Tag: Govt

No proposal to establish any new defence industrial corridor in country: Govt

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New Delhi: There is no proposal to establish any new defence industrial corridor in the country, Parliament was informed on Friday.
Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said this in written response to a query in the Lok Sabha.
The government, in its budget for 2018-19, announced setting up of two defence industrial corridors (DICs) to develop a holistic defence manufacturing ecosystem in the country, he said.
One corridor has been established in Uttar Pradesh with six nodes, namely Aligarh, Agra, Jhansi, Kanpur, Chitrakoot and Lucknow. The second is in Tamil Nadu with five nodes, namely Chennai, Hosur, Coimbatore, Salem and Tiruchirappalli, he said.
“As per the information received from the government of Uttar Pradesh, 108
Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) have been signed with industry/organisation having potential investment of Rs 12,191 crore. Investment of Rs 2,445 crore has already taken place in Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor (UPDIC),” he said.
Further, as per information received from the government of Tamil Nadu, arrangements have been made with 53 industries for potential investment of Rs 11,794 crore. Investment worth Rs 3,894 crore has already taken place in Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor (TNDIC), the minister said.
Asked if there is any proposal to establish more defence industrial corridors in the
country, Bhatt said there is no proposal to establish any new defence industrial corridor.
In response to another query on “whether it is a fact that more than a dozen papers have been submitted by DGPs and IGPs in the recently concluded conference conducted by Intelligence Bureau on the subject ‘Chinese influence in the neighbourhood and implications for India’”, the minister said, “The information sought is sensitive in nature and cannot be divulged on the floor of the House in the interest of the national security.”

In response to another query on whether Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is in talks with various countries to sell its light combat aircraft Tejas, he said, “The information sought is sensitive in nature and cannot be divulged on the floor of the House in the interest of the national security.”
The minister of state for defence, in a separate written query, was asked whether the government has reduced the construction restrictions near defence establishments to just 50 metres from 500 metres.
He said in his written response: “The revised NoC guidelines issued by MoD on 23.12.2022 reducing the restricted distance in vicinity of defence establishment of Army, Navy and Coast Guard at specific locations to 50 metres have been kept in abeyance till standard operating procedure is formulated in consultation with stakeholders for issue of NoCs.”
On a written query on whether arrears of one rank one pension (OROP) been paid to the eligible pensioners of armed forces, the minister said the payment of arrears of OROP to eligible pensioners of the armed forces is in progress as per policy of the government.
“So far, Rs 5,065.70 crore has been paid as arrear of OROP to eligible pensioners of Armed Forces as on 13.03.2023,” he said.
In a separate question, the minister was also asked for details of private companies engaged in defence sector.
“Defence industry sector was opened up in May 2001 up to 100 per cent for Indian private sector participation. Since the opening up of defence sector, till date, a total of 601 industrial licenses have been issued to 368 companies operating in defence sector,” the minister said in a written response.
Bhatt also shared his written response on query on bullet proof jackets and helmets for armed forces and other law enforcement forces.
The government undertakes procurement of bullet proof jackets and helmets
for armed forces and other law enforcement forces from time to time from domestic
manufacturers, he said.
These are procured as per laid down specifications and authorization after due
testing and evaluation. Bullet proof helmets procured by Indian Army and Central Armed Police Forces are “compliant to the specifications and NIJ (National Institute of Justice of USA) protection/ threat levels approved by the competent authorities,” he said in his response.
The upgradation, procurement and provisioning of improved version of bullet
proof jackets and helmets, is a continuous process for which necessary steps
are taken regularly.
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#proposal #establish #defence #industrial #corridor #country #Govt
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 24, 2023
Govt warns employees against discussing, criticizing its policies on social media

