Maharashtra never tolerates treachery and the Eknath Shinde-led government will collapse for sure, Yuva Sena chief and former minister Aaditya Thackeray said on Monday.
Addressing Shiv Sena workers during his tour of the Konkan region, he said the Shinde government’s focus is on “dirty politics” and not the welfare of the people.
“This entire political drama is of the one-and-half months. The government will collapse for sure. Maharashtra never tolerates treachery, said Aaditya, son of Shiv Sena chief and former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Attacking the Shinde government in which Devendra Fadnavis of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the deputy chief minister, Aaditya said the current government’s focus is on “dirty politics” and not the welfare of Maharashtra and the people.
The state witnessed incessant rains and floods, but the government is not bothered, he alleged.
The rebellion by Shinde and 40 MLAs of Shiv Sena led to the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government last month.
Earlier in the day, ED produced Raut before a special sessions court after his arrest here early this morning in connection with a money laundering case linked to irregularities involving the redevelopment of a chawl in Mumbai.
Sena leader was taken for a medical test at the JJ hospital before being produced before the court. ED officials raided the Shiv Sena leader’s home on Sunday, and after detaining and questioning him for several hours, arrested him in the early hours today.
Raut is a close aide of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Prior to his arrest, Sanjay Raut’s brother said yesterday: “Sanjay Raut has been arrested. BJP is afraid of him and got him arrested. They haven’t given us any document (regarding his arrest). He has been framed.”
Meanwhile, another FIR was registered against Sanjay Raut in Mumbai for allegedly threatening Swapna Patkar, the wife of Sujit Patkar, believed to be a close aide of the Shiv Sena MP.
The case was registered at the Vakola police station under sections 504,506 and 509 of IPC. An audio clip had gone viral in which Raut was allegedly heard threatening Swapna Patkar.
Notably, Swapna Patkar is a witness in the Patra Chawl land case in connection to which the ED detained Raut on Sunday after conducting a raid at his residence.
Meanwhile, security around the ED office and JJ hospital were increased with over 100 officials deployed to get tackle any law and order situation. Additional Director (ED) Satyabrata Kumar was also seen at the site.
According to sources, ED officials seized Rs 11.50 lakhs unaccounted cash from the residence of Raut earlier on Sunday. ED sleuths reached Raut’s residence around 7 am on Sunday and conducted the raid.
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”.
Speaking to media persons, Raut said, “False charges and documents are being framed against people. All of this is being done to weaken Shiv Sena and Maharashtra. Sanjay Raut won’t be cowed down. I will not leave the party.”
On June 28 this year, Sanjay Raut was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the prevention of the money laundering case pertaining to the Rs 1,034 crore Patra Chawl land scam. Refusing to join the probe and citing the Monsoon Session of Parliament as a reason for not joining the probe, he then dared the probe agency to arrest him.
Later, he reached the ED office. In April this year, the ED had provisionally attached assets worth over Rs 11.15 crore belonging to Raut’s wife Varsha Raut and two of his associates as part of its investigation.
Casino owner Chikoti Praveen and Madhav Reddy grilled by ED 4
Casino organiser Chikoti Praveen Kumar and his aide Madhava Reddy on Monday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in connection with the alleged violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
The ED on July 30 raided the farmhouse of Chikoti Praveen Kumar in Kadtal Ranga Reddy district of Telangana along with several other places.
Earlier on July 29, Chikoti Praveen’s residence at IS Sadan of Hyderabad and Madhav Reddy’s residence in Boinpally was raided by the investigative agency.
ED noticed that Chikoti Praveen along with others was organising a casino for VIPs in Nepal, Bangladesh and Indonesia.
Earlier it was alleged that Chikoti Praveen had organised and conducted a casino in a Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) Minister’s function hall in Gudiwada in Andhra Pradesh at the time of the Sankranti festival in January this year
Kumar was found to be in illegal possession of dozens of exotic animals.
According to the Kandukur Forest Deputy Range Officers, it is illegal to keep wildlife animals as pets, it is a non-bailable offence and strict action will be taken against the persons involved.
“Keeping wildlife animals as pets in farmhouse is a violation and we have noticed that wildlife animals and snakes have been kept as pets in Chikoti Praveen Kumar’s farmhouse in Kadtal of RR District. Non-bailable cases will be registered against organisers of this farmhouse,” Hema, Kandukur Forest Deputy Range Officer said.
The government has undertaken a series of reform measures to make India a global drone hub by 2030, Minister of State for Civil Aviation VK Singh told the Rajya Sabha on Monday.
