Category: National

Karnataka HC dismisses Shivakumar’s petition challenging sanction to prosecute him

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Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka on Thursday dismissed the petition by state Congress president D K Shivakumar challenging the sanction given by the State Government to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for prosecuting him.
Following a request by the central agency, the State Government had given the sanction on September 25, 2019, based on which it had filed an FIR against him on October 3, 2020.
Shivakumar had challenged both the sanction and the FIR in two separate petitions before the High Court.

The court had earlier this week reserved its judgment on the petition challenging the sanction.
On Wednesday, it had adjourned the hearing of the other petition challenging the FIR to May 30. On Thursday evening, the single-judge bench of Justice K Natarajan dismissed the petition challenging the sanction.
The Income Tax Department had conducted a search and seizure operation in the offices and residence of Shivakumar in 2017. Based on it, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) started its own probe against Shivakumar. Following the ED investigation, the CBI sought sanction from the State Government to file an FIR against him.
Shivakumar had challenged the sanction on grounds that this was a politically motivated FIR, and three earlier FIRs have already been filed against him in relation to disproportionate income.

Since he was an MLA, the permission of the Speaker of the Assembly had to be obtained which was not done in this case. The Government had also not mentioned the reasons for granting the sanction.

The CBI had objected to the petition stating that the accused cannot demand which agency should conduct investigation against him.
It argued that since the CBI was enacted under a special act, there was no need to mention the reasons to grant sanction for prosecution.
It was claimed that 90 per cent of the investigation was complete. The CBI had also submitted a status report on the investigation to the court. Since it was a special case related to disproportionate income the petition was sought to be dismissed.
Shivakumar has been charged under Section 13(2), Section 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
While the High Court dictated the dismissal of Shivakumar’s petition on Thursday evening, the copy of the judgment is awaited.
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#Karnataka #dismisses #Shivakumars #petition #challenging #sanction #prosecute
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 20, 2023
SC gives 3 more months to states, UTs to provide ration cards to left-out migrant labourers

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday granted another three months time to all states and Union territories to provide rations cards to migrant labourers registered on the e-shram portal for availing benefits of “benevolent schemes” of the government.
The top court posted the matter for further hearing on October 3 and asked the Centre to file a status report.
A bench of justices MR Shah and Ahsanuddin Amanullah said, “At present, we give further three months’ time to the concerned State/UT to undertake the exercise to issue ration cards to the left out registrants on e-Shram portal by giving wide publicity and the concerned State/UT to approach them through the office of the concerned Collector of the District, so that more and more registrants on e-Shram portal are issued the ration cards and so that they may get the benefit of the benevolent schemes floated by the UOI and the State Government including the benefit under the National Food Security Act.”

It said, “We appreciate the exercise undertaken by the UOI with the assistance of the respective States/UTs for registration of the migrants/unorganized workers on e-Shram portal.”
It noted that 28.60 crores migrants/unorganized workers are registered on e-Shram portal which is a “commendable job” but added that out of 28.60 registrants on e-Shram portal, 20.63 crores are registered on ration card data.
“Meaning thereby, the rest of the registrants on e-Shram are still without ration cards. Without the ration card a migrant/unorganized labourer or his family members may be deprived of the benefit of the schemes and may be the benefit under the National Food Security Act,” it said.
The bench said that being a welfare State, it is therefore the duty of the state/Union territory concerned to see that the remaining registrants on e-Shram, who are still not registered on ration card data and who are not issued the ration cards, they are issued ration cards and the exercise for issuance of ration cards is required to be expedited.

“As the Union of India and the concerned State/UT now already have the data of the registrants on e-Shram portal and will be having the required information, the State/UT shall reach to them so that they can be issued the ration cards and that their names are registered on ration card data,” it said.

The top court’s order came on an application filed by petitioners Anjali Bhardwaj, Harsh Mander and Jagdeep Chhokkar who had sought that ration to the migrant labourers be given irrespective of the quota of ration under the NFSA.
The bench noted the submission of advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioners, that approximately more than 10 crore people are deprived of the benefit of National Food Security Act due to non-issuance of the ration cards which as such is due to the fact that at present census of 2011 is being implemented and that after 2011 population has increased.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, said that against the total target of 38,37,42,394 migrants, 28,86,23,993 have already registered their names on e-Shram portal.
She submitted that the e-Shram portal was launched on August 26, 2021 by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, which is meant to register and support the unorganised/migrant workers by providing them with a Universal Account Number (UAN).
The government said the Ministry of Labour and Employment has developed a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to share e-Shram portal data with states and Union territories.
It said that approximately 3.82 crore e-Shram registrants are also found to be beneficiary under PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi.
The government submitted that the benefit of Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Mann-Dhan Yojana (PM-SYM) has been given to the eligible migrants and each state has its own policies for issuance of the ration card.
The top court had earlier said migrant workers play a very vital role in building the nation and their rights cannot be ignored.
It had also asked the Centre to devise a mechanism so that they receive food grains without ration cards.
Earlier, the top court had issued a slew of directions to authorities on a plea of the three activists seeking welfare measures for migrant workers and ordered states and Union territories to frame schemes for providing free dry rations to them till the Covid pandemic lasted and said the Centre will have to allocate additional food grains.
It had also directed states and Union territories to register all establishments and license all contractors under the law and ensure that the statutory duty is imposed on the contractors to give particulars of migrant workers.
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#months #states #UTs #provide #ration #cards #leftout #migrant #labourers
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 20, 2023
BuzzFeed News to shut down