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Srinagar, March 24: The government on Friday directed its employees not to discuss or criticize on social media any policy pursued or action taken, warning them with ‘disciplinary action’ for non-compliance of the instructions.
In a detailed circular issued here, the government has asked employees not to participate in any manner in any such discussion or criticism on social media pages, communities or microblogs.
“No Government employee shall post, tweet or share content that is political or anti-secular and communal in nature or subscribe to pages, communities or twitter handles and blogs of such nature,” the circular, a copy of which lies with GNS reads.
No Government employee, it said, shall himself or herself or through any person dependent on him or her for maintenance, or under his care or control, undertake any such activity on social media which is, or tends directly or indirectly to be, subversive of the Government as by law established in the Country on in the Union territory.
“A Government employee may, for the purpose of removing misapprehensions, correcting mis-statements, and refuting disloyal and seditious propaganda, defend and explain to the public the policy of Government in his posts and tweets on social media,” the circular reads.
Government employees shall not post on social media, any such content or comments about co-workers or individuals that are vulgar, obscene, threatening, intimidating or that violate the conduct rules or employees, it said.
“No Government employee shall post grievances pertaining to their workplace on social media in the form of videos, posts, tweets or blogs or in any other form, but will follow the already established channels of complaint redressal existing in the departments,” it reads, adding, “Government employees shall not indulge in sharing/partaking in so-called giveaways and contests on social media platforms, which are actually scams in disguise, as they could unknowingly spread malware or trick people into giving away sensitive data by sharing it on their profiles.” It is, however, clarified that the guidelines are not intended to dissuade employees or departments from using social media for positive and constructive purposes, it said.
“It is accordingly enjoined upon all employees working in various government departments/PSUs/Corporations/Boards/Autonomous Bodies etc. to strictly adhere to the guidelines and legal principles and refrain from indulging in unwarranted debates/discussions and sharing/commenting/posting inappropriate posts/content on social media platforms,” the circular reads, adding, “Violation of these guidelines/rules shall tantamount to misconduct and invite disciplinary action against the delinquent official under the relevant rules.” All Administrative Secretaries, Deputy Commissioners, Heads of Departments, Managing Directors have been asked to “immediately” proceed against the employees working in their departments and offices who are found to have violated the guidelines and rules, in terms of the relevant disciplinary framework.

“Further, in case of a violation committed on a group platform, the ‘Administrator’, if they are serving government/semi-government employees, shall also be liable for disciplinary proceedings,”. It added. (GNS)
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#Govt #warns #employees #discussing #criticizing #policies #social #media
( With inputs from : roshankashmir.net )

March 24, 2023
JK Govt Issues Social Media Guidelines For Employees

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SRINAGAR: The Government of Jammu and Kashmir has issued a circular regarding the use of social media by its employees. An elaborate set of guidelines regarding the use of social media by government employees has been notified for strict adherence/compliance. The circular has been issued in compliance with Government Order No. 1646-JK (GAD) of 2017, dated 26.12.2017, and the provisions relating to the issue incorporated in the Jammu and Kashmir Employees Conduct Rules, 1971.
According to the guidelines, no government employee shall, by any utterance, writing or otherwise discuss or criticize in public or in any meeting of any association or body any policy pursued or action taken by the government nor shall he in any manner participate in any such discussion or criticism. Additionally, no government employee shall, in any radio broadcast or in any document published in his own name or anonymously, pseudonymously, or in the name of any other person or in any communication to the press or in any public utterance make any statement of fact or opinion that has the effect of adverse criticism of any current or recent policy or action of the Government of India, Government of Jammu and Kashmir, or any other State Government.
The circular also lists out the activities that are not to be carried out by the employees on social media. It warns that violation of the conduct rules can be punished under rule 30 of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Classification, Control, and Appeal) Rules, 1956. Punishments for violations include censure, fines, withholding of increments and/or promotion, reduction to a lower post and/or time-scale, recovery from pay of the whole or part of any pecuniary loss caused to the government by negligence or breach of orders, premature retirement on proportionate pension, and removal from the service of the state that does not disqualify from future employment.
The circular also cites the Information Technology Act, which makes users liable should they post any incriminating or illegal content or material on social media. The guidelines have been welcomed by citizens, who have expressed hope that the employees will follow them strictly to maintain public trust in the government.

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#Govt #Issues #Social #Media #Guidelines #Employees
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

March 24, 2023
Govt to introduce GPS-based toll system in six months to replace toll plazas

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New Delhi: The government will introduce new technologies including GPS-based toll collection systems in the next 6 months to replace existing highway toll plazas in the country, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said on Friday.
The move is aimed at reducing traffic congestion and charging motorists for the exact distance travelled on the highways, Gadkari said.
Addressing an event organised by industry body CII, Gadkari further said state- owned NHAI’s toll revenue is currently Rs 40,000 crore and it is going to soar to Rs 1.40 lakh crore 2-3 years.
“The government is looking at new technologies including GPS-based toll systems to replace toll plazas in the country…We will bring new technology in six months,” he said.
The ministry of road transport and highways is conducting a pilot project of an automatic number plate recognition system (automatic number plate reader cameras) to enable automated toll collection without stopping the vehicles.
During 2018-19, the average waiting time for vehicles at toll plaza was 8 minutes. With the introduction of FASTags during 2020-21 and 2021-22, the average waiting time of the vehicles has come down to 47 seconds.
Although there is considerable improvement in waiting time at certain locations, especially near cities, the densely populated towns there are still some delays at toll plazas during peak hours.
The road transport and highways minister emphasised on the need of reducing the cost of construction without compromising with the quality.

