Tag: grant

Hugh Grant claims the Sun burgled his flat to obtain private information

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Hugh Grant has claimed the Sun burgled his flat and placed a tracking device in his car in an attempt to obtain stories about his personal life.
The actor appeared at the high court on Thursday for a hearing which set out his allegations that the Sun also tapped landline telephones and hacked his voicemails.
In a witness statement to the court, Grant said: “My claim concerns unlawful acts committed by the Sun, including burglaries to order, the breaking and entering of private property in order to obtain private information through bugging, landline tapping, phone hacking and the use of private investigators to do all these and other illegal things against me.”
Grant said that in 2011 his London flat was broken into, with the front door forced off its hinges but nothing stolen. He says the following day a story appeared in the Sun that “detailed the interior of the flat, including the signs of a domestic row”.
Grant said at that time he had no idea who had carried out the break-in: “I had no evidence that this burglary was carried out or commissioned on the instruction of the press, let alone the Sun.”
In his witness statement, the actor claims he was prompted to launch his latest legal claim after being passed information which “showed, for the first time, evidence that the Sun had targeted unlawful activity at me and my associates directly”.
Grant said: “I found it astonishing that the Sun carried out these unlawful acts against me at a time when I was preparing to give evidence to a public inquiry on press ethics. Of course, all of this was concealed from me at the time.”
Grant also alleges that during the 2000s the Sun employed private investigators to break into two properties connected to his film production company and his ex-girlfriend Liz Hurley. The actor claims these burglaries were carried out with “knowledge and approval of Rebekah Brooks who was editor of the Sun at the time”.

His claim is being dealt with alongside a similar legal case brought by Prince Harry. Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers, the parent company of the Sun, denies all the allegations and says no illegal behaviour ever took place at the Sun.
A spokesperson for the company said: “The Sun strongly refutes the allegation that it ever commissioned anyone to break into Hugh Grant’s home.”
The court also heard claims about how the Sun allegedly obtained details of Grant’s first child, despite the child’s mother giving birth under a fake name to try to keep it out of the media. Grant alleges the tabloid obtained the fake name using “blagging or … bribery”.
He alleges that a senior reporter at the paper commissioned the “blagging” of private information about individuals including “the child of a former prime minister, a very senior female member of the royal family and victims of terrorist atrocities”.
It is trying to block both cases from going to a public trial on the basis that both Grant and Harry waited too long to file their legal paperwork. They argue that they were slow to file their claims because the newspaper publisher concealed the behaviour of its staff.
Grant has already received a financial settlement in 2012 from News Group Newspapers over phone hacking at its now-defunct News of the World newspaper. This case is a separate claim alleging illegal behaviour took place at the Sun, including when Brooks – now the chief executive of News UK – was editor of the newspaper.
Grant claims he only learned in 2022 that the break-in at his flat had been carried out on behalf of the Sun, after talking to the private investigator Gavin Burrows.
Burrows’s evidence is also being used by several claimants in a parallel series of phone-hacking cases being brought against the publisher of the Daily Mail – although the private investigator has since attempted to recant some of his allegations in that separate set of legal proceedings.
Grant’s witness statement concludes: “I have invested a great deal of time in my campaign work for a better and ethical press … the defendant clearly considers itself above the law and is using the law now in a way I believe it was never intended, that is to further cover up and conceal what it has done.
“I strongly believe that cannot be allowed to happen and that what it has done must be brought to light.”
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#Hugh #Grant #claims #Sun #burgled #flat #obtain #private #information
( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

April 27, 2023
Centre directs states to set up 100 food streets; To grant Rs 1 cr as aid per street

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New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry, in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has written to the states and Union Territories to develop 100 food streets in 100 districts across the country.
The initiative is being taken up as a pilot project to create an example for other such streets to come up across the country to ensure safe and hygienic food practices.
The project aims to encourage safe and healthy practices among food businesses and community members, thus reducing foodborne illnesses and improving overall health outcomes, the Union Health Ministry said in a statement.

