UP Additional Transport Commissioner Mukesh Chandra to all RTOs of the states asking them to seize all vehicles displaying caste identities.
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh, India): Vehicles displaying caste identities in Uttar Pradesh will now invite strong action and will be seized, according to an official order.
An order dated December 24 was sent by Uttar Pradesh Additional Transport Commissioner Mukesh Chandra to all Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) of the states asking them to seize all vehicles displaying caste identities.
According to the order copy, the transport department took the decision after one Harshal Prabhu of Kalyan, Maharashtra urged the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to direct all the states to take punitive actions and seize vehicles displaying caste identities.
“You are ordered to ensure the action immediately as per the rules,” the order addressed to RTOs said. The order also attached a copy of the complaint letter of Harshal Prabhu.
Prabhu wrote the letter on IGRS, an integrated system designed for the redressal of grievances. In the letter, he said that the display of such stickers is a threat to the social fabric of society.
‘’We came across a trend in Uttar Pradesh and other states too where near about everyone are using caste names on the number plate and vehicles to glorify their identities. Such glorification must be stopped as there can be a rivalry too which can create law and order situation in the state. I request to immediately stop such glorification of caste on vehicles and immediately seize the vehicles without any further notice,” the letter was written on December 4 by Prabhu to PMO read.
I challenge those from the Central government who know the most about the farm laws to debate with the farmer leaders in public.
New Delhi [India]: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday visited Singhu border where thousands of farmers have been protesting against the new agriculture laws and threw a challenge to Central government leaders to an open debate with farmer leaders on the farm laws.
He also appealed to the Centre to listen to the farmers and repeal the farm laws.
“I challenge those from the Central government who know the most about the farm laws to debate with the farmer leaders in public. They say that farmers do not know enough, it will be proven who knows more,” Kejriwal said while addressing protesting farmers at Singhu border.
The Delhi chief minister was addressing the protesting farmers at a Kirtan Darbar organised by the Punjab Academy of the Delhi government to mark the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur.
Addressing a gathering at the border, Kejriwal said that it pained him to know that 40 people have lost their lives amid the ongoing protests.
“Our farmers are forced to sleep on streets in open amid the cold, since the last 32 days. Why? It pains me that over 40 people have lost their lives here. I appeal to the Centre to listen to them and repeal the farm laws. Farmers are being called as anti-national if they become anti-national who will feed you? “ he added further.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia lauded Kejriwal government for “working 24 hours to make efforts to reduce the troubles faced by the farmers.” The Delhi Chief Minister previously visited Singhu border on 07th December 2020.
Thousands of farmers have been protesting at Singhu border for over a month against the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
Farmer unions have held several rounds of talks with the government. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a joint front of almost 40 farmer organisations, wrote a letter to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare accepting the Centre’s offer for dialogue and proposed December 29 as the next date for the meeting.
Stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane held the fort with his half-century but Mitchell Starc dismissed Rishabh Pant in the second session which tipped the second session slightly in Australia favor on day two of the Boxing
Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday. At the tea break, India’s score read 189/5 with Ravindra Jadeja (unbeaten on 4) and Rahane (unbeaten on 53) at the crease. While the session saw India scored 99 runs from 27.3 overs, the hosts picked up the wicket of Hanuma Vihari and Rishabh Pant. If Pat Cummins starred for Australia in the first Test, it was Starc who put Australia back on top with Rishabh Pant’s wicket after Rahane had stabilized the Indian innings.
Both Hanuma Vihari and Pant’s wicket came just when India started looking good in the game. The visitor’s trial by six runs with five wickets in the bag.
Rahane and Vihari started the session after weathering the storm before lunch. The duo had steadied India’s ship before Nathan Lyon sent Vihari back when the batsman tried to sweep. The right-handed batsman departed right after bringing up the fifty-run partnership with Rahane.
Source – Social Media
Rishabh Pant then joined Rahane at the crease and the duo dominated the Australian bowlers in the second session. Pant scored runs at a strike rate of 72.50 while Rahane welcomed Cummins with a boundary in his fresh spell. However, Mitchell Starc ended Pant’s no so Test match type innings just when India looked to have gained some momentum after early blows. Earlier in the day, Australia didn’t have a good start as the day kicked off with an unsuccessful review and a dropped catch but Cummins ensured Australia were right back on top courtesy of his fiery spell.