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#Govt #introduce #GPSbased #toll #system #months #replace #toll #plazas
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 24, 2023
Opposition vs govt stalemate to continue in Parliament today

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New Delhi: A stalemate is likely to continue in Parliament on Friday with the opposition continuing with its demand for a JPC in the Hindenburg-Adani row, while the BJP will carry on pressing for an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks made in London.
Opposition MPs will on Friday move suspension of business notices in the Rajya Sabha and adjournment notices in the Lok Sabha on the Adani issue.
The Thursday meeting of the floor leaders at the Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar’s chamber in Parliament premises could not end the impasse as both sides remained rigid on their demands.
Dhankhar rejected the suspension of business notices given by the members of the opposition on the demand of JPC in the Adani issue.
Following this, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said that the stalemate can only end with the constitution of the JPC.
On his part, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal said that Rahul Gandhi should apologise on his London statement.
Dhankar said both sides are rigid and should hold a dialogue to end the stalemate.

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#Opposition #govt #stalemate #continue #Parliament #today
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 24, 2023
Govt is examining SC order on appointment of ECs, CEC: Kiren Rijiju

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New Delhi: Responding to a question asked by a Congress MP whether the Government has any plans to enact a law for the appointment of Election Commissioners (ECs) and the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) to conduct free and fair elections, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the government is examining the judgement of the Supreme Court and will take appropriate action.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Mukul Wasnik asked Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju whether the Government has any plans to enact a law for the appointment of Election Commissioners (ECs) and the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) that will ensure the integrity of the Election Commission of India for the conduct of free and fair elections.
In the written reply to Wasnik, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju further said, “Recently, in Writ Petition (Civil) No.104 of 2015, Anoop Baranwal vs Union of India, with Writ Petition (Civil) No.1043 of 2017, 569 of 2021 and 998 of 2022, the Supreme Court of India has inter alia held in its judgment dated March 2, 2023, that until the Parliament makes a law in consonance with Article 342(2) of the Constitution the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners shall be made on the recommendations made by a three-member Committee comprising the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition of the Lok Sabha and in case no Leader of Opposition is available, the Leader of the largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha in terms of numerical strength and the Chief Justice of India.”
Highlighting that the Election Commission of India is a permanent constitutional body established in accordance with Article 324(1) and Article 324 (2) of the Constitution of India.
The Union Minister said, “Election Commission shall consist of the Chief Election Commissioner and such number of Election Commissioners, if any, as the President may from time to time fix and that the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners shall, subject to the provisions of any law made in that behalf by Parliament, be made by the President.”
“Originally, the Commission was headed by the lone Chief Election Commissioner. In order to ensure transparency in the working of the Commission and for the conduct of free and fair elections in the country, the government appointed two additional Commissioners in October 1989, who continued only till January 1990. Later, on 1st October 1993, two Election Commissioners were appointed and the concept of present-day multi-member Commission has been in vogue since then,” he added.
No specific law has been made by the Parliament as envisaged under Article 324 (2) of the Constitution of India for the appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners, Rijiju further elaborated further.
“According to Rule 8 of the Government of India (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1961 read with Sl. No. 22 of the Third Schedule to the said Rules, the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners requires the approval of the Prime Minister and the President,” the law minister said.

“So far the senior members of Civil Service and/or other serving or retired officers of the rank of Secretary to the Government of India/Chief Secretary of the State Governments are appointed as Election Commissioners and the senior-most among the three Election Commissioners, as Chief Election Commissioner. The appointments to the posts of Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners are in consonance with the constitutional values that uphold the integrity and credibility of the Commission,” Rijiju said.
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#Govt #examining #order #appointment #ECs #CEC #Kiren #Rijiju
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 24, 2023
66 percent women in Jammu & Kashmir are anaemic, says govt report

