Pakistan: Farmers hold protest in Islamabad; demands reduction in electricity tariffs and other economic issues

By

-

September 29, 2022

Thousands of farmers from Punjab flocked to Islamabad to stage a protest demanding reduction in electricity tariffs and resolution of other economic issues they are facing pertaining to agriculture.

More than 25,000 Punjab farmers held the demonstration under the umbrella of the Pakistani farmer association, Kisan Ittehad, reported local media.

As the protests gained momentum in the capital, the Islamabad police-imposed section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). This protest was part of a series of protests that the farmers have been holding in different parts of Pakistan including near Banigala.

Among the many demands that the farmers have includes the restoration of the previous tubewell electricity tariff of Rs 5.3 per unit and abolishing of all taxes and adjustments, an end must be put to the black marketing of fertilisers and reduction of urea rate which increased to 400pc.

Apart from these demands they also said that the rate of wheat should be fixed at Rs 2,400 per mound and the rate of sugar cane at Rs 280 per mound, reported Dawn citing police quoting the protesters’ demands.

Besides, the farmers also demanded that the blockade of canals should be removed and water released immediately in the area. Moreover, they said, agriculture should also be given the status of an industry.

In a bid to contain the growing protests, the Islamabad police sealed some areas by putting containers on roads, the outlet said citing police and adding that the interchanges and roads adjacent to Islamabad Expressway were also sealed with containers.

Over 2,500 farmers travelling on 40 buses, 29 coasters, six wagons, 11 Sports Utility Vehicles and 18 cars reached Jinnah Avenue. Islamabad Police sealed all entry points of the Red Zone except Margalla Road. Restricted and regulated entry was given to people on Margalla Road. After reaching Jinnah Avenue underpass/interchange, protesters staged a sit-in there till the filing of the report.

The police tried to reach a negotiation with the protesting farmers however, the farmers’ leaders refused to deal with the police and continued voicing their demands. The farmer said that it is ministries or politicians who should negotiate with the protestors and not the police.

On the other hand, teachers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are still protesting in Banigala and Tuesday night, they tried to reach former prime minister Imran Khan’s house, the officers said, adding that police had been deployed inside Khan’s house.

Myanmar military court sentenced 3 years jail to deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi

By

ANI

-

September 29, 2022

A special Myanmar military court on Thursday sentenced the country’s deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi and members of her economic team to three years in jail.

San Suu Kyi’s team included Australian economist Sean Turnell who was imprisoned for violating the Official Secrets Act, The Irrawaddy news website reported.

The latest verdict delivered at a special court means that San Suu Kyi has been sentenced to over 20 years in prison so far in a dozen cases.

Turnell, a former key economic adviser to Suu Kyi, was detained by the Mynamar military shortly after last year’s coup, which ousted the National League for Democracy (NLD) government.

Since staging a coup in February last year, the Myanmar military has carried out a brutal nationwide crackdown on millions of people protesting its rule.

Rights groups say the junta security forces’ mass killings, arbitrary arrests, torture, sexual violence, and other abuses against protesters, journalists, health workers, and political opposition members amount to crimes against humanity.

Earlier this month, UN experts said human rights defenders documenting and responding to atrocities by Myanmar’s military junta urgently need comprehensive support, including financial, and called on the international community to end apparent indifference to the violence targeting the country’s population.

“In the face of inaction by the international community, and with human rights violations continuing to be perpetrated on a daily basis by the military junta, human rights defenders are persisting in their support for those targeted and working to preserve the possibility of justice in the future,” said Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.

Along with Tom Andrews, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Lawlor highlighted the grave risks defenders face and the specific challenges confronting women human rights defenders.

“Defenders have been murdered and disappeared by the military since the coup took place. They now risk arrest, detention, torture, including sexual violence and death when going about their work and fear having their documents seized at military checkpoints,” the experts said.

