Residents of Mumbai and the metropolitan region will have to pay Rs 28 as the minimum fare for travelling in black and yellow taxis and Rs 23 for auto rickshaws, with the basic fares being hiked by Rs 3 and Rs 2 respectively, authorities said on Tuesday.
The new fares will come into effect from October 1, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA) said in a release. The minimum fare for a distance of 1.5 km for kaali-peeli taxis has been hiked to Rs 28 from Rs 25 and the same to Rs 23 from Rs 21 for auto-rickshaws.
”Beyond this minimum flag down distance, passengers will have to pay Rs 18.66 per km instead of Rs 16.93 per km for taxis and Rs 15.33 a km instead of 14.20 (per km) for auto-rickshaws,” the release said. The decision to hike the fares was taken in the MMRTA meeting chaired by the Maharashtra transport secretary on Monday.
But it was announced only after the minutes of the meeting were signed. The existing fare for around 60,000 taxis and about 4.6 lakh auto-rickshaws in MMR has been in force since March 1, 2021. The new rates will be applicable for petrol as well as CNG-operated taxis, the MMRTA said.
The taxi and auto rickshaw fares were revised as CNG price was hiked to Rs 80 per kg from Rs 49.40 per kg on March 1, 2021, besides the rising cost of living, inflation and other factors, it stated. The minimum distance fare of blue-silver ‘Cool’ cab taxis is hiked to Rs 40 per km from Rs 33 per km, and thereafter the per km fare of these cabs will be Rs 26.71.
As per the release, the MMRTA has given two months between October 1 to November 30 for the recalibration of fare metres installed in taxis and auto rickshaws.
Oil, Export,Crude Oil, Russia | Image: ANI/Representative
Earlier the prices of oil exported to India were low and now the prices has increased to more than a percent now over this situation there is a possibility that Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries may come up for a decision of price.
As per the report due to price increase in oil the European Union may put a price cap on the price of Russian oil.
In a trading session it is also said that prices of Oil had dropped to lower levels due to pressure of the value of a dollar increased in the market which has become more expensive for the other buyers in the world who are using other currencies as they are paying high amount of interest.
Due higher interest paid on the oil purchase it might trigger recession and demand of oil in the market decrease. In the earlier trading sessions Brent has increased to 7.1 per cent while the Crude decreased to 8.1 per cent.
“Crude oil prices are showing signs of stabilising after the swift decline towards a nine-month low with markets considering the prospects of further action by the Opec+ members at their October 5 meeting, as the oil cartel hinted at their discomfort with declining crude prices,” said Sugandha Sachdeva, vice-president for commodity and currency research, Religare Broking to Agencies.
The softening of the dollar index and uncertainty over a price cap being imposed by the EU on Russian oil were also underpinning crude oil prices, and that they foresee prices to witness recovery towards $80 a barrel for WTI while for Brent, prices look to rebound towards $87 a barrel further added to agencies.
Congress leader Sachin Pilot has denied media reports stating that he told the party high command that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot should not remain in office if he decides to contest the party presidential poll. It was earlier reported quoting the sources that Pilot had told the high command that it is his responsibility to bring the MLAs together.
Congress MLA Sachin Pilot has told the Congress high command that Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot should not remain CM if he decides to contest for the party president post & that it is his responsibility to bring MLAs together,” the sources had said.
Refuting the reports, the Congress leader said that says he has spoken neither with the party’s high command nor with Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot. “Am afraid this is false news being reported”,” he tweeted. Notably, Pilot is being seen as the successor of Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan which is engulfed by a political crisis triggered apparently by Gehlot agreeing to file his nomination in the Congress presidential polls and wanting a successor of his choice as CM in Rajasthan.
Image: Getty Images | Indian army soldiers on top a military vehicle along the Srinagar-Leh National highway in 2020
The Army has significantly bolstered its fire power along the frontier with China by deploying a range of rockets and artillery weapons and plans to procure an array of additional systems, including 100 K9 Vajra howitzers and UAVs, to augment combat prowess.
The Artillery units of the Indian Army already deployed K-9 Vajra Tracked Self-Propelled Howitzers, ultra-light M-777 howitzers, Pinaka rocket systems and Dhanush gun systems.
