India News
Pranab Mukherjee, Nanaji Deshmukh, Bhupen Hazarika awarded Bharat Ratna: Gandhis skipped the ceremony
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Former president Pranab Mukherjee, late Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader Nanaji Deshmukh and late singer Bhupen Hazarika were conferred the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award at a grand ceremony held in Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday (August 8).
President Ram Nath Kovind gave away the award to Mukherjee, Hazarika’s son Tej and Vikramjeet Singh, a close relative of Deshmukh as Hazarika and Deshmukh were given the Bharat Ratna posthumously.
Vice-President M Venkaikah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, several Union Cabinet ministers, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal were amongst those present at the event held at the imposing Durbar Hall.
However, News agency ANI reported that the most prominent members of Congress party: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi were not present for the ceremony. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was also not seen at the event.
The Bharat Ratna has been conferred after a gap of four years. Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and founder of Banaras Hindu University Madan Mohan Malviya were given the award by the Narendra Modi government in 2015.
Mukherjee (83) fondly known as ‘Pranab Da’, became the fifth president to receive the award. The elite club of former presidents who were awarded the nation’s highest civilian honour is Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Rajendra Prasad, Zakir Hussain and Varahagiri Venkata Giri.
Mukherjee (83) was the president of the country between 2012 and 2017. Prior to that, in 1982, at the age of 47, he became India’s youngest finance minister. From 2004, he went on to head three crucial ministries — external affairs, defence and finance — and became the first occupant of the Rashtrapati Bhavan to have this distinction.
Mukherjee expressing heartfelt gratitude for the honour tweeted, “The Bharat Ratna for me is also indeed an acknowledgment of the millions who strive every day to make Bharat – the diverse, plural, compassionate and inclusive idea that it is.”
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Nanaji Deshmukh was one of the founder members of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, which later evolved as Bharatiya Janata Party. He was known for starting a chain of RSS-inspired schools throughout India. He was also one of the architects of the Jai Prakash Narayan’s movement against the Emergency in 1975 and amongst the key persons in the formation of the Janata Party government in 1977. He made immense contribution in the fields of education, healthcare and rural development. He died at the age of 94 in 2010 in Satna, Madhya Pradesh.
Bhupen Hazarika was a playback singer, lyricist, musician, singer, poet and filmmaker from Assam. He introduced folk music of Assam and North East to Hindi cinema and popularized India’s musical traditions globally. He was awarded Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1987), Padma Shri (1977), Dada Saheb Phalke Award (1992), Padma Bhushan (2001) and Padma Vibhushan (2012-posthumously). In 2004, he had unsuccessfully contested the Guwahati Lok Sabha seat on a BJP ticket. He was also an Independent MLA in Assam during 1967-72. He died in 2011.
With these three recipients, 48 eminent people have been conferred the Bharat Ratna so far.
Although the Gandhis stayed away from the ceremony, other Congress leaders Ahmed Patel, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, former vice-president Hamid Ansari and Shashi Tharoor attended the programme. Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi was present at the event.
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Although, the reason for the Gandhis’ absence was not known, in June 2018, there was a rift between the party leaders and Pranab Mukherjee at the latter’s decision to attend a meet of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological mentor of the BJP, at Nagpur. It was reportedly frowned upon by the Congress leadership. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
India News
Manipur: N Biren Singh government declares entire state as disturbed area
The details indicate that the state as a whole, with the exception of 19 designated police station districts, has been classified as a disturbed area.
In light of the current state of law and order, the Manipur government on Wednesday announced the whole state as a disturbed area.
The details indicate that the state as a whole, with the exception of 19 designated police station districts, has been classified as a disturbed area.
According to a notification from the state government, the authorities believe that violent activities of various extremist/insurgent groups warrant the use of the Armed Forces in aid of civil administration in the entire state of Manipur.
Manipur’s capital Imphal, Lamphel, City, Singjamei, Sekmai, Lamsang, Patsoi, Wangoi, Porompat, Heingang, Lamlai, Irilbung, Leimakhong, Thoubal, Bishnupur, Nambol, Moirang, Kakching, and Jiribam are listed among the disturbed areas that have been announced.
The notification goes on to say that due to the overall law and order situation in the state and the capability of the state machinery, the state government has decided to maintain the status quo on the present disturbed area status for a term of six months.
