There have been more than 24,000 forest fires reported from across the country this year with over 2,500 cases each reported from Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Lok Sabha was informed today.
Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave said in a written reply that the report submitted by the central team of experts set up by the Home Ministry suggests that most of the forest fires are caused due to human neglect.
According to data furnished by the minister, a total of 24,817 forest fires were reported in 2016 till June. 15,937 forest fires were reported during 2015.
Among them, 2,763 forest fires were reported in Odisha, 2,675 in Madhya Pradesh and 2,808 in Chhattisgarh till June this year.
The other states where forest fires have been reported this year till June are 1874 in Maharashtra, 1766 in Assam, 1105 in Manipur, 1318 in Mizoram, 1501 in Uttarakhand and 1699 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
“The Ministry of Home Affairs had set up a central team of experts to visit the forest fire affected areas of Uttarakhand and also to take stock of the situation and suggest appropriate measures to combat forest fires.
“The report of the central team of experts suggests that most of the forest fires are caused due to human neglect,” Dave said.
He said that the key recommendations of the committee include wide application of forest management practices such as fire lines, control burning, use of operation fire detection system, use of improved technology and tools to combat forest fires, strengthen mobility and communication, community outreach activities, training and capacity building, use of space technology for detection as well as management of forest fires.PTI
The BCCI today decided to convene a Special General Meeting of its affiliated units in Mumbai on August 5 to discuss about the implementation of the Lodha Committee Recommendations as per Supreme Court directives.
The state unit members have been apprised about the development today.
“Yes, we have received an e-mail from the BCCI that there will be an SGM on August 5 at the Cricket Centre in Mumbai.
The agenda is to discuss the implementation of the Supreme Court directives,” a member of state unit confirmed the development to PTI.
The idea of calling SGM before president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke meeting Lodha Panel on August 9 in New Delhi is to take stock of the current situation and also the viewpoint of the members regarding practical difficulties of implementation, before it is placed before the committee.
“I guess before meeting the Lodha Panel in Delhi on August 9, the senior office-bearers will like to take the viewpoint of the senior state unit officials. One of the main bone of contention is the cumulative tenure part of 9 years for the office-bearers,” the BCCI official said.
It is expected that BCCI’s team of lawyers will also be present during the SGM.PTI
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s former Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar, who was arrested in a corruption case, was today granted bail by a Special court.
Special CBI Judge Arvind Kumar gave the relief to Rajendra Kumar on furnishing of a personal bond of Rs one lakh.
The court directed that Kumar will not try to contact any witness and will not influence the ongoing probe in the case.
Kumar, along with four others, was arrested by the CBI on July 4 in connection with the case of allegedly showing undue favours to a private company in award of government contracts worth over Rs 50 crore.
Besides Kumar, CBI has arrested former Deputy Secretary in Kejriwal’s office Tarun Sharma, Kumar’s alleged close aide Ashok Kumar, Managing Director of a PSU, R S Kaushik.
Kaushik’s predecessor G K Nanda, former Managing Director of Intelligent Communication Systems India Ltd (ICSIL) which is a Delhi government undertaking, owner of private firm Endeavour Systems Pvt Ltd (ESPL) Dinesh Kumar Gupta and its co-owner Sandeep Kumar were also arrested in the case.
Gupta, Sharma, Ashok Kumar and Kaushik have also moved bail application in the court.
According to CBI, the five accused were allegedly showing undue favours to private firm ESPL which the agency alleged was floated by Kumar for the award of government contracts worth over Rs 50 crore.
CBI had registered a case against Kumar and others in December last year alleging that the officer had abused his official position by “favouring a particular firm in the last few years in getting tenders of Delhi government departments”.
The accused have been charged under section 120-B of IPC (criminal conspiracy) and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act relating to criminal misconduct for allegedly favouring ESPL in bagging of five contracts.
CBI has alleged that the accused persons had entered into a criminal conspiracy and caused a loss of Rs 12 crore to the Delhi government in award of contracts between 2007 and 2015, and claimed that the officials had taken “undue benefit” of over Rs three crore while awarding the contracts.
This is the same case in which the agency had come under scathing criticism from court which had directed it to return documents sought by Delhi government seized during December 15, 2015 search of Kejriwal’s office.