Sources in the defence establishment said the Army plans to equip its Artillery units along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) with a range of up to 90 kms.
“We are looking at procuring UAVs having a range of 15-20 kms as well as those having capabilities to carry out surveillance at a range of up to 80kms having an endurance of four hours,” said a source.
At present, almost all UAVs in the Army’s inventory are being operated by the Army Aviation units.
The sources said the Army is set to procure a new batch of 100 more K9 Vajras howitzers, in addition to 100 such guns ordered in 2017.
“The Defence Acquisition Council has cleared the proposal for ordering 100 more K9 Vajras. The Request for Proposal (RFP) will be issued soon,” the source said.
The K9 Vajras were originally procured for deployment in deserts, but following the eastern Ladakh standoff, the Army deployed a significant number of the howitzers in that high-altitude region.
The sources said minor adjustments were made for deployment of the tracked howitzers in eastern Ladakh.
“We are also procuring winterisation kits so the howitzers work in sub-zero temperature,” the source said, adding the Vajra guns are roaring in high altitude area along Northern borders.
The sources said the Army is also in the process of procuring Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System, commonly known as ATAGS, and Mounted Gun Systems (MGS).
They said induction of more advanced Pinaka weapon systems is in the offing, adding six more regiments of the systems are being procured and their delivery would commence soon.
The sources said the new Pinaka regiments will be equipped with electronically and mechanically improved weapon system capable of firing variety of ammunition over longer ranges.
One regiment of Pinaka has been inducted along Northern borders in high altitude area after extensive validation, they said, adding the defence ministry has already approved procurement of guided extended range rockets for Pinaka.
“The rocket would be capable of firing at longer ranges with significant accuracy,” the source said.
The Army is also in the process of procuring ‘Loitering Munition System’ thereby augmenting its surveillance, target acquisition and precision strike capability.
“We are also in the process of procuring indigenously designed and developed Loitering Weapon System with enhanced strike capability,” the source said.
On the indigenously developed Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), the sources said it is in advanced stages of trial.
This gun system has many firsts to its credit — 25-litre chamber, long range, as also rapid and sustained rates of fire.
The sources said the user trials on the gun systems have been satisfactorily conducted and that there are few procedural issues that are being taken care of.
A massive protest was organized by the candidates of Mahavitaran at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan for unfair changes in the rules and to remove the legal hurdles in the Mahavitaran Electricity Assistant Recruitment process.
The candidates have come to Azad Maidan from different parts of the state and plan to sit on a hunger strike until justice is served.
“Mahavitaran had announced 5000 posts for the Electrical Assistant (Vidyut Sahayak) through the advertisement in the year 2019. This recruitment of 5000 posts took 3 years to conclude. Mahavitaran selected and appointed only 1633 eligible candidates after releasing a selection list for 4534 posts,” allege the protesters.
In the next stage of the said selection process, Mahavitaran released a waiting list of 2269 posts on 2 February 2022 with Mahavitaran’s rule of social reservation. Also, regional division vice document verification of 2128 candidates completed on March 3 and 4, 2022, but candidates who got selected for SEBC to EWS category filed a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) in Aurangabad bench of Bombay High Court demanding the appointment be made on the basis of merit in the open category. After which, the Aurangabad bench gave interim stay to all appointments of the open category.
According to candidates, “Mahavitaran did not give any appointments to candidates of other caste categories as the interim stay is only for candidates of open category.”
“Mahavitaran did injustice to us by changing the rules of the waiting list. Our life will be destroyed and the Maharashtra government and Mahavitaran are responsible for this,” a protesting candidate said.
Candidates further said, “We have requested several times through letters and visited government offices and Mahavitaran to complete the recruitment process, but we are not receiving any kind of attention. If our demands are not seriously considered we will not suspend the hunger strike under any circumstances. It should be noted that if there is any loss of life during the fast the state government and Mahavitaran will be responsible for it.”
Earlier, candidates did protest at Azad Maidan from August 22 to 24, 2022 and the Chief Minister of Maharashtra gave assurance to give us justice also, but candidates choose the way to protest of hunger strike after being disappointed by Mahavitaran and the Maharashtra government.
In a major boost to Virender Sehwag-led Gujarat Giants, the Universe Boss Chris Gayle will be available for their Legends League Cricket match here at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.