“Many have had to go into hiding after being targeted by the military for assisting survivors of gender-based violence. They are on the move constantly, and women human rights defenders often have no choice but to take their children with them when they flee.” Others have had to relocate to neighboring countries, where they remain vulnerable.

Lawlor and Andrews said they had publicly expressed concerns for the safety of defenders in the country just over a year ago.

“The international community must not adopt a passive stance when it comes to the crimes that are being perpetrated by the military junta and the risks for human rights defenders in Myanmar,” the experts said.

Nitin Gadkari say, India is a rich country with poor population facing issues like starvation, unemployment

By

PTI

-

September 29, 2022

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said even as India has emerged as the world’s fifth largest economy and although the country is rich, its population is poor, facing issues like starvation, unemployment, casteism, untouchability and inflation.

The gap between the rich and the poor has widened in the country, which needs to be bridged, he said.

He was addressing a programme organised by Bharat Vikas Parishad, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-inspired organisation.

“We are the fastest-growing economy in the world and are the fifth largest economy. We are a rich nation with a poor population. Our country is rich, but the population is poor facing starvation, unemployment, poverty, inflation, casteism, untouchability and other factors that are not good for the progress of the society,” he said.

“There is a need to establish social and economic equality in the society. The gap between these two sections of the society has widened. Economic disparity has also increased like social disparity,” the Minister for Road Transport and Highways noted.

Gadkari emphasised the need to work in the fields of education, health and services to bridge the rich-poor gap.

“The purpose of the Bharat Vikas Parishad is very clear, but the biggest challenge before us is how to work in various sectors with social responsibility and social consciousness to bring about a change in the society. However, we are still very far from our objective and need to speed up our efforts to achieve it,” he said.

The minister called for working in a united way to develop 124 aspirational districts in the country.

“These 124 aspirational districts in the country are lagging behind socially and in terms of education and health. The urban regions have witnessed a lot of development, but a huge population has migrated to cities due to lack of facilities and opportunities,” he said while appealing to the Bharat Vikas Parishad to work on empowering rural areas.

“Swami Vivekananda said that the 21st century belongs to India, and therefore everyone should contribute in their own way towards the progress of the nation,” he said.

Gadkari gave an example of his own initiatives being carried out in the tribal regions since the last 23 years, under which 1,200 Ekal Vidyalays are being run in the Vidarbha, where 18,000 students are getting education.

Vedanta company has increased its ‘Green Energy’ to 1 GW and seeks supply of more bids of 500 GW

By

PTI

-

September 29, 2022

Vedanta on Thursday said that it has increased sourcing of green energy to 1 GW for various operations and is seeking bids for the supply of another 500 GW of renewable energy.

The company said that its aims to use up to 2.5 GW of renewable power by 2030.

“It is a crucial step in achieving our 2.5 GW of renewable power by 2030. We are looking forward to collaborate with the best in the industry as we march ahead on our decarbonisation goals,” Vedanta’s Chief Safety Officer and Group CEO Sunil Duggal said.

The company has invited expression of interest for supply of hybrid renewable power for its manufacturing units in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Vedanta had previously obtained 580 mw round-the-clock green energy through Serentica Renewables. .

The mining giant has committed USD 5 billion over the next 10 years to expedite the shift towards net-zero operations.

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh files his nomination for the Congress president

By

ANI

-

September 29, 2022

Digvijaya Singh,Congress leader — Digvijaya Singh, Congress leader | Image: ANI

Veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Thursday said that he will contest the polls for party president even as Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot arrived here for a meeting with Sonia Gandhi after a rebellion over his candidature to the post by MLAs in the state loyal to him.

Singh told reporters outside the AICC headquarters that he was here to collect his nomination form from the party’s Central Election Authority (CEA) and that he is likely to file his nomination tomorrow.