Tuesday saw numerous student protest marches over the kidnapping and murder of two youngsters in the state capital Imphal. Following the release of the news of the murders, a new round of protests began on Tuesday. At least 45 protestors were hurt during clashes with the Rapid Action Force (RAF).
In preparation for potential unrest, sizable contingents of Manipur Police, CRPF, and RAF soldiers have been stationed around Imphal and other regions of the state.
Manipur’s Chief Minister N Biren Singh, promised to assure the people of the state that both the state and central governments are closely working together to nab the perpetrators. The CBI has been given the case involving the murder of the two young people.
Meanwhile, as a first step to calming the unrest, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge urged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi remove the BJP’s incompetent chief minister on Wednesday.
Additionally, he charged that the BJP has turned Manipur into a battleground by turning violence against women and children into a weapon.
Bihar news
Bihar: LJP leader Anwar Khan shot dead by unidentified assailants in Gaya
Furious residents and LJP leader Anwar Khan’s family staged a protest by blocking National Highway 82
In a shocking incident, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader Anwar Khan was shot dead in broad daylight by unknown assailants in Bihar’s Gaya. The leader belongs to the faction led by Pashupati Kumar Paras.
According to reports, LJP leader Anwar Khan who was the state president of the LPJ’s labour cell was at a salon on Wednesday when three unidentified assailants on bike opened fire. Following this, the leader was killed instantly.
Reports further stated that people in the area fled from the scene as panic gripped in the neighbourhood. All the shops and other activities were immediately shut down as a protective measure.
Meanwhile, furious residents and Anwar Khan’s family staged a protest by blocking National Highway 82 after the incident took place. A senior police official concerned to the matter asserted that police forces have been deployed at the scene and a forensic team has also been sent to gather evidence. At present, an investigation is carried out in the matter.
Earlier in August, a journalist with a prominent Hindi daily was shot dead by four unidentified assailants at the doorstep of his home in Bihar’s Araria district. The journalist was likely to testify as a prime witness in his younger brother’s 2019 murder. The journalist was gunned down three days after the death of a police officer who was shot by suspected cattle smugglers in Samastipur.
The policeman was critically injured after alleged cattle smugglers opened fire on him in Bihar’s Samastipur. Assistant Sub-Inspector Nandkishore Yadav was shot near his left eye and was undergoing treatment in a hospital. However, he succumbed to his injuries during the treatment.
Nadikishore Yadav was acting on a tip-off and intercepted a truck that was illegally transporting cattle and arrested three alleged smugglers. The accused was taken to the police station, their associates too reached the spot and opened fire on Yadav and escaped.
India News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits robot exhibition in Ahmedabad, inaugurates Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit
During his visit, PM Modi also enjoyed tea, served by robots at the Robotics Gallary.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the robot exhibition at Science City in Gujrat’s Ahmedabad on September 27. PM Modi also inaugurated the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit during his visit.
At Science City, PM Modi was accompanied by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Governor Acharya Devvrat to take part in a programme marking the celebration of 20 years of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit.
During his visit, PM Modi also enjoyed tea, served by robots at the Robotics Gallary.
Executive Chairman of ArcelorMittal Lakshmi Mittal, at a programme marking 20 years of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, said we have kept a goal to increase our production capacity first 2 fold and then 3 fold. He further said we will make technologically advanced products, that will take India towards import substitution and self-reliance.
During an event marking 20 years of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, PM Modi said Vibrant Gujarat is not just a programme of branding but more than that it is a programme of bonding.
He claimed that those who previously ran the central government would link Gujarat’s growth with politics. Vibrant Gujarat was something the Minister of the then central government used to refuse to attend. They used to threaten foreign investors and tried to stop foreign investors from coming to Gujarat, PM Modi added. He said even after so much of threatening, foreign investors came to Gujarat.
PM Modi further said that we not only did redevelopment of Gujarat but also thought about its future, Asserting that we made Vibrant Gujarat a key channel for this. Vibrant Gujarat was made a channel to increase the self-confidence of Gujarat and a channel to speak to the world eye to eye, the Prime Minister added.
The absence of big hotels in Gujarat made it difficult for foreign guests to stay when Vibrant Gujarat started. Even government guesthouses used to get full and we used even University guesthouses, PM Modi claimed.