Giving a written reply to a query raised by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Narhari Amin, the Minister further said some of the reform measures taken up by the government in this direction include the step to notify Liberalised Drone Rules, 202 on August 25, 2021.
Drone Airspace Map was published on September 24 last year, opening up nearly 90 per cent of Indian airspace as a green zone for drones flying up to 400 feet, said Singh.
“Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for drones was also notified on September 30 last year as well as UAS Traffic Management (UTM) Policy Framework was published on October 24 last year,” said the Minister.
A monetary grant programme for the purchase of agricultural drones was announced by the Union Agriculture Ministry on January 22 this year, and all application forms under Drone Rules, 2021 were also made online on the Digital Sky Platform on January 26.
Singh said that the drone certification scheme was notified on January 26 this year and the mission “Drone Shakti” was also announced for supporting drone startups and promoting Drone-as-a-Service (DrAAS) as part of the Union Budget on February 1.
Besides, the drone import policy was notified on February 9, banning the import of foreign drones and freeing up the import of drone components.
Investing In Canada From India Might Be More Profitable. He further mentioned that Drone (Amendment) Rules, 2022 was notified on February 11, abolishing the requirement of a drone pilot licence.
Now a remote pilot certificate is issued by a Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) authorised Remote Pilot Training Organisations (RPTO) which is adequate for the remote pilot to operate drones.
Giving details of the Drones Rules, 2021 notified on August 25 last year, the Minister said it provides the necessary regulatory framework for the civilian or commercial use of drones.
These rules cover various aspects like type certification, registration and operation of drones, airspace restrictions, research, development and testing of drones, training and licensing, offences and penalties, said Singh.
Given salient features of the Drones Rules, 2021, the Minister said every drone, except for those meant for research, development and testing purposes, is required to be registered and should have a Unique Identification Number (UIN).
“An airspace map of the country segregating the entire airspace into red, yellow and green zones is available on the digital sky platform. The operation of drones in red and yellow zones is subject to the approval of the Central Government and the concerned Air Traffic Control (ATC) authority respectively. No approval is required for the operation of drones in green zones,” the Ministry said.
He said drones are required to have the necessary type certification issued by the DGCA, and that no type certification is however required in case of nano drones (up to 250 gram all-up weight) and model drones made for research and recreation purposes.
The Minister said the owner and operators of drones are required to furnish the necessary personal details including their Indian passport number for issuance of any registration or licence. “Authorisation of RPTO will be done by DGCA within specified time limits,” said Singh. As of July 20, there were 27 RPTOs authorised by DGCA. Of these, three RPTOs are located in Gujarat– Blue Ray Aviation Pvt. Ltd., Kaushalya- The Skill University and Sanskardham Drone Academy
International gold prices are hovering near the USD 1,700-1,760 level per ounce and are expected to trade steady in the coming weeks, a report said on Monday.
There was a small uptick in prices as a result of speculation that the rate hikes by the US Fed may gradually moderate over time.
“The direction of gold prices has been inextricably intertwined with the direction of the US Dollar. The rate hikes by the Fed and the rise in market yields provided the background for the fall in gold prices. As the US Dollar index surged with higher interest rates a natural consequence of the same is that gold prices dropped,” financial advisory firm Emkay Wealth Management said in a note.
Even the persistent inflation could not help any revival in gold prices. It indicates that prices of gold are getting delinking from the level of inflation, one phenomenon that it was known for – a shield against inflation.
“As of now, a minor rise in gold prices is due to the softening of the US Dollar. The US Federal Reserve Chairman stated that the future rate action will be data-dependent, and also added that the US is not near any risk of slipping into a recession. The statement has given hopes that the Fed will slow down the rate hikes post the September meeting,” the note by the advisory firm said.
Gold on the Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) has been trading in the range of Rs 50,258-52,122 per 10 gram for the past few months.
While it may continue to trade within these broad ranges, the direction of the Indian rupee would be crucial at this juncture, it said.
Notably, the import duty hike imposed by the Indian central government in early July may have kept gold prices largely steady in the domestic markets.
The Central government had raised the import duty on gold from 10.75 per cent to 15.0 per cent. India is the second-largest consumer of gold, and it fulfils a major portion of its demand through imports. India is a net importer of gold.
The upward revision in the import duty was seen as a measure to disincentivize imports amidst the country’s widening trade deficit — meaning a difference between net imports and exports.
The Delhi High Court on Monday issued notice to Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and others on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking to quash the proposed amendment to the master plan 2021 for change in land use of the Park near All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at West Ansari Nagar Campus-Zone, New Delhi.