In a letter to the states, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Manoj Joshi highlighted that “easy access to safe and hygienic food is vital for the good health of citizens”.
“Safe food practices not only promote the ‘eat right campaign’ and food safety but will improve hygiene credibility of local food businesses, boost local employment, tourism and, in turn, the economy. It also leads to a cleaner and greener environment,” the letters stated.
Street foods have traditionally been an integral part of Indian society and are present all across the country. They represent the rich local tradition of cuisine, the statement said.
These not only provide a daily diet at affordable prices to millions but also direct employment to a large number of people while supporting the tourism industry, it added.
However, it noted that safety and hygiene remain a matter of concern at street food outlets and hubs.

With rapid urbanisation, while these hubs have led to easy access to food, it has aggravated food contamination and associated health issues due to unhygienic and unsafe practices.
This initiative will be implemented through the National Health Mission in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will lend technical support, the statement said.
Financial assistance to the states and Union Territories in the form of Rs 1 crore per food street or district will be provided to fill the critical gaps, it added.
The assistance will be provided under the National Health Mission in the 60:40 or 90:10 ratio on the condition that standard branding of these food streets will be done following FSSAI guidelines.
Municipal corporations, development authorities and district collectors at the state level will take major initiatives to ensure convergence in terms of financial resources and physical infrastructure.
Various other initiatives such as training of food handlers and independent third-party audits have been taken to enhance safety standards.
Schemes such as Support to Urban Street Vendors, a component of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs’ Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission, have also been taken up.
In addition, the states and Union Territories can also conduct training programmes for street vendors to orient them on food safety, hygiene maintenance and waste disposal.
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#Centre #directs #states #set #food #streets #grant #aid #street
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 20, 2023
Saudi Arabia amends laws to grant citizenship to foreign nationals
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Riyadh: In a major shift in policy, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has announced that it will be granting its citizenship to selected foreign nationals by the order of the Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
This decision has been based on a proposal from the minister of interior in January 2023.
The new amendments were announced on the official Twitter account of the Makkah region and published in the official newspaper “Um Al Qura” on Friday, March 17.
The decision will be enforced from the date of its publication in the official newspaper and it will be communicated to whoever is required to adopt it and act accordingly.
“After reviewing Royal Decree No (M / 88) dated 6/11/1444 AH, Article Eight of the Saudi Nationality Law will be amended to ‘Saudi nationality may be granted by order of the Prime Minister based on a proposal from the Minister of Interior’,” Makkah region tweeted.
This represents a major change compared to the previous regulations, because Article 28 of the Executive Regulations of the Saudi Citizenship Law, which required the minister of interior to issue the necessary decisions for granting citizenship in accordance with Article 8 of this system, was deleted.
On January 11, 2023, a change to the Saudi Nationality Law was approved through a royal decree that allows the Prime Minister to grant citizenship by amending Article Eight.
After the amendment to Article 8 of the Saudi Arabian Nationality System, a person born to a Saudi mother and a foreign father can apply for citizenship upon satisfying the following conditions

Their age must be more than 18 years.
They need to be fluent in the Arabic language.
They must have good conduct and sound character.
They should not have been imprisoned for a period of more than six months.
In November 2021, Saudi Arabia approved the granting of citizenship to foreign nationals with specialized skills in a number of professions.
This came in light of the royal order to open the door to the naturalization of legal, medical, scientific, cultural, athletic and technical competencies in a way that contributes to promoting the wheel of development and benefits the nation in various fields.
This is in line with Vision 2030 aimed at enhancing an attractive environment through which human competencies can be invested and attract distinguished and creative people.
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#Saudi #Arabia #amends #laws #grant #citizenship #foreign #nationals
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )
March 19, 2023
Saudi Arabia refuses to grant entry visas to an Israeli delegation