“Today I have come here to collect the nomination form and will possibly file it tomorrow,” Singh said. He said that the decision to contest was solely his and he had not consulted with anybody else. “I represent myself…The time is between 11 and 3 (when he will file the nominations tomorrow),” Singh told the media persons.

On being asked whether his entering the race for the top Congress post will be a face-off against Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, who has also been a top contender in the race besides Shashi Tharoor, Singh asked to wait and see till October 8, the last date of withdrawal of nominations. “Wait till 8th, the date of withdrawal,” the former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh said.

When pressed on the issue, Singh said “Why dont you take me seriously? The veteran leader had met with Rahul Gandhi in Kerala at the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra and had arrived in the national capital late Wednesday evening.

The entry of Digvijaya Singh has made the battle for the top Congress post interesting as G23 leader Shashi Tharoor is likely to file the nomination on Friday. Till now, only Shashi Tharoor has declared his candidature for the party president, while there are speculations about Gehlot being in the fray ahead of which the party has seen a huge political turmoil in Rajasthan, following which a show cause notice has been sent to three of his loyalists causing some uncertainty about his candidature.

The MLAs of the Gehlot camp had not attended the meeting of the Congress legislative party (CLP) scheduled on Sunday evening at the residence of Gehlot in Jaipur the presence of the observers, which was attended by the Sachin Pilot and his camp MLAs.

Gehlot loyalists had held a meeting with Cabinet Minister Shanti Dhariwal at his residence, following which over 90 MLAs had submitted their resignations to Speaker CP Joshi.

Gehlot on Wednesday sought to play down the political crisis in the state for which three of his loyalists have been issued show cause notice by the party’s central leadership and said, “internal politics goes on, we’ll resolve it”.

Talking to reporters, Gehlot said the party works under the Congress president and decisions will be taken in the time to come. He said Congress workers worry about the direction in which the country is heading and tackling the issue was more important.

The nomination process for election to Congress next president will continue till September 30 and the election result will be declared on October 19.

Auto, taxi fare increased by 8 and 9 since 2014; pinch pockets of commoners

By

Akash Nirmal

-

September 29, 2022

Auto and Taxi, Mumbai, Uday samant, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority , AL Quadros, Auto and Taximen Union — Auto, taxi fare increased by 8 and 9 since 2014; pinch pockets of commoners 7

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA) hiked the fares of autos and taxis on Tuesday after the demands of trade unions. The new fares for 1.5 km for auto are hiked by Rs 2 and Rs 3 for taxis, respectively.

In the last 8 years, the fares have increased by Rs 8 for autos and Rs 9 for taxis.

Below is the comparison of 2014 for the auto and taxi fares:

Year	Auto	Taxi
Before 2014	15	19
2014	17	21
2015	18	22
2021	21	25
2022	23	28

AL Quadros, leader of the Auto and Taximen Union, said, “Due to political conflict and the upcoming BMC election, this fare hike is temporary.”

“Minister Samant has assured us to revive the fares in next 6 months, as we find the recent hike insufficient,” Quadros further added.

Auto driver Jitendra Sharma from Goregaon said, “The current hike is enough for us. CNG prices have also come down from 86 to 80 rupees. The only issue is that when we stop our auto for 2 minutes to pick up or drop off passengers, the traffic officer takes our picture and sends us a challan, which costs us more than 300 rupees. That is one of the biggest losses for us. “

A resident of Ram Mandir said, “Rs 2 and Rs 3 is not a big hike, but problems occur when we have to go for a long ride.”

Shubham Sharma, a marine engineer of Goregaon, said, “Mumbai lacks good public transportation, and we opt for autos and taxis due to their availability and because they can reach our exact locations. We have no other option other than using autos and taxis.”

Priya Jain, who works as a freelancer from Kandivali said, “A hike of Rs 2 or Rs 3 is not a problem for me, but these sudden hikes are a pinch to pockets for freelancers like me. I mainly go for the autos to avoid the time-consuming travel through public transport. Having an option, I prefer BEST busses.”