It will be an opportunity for fans to watch Gayle and Virender Sehwag, two destructive batters who used to dominate the bowlers.
One of the greatest T20 batsmen in the world, Gayle has the record of most T20 sixes to his name. The swashbuckling West Indian has struck 1056 sixes in 463 matches.
The SKY247.net Legends League Cricket, hosted in India for the first time ever, is bringing the cricketing action of legendary cricketers from across the world.
The Adani owned-Gujarat Giants are currently placed second on the points table with five points from four matches. They will have a chance to regain the No. 1 spot if they beat the Pathan-led LNJ Bhilwara Kings.
Image: ANI | Visual of an ex employee of the resort owned by the accused in the Ankita Bhandari death case
After the body of Ankita Bhandari was recovered from a canal in Uttrakhand, a former employee of the resort in Rishikesh at which the deceased 19-year-old worked, recounted that the resort’s ower who is among the prime accused arrested for the teen’s murder was notorious for misbehaving with women.
“I joined Vanantara resort in Rishikesh this May but left my job there in July. Ankit Gupta (accused) and Pulkit Arya (the main accused) misbehaved and verbally abused girls. They used to bring girls and many VIPs also used to come there,” the former employee disclosed.
The body of Ankita Bhandari, 19, was recovered from the Chilla Canal in Rishikesh on September 24.
Three persons, including Pulkit Arya, the son of expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya and his friends identified as Ankit and Saurabh Bhaskar- manager at Pulkit’s resort, were arrested on September 23 after they confessed to having pushed Ankita into the canal following an altercation.
DGP Ashok Kumar and DIG P Renuka Devi said the property (Vanantara resort), owned by Pulkit Arya was sealed after conducted a detailed videography on Thursday. “We have secured all the evidence,” said the police officers.
Last rites of Ankita Bhandari were performed at the NIT ghat in Srinagar at Pauri Garwhal on September 25. Protestors blocked for over seven hours the Badrinath-Rishikesh highway outside the mortuary where Ankita Bhandari’s father arrived to take her body for last rites.
Previously angry locals even set on fire the resort where Ankita worked.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had said earlier: “We took immediate action, culprits are behind the bars. Their illegal properties were demolished too. We’ll ensure SIT probe is done from every angle. We’ll also try that case is expedited in a fast-track court.”
Extending the losses to the fifth consecutive session, the Indian stock market’s benchmark Sensex closed 38 points down in a volatile session on Tuesday.
The 30 stock S&P BSE Sensex closed 37.70 points or 0.07 per cent down at 57,107.52 points against its previous day’s close at 57,145.22 points.
The Sensex started the day in the positive at 57,376.52 points and jumped to a high of 57,704.57 points in the early morning session.
The markets witnessed selling pressure in the late morning session slipping below the 57,000 points mark. The index hit a low of 56,950.52 points.
This is the fifth consecutive session of loss in the benchmark index. The Sensex had lost 953.70 points or 1.64 per cent on Monday.
The broader Nifty 50 of the National Stock Exchange closed 8.90 points or 0.05 per cent down at 17,007.40 points against its previous day’s close at 17,016.30 points.
The Nifty started the day in the positive at 17,110.90 points and surged to a high of 17,176.45 points in the intra-day.
The Nifty slipped to a low of 16,942.35 points in the intra-day.
This is the fifth consecutive day of loss in the Nifty. The Nifty had slumped by 311.05 points or 1.8 per cent on Monday.
Tata Steel slumped 2.25 per cent to Rs 97.60. The scrip has fallen sharply after the announcement of the amalgamation plan with the group firms.
The Board of Directors of Tata Steel at its meeting held on September 22, 2022 approved amalgamation of seven business units.
The units that will be merged with Tata Steel include Tata Steel Long Products Limited, Tinplate Company of India Limited, Tata Metaliks Limited, TRF Limited, The Indian Steel & Wire Products Limited, Tata Steel Mining Limited, and S & T Mining Company Limited.
Amalgamation of seven business units of Tata Group with Tata Steel will help reduce costs and won’t have any material impact on the company’s credit profile, CreditSights, part of rating agency Fitch, said in a report on Tuesday.