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Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) refused to issue entry visas to an Israeli delegation to participate in the conference of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Israeli media reported on Sunday evening.
Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation Kan 11 stated that the Israeli delegation had received an invitation to participate in the conference, which started on Sunday, in Saudi Arabia.
It added that the Israeli side was interested in attending the conference, whose visit would have been “a rare visit by an official Israeli delegation to Saudi Arabia.”
According to Bloomberg, the Saudi authorities refused to issue visas for the Israeli delegation, without disclosing the reasons, despite the United Nations’ request to Riyadh, for equal treatment for all members of the organization.
On Sunday, the World Tourism Organization (WTO) conference was launched in the city of Al-Ula, northwest of Saudi Arabia, and it will last for two days, around 32 tourist villages in 18 countries, which are included in the organization’s classification of best villages in the world.
The delegation was representing the Circassian town of Kfar Kama in the Galilee region of northern Israel, which was among 32 sites chosen by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) as the best rural tourism destinations for this year.
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#Saudi #Arabia #refuses #grant #entry #visas #Israeli #delegation
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 14, 2023
Biden administration expected to grant protected immigration status for Nicaraguans

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Immigration groups and Florida lawmakers have pushed the Biden administration to redesignate TPS for Nicaraguans living in the U.S., which would allow them to live and work in the country without fear of deportation.
Since taking office, President Joe Biden has leaned on TPS as a tool to grant immigration relief to hundreds of thousands of people as Congress remains in gridlock over fixes to the immigration system. Biden has designated six new countries for TPS since taking office and redesignated six other nations, making an additional 712,000 U.S. immigrants eligible for the status, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Backlogs at the U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services have delayed approvals, but nearly 537,000 people had TPS as of November 2022.
Nicaraguans first received TPS in 1999 after Hurricane Mitch wreaked havoc in Central America. The Temporary Protected Status designation, created by Congress in 1990, helps residents from countries struck by natural disaster, armed conflict or other “extraordinary and temporary conditions.”
There were 4,250 TPS recipients from the country in 2021, the U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services said in a congressional report.
A record-number of Nicaraguans sought to illegally enter the U.S. last year, as migrants fled political persecution and poor economic conditions in the country. In fiscal year 2022, border officials said there were 163,876 encounters with Nicaraguans.
In a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas last month, federal lawmakers pointed to Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s political “repression” of protesters, clergy and students.
“The increasingly totalitarian nature of the Ortega-Murillo regime and the brutal political repression Nicaraguans face in their daily lives exacerbate the urgent need for the Biden Administration to redesignate and extend TPS to Nicaragua,” the letter said.
The letter also mentioned the government’s release of over 222 political prisoners last month. The Biden administration orchestrated the relocation of the prisoners to the U.S. through its humanitarian parole program and have granted them this status for two years. Biden announced the parole program —aimed to curb the flow of Nicaraguans, Haitians and Cubans — in January.

That policy forced migrants to apply for asylum from their home country, while expelling those who try to enter the U.S. unlawfully from Mexico. Migrants were only approved if they had a verified sponsor and were allowed to enter the U.S. by air. Border encounters have dropped significantly this year, which Biden officials credit to the new policy.
Last month, the Biden administration announced a proposed rule that will bar some migrants from applying for asylum in the U.S. if they cross the border illegally or fail to first apply for safe harbor in another country. The proposal — which immigrant advocates refer to as the “transit ban” or the “asylum ban” — will take effect on May 11 and serve as its policy solution to the long-awaited end of Title 42, a pandemic-era restriction that lifts the same day.
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#Biden #administration #expected #grant #protected #immigration #status #Nicaraguans
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

March 7, 2023
Ben Whishaw: ‘Maybe Hugh Grant and I could fight in Bridget Jones: The Musical’