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BuzzFeed is consolidating its news operations within HuffPost, and BuzzFeed and HuffPost will offer roles to some BuzzFeed News staffers.
“HuffPost and BuzzFeed Dot Com have signaled that they will open a number of select roles for members of BuzzFeed News,” Peretti said. “These roles will be aligned with those divisions’ business goals and match the skills and strengths of many of BuzzFeed News’s editors and reporters. We raised this idea with the News Guild this morning and look forward to discussing it further. Moving forward, we will have a single news brand in HuffPost, which is profitable, with a loyal direct front page audience.”
Chief Revenue Officer Edgar Hernandez and Chief Operating Officer Christian Baesler will leave as part of the company changes, Peretti said. Marcela Martin, president, would “take on responsibility for all revenue functions effective immediately.”
BuzzFeed News launched in 2011. In 2021, BuzzFeed News won a Pulitzer Prize and was also named a Pulitzer finalist.
“I’ve learned from these mistakes, and the team moving forward has learned from them as well,” Peretti wrote. “We know that the changes and improvements we are making today are necessary steps to building a better future.”
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#BuzzFeed #News #shut
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

April 20, 2023
Hyderabad: KCR to lay foundation for new NIMS block in May

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Hyderabad: Telangana health minister T Harish Rao on Thursday said that chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao will lay the foundation stone for the new block of Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) soon.
The new state-of-the-art multispecialty block is being built with Rs 1571 crores in 32 acres at Erramanzil Colony. Including 500 emergency beds, the new facility is being constructed with a capacity of 2000 beds. The laying of the foundation stone of the new block will most likely happen in May.
The new facility will house 42 super-speciality departments including heart, kidney, liver, cancer care, emergency and trauma care facilities, and all orthopaedic specialities.

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#Hyderabad #KCR #lay #foundation #NIMS #block
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 20, 2023
Telangana: ST reservation in Edu dept courses goes up from 6 to 10%

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Hyderabad: Telangana government on Thursday enhanced reservations for candidates from the Scheduled Tribes (ST) communities from six per cent to ten per cent for admissions into B.Ed, B.P.Ed and UG D.P.Ed courses through common entrance tests.
The school education department issued orders to implement the earlier orders of the government increasing reservations for STs in educational institutions and government services.
Telangana State Education Common Entrance Test (TS EdCET) for admissions to B.Ed courses for 2023 is scheduled on May 18. The last date to submit the application form without a late fee is April 25.

Candidates may apply for the Telangana State Physical Education Common Entrance Test (TS PECET) 2023, online without incurring a late fee up to May 6
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#Telangana #reservation #dept #courses

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 20, 2023
India’s need for water increasing with growing population: Shekhawat

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New Delhi: With India becoming the most populous country in the world, its need for water is increasing, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said here on Thursday.
The central government is working towards fulfiling the country’s water requirement, the Jal Shakti minister said at the 16th Civil Services Day.
According to United Nations estimates, India has become the most populous country in the world with 142.86 crore people.

“We have become the most populated country in the world though the official figures are yet to come out. We are also the fastest growing economy in the world and our need for water is also increasing,” he said.
Underlining that water-bearing capacity has to be increased, Shekhawat said while the country’s present requirement of water stands at 1,100 billion cubic metres, it is likely to exceed the 1,500 billion cubic metre-mark by 2050.
The minister highlighted that the BJP-led central government concentrated on the last mile saturation.
“But achieving last mile saturation needed a lot of work and bureaucrats played a very important role in fulfilling India’s target set under the Jal Jeevan mission,” he said, adding, “This government gave freedom to bureaucrats to work freely”.

Shekhawat added that development work done by India has inspired the whole world.

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#Indias #water #increasing #growing #population #Shekhawat
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 20, 2023
SpaceX’s Starship explodes minutes after launch

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The company, headed by Elon Musk, planned to send the 400-foot rocket on an attempted trip around the globe from the southern tip of Texas to eventually crash in the Pacific ocean near Hawaii. Despite the rocket’s explosion, the launch pad did survive.
After the launch, Musk said on Twitter that the company “learned a lot for next test launch in a few months.” It was the company’s second launch attempt after canceling one on Monday due to a frozen booster valve.
NASA administrator Bill Nelson congratulated the Starship’s team in a tweet, saying “Every great achievement throughout history has demanded some level of calculated risk, because with great risk comes great reward. Looking forward to all that SpaceX learns, to the next flight test—and beyond.”
When asked if it’s time for lawmakers to push for more commercial spaceflight regulation, House Aviation Subcommittee Chair Garret Graves (R-La.) said he doesn’t want to do “anything that impedes the progress of innovation for commercial space.”
“But obviously, you got that balance with safety. And so we’re gonna continue working with NTSB,” Graves said.
SpaceX’s Starship is designed to be a fully reusable space vehicle that can carry both crew and cargo “to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond,” the company claims, aiming at expanding the private space industry and space tourism.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), chair of the Senate Commerce Aviation Subcommittee, said lawmakers need to clarify which agency will be in charge of regulating the industry as the “space tourism steps up.”