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Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, Mar 23 : Majority of women in Jammu and Kashmir are anaemic, said statistics published in the latest ‘Women and Men in India 2022’ report by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
According to the report released recently, a copy of which lies with news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), 66 percent women in Jammu & Kashmir have anaemia, including 25 percent with mild anaemia, 38 percent with moderate anaemia, and 3 percent with severe anaemia.
“Anaemia is particularly high among rural women, women aged 15-19, and other backward class women, but anaemia exceeds 40 percent for every group of women.”
As per the report, during NFHS-4, 49 percent non-pregnant women aged between 15-49 were anaemic, which has increased to 67.3 percent during NFHS-5.
However, slight improvement has been in anaemic condition of pregnant women aged 15-49 as during NFHS-4 46.9 percent women were found anaemic while during NFHS-5 44.1 percent women were found anaemic.
Over all the anaemic condition of all women aged 15-49 has increased from 48.9 percent in NFHS-4 to 65.9 percent in NFHS-5.
Notably, anaemia is a condition that is marked by low levels of haemoglobin in the blood. Iron deficiency is estimated to be responsible for about half of all anaemia globally. Still, anaemia can also be caused by malaria, hookworms, other nutritional deficiencies, chronic infections and genetic conditions.

Moreover anaemia can result in maternal mortality, weakness, diminished physical and mental capacity, increased morbidity from infectious diseases, prenatal mortality, premature delivery, low birth weight, and (in children) impaired cognitive performance, motor development, and scholastic achievement.
Furthermore, anaemia is a major health problem in Jammu & Kashmir, especially among women and children.
Several doctors while talking to KNO said diet is playing an important role in this regard as most of the women aren’t eating nutrient rich diets.
Dr Sabeena, a gynaecologist at SDH Bijbehara told Kashmir News Observer that a lack of nutrition diversity in meals — inclusion of quality sources of proteins, micronutrients in households cis one of the main reasons behind anaemia.
In women of reproductive age, heavy periods and pregnancy are the most common causes of iron deficiency anaemia as their body needs extra iron for their baby during pregnancy, she said.
If iron deficiency anaemia is left untreated, it can make you more susceptible to illness and infection, as a lack of iron affects the body’s natural defence system (the immune system), she said.
Dr Rakshanda, another gynaecologist told KNO that Iron deficiency is common in a Kashmiri person’s daily diet, as people here usually overcook the vegetables,” she says. “As a result, the nutrients are lost.”
Even pregnant women who have access to iron tablets often don’t take them because they feel uncomfortable or nauseated – common side effects of pregnancy, she said adding that in far off places women don’t have access to these things due to poverty and other issues.
The reason for rising cases of anemia is lack of awareness, lack of education regarding dietary habits, nutritional deficiencies, ignorance of menstrual health, she said.
Anemia is a major public health problem especially in reproductive age women because of their high demand for iron, she added—(KNO)
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#percent #women #Jammu #Kashmir #anaemic #govt #report
( With inputs from : roshankashmir.net )

March 23, 2023
66 Percent Women In JK Anaemic, Says Govt Report

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SRINAGAR: Majority of women in Jammu and Kashmir are anaemic, said statistics published in the latest ‘Women and Men in India 2022’ report by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
According to the report released recently, 66 percent women in Jammu and Kashmir have anaemia, including 25 percent with mild anaemia, 38 percent with moderate anaemia, and 3 percent with severe anaemia.
“Anaemia is particularly high among rural women, women aged 15-19, and other backward class women, but anaemia exceeds 40 percent for every group of women.”
As per the report, during NFHS-4, 49 percent non-pregnant women aged 15-49 were anaemic, which has increased to 67.3 percent during NFHS-5.
However, slight improvement has been in anaemic condition of pregnant women aged 15-49 as during NFHS-4 46.9 percent women were found anaemic while during NFHS-5 44.1 percent women were found anaemic.
Over all the anaemic condition of all women aged 15-49 has increased from 48.9 percent in NFHS-4 to 65.9 percent in NFHS-5.
Notably, anaemia is a condition that is marked by low levels of haemoglobin in the blood. Iron deficiency is estimated to be responsible for about half of all anaemia globally. Still, anaemia can also be caused by malaria, hookworms, other nutritional deficiencies, chronic infections and genetic conditions.
Moreover anaemia can result in maternal mortality, weakness, diminished physical and mental capacity, increased morbidity from infectious diseases, prenatal mortality, premature delivery, low birth weight, and (in children) impaired cognitive performance, motor development, and scholastic achievement.