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Do you still think you would be working in a bookshop or as a painter if you hadn’t made it as an actor? EtienneJ
I think I’ve got too much energy to work in a bookshop. But I’ve never worked in one. Maybe it is really energetic. I loved painting up to my early 20s, but completely dropped it. When I’m old, or no one wants to give me an acting job, I’m going to pick it up again, because it’s something I still love.
Your grandad was a British spy in the German army who changed his name from Stellmacher. Can I set you up with a scriptwriter and your next role? jesseriley
That is true. He was a spy. He had a Ukrainian mother and a German father. We don’t know how he got to work as a spy for the British. After the war, he changed his name to Whishaw. It’s something I’m really interested in. My Auntie Ingrid and I are trying to research it, but we keep coming up against dead ends. If we could find a proper story, I’d be very interested. Spies fascinate me and I’m fascinated by my grandad. He was a mysterious and forbidding man.
Whishaw in This Is Going to Hurt. Photograph: Ludovic Robert/BBC/Sister/AMC
What was the goriest operation you had to perform in This Is Going to Hurt? Did the series change your perception of the NHS? Dantadanta and CarterP
There was a really gory scene where we had to deliver a baby from a dead woman. It was horrendous, even in a pretend way. She came back to life when another doctor put his hand up inside her ribcage and massaged her heart. Even I couldn’t watch that bit. The series did change my perspective. I had to really think about what it’s like to work for the NHS. It’s easy to forget the people who do are human. They are fragile, exhausted and have private lives, but we conveniently forget that. I so wish we would fund it properly, but I don’t know what we have to do to make the government wake up.
How did you get into acting and what is your favourite of the films you have made? Disneylover12345
I got into acting when I was a child. I always loved dressing up and that didn’t ever stop. I got into it more seriously as a teenager when my dad took me to a youth theatre, near to where we lived. It was run by a very brilliant man, who treated us like adults. We did lots of amazing, experimental and weird productions. I fell in love and I realised maybe it could be my life. And the favourite film I’ve been in is Paddington 2, because it’s so popular.
I saw Women Talking last year and it was my favourite film of the year. What was your experience on set with a predominantly female cast? What was distinct about Sarah Polley’s directorial style? sophiarubino
It was wonderful to work with that group of people. They were all great fun, no egos, and we were an ensemble, which is rare on a film set. Normally, you go back to your trailer, but we spent every day in a big room together. Sarah says it was happenstance, but I think it was intentional. She is sensitive and aware; she doesn’t want friction or stress. She listens, asks questions and watches everything like a hawk.
What animal did you study at drama school? Please say it was a bear! WeirdDug
A horse. I spent hours watching this horse in a field in my village and fell in love with it. Most people at drama school hated the exercise, but I loved it.
Whishaw, Rooney Mara and Claire Foy in Women Talking, Sarah Polley’s film about sexual abuse in a religious community. Photograph: Michael Gibson
Which Hugh Grant would you rather fight again? The one from A Very English Scandal or the one from Paddington 2? djshuggg
The Hugh in English Scandal is very complex, so definitely the Hugh in Paddington 2. His musical sequence at the end is so great. Maybe we could meet again in a musical. I’m surprised no one has done Bridget Jones: The Musical. Surely that must be in the works?
I heard you sing in Mojo at the Harold Pinter theatre in 2013. Your voice is rich and melodic – I was stunned! Do you secretly yearn to take a big musical lead? ard1970
I could only sing as that character, for some reason. I really can’t sing. I wish I could. I see other actors who are amazing singers, but I’m not, sadly. That character somehow gave me access to a voice I don’t actually have.