The bench of Justice Satish Chander Sharma on Monday sought a response from the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the Lieutenant Government of Delhi and the Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change and fixed the matter for November 24, 2022, for a detailed hearing.
The petitioner Society for Protection of Culture, Heritage, Environment, Tradition and Promotion of National Awareness through Advocates Vikas Kakkar and Amit Dubey stated that a park is a respite for the relatives of the patients, residents living around, commuters, people who come to the area need space to breathe under shades of the trees.
The trees’ canopy not only captures dust particles but acts as a filter for noise pollution, cots free natural air conditioner, effective smog towers and on top of it maintain the ecological balance by maintaining biodiversity and servicing as a water catchment instrument.
It is astonishing that respondents who have been endowed with responsibility for the all-around development of the Delhi state would conceptualize such a misconceived plan for a change of land use and covert the green area i.e. district Park to a concrete hub, submitted lawyers.
The plea stated that surrounding AIIMS, there are several redevelopment colonies namely Neta Ji Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Narouji Nagar, Mohamadpur and Thayagraj Nagar that are coming up.
The entire traffic of all these colonies would lead to the Ring Road – Mahatma Gandhi Road, which is thoroughly congested and clogged at any point time during the day throughout the year. Even the Barapula Road, which was supposed to ease the traffic towards Noida and Ghaziabad remains fully chocked during peak hours.
The area is busiest in its traffic volume from Gurugram to Noida and Ghaziabad, thus, continues to be the most polluted area in Delhi due to heavy traffic congestion throughout the day.
The petition stated that as per recent Newspaper Reports, 77,700 trees were allowed to be cut in the last three years.
This means hourly 3 trees were cut in the Capital City of Delhi, and another 5995 fully trees and an unspecified number of small trees would be sacrificed after destroying the District Park for the redevelopment of AIIMS.
The plea further alleged that despite in know of the fact of the paucity of land for Green areas, at the same time, it is continuously allowing the development of Commercial Properties and changing land use of the Recreational City Parks, District Parks, which were developed in accordance with earlier the Master Plans.
“This raises the basic questions on the proposed construction as proposed and approved in the public notice. Societal good would outweigh the individual interest, no doubt, but in the given circumstances a deed purportedly, being executed for societal good is bound to cause more harm than good. The copies of the newspaper report stating that there is land scarcity for compensatory afforestation in Delhi,” read the plea.
Congress Lok Sabha four MP's suspension was revoked and given the last chance 9
The suspension of four Congress MPs from Lok Sabha was revoked on Monday following a motion that was passed in the Lower House of Parliament. The Congress members of Parliament – Manickam Tagore, Ramya Haridas, T N Prathapan and S Jothi Mani — were suspended for the rest of the Monsoon Session of Parliament after Speaker Om Birla took a stern view of the continuous disruptions by Opposition MPs since the beginning of the Monsoon Session.
While announcing the cancellation of the suspension of the Congress MPs from Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla said the members were being given a last chance.
He also said that no placards would be brought inside the House or else, “I will listen neither to the government nor the Opposition and will surely take action.”
On July 26, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla suspended four Congress members for the rest of the monsoon session for unruly behaviour and disrupting the proceedings of the House.
The suspended MPs, along with other opposition members, were protesting with placards and shouting slogans against price rise and ignored repeated warnings from the Speaker. Earlier, Speaker Om Birla had warned the protesting members, including from the Congress, TMC and DMK, that those who continue to shout slogans and display placards will have to do it outside the House.
After witnessing two repeated adjournments in both Houses of Parliament over ruckus created by Opposition leaders on various issues, Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Pralhad Joshi expressed their concerns over Parliament not being allowed to function normally.
Addressing the media persons today at the Parliament premises, Piyush Goyal said, “The Central Government was ready from the first day to discuss inflation. However, the Opposition wasn’t allowing the House (Lok Sabha) to function normally. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had COVID-19. Knowing that she has just recovered, we are appealing to them for the House to function normally.”
Piyush Goyal said that the Opposition is not letting the House run and is running away from discussing other issues.
“We already decided that the issue of price rise will be discussed on Monday in Lok Sabha and on Tuesday in Rajya Sabha. Despite that, the House wasn’t allowed to run. They’re running away from discussing the issue,” he said.
Goyal added, “Either Opposition MPs should express regret about whatever they have done or their leaders should ensure that they won’t bring placards which are against the rules. In that case, the government is ready to move the motion to revoke the suspension of MPs.”