Nikhil Waghmare, a law student from Goregaon said, “If prices hike, I will definitely choose a cheaper option like Rapido or something that will cost me less.”

Nana Patole calls Fadnavis a spiderman

By

Web Team

-

September 29, 2022

Nana Patole,Maharashtra,Minister — Nana Patole, Maharashtra, Minister | Image: ANI

MPCC president Nana Patole on Wednesday reacted to the appointment of deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis as the guardian minister of six districts as well as the visit of two cabinet members to Gujarat to study the CM’s office administration.“Fadnavis appears to be Spider-Man,” he said.

“In his capacity as guardian minister, he will visit six districts at a time. It is quite shocking”.

Patole said the job of a guardian minister was a serious one and it was doubtful if Fadnavis would be able to do justice to the six districts.

BJP lures Marathi voters with ‘Marathi dandiya’ in Shiv Sena’s stronghold

By

Web Team

-

September 29, 2022

The BJP bid to organise a ‘Marathi dandiya’ in Mumbai this Navratri, the Shiv Sena said that the Sena’s foundation won’t move an inch despite the BJP’s attempts to woo Marathi voters.

In an editorial in Saamna, the Sena mouthpiece, the party said that over the last 50 years, the BJP had tried many such ‘dandiya experiments’, but they were never successful. “The structure of Shiv Sena set up by the Shiv Sena chief still stands on a strong foundation. It will not budge an inch because of BJP’s Marathi dandiya,” the Sena said in the editorial. “BJP is playing many tricks and disguises to pull down the ‘saffron flag’ from BMC.

Their policy is to divide Marathi people on one side and on the other, to separate communities by taking up issues like vegetarianism and non-vegetarianism. Shiv Sena is the glue of Marathi unity, the pride of Hindutva,” Saamna wrote To take on the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena ahead of the BMC polls due later this year, the Mumbai BJP has for the first time organised a ‘Marathi dandiya’ festival in central Mumbai’s Lalbaug-Parel areas.

This is the first time BJP is organising a Navratri festival in Sena- dominated central Mumbai area where the local MLAs, MP and almost all BMC corporators are from the Sena. Meanwhile, Nirav Barot, son of late BJP corporator Dr Ram Barot from the western suburbs, joined Shiv Sena on Tuesday in the presence of Uddhav Thackeray.

Ram Barot, a former deputy mayor, passed away last year. He had been a six-time corporator from 1992. In 2014, Ram Barot had also contested the MLA’s seat from Malad but lost by around 2,000 votes

Mumbai biker ruptures cop’s eardrum

By

Web Team

-

September 29, 2022

Arrested,Andheri Police — Arrested, Maharashtra, Andheri east | Image: Representative

A traffic cop has been left with a ruptured eardrum after he was allegedly assaulted by a biker at Andheri (E) on Monday evening, reports V Narayan.

The biker, Paresh Gavkar (25), was angry that the constable, V T Sanjeev, had issued him an e-challan for riding without helmet.

A medical test has confirmed the injury to the 52-yearold cop’s ear. The biker, who did not even have a valid licence, has been arrested.

Sanjeev said he had clicked a photo of the helmetless rider on Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road around 5. 45pm and issued a challan.

“The bikerhalted and asked if I had taken his photo. When I showed him the photo and the e-challan, he started assaulting me,” the constable said.

Minor girl, woman rescued from flesh trade in Thane

By

PTI

-

September 29, 2022

Minor girl, raped, arrested — Minor girl, rescued | Image: Representative

Police have rescued a minor girl and a woman who were allegedly pushed into flesh trade in Maharashtra’s Thane district, an official said on Thursday.

The Mira Bhayander-Vasai Virar police’s anti-human trafficking cell (AHTC) on Tuesday sent a decoy customer to a restaurant where a woman had brought the two victims to force them into prostitution, senior police inspector Aviraj Kurhade said.