I was a close friend of your school drama teacher, Nessa Brown. She was so proud of you and now I’m proud on her behalf. What are your memories of her? JaneCQ
That’s a lovely question. Vanessa was a very special person, for lots of reasons. She was astoundingly honest; brutally honest, at times. I was 16 and we were doing a play. Halfway through the rehearsal, she said: “Oh, stop acting!” She wasn’t frightened to push you, but it was always with love and intelligence. She was a real rebel spirit. We kept in regular contact. I really miss her.
If Paddington were promoted to Q, what gadgets would he invent for James Bond? TopTramp and crodd
Oh God, I hate these kinds of questions because I’m not a gadget person. A bulletproof duffel coat and exploding marmalade sandwiches sounds about right!
Whishaw as Q and Daniel Craig as James Bond in Skyfall. Photograph: Sony Pictures/Allstar
I saw your Brutus at the Bridge theatre. You were magnetic and lucid; a privilege to watch. As Richard II, your deposition speech took my breath away. What is the key to Shakespeare? Will you return to the theatre? Which Shakespeare would you do next? Hermione, KeepRunning, aquietanon and Justsit
The key to Shakespeare is not to be afraid of it. What made Shakespeare revolutionary is that he allowed real rhythms of speech to come through within the iambic pentameter. Characters in Hamlet forget what they are saying, or change their minds, just like real people. It should sound as natural as someone chatting to you. It’s poetry, but natural and everyday. I’m not planning to do any more stage work. I don’t think there are any more Shakespeares I’d be good at, unfortunately.
How do you immerse yourself so completely in such different roles? milinovak
I love the challenge of how you have to launch off one into another. You can go from Paddington Bear to Shakespeare to TV comedy. Someone told me a story about Helen Mirren playing Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra. Apparently, before she’d go on stage to play this beautiful queen, she’d go into this alter ego of a fish-and-chip seller from the East End. She needed to launch from the opposite to balance out. I really understand how you need these different energies. Once you’ve done one kind of role, you need to go in the opposite direction.
Watch the trailer for Women Talking.
What is the best advice you have been given? carolodonovan76
In my late 20s, I did a film with Jane Campion [Bright Star]. She could tell I was a people pleaser and made it clear that wasn’t going be helpful on this particular project. She gave me the space to not be like that. It’s not helpful to feel like you have to please all the time. You have to find something deeper within yourself than a wish to be liked, or to keep the peace. That’s something I’m still very interested in.
The Guardian has called you “Britain’s most likable actor”. Are you? LaurenceN
I never think of myself as likable. I don’t think of the characters I’ve played as likable. They are kind of messy. You can’t aim to be likable. Maybe I’m just likable because I’m Paddington. Who doesn’t like him?
Women Talking is in UK cinemas now
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#Ben #Whishaw #Hugh #Grant #fight #Bridget #Jones #Musical
( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

February 16, 2023
Adani appoints Grant Thornton for audit to come clean on Hindenburg allegations

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New Delhi: Embattled Adani group has appointed accountancy firm Grant Thornton for an independent audit of some of its companies in a bid to come clean of the damning allegations levelled by the US short-seller Hindenburg Research and to assure investors and regulators.
Sources said that the audit is primarily to show regulators like the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that the group has nothing to hide and it is in compliance with relevant laws.
The audit will specifically look into if there was any misappropriation or repatriation of funds and if loans were used for any purpose other than the one they were intended for.
The audit, they said, would go a long way to show that the books are healthy and project executions are on track – something that the investors are keenly watching given the damage to market value that the Hindenburg report has caused.
As the run on its shares continued, Adani Group had on Monday attempted to calm the market, saying its growth plans are intact, business plans are fully funded and it remains confident of delivering returns to shareholders.
Market value of the group’s seven listed companies has halved since the January 24 report by the US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research alleged that Adani pulled “the largest con in corporate history” using offshore tax havens and stock manipulation.
The group has denied all allegations, calling them “malicious”, “baseless” and a “calculated attack on India”. It called Hindenburg the “Madoffs of Manhattan”, referring to the late financier and fraudster Bernie Madoff.
“Balance sheet of each of our independent portfolio companies is very healthy,” the group spokesperson had said. “We have industry leading development capabilities, strong corporate governance, secure assets, strong cash flows, and our business plan is fully funded.”