Pralhad Joshi, too, expressed his concerns in the matter and objected to protesting with placards in the Parliament. “We have many bills to pass but unfortunately, the House is getting adjourned. If the Leader of Congress Parliamentary Party gives assurance in the house that MPs will not come with placards, then, we are ready to withdraw the suspension,” said Pralhad Joshi.
“In spite of that, the Opposition is not cooperating, which means they are running away from the discussion of price rise. If the Opposition is really interested, they should allow the House to function normally,” Joshi further said.
Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned till 2 PM for the second time on Monday, after a ruckus by Opposition leaders on various issues. The Lower House was adjourned after Opposition parties demanded the suspension of four Congress MPs be revoked.
In Rajya Sabha, the Opposition continued sloganeering and Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge demanded a discussion over price rise. To this, Bhubaneswar Kalita, presiding in the Chair, responded that the matter would be taken up tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan is introducing a Bill to amend the Central Universities Act, 2009, in the Lok Sabha.
Union Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar is expected to move the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022, in the Rajya Sabha for passing.
Earlier in the day, both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned till noon after a ruckus was created by Opposition leaders on various issues.
The Lower House had been adjourned after Opposition leaders demanded the withdrawal of the suspension of four Congress MPs last week.
Malavika Sarukkai seemed to have paved a way back into the world by being a student of dance, again. The Padmashri awardee completed 50 glorious years in dance, her new solo performance, Anubandh – Connectedness, is a call for hope. The artiste implored her audiences to navigate sorrow and solace through their primordial ties with nature. The show at the National Centre of Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai left the audience spellbound.
Sarukkai was born in 1959 in Tamil Nadu. She began learning Bharatanatyam at the age of 7 and trained under Kalyanasundaram Pillai (Tanjavur school) and Rajaratnam (Vazhuvoor School) She also learned abhinaya under Kalanidhi Narayanan and Odissi under renowned gurus, Kelucharan Mohapatra and Ramani Ranjan Jena. She made her debut at the age of 12 at NCPA, Mumbai and she celebrated her golden year on stage again at the same venue.
After her recent show, the elated Sarukkai spoke about her experience of concluding celebrated golden years, excerpts from the interview:
Fifty glorious years, when you look back how has the journey been?
My journey in dance has been incredible, unbelievable. Destiny has played an important role as otherwise I could not have continued on this dance marathon and without the benediction of divine grace, many things could not have fallen in place. Classical dance required of me decades of sustained practise. This demanded stamina at the physical, emotional and spiritual levels. Together with this, life also had its ups and downs, highs and lows which had to be constantly navigated. Through all this dance kept my spirit alive as it granted me a world of discovery for which I am ever grateful. The world of dance changed the way I looked at life, people, nature. It granted me a new dimension to my life.
Your first show was at NCPA and now the golden jubilee celebration too is on the same stage, what is the feeling like?
I grew up and went to school in Bombay and had my Arangetram (first public performance) in 1972. And so, returning to NCPA in Mumbai is special in this significant year. As an artist, I have felt welcomed at NCPA because of the vibrant diversity of programs presented at the complex. I have always looked forward to presenting my art and curated my programs with care keeping in mind the discerning audience. Over the years I have presented my art at The Little Theatre, The Tata Theatre and at The Jamshed Bhabha Theatre. Each space at NCPA is different, offering its unique possibility of engaging with the audience. The experience of dancing has been rewarding, complemented as it is by many memories.
Tell me more about your show AnuBandh – Connectedness?
This show is my response to the isolation, loneliness and trepidation arising from the pandemic. At a time, uncertainty in a fractured world, it is my call to the transformative power of hope. Anubandh seeks to recognise and reclaim our primordial relationship with the Sun and the Moon, as also with Panch Mahabhuta (the Five Great Elements) as theu are honoured in India: Prithvi (Earth), Apah (Water), Agni (Fire), Vayu (Wind) and Akasha (Space).
Malavika Sarukkai / Image: Brian Slater
Through my show I invited my audience to a journey from familiar to the unfamiliar, from the known to the unknown. My performance moved from the personal to the shared and from the individual to the collective. The dance reinforced our deep links with the great elements – the generosity of the earth, the rejuvenating power of the water, the caressing sukha (pleasure) of the wind, the unending depth of dukkha (sorrow) of fire, the wonderment in sensing space and knowing that the same prana (life-breath) pervades all. In short my show ‘Anubandh – Connectedness’ explored the essential relationship between nature and our lives
In this incredible journey who has been the most inspirational person for you and why?