Titan slumped 1.79 per cent to Rs 2606.95. State Bank of India dipped 1.39 per cent to Rs 536.25. Kotak Bank, Tech Mahindra, ICICI Bank, HDFC, HDFC Bank and Maruti Suzuki were among the major Sensex losers.
Power Grid Corporation jumped 1.81 per cent to Rs 204.90. IndusInd Bank rose 1.32 per cent to Rs 1164.40. Dr Reddy’s Laboratories rose 1.29 per cent to Rs 4185.70. The index heavyweight Reliance Industries Limited closed 0.75 per cent higher at Rs 2395.40. HCL Technologies, Nestle India, Asian Paints, Infosys and Wipro were among the major Sensex gainers.
Maharashtra Police have arrested 25 activists of the Popular Front of India (PFI) after raids in various districts of the state, officials said.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told reporters that the crackdown on PFI was as per law based on investigation into their activities and evidence.
“Attempts were being made to create a division in society and weaken the country. This was being done systematically,” said Fadnavis, who is also the state home minister.
According to police, 14 people were arrested from Aurangabad, four from Thane, two each from Nanded, Parbhani and Malegaon (in Nashik district) and one Amravati.
Thane Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Laxmikant Patil said four PFI activists were arrested on Monday night in a joint operation carried out in the district by local police and crime branch officials.
Two of the activists were nabbed from Mumbra and one each from Kalyan and Bhiwandi towns, he said without elaborating.
A senior official from Aurangabad said they had arrested 14 PFI members.
Nashik Rural Superintendent of Police Sachin Patil said, “We have arrested two persons from Malegaon.” SP Nanded Nisar Tamboli also said they had arrested two persons.
Besides, the Pune police detained six people linked to the PFI and its political wing Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) from Kondhwa area of the city, an official said.
The prevention action under Criminal Procedure Code Section 151(3) has been taken in the backdrop of the recent crackdown on the PFI by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), senior police inspector Sardar Patil from Kondhwa police station said.
More than 150 people allegedly linked with the Popular Front of India (PFI) were detained or arrested in raids across seven states on Tuesday, five days after a similar pan India crackdown against the group often accused of being linked to radical Islam.
Conducted mostly by state police teams, the raids were spread across Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Delhi, Maharashtra, Assam and Madhya Pradesh.
On September 22, multi-agency teams spearheaded by the NIA arrested 106 leaders and activists of the PFI in 15 states for allegedly supporting terror activities in the country. The NIA is investigating 19 cases involving the PFI.
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had last week arrested 20 PFI members from different parts of the state in the multi-agency raids.
On Monday, the ATS arrested one more PFI activist from Nanded in Marathwada region.
Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday expressed confidence that his faction will emerge victorious in the legal tussle with the rebel group led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
A Constitution bench of the Supreme Court is hearing an application of the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction seeking to restrain the Election Commission from deciding on the claim of the Shinde-led group over the “real” Shiv Sena.
“I have full faith in the judiciary and we will win,” former state CM Thackeray told the Sena workers from Osmanabad, which was renamed as Dharashiv in one of the final decisions of his government before it collapsed in June this year. He was addressing the cadre at his residence ‘Matoshree’ in Mumbai.
The Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government had collapsed after a revolt by Shinde and 39 other legislators against the Sena leadership.
Shinde was sworn in as the CM on June 30 along with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy.
On August 23, the Supreme Court had referred to a five-judge bench the petitions filed by the Thackeray and Shinde-led factions raising several constitutional questions related to defection, merger and disqualification.
It had asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) not to pass any orders on the Shinde faction’s plea that it be considered the real Shiv Sena and be granted the party’s poll symbol.
A bench headed by the then Chief Justice N V Ramana had said the batch of petitions raise important constitutional issues relating to the 10th schedule of the Constitution pertaining to disqualification, power of the speaker and governor and judicial review.
The 10th Schedule of the Constitution provides for the prevention of defection of the elected and nominated members from their political parties and contains stringent provisions against defections.
The Thackeray faction had earlier submitted that party MLAs loyal to Shinde can save themselves from disqualification under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution only by merging with another political party.
The Shinde group had contended the anti-defection law is not a weapon for a leader who has lost the confidence of his own party.
