relief and rescue work. A detailed inquiry has been ordered into this tragic incident,” Dhami tweeted.
President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief to the bereaved families of the seven people who died in the helicopter crash. President Murmu expressed her condolences to families who lost their loved ones in the crash.
“The news of the death of many pilgrims including the pilot in the helicopter crash near Kedarnath Dham is very sad. My deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones,” the President said in a tweet.
The Uttarakhand Police and teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have reached the spot where the helicopter crashed today. Prime Minister’s office quoting PM Modi tweeted, “Anguished by the helicopter crash in Uttarakhand. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with the bereaved families.”
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also expressed condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives in this accident. “The incident of the crash of the helicopter carrying the pilgrims in Kedarnath is very sad. I express my condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives in this accident. May God give them the strength to bear this grief,” Shah said in a tweet.
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia expressed his anguish over the incident and said the situation is being constantly monitored. “The helicopter crash in Kedarnath is extremely unfortunate. We are in touch with the State government to ascertain the magnitude of the loss, and are constantly monitoring the situation,” Scindia said.
Chief Minister MK Stalin-led Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday moved a resolution against “Hindi imposition” in the state Assembly.
The resolution said the report submitted to President Droupadi Murmu recently by Union Home Minister Amit Shah-led Parliamentary Committee on Official Language has been debated across the country today.
Many recommendations that have been made in that report are detrimental to the people of the non-Hindi speaking States including Tamil Nadu and contrary to the promise made by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, said the Tamil Nadu government.
“This House expresses concern that the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee, now presented, are against the two-language policy resolution moved and passed by Perarignar Anna in this August House, contrary to the promise made by the then Prime Minister Nehru to the non-Hindi speaking States and are against the use of English as Official language ensured by the resolutions passed in 1968 and 1976 on Official Language,” said the resolution.
Now, Tamil Nadu has once again been pushed to the forefront to defend the mother tongue Tamil, to keep English as the official language, to preserve all the 22 languages in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution and to uphold the rights of the people of non-Hindi speaking States, it said.
“This House urges the Union Government not to implement the recommendations made in the Report of the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language submitted by its Chairman to President on September 9, 2022, which are against the State languages including Tamil and also against the interest of the people who speak those languages,” the resolution said.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs walked out from the House as the Tamil Nadu Assembly passed a resolution against “Hindi imposition.”
According to the Tamil Nadu government, the parliamentary panel recommendations included: “Hindi should be the medium of instruction instead of English in the educational institutions of the Union Government such as IITs, IIMs, AIIMS and Central Universities. In order to make Hindi a common language, Hindi should be made the medium of instruction in all educational institutions of the Union Government including Technical and Non-Technical educational institutions and Kendriya Vidyalayas.”
The state government said the parliamentary panel’s recommendation also said that in the employment of the youth, the English language should be removed from the compulsory papers and only Hindi should be given priority.
Earlier on Sunday, Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the recommendations should not be accepted or implemented since they are against the federal principles of the Constitution, detrimental to the multilingual structure of our country and question the future by ignoring English and completely excluding the 22 State languages of non-Hindi speaking States which are mentioned in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.
At least 13 people have been killed, including three children in a military plane crash that took place in a residential area of the southwestern Russian town of Yeysk, near Ukraine on Monday, Russian state media reported.
Ten bodies were found after the removal of debris at the incident site got completed. “Rescuers have completed clearing the debris. Ten bodies were found during rescue activities, which brings the total number of deaths to 13 people, including three children. Nineteen people were injured in the emergency situation,” TASS reported quoting the Emergencies ministry’s representative as saying. Around 360 people were evacuated and 68 people were saved after the rescue operation concluded.
A Russian Su-34 supersonic fighter-bomber jet crashed into a residential building in the city of Yeysk on Monday. The crash was due to the ignition of one of the engines, Russian state media RIA Novosti reported citing the country’s defense ministry.
“On October 17, 2022, a Su-34 aircraft crashed while climbing to perform a training flight from the military airfield of the Southern Military District,” the ministry said in a statement to RIA.
“According to the report of the ejected pilots, the cause of the plane crash was the ignition of one of the engines during take-off. At the site of the crash of the Su-34 in the courtyard of one of the residential quarters, the plane’s fuel ignited.” Yeysk is located across the water from the Russian-occupied city of Mariupol.
Earlier, at least four people were killed after Russia attacked the capital of Kyiv with Iranian-made “kamikaze” drones on Monday, according to Ukrainian officials, who repeated their calls for Western allies to supply Ukraine with more advanced air defense systems.
Drones have played a significant role in the conflict since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, but their use has increased after Moscow acquired new drones from Iran over the summer. Iran on Monday once again denied supplying weapons to Russia in its war on Ukraine.
Sourav Ganguly the outgoing BCCI president arrived at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai along with Roger Binny and Former IPL Chairman Rajiv Shukla for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The BCCI AGM is on the fore with essential decisions to ponder, including the office bearers of the BCCI, Women’s IPL and other decisions.
Earlier, Sourav Ganguly was stripped of the BCCI president’s post, with 1983 World Cup-winning member Roger Binny slated to replace the former India captain. BJP MLA Ashish Shelar is likely to be the Treasurer replacing Arun Dhumal as per sources in the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Jay Shah will retain his position as the BCCI Secretary.
At a BCCI meeting held at the Trident Hotel in Mumbai on October 13, all office bearers from different parts of the country from various associations filed nominations for different positions on the board. “I was the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal for five years. I have been president of BCCI for years. After all these terms, you have to leave and go. As an administrator, you have to contribute a lot and make things better for the team. Me being a player, who was around for a long time, understood it. I enjoyed my time as an administrator thoroughly. You cannot play forever and you cannot remain in administration forever,” Ganguly said at an event earlier on his removal as the BCCI president.
The former India captain was offered the post of IPL Chairman which he denied. Ganguly is going to contest for president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).