The group debunked reports of a cut in growth goal and capex. Projects may be delayed but none is shelved or deferred and plans for expansion of solar, green hydrogen and airports were on track.
“Once the current market stabilizes, each entity will review its own capital market strategy, be rest assured, we are confident in the continued ability of our portfolio to deliver superior returns to shareholders,” the spokesperson added.
The Adani crisis has sparked worries of financial contagion in India and ability to carry on infrastructure projects.
Last week, French oil major TotalEnergies said it would wait for the result of an independent audit before proceeding with investing in Adani Group’s USD 50 billion plans to make green hydrogen.
According to Bernstein Research, Adani Green is capable of paying off all its debt of Rs 22,000 crore due in the financial year ending in March 2025, if it divests some renewable energy assets, seeks fresh equity capital from existing investors, or cancels some planned projects and avoids bidding for new ones.
The spokesperson, however, termed questions over the group’s ability to fund projects and refinance debt as ‘unfounded speculation’.
Last week, Moody’s Investors Service downgraded the ratings outlook for four Adani group companies to negative from stable, while index provider MSCI said it would cut the weightage of some of its stocks in its indices.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said the country’s regulators are very experienced and are seized of the matter relating to the Adani Group crisis.
“India’s regulators are very, very experienced and they are experts in their domain. The regulators are seized of this matter and they are on their toes as always, not just now,” she had said.
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#Adani #appoints #Grant #Thornton #audit #clean #Hindenburg #allegations
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 14, 2023
Kashmir Innovator Bags Rs 50 Lakh BIRAC BIG Grant

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SRINAGAR: Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K) innovator Sameena Lone has been selected for the Government of India’s BIRAC BIG grant worth Rs 50 lakh.
Sameena Lone Innovator
Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG) is a flagship programme of the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), which provides the right admixture of fuel and support to young startups and entrepreneurial individuals. BIG is the Department of Biotechnology (DBT)’s largest early-stage biotech funding programme in India. Funding grant of up to Rs 50 lakh (USD 60,500 approx) to best-in-class innovative ideas to build and refine the idea to proof-of-concept.
Sameena Lone, an innovator cum scholar in the SKUAST-K’s Division of Vegetable Science, supervised by Dr Khursheed Hussain, Assistant Professor, Division of vegetable science, SKUAST-K and mentored by Naveed Hamid, BDA, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Cell of the university, submitted her innovative proposal on ‘Organic & Disease-Free Seed Potato Production through Tissue Culture in Kashmir’ under Industrial Biotechnology, Clean Energy & Environment category in Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a Not-for-Profit Company’ of Government of India which supports technology innovators and entrepreneurs to pursue a promising technology idea, and establish and validate proof of concept (POC) for the idea under the BIG grant scheme a few months back. More than 500 innovators across the country had applied under the said scheme and only 26 got selected for the final pitching round before the panel committee from which only nine innovators were selected under the given category across the nation.
SKUAST-K innovator is the only one from Jammu and Kashmir to receive the BIRAC BIG grant in the present round.
Vice Chancellor SKUAST Kashmir Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai congratulated the innovator and her team of mentors for securing the BIRAC Grant. He appreciated the level of effort and dedication of the team and support from SKUASTK Innovation, Incubation & Entrepreneurship Centre that brought laurels to the University. He further added that such achievements are so precious that they not only boost the morale of the innovators but help in developing the ecosystem for innovations, incubations & startups.