Arrest of top state government official had triggered a political storm with the Delhi government accusing Centre of indulging in “political vendetta” and “paralysing” governance.PTI
Scores of activists from the Bishnoi community have protested against the acquittal of Bollywood actor Salman Khan by the Rajasthan High Court in two cases related to poaching of Chinkaras in Jodhpur in 1998.
Bishnoi community members, who are known for their love of wild animals especially chinkaras and deers, held protests and burnt posters of the actor on Monday.
“We protested against the acquittal of Salman Khan in the cases and burnt his posters,” Vijay Delu, district president of Akhil Bhartiya Jeev Raksha Vishnoi Mahasabha said.
Bab Lal Jaju of animal welfare organization ‘People for Animals’ said the decision of the high court has disappointed animal lovers.
“Yesterday was a black day for animal lovers. We are disappointed and urge the state government to challenge the order in the Supreme court,” Jaju said on Tuesday.
The court had held that the pellets recovered from the Chinkaras were not fired from Khan’s licensed gun.PTI
Asserting that Pakistan has “direct role” in fuelling terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, Army today warned of more infiltration bids along the LoC in the coming weeks in view of the volatile situation in the Valley.
“Pakistan is interfering in Kashmir and has direct role in what we call as proxy war in Kashmir and there is absolutely no doubt in it,” General Officer Commanding in Chief (GoC-in-C), Northern Command, Lt Gen D S Hooda told reporters here.
He was paying homage to the martyrs of Operation Vijay on the 17th Kargil Vijay Diwas at the historic War Memorial here.
“We have seen it everywhere.. along the borders. We have seen it in the matter in which the support is given to infiltrating groups.
“We have seen how ceasefire violations have been used as a support to the people infiltrating into this side,” Hooda said while replying to a question about Pakistan’s role in current unrest and terrorism in Kashmir.
“In short, if there is an internal disturbance here, they will directly take advantage of it.
“You have heard the statements of Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba, trying to say that they are supporting whatever is happening in Kashmir,” the Northern Command Chief said.
He said “the support (from Pakistan) is not only moral but it is absolute physical and there is no doubt about it”.
He also expressed concern over the increasing radicalisation of youth in Kashmir Valley.
“We have seen there is an increase in radicalisation mostly driven by social media and people are quite active on it,” Hooda said, adding everyone at all levels has to put their heads together to reduce this trend.
The Army official warned of more infiltration bids in the coming weeks along the LoC.
Hooda said, “We are seeing regular attempts to infiltrate groups into this side.”
“We have foiled some infiltration bids. One group which had infiltrated two or three days back and we have neutralised four terrorists inside the hinterland. We are seeing repeated attempts. We recently lost two soldiers during this infiltration bids.
“I don’t see a slow down in this (level of infiltration).
During this internal disturbance they will try and push in more and more infiltrators and we are well prepared to deal with it,” he said.PTI
In a clear indication that Gujarat was on AAP’s electoral radar, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today said the result of the Assembly polls in the western state next year could “surprise everyone” and that Delhi and Gujarat will now “fight together” against the BJP.
Kejriwal, who visited Gujarat twice in the recent past, claimed the people in the state are extremely “angry” against the BJP government led by Anandiben Patel and accused it of levelling “false charges” against members of the Patidar and Dalit communities.
“Gujarat is very very angry against Anandiben Patel n BJP. Next year, Guj election results cud surprise everyone. Anandiben is sending dalits and patidars to jail in false cases while Modiji is doing the same in Delhi. Delhi and Gujarat will now fight together (sic),” the AAP chief said in a series of tweets.
He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “silence” on the assault on Dalits “proves” that these incidents had the blessings of the top leadership of BJP.
“PM Modi’s continued silence on dalit attacks proves that these attacks are taking place with active support from top BJP leadership,” he alleged in another tweet.
At his maiden ‘Talk to AK’ session last week, Kejriwal had said that AAP will surely contest polls in Gujarat provided people want the party to do so.