Cummins gave Australia an upper hand in the game after two wickets in the first session. The speedster sent both Gill (45) and Pujara (17) back to the pavilion. Resuming day two from 36/1, Gill and Pujara weathered the storm during the first hour of the play. However, their 61-run partnership was ended by Cummins as Gill fell short of his maiden Test half-century. Cummins made sure Australia didn’t lose any momentum as he sent back Pujara in his next over. Skipper Tim Paine took a superb one-handed catch to leave India at 64/3.
Rahane and Vihari rebuilt the Indian innings after the double strike by Cummins. The duo ensured that the hosts did not lose any more wickets before the end of the first session. Brief Scores: India 189/5 (Ajinkya Rahane 53*, Shubman Gill 45; Mitchell Starc 2-35, Pat Cummins 2-51) vs Australia 195
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation through his monthly radio program Mann Ki Baat on Sunday.
The will be the 72nd edition of the Prime Minister’s monthly radio program. It will also be the last Mann Ki Baat of the year 2020. The Prime Minister in a tweet on Saturday said that Akashvani will broadcast the program in regional languages immediately after the Hindi broadcast on All India Radio, DD, and Narendra Modi mobile app.
“How would you sum up the year gone by? What do you look forward to the most in 2021? Share this, and more in the final Mann Ki Baat of 2020 on 27th December. Write on MyGov, NaMo App or record your message on 1800-11-7800,” PM Modi tweeted on December 18.
The final #MannKiBaat of 2020 and as usual, a lot of letters, inputs and thoughts have been shared.
In the 71st edition of his monthly radio program ‘Mann Ki Baat’, PM Modi had emphasized on strong, vibrant, and active alumni network, and urged educational institutions to adopt innovative methods and develop creative platforms for engagement with alumni.
The Prime Minister said that a strong vibrant and active alumni network is needed not only in big Colleges and Universities but also in schools of our villages. “Mann ki Baat” is the Prime Minister’s monthly radio program to the nation, which is broadcasted on the last Sunday of every month.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said probably J-K is the first state/Union Territory (UT) where this scheme is going to be available for every citizen
Describing the launch of Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY)-SEHAT as another feather in the Jammu and Kashmir administration’s cap, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said probably J-K is the first state/Union Territory (UT) where this scheme is going to be available for every citizen.
In the rest of the country, Ayushman Bharat PMJAY is available only for the poor. “Probably Jammu and Kashmir is the first state/UT where this scheme is going to be available for every citizen. It is a result of the Prime Minister’s attachment to Jammu and Kashmir and the efforts made by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha ensuring that every Kashmiri will be able to benefit from this scheme from tomorrow (Sunday),” he said via videoconferencing at the launch of the PMJAY-SEHAT on Saturday.
The Union home minister added that this important beginning would bring radical changes in the health sector of Jammu and Kashmir in the coming days.
“About 15 lakh families are going to get all the health facilities up to Rs 5 lakh free of cost. This scheme has been implemented across the country in the name of Ayushman Bharat Yojana only for the poor. This scheme for 60 crore poor people has been doing stupendous work in the health sector for almost two years and to date 1.5 crore people have undergone surgeries, ranging from minor to major. They were provided with all facilities under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana at the respective hospitals,” he said, adding that about 229 government and 35 private hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir have been enrolled for the scheme.
It was nice to see PM Modi wearing the traditional Kashmiri attire ‘pheran’ (gifted to him by a J&K farm labourer) as he launched the Ayushman Bharat scheme to extend health insurance benefits to all residents of Jammu & Kashmir. https://t.co/5vDWkMP2cG
“The Government of India and Jammu and Kashmir administration will bear all the expenses of the patients admitted to these hospitals up to Rs 5 lakh,” he said.
Shah also said that this scheme would give a further boost to the health infrastructure of Jammu and Kashmir. “The day is not far when the residents of Jammu and Kashmir will not have to travel beyond the UT for specialized health services,” he said.
Praising the J-K administration, Shah further said, “Be it the development of infrastructure, or implementation of schemes initiated by the Government of India, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has been working at a spectacular speed since August 5, 2019.”
The Union minister added that the benefits of individual schemes, including the assistance extended to almost every widow, the grant of old-age pension, scholarships, and the delivery of all individual welfare schemes of the Government of India to Jammu and Kashmir have been ensured very swiftly and efficiently. This has greatly benefited the people of Jammu and Kashmir, he said.
Shah reminded that the Government of India celebrated the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on December 25 by commencing the Good Governance Week.