Furthermore, anaemia is a major health problem in Jammu & Kashmir, especially among women and children.
Dr Sabeena, a gynaecologist at SDH Bijbehara said that lack of nutrition diversity in meals , inclusion of quality sources of proteins, micronutrients in households is one of the main reasons behind anaemia.
In women of reproductive age, heavy periods and pregnancy are the most common causes of iron deficiency anaemia as their body needs extra iron for their baby during pregnancy, she said.
If iron deficiency anaemia is left untreated, it can make you more susceptible to illness and infection, as a lack of iron affects the body’s natural defence system (the immune system), she said.
Dr Rakshanda, another gynaecologist said that Iron deficiency is common in a Kashmiri person’s daily diet, as people here usually overcook the vegetables,” she says. “As a result, the nutrients are lost.”
Even pregnant women who have access to iron tablets often don’t take them because they feel uncomfortable or nauseated – common side effects of pregnancy, she said adding that in far off places women don’t have access to these things due to poverty and other issues.
The reason for rising cases of anemia is lack of awareness, lack of education regarding dietary habits, nutritional deficiencies, ignorance of menstrual health, she said.
Anemia is a major public health problem especially in reproductive age women because of their high demand for iron, she added. (KNO)

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#Percent #Women #Anaemic #Govt #Report
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

March 23, 2023
Jairam Ramesh seeks CBI probe into Amit Shah’s ‘Sangma govt most corrupt’ remark

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New Delhi: Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh has asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to summon Home Minister Amit Shah over his remark describing Meghalaya government headed by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, in its previous term, as “most corrupt” and to investigate the claim.
Attaching his letter to CBI Director Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, he tweeted: “I have written to the Director of CBI asking CBI to question the Home Minister further on his categorical assertion that Conrad Sangma’s Govt in Meghalaya was the most corrupt in the country
“That of course did not prevent BJP from supporting the same Conrad Sangma again”.
Ramesh, in his letter to Jaiswal, said that Shah had said in his public speech on February 17 that the then Meghlaya government headed by Sangma was the most corrupt government in the country.
“Amit Shah is also the Home Minister of India. In his capacity as the Home Minister, he would surely have had access to information and facts that led him to the above conclusion. For some inexplicable reasons, the Home Minister, who is also the former national President of Bharatiya Janata Party, has failed to act upon the information regarding the corrupt practices and instances of the then Meghalaya government,” he said.
Ramesh requested the CBI Director to summon Shah and ask him to submit all the information and facts that led him to state assessment and investigate the matter.
“We also urge you to investigate if the Home Minister of India was under any undue duress from his party or other forces, to suppress the information related to the corruption of Meghalaya, in order to enable his party Bharatiya Janata Party to support the same Chief Minister after the recent Meghalaya elections,” the letter said.
The Congress letter also attached media reports on Shah’s remarks during the campaigning for Meghalaya Assembly polls, held on February 27.

The Congress leaders in Meghalaya have been criticising the BJP for supporting a government led by National People’s Party chief Sangma even after terming the previous government led by the same party as the “most corrupt”.
The Congress also termed the NPP led coalition formed for the second consecutive term as a “marriage of convenience”.
The BJP with two MLAs is a part of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government dominated by the NPP, which secured 26 seats in the 60-member Assembly. Various other local parties are supporting the MDA government.
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#Jairam #Ramesh #seeks #CBI #probe #Amit #Shahs #Sangma #govt #corrupt #remark
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 23, 2023
US citizen sentenced to 19 years in Saudi over tweets criticizing govt released

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Riyadh: The authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) have released a Saudi-United States (US) citizen sentenced to 19 years in prison for tweets criticizing the Saudi government.
72-year-old Saad Ibrahim Almadi, a retired project manager living in Florida, was arrested in November 2021, while visiting family in the kingdom and was sentenced in October 2022 to 16 years.
In February 2023, his prison sentence had risen to 19 years.
The Saudi court convicted him of attempting to destabilize the kingdom and supporting terrorism.
As per media reports, Saad Almadi had been detained over 14 tweets posted on Twitter over the past seven years, mostly criticizing government policies and accusing them of corruption. He was also banned from travelling for 16 years.
His son, Ibrahim, confirmed the news and said that Saad Ibrahim Almadi was released at 2 am local time on Tuesday and is currently in Riyadh under a travel ban. However, he noted that the family now needs to fight the travel ban.
“All charges have been dropped but we have to fight the travel ban now,” Ibrahim was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters.
It is not yet clear why Mohammed bin Salman’s government decided to release Almadi or whether it was part of a deal with the United States (US).

US President Joe Biden raised the issue of Almadi’s arrest when he visited Saudi Arabia in July 2022.
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#citizen #sentenced #years #Saudi #tweets #criticizing #govt #released
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 23, 2023