Dance is a marathon specially when it stretches over decades. Without inspiration, passion, motivation and hard work it’s impossible to sustain the challenges one faces as an artist. Without question, the most inspirational person in my dance journey was my mother, Saroja Kamakshi. She was a guiding spirit through the many challenges I faced and she fulfilled several roles – creative collaborator, researcher, manager, mother and spiritual guide. We shared a most unique relationship.
There has been a drastic change in the way performers and students were when you started to now, how do you feel about it?
There has been a huge shift in the practise and presentation of the performing arts in the last few decades. Change is natural in any art form but I think as artists and as a society we need to be alert and intelligent to analyse what are the positive and negative learnings. I believe we need to take the practise of classical dance not in a superficial way but as a serious study. Otherwise on the long run we will only produce dancers not artists. Without the contribution of artists to the world of dance, as a society we will be the poorer for it and that would be a shame considering we have inherited such a rich legacy. Classical dance can be practised, performed and viewed at multiple levels. It is up to us to choose what we wish to gain as artists or viewers from the experience of classical dance. If we allow ourselves to immerse in classical dance, it offers us deep perspectives, else it can be viewed as mere entertainment. Our approach defines what we receive.
What are your future plans for your unmatched talent?
Dance continues to inspire me in many ways. The more I create the more creative space unfolds. As long as I am inspired, I will continue to create path breaking dance productions in the language of Bharatanatyam, I will continue writing on dance, speaking about dance, disseminating an awareness of classical dance and continue mentoring a few serious dancers. Engaging and exploring dance will be an enduring and intrinsic part of my life
Malavika Sarukkia is a guru, dancer, scholar, writer, researcher par excellence and stands as a symbol of a complete artist, many awards such as Kalaimamani title from the Government of Tamil Nadu, Mrinalini Sarabhai Award, Nrityachoodamani title, Sanskriti award, Haridas Sammelan award prove the same. Let us all come together and congratulate the doyen of Indian classical dance.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AFTERNOON VOICE and AFTERNOON VOICE does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
England made history on Sunday as Chloe Kelly’s extra-time goal against Germany won them the Euro 2022 trophy with a score of 2-1 at the Wembley stadium.
It is the first time since 1966 that England won an international trophy. In front of more than 87,000 people crowd England sealed the title for them thanks to the extra time goal from Chloe Kelly.
Germany fought hard and it was a great showing from both sides but England was able to convert its chances and that’s what really made the difference in the final.
Germany lost their top scorer Alexandra Popp in the competition before the kick-off of the final due to an injury. The first half went goalless as both sides failed to convert the given chances but the game was still pretty entertaining.
The first major chance came from Germany in the 25th minute from a corner. The sloppy English defence wasn’t able to clear out the ball from the corner and it needed a double-save from the goalkeeper Mary Earps.
England striker Ellen White had the chance to put England in lead in the 38th minute as the hosts caught the German defence off-guard.
White’s strike just went a little over the bar. The match remained deadlocked in the first half with great chances from both sides but no conversions.
The first goal of the game finally came through in the 62nd minute. Keira Walsh put an excellent lofted through ball over the German defence which landed straight into the feet of Ella Toone.
The English striker who was substituted not long ago showed her class with a sublime finish. A great lofted strike by Toone put the ball over the keeper and straight into the net.
England took the lead but it wasn’t very safe as Germany was fighting back hard. The visitors were quick to equalize. Magull yet again had the chance to score for Germany and she did not fail this time. She put in the ball from a close range to give Germany the equalizer.
The 90-minute mark ended with the score being 1-1 which meant the game went to extra time. The extra time was also well contested between both sides. Substitutions were made from either side as well giving new life to the match.
However, in the 110th minute, England substitute Chloe Kelly scored from the corner and gave England the lead yet again in the game. The corner was poorly cleared out from Germany and Kelly shot came back to her and she was quick to take the chance and turned it in for England.
An equalizer never came through from Germany this time around and Kelly’s goal made history for England as they won the Euros for the first time defeating the eight-time champions Germany.
'Action against Sanjay Raut is to divert attention from Governor's insulting statement' - Nana Patole 14
Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Sunday alleged that Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut’s detention by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is an attempt by the BJP to divert attention from the governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s controversial statement that had hurt the feelings of the Marathi manoos.
Governor had recently remarked that Mumbai would not remain the financial capital if people from Gujarat and Rajasthan were taken out of the state. The remark had caused a political storm and drew criticism.