“Atal ji had a special love for Jammu and Kashmir and the health scheme for the UT was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Good Governance Week,” he said, “heartily” congratulating the Prime Minister and Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir on the launch. He also congratulated Lieutenant Governor Sinha for the COVID management in an inaccessible geographical area like Jammu and Kashmir.
“The reason we are getting to see a good response in the field of tourism is that Jammu and Kashmir have been saved from COVID,” he said.
The Union Minister went on to say that whenever the Prime Minister holds meetings, he gives special emphasis on three things for Jammu and Kashmir.
“One is development, which should reach the poorest person. We should try to raise the standard of living of all. Second, to take democracy to the grassroots level. Jamhuriyat (democracy) becomes successful when it reaches the grassroots level. In addition, development can be achieved only through security and peace. After August 5 (2019), there has been a big change in these three areas,” he said.
Farmers in India, including Odisha, will benefit more from the new agricultural law: Pradhan
Dhenkanal (Odisha)-
Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader .
“During Manmohan Singh’s govt in 2013-14, farmers were paid Rs 1,310 for 1 quintal paddy. Modi government increased it to Rs 1,815 per quintal. PM Modi has directly transferred Rs 53,680 crores into accounts of farmers of Odisha,” Pradhan said while addressing a farmers’ rally in Dhenkanal, Odisha.
“In the 2013-14 financial year, the Congress government bought 2.6 million metric tonnes of food grains from Odisha, while in the 2019-20 financial year, the Modi government bought 9.05 million metric tonnes of food grains from Odisha,” he added.
Pradhan, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, highlighted the agriculture reform laws brought by the central government and said that it will benefit farmers.
“Farmers in India, including Odisha, will benefit more from the new agricultural law. Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, the government is committed to making agriculture a profitable business. Under the new agricultural law, farmers can sell their produce at the APMC Mandi and sell their products anywhere in the country to get a fair price for their produce,” he said.
“The new agricultural law provides for one country and one market. This will allow the mangoes of Dhenkanal to be sold in Mumbai and the litchi of Odisha’s Angul in the West Bengal market. The new agricultural laws have been introduced to make farmers self-sufficient. Ethanol is also planned to be produced from agricultural waste in Dhenkanal after Bargarh in Odisha,” he added.
The Union Ministers and various BJP leaders are engaged in the outreach programs in order to highlight the benefits of new farm laws against which farmers have been protesting for one month at the gates of the national capital.
Farmers are protesting against the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
Hyderabad-based start-up ‘H-Bots Robotics’ come up with a robotic disinfectant named ‘ACCORD’
As a part of its fight against the Corona pandemic, a Hyderabad-based start-up ‘H-Bots Robotics’ has come up with a robotic disinfectant named ‘ACCORD’.
Speaking to ANI, Kishan, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of H-Bots said that Robotics has played an equal role to any other field of work that contributed to the ongoing pandemic situation. Right from sanitization to disinfection, robots have been used at various levels and moreover, they have even been used in food delivery and even in doctor-patient interaction across the globe during a pandemic.” ‘ACCORD’, he said is H-Bots’ attempt to contribute in the fight against Covid-19.
“During the pandemic, disinfectants have been on a demand, so we have decided to work on a robotic disinfectant and develop it. While researching this, we found out that there are already people working on the same. But the major difference that we brought in was the cost reduction of the product and it’s functioning.
‘Accord’ will be available at a range between Rs 2.5 lakh rupees to Rs 7 lakh and is available in manual, semi-manual, and autonomous variants,” Kishan said.
Kishan says he discovered his interest in robotics 10 years ago when he was pursuing his bachelor’s degree in technology. Since then he was very keen on robotics. With this interest, in 2017, he set up ‘H-Bots’ along with two other friends. H-Bots while working on developing various artificial intelligence (AI) robots also works as research and development (R&D) on various real-time problems and in developing new technology and setting up labs at various educational institutions.
“India can be a player in the field of robotics. Currently, the post-Covid situation has brought up India to be a better consumer in the field of robotics. But we aim to make India not just a consumer of robotics products but a manufacturer,” he said.
Abhishek, Director of H-Bots said, “With the increasing demand for the robotics products, we are trying to bring ‘ACCORD’ to an international platform and are talking to other countries and international organizations.”
Union Territory has played a “leading role” in implementing the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan: The President
Daman and Diu/Dadra and Nagar Haveli –
President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated and laid foundation stones for several projects on Saturday, according to the President’s Secretariat.