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#Kashmir #Innovator #Bags #Lakh #BIRAC #BIG #Grant
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

February 12, 2023
Darjeeling politics: Bengal govt to grant land deeds to tea garden workers

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Kolkata: As the fresh political equation in the hills of Darjeeling involving the trio of Bimal Gurung, Ajay Edwards and Binoy Tamang is becoming a major threat to the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM)-Trinamool Congress alliance, quick granting of land deeds to the people of the hills is going to be the tool for the later to combat the trio.
After returning to the hills on Friday from Kolkata after a series of meetings with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other ministers of the state cabinet, the BGPM chief and Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA)’s chief executive Anit Thapa told the media persons that the state government has assured him of quick beginning and completion of the process of granting of prajapattas (land deeds) to the tea garden workers residing on the land leased by the garden owners from the state government.
“The process of the review on this count will be completed in the next 10 days, following which the distribution of the prajapattas will start. The chief minister has personally assured me on this count. This is great news for the tea garden workers, whose demand for prajapattas was long standing,” Thapa told mediapersons.
It was learnt that since the majority of the tea gardens are located on land leased by the state government, there were some technical problems in granting land deeds to the workers residing there.
Before every election, there had been promises of granting land deeds in the hills, which were hardly fulfilled.
However, estranged Trinamool Congress leader, Binay Tamang claimed that this promise of granting of land deeds was yet another gimmick by the state government and BGPM before the panchayat polls this year.
Hamro Party founder Ajay Edwards too said that since GTA has failed in fulfilling each and every promise it made before, the people of the hills have no trust in the fresh promise, on granting of land deeds.
“What GTA and the state government has done is sheer politics and playing with the sentiments of the tea garden workers,” he said.

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#Darjeeling #politics #Bengal #govt #grant #land #deeds #tea #garden #workers
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 11, 2023
SC refuses to grant relief to Rapido against denial of licence in Maharashtra

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to grant relief to bike-taxi aggregator Rapido against denial of licence to it by the Maharashtra government.
The top court noted that amendments made to the Motor Vehicles Act in 2019 make it clear that aggregators cannot operate without a valid licence.
A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala noted that Pune’s Regional Transport Office (RTO) had rejected its plea for licence in December 21 last year.
The bench said Roppen Transportation Services Private Limited (Rapido) can approach the Bombay High Court challenging the notification of the state government dated January 19, which had prohibited the use of “non-transport vehicle” from car pooling
It stated that the validity of the order of the RTO in December last year would stand subsumed by the subsequent wider decision of the state government.
During the hearing, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the bike-taxi aggregator, said the Maharashtra government does not have a scheme for two-wheelers, and therefore, the application for licence has been wrongly rejected.
He said certain conditions, which were necessary to obtain a licence, were actually impossible to achieve for the company.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, along with advocates Siddharth Dharmadhikari and Abhikalp Pratap Singh, appearing for the state government said, “State is examining whether to have two-wheelers or not as taxi for safety and traffic consideration. We are not saying, we don’t have a policy”.

The top court noted in its order that effect of amended provisions in the Motor Vehicles Act is that no person can engage himself as an aggregator without a licence from such authority and subject to such conditions as may be prescribed by the state government.
It said in terms of first proviso of section 93 of Motor Vehicles Act, the state government while issuing the licence to an aggregator may follow such guidelines as issued by the central government and the general rule making power has been entrusted to the state government.
The bench noted that Rapido’s application for licence was rejected on the ground that it didn’t comply with the terms and conditions of the state’s guidelines of 2020.
On January 27, the top court had agreed to hear the plea of Rapido against the Bombay High Court order directing it to suspend its services in Maharashtra immediately for operating without a licence from the state government.
On January 13, the high court had pulled up the aggregator for operating without procuring a license from the Maharashtra government and directed it to suspend the services immediately.
It had warned Rapido to either suspend its bike taxi services immediately or the court would issue directions to state authorities to permanently bar the company from getting any licence.
It had noted that in the absence of a licence, the company cannot run its services in an unregulated manner.
Rapido had moved the high court against a communication issued to it by the state government on December 29, 2022 refusing to grant a bike taxi aggregator’s licence.
The state government had in its letter said it had no policy on the licensing of bike taxis nor a fare structure for them.
The company had assured the high court it will suspend its services till January 20 when the court would hear the matter further.
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#refuses #grant #relief #Rapido #denial #licence #Maharashtra
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 7, 2023