“We have to decide who’s going to regulate that type of travel. Is it going to be the FAA or is it going to be NASA — NASA is not a regulating agency the way FAA is — coming up with the rules and policies of how we conduct both commercial passenger and commercial freight travel?” Duckworth said. “… We need to sit down and really have a real reckoning as to who’s going to be in charge of this — an agency that has lots of experience with regulating commercial passenger and freight but no space experience, or a space agency that has no experience with with logistical moving things around the way the FAA does? So we’ll have to see.”

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#SpaceXs #Starship #explodes #minutes #launch
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

April 20, 2023
Watch: Hailstorm blankets Taif region in Saudi Arabia, disrupts traffic

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Riyadh: Heavy snow and hailstorm hit the Saudi city of Taif, on Wednesday, disrupting traffic on the road between Taif province and the town of Hawiyah in Makkah region.
Some motorists stopped to capture what is rare for spring in the Kingdom, with many videos and photos posted on social media platforms.
With the accumulation of hailstones and snow in the streets and sidewalks, the Taif Municipality crews used bulldozers to clean the roads and neighborhoods in record time.

More than 90 teams of municipal workers removed snow and ice to restore traffic flow, as part of its handling of the heavy rains in Taif and its suburbs. High winds, hail and heavy rain combined to reduce visibility for drivers.
Taif Municipality published on Twitter pictures of the hail removal process.
Heavy rains fell across the Kingdom this week, as the National Center of Meteorology (NCM) issued several warnings of thunderstorms in the Makkah region.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance directed that Eid Al-Fitr prayers be performed in mosques, and not in external chapels in the governorates and cities where rain is expected.

The ministry’s directives came due to the expected rainfall in most regions of the Kingdom on the day of Eid Al-Fitr.

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#Watch #Hailstorm #blankets #Taif #region #Saudi #Arabia #disrupts #traffic
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 20, 2023
5 Army soldiers killed in terrorist attack in Poonch

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Jammu: Five Army personnel were killed and another was seriously injured on Thursday after their vehicle caught fire following a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch, officials said.
The deceased Army soldiers were from a Rashtriya Rifles unit deployed for counterterror operations, the Army said in a statement.
Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande has briefed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the incident.

The Army said the vehicle the soldiers were travelling in came under fire from unidentified terrorists and it caught fire because of likely use of grenades.
“Today, at approximately 1500 hours, one Army vehicle, moving between Bhimber Gali and Poonch in the Rajauri sector was fired on by unidentified terrorists, taking advantage of heavy rains and low visibility in the area,” the Army said.
“The vehicle caught fire, due to likely use of grenades by terrorists,” it said.
Five personnel of the Rashtriya Rifles Unit deployed for counterterrorist operations, in this area have unfortunately lost their lives in the incident, it said.

The Army said another soldier was seriously injured and he was evacuated immediately to the Army hospital at Rajauri.

The Army said operations are underway to catch the perpetrators.
In an initial statement, the Army said the five personnel were killed after their vehicle caught fire, adding further details are being ascertained.
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#Army #soldiers #killed #terrorist #attack #Poonch
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 20, 2023
Crescent moon sighted in Saudi Arabia; Eid to be on Friday

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Riyadh: The Shawwal crescent moon sighted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) on Thursday, April 20. Therefore, Thursday would be the last day of the holy month of Ramzan.
BREAKING NEWS: The Crescent for the month of Shawwal 1444 was SEEN today in Tumair and Sudair subsequently tomorrow i.e Friday, 21st April 2023 is the day of Eid Al Fitr pic.twitter.com/qYLSoAtglG
— The Holy Mosques (@theholymosques) April 20, 2023
It is noteworthy that the Supreme Court on Wednesday called on all Muslims in all parts of the Kingdom to sight the crescent of the month of Shawwal 1444, on Thursday evening, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
On the other hand, Eid Al-Fitr celebrations marks the end of the month-long fast. Eid Al-Fitr is traditionally celebrated with large gatherings for worshippers to pray and break their fasts.

In Islam, Shawwal is the tenth month of the Islamic calendar, also known as the Hijri calendar or lunar calendar consisting of twelve months beginning with Muharram, and ending with Zul-Hijjah. Each month starts with the sighting of the moon.
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#Crescent #moon #sighted #Saudi #Arabia #Eid #Friday

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 20, 2023