These included the inauguration of — first academic session of IIIT Vadodara-International Campus Diu; and Kamleshwar School, Ghoghla; laying of the foundation stone for — the construction of a school at Saudwadi; improvement of 1.3 kilometers heritage walk-way on Diu City Wall; conservation and facade restoration of heritage precincts (Zampa and market precinct); up-gradation of fruits and vegetable market at Fort Road; and development of integrated municipal solid waste management system for entire urban and rural areas of Diu.
President Kovind’s address at the inauguration and laying of foundation stone of various developmental projects in Diu https://t.co/jH54TPCNhS
While speaking on the occasion, the President praised the people and administration of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu for their efforts in maintaining the civic amenities in the Union Territory.
He noted that with the efforts of UT, Diu city has now become the first city in India, which is fulfilling 100 per cent of its energy requirement during the day with solar energy.
“The campaign for ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Vocal for Local’ is moving ahead rapidly in the Union Territory. He said that the environment-friendly food stalls established under these initiatives for the sale of local products will not only provide employment to the locals but also provide native taste to tourists,” Kovind said.
The President said that the Union Territory has played a “leading role” in implementing the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
“It is a matter of pride that all the three districts of this Union Territory have been declared ‘Open Defecation Free’. The local administration has set an example for the entire country by taking the responsibility of picking up garbage from every household,” he said.
Due to the “vibrant participation” of the people and the “tireless efforts” of the administration, Daman and Diu got the “first place in the ‘Swachh Survekshan’ of 2019”, he added.
The police said that the militants were appealed to surrender. However, they turned down the appeal and started firing indiscriminately.
Srinagar, J&K —
Two local Al-Badr militants were killed and two Army soldiers were injured in an encounter in Kanigam village of south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Saturday.
An official said that two militants were killed in the gunfight, which was more than 24-hours long. He said that two Army soldiers were also injured yesterday evening as militants tried to break the multi-layer cordon, however the forces again engaged them and killed both the trapped militants in the gunfight.
Earlier, reports said that a joint team of security forces launched a massive cordon and search operation in the Kanigam area. As the joint team of forces approached towards the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon the forces, triggering an encounter.
Meanwhile, police in a statement said that “During the wee hours on Saturday, the militants were again appealed to surrender. However, they turned down the appeal and started firing indiscriminately.”
“In the ensuing encounter, two militants were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter. They have been identified as Owais Farooq, resident of Kadlabal Awantipora and Asif Lone, resident of Turkwangam Shopian affiliated with proscribed militant outfit Al-Badr,” he said.
A police spokesperson said, “As per police records, both the slain militants were part of the group involved in several militant activities including attacks on security forces and civilian atrocities. Besides, several terror crime cases were registered against Asif Lone including case FIR No. 98/2020 of PS Zainapora, Kashmir pertaining to attack Army Naka party at Trenz Shopian on 07/12/2020 & FIR No. 153/2020 of PS Zainapora pertaining to pasting of posters whereby general public was threatened to keep away from recently concluded DDC elections.”
He said, “Incriminating materials including arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of encounter. All the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation and to probe their complicity in other militant crimes.”
The local police said that the last rites of the slain Al-Badr militants shall be performed after conducting their medico-legal formalities at Baramulla and their nearest family members shall be allowed to participate in the last rites.
MP CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan said the new Anti-conversion bill has the provision of jail term of up to 10 years and a fine of minimum Rs 50,000.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan said on Saturday that the state cabinet has approved the Dharma Swatantrya (Religious Freedom) Bill 2020, which bars forced conversions.
Chauhan stated, “We will not allow forced conversion of religion by luring, frightening, cheating or misleading a person in Madhya Pradesh. We have strengthened the 1968 law making it more effective and stricter.”
He said the new bill has the provision of jail term of up to 10 years and a fine of minimum Rs 50,000.
Shivraj Singh Chauhan pointed out, “Many instances surfaced where minor girls were converted, married and made to contest Panchayat polls. Very recently, we brought back minor girls from various places. We will not allow this to take place with innocent daughters of the state.”
According to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan’s Office, any marriage conducted with the intention of religious conversion will be considered null. Anyone going through religious conversion willingly as well as the concerned religious leader will have to inform the District Magistrate one month in advance.
The Anti-conversion bill is supposed to be tabled during a three-day session of the Legislative Assembly scheduled to begin on December 28.