In Gujarat, Kejriwal dubbed the BJP “anti-Dalit” and accused the ruling BJP of “trampling” upon the depressed sections after meeting the Dalit victims who were thrashed by cow vigilantes for allegedly skinning a dead cow on July 11.PTI
The Supreme Court today dismissed a plea seeking registration of an FIR against Bollywood super star Aamir Khan for allegedly making “improper” use of national emblem on his TV show ‘Satyamev Jayate’.
A bench comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justices F M I Kalifulla and A M Khanwilkar rejected the plea of Chandigarh-based NGO Arrive Safe Society and said if the petitioner has any grievances, the proper forum like police could be approached.
Harman S Sidhu, who runs the Chandigarh-based NGO, had approached the apex court after his plea was dismissed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Sidhu in his plea argued that offences punishable under Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 and The State Emblem of India (Prohibition of Improper Use) Act, 2005 has been committed by the actor by showing the emblem without due permission of the Union government.
He had also alleged that Khan and others made improper use of national emblem “for private commercial gains,” which is illegal.
To buttress his claims, Sidhu had referred to an episode of the ‘Satyamev Jayate’ series in which Khan had highlighted how a majority of road accidents cannot be dismissed as accidents and should be termed murders.PTI
Over two dozens of IEDs planted under a kutcha road in Sikid jungle in naxal-hit Latehar district were today recovered by security personnel during a routine search operation, police said.
Acting on a tip-off, the security personnel launched a massive search in the area and recovered 25 IEDs planted in a series underneath a kutcha road in the jungle, Superintendent of Policy Anup Birtheray said.
He said each IED weighed half kg and the explosive was planted to target security personnel.
All the IEDs have been defused by the bomb disposal squad, he added.
Meanwhile, security personnel arrested two activists of ultra group ‘People’s Liberation Front of India’ (PLFI) and recovered arms and ammunition from Manahatu under Rania police station of extremist-affected Khunti district today.
In course of a joint operation by CRPF and District Armed Police, PLFI activists Ramu Singh and Amar Munda were arrested, Superintendent of Police Anish Gupta said.
Gupta told a press conference that one rifle, seven cartridges, 40 detonators and four mobile phones were seized from them.PTI
In a bid to alleviate the woes of thousands of patients who flock the hospitals of the national capital, Delhi government is in the process of procuring five MRI and 10 CT scan machines, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today said.
“Tenders done for 5 MRI n 10 CT Scan. They’ll come in 4 mnths. It’ll take smetime to correct decades of misgovernance,” Kejriwal tweeted.
According to a senior Delhi government official, these 10 CT scan and five MRI machines will be installed in ten hospitals on Public-Private-Partnerships (PPP) model.
Presently, there are 34 government hospitals in Delhi and there is only one MRI machine at Lok Nayak hospital. Patients seeking MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans have to wait for prolonged period as the queue is extremely long, said sources at Delhi government.
An MRI test in a private facility costs up to Rs 5,000 but is done free in government hospitals.PTI
RJD supremo Lalu Prasad hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for second successive day today on his “continued silence” on atrocities against Dalits and wondered whether “these incidents are taking place at his instigation.”
“Auron ki khansi/jukhaam per chichiyate hain, per gareeb/dalit ko maara peeta ja raha hai us per lambi chuppi! Inhi ki to shah nahin? (He shouts at mere cough and cold of others, but keeps mum for long when the poor and Dalits are beaten up… are the incidents taking place at his instigation),” Lalu said in a tweet.
He was replying to a tweet by his son and deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Prasad Yadav’s tweet goading the Prime Minister to speak at his rally in Gorakhpur on atrocities against Dalits.
“Dear @narendramodi Ji, Hope u wil speak tdy in Gorakhpur on #DalitAtrocity takn place aggressively in ur regime. Plz gv hard msg to ur caders,” Tejaswi tweeted.
Slamming Modi yesterday for his “silence” on assault of some Dalit men in Gujarat last week, Lalu had tweeted that the “PM who cries at the drop of a hat or tweets on anything happening even saat samundar paar (seven seas away) won’t utter even a single word on unfortunate incidents in Gujarat.”
The incident at Una in Gujarat, where Dalit youths were paraded and flogged for allegedly killing a cow, caused nation-wide outrage after its video went viral. The victims’ contention was that they were skinning a dead cow and had not killed it.PTI
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