In a statement here, chief minister Tarun Gogoi said that the state government has all along been opposing anti-people and anti-farmer policies.
“Our government stood against anti-people and anti-farmer policies. The land acquisition ordinance is anti-people and anti-farmers and meant to serve only the interests of the rich, affluent and industrialists,” Gogoi said.
“Our government is dead against such an anti-people and anti-farmer policy and is not going to implement it. Our government expresses its strong opposition to the ordinance and extends full support to social activist Anna Hazare in his crusade against it”, he added.
The chief minister also said, “I attended the swearing-in ceremony of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to express my solidarity with all like minded secular and progressive parties in their fight against divisive forces and lend support for pro-poor policies”.
Mumbai: Maharashtra Governor and Chancellor of universities in the state C Vidyasagar Rao has convened a meeting of Vice-Chancellors of non-agricultural universities on Tuesday.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Finance and Planning Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, Higher, Technical and Education Minister Vinod Tawde, Ministers of State and senior government officials will attend the meeting, which will be held in Sahyadri State Guest House at 5 PM, a Raj Bhavan spokesperson said.
The meeting comes after Mumbai University Vice-Chancellor Rajan Welukar was on February 19 removed from his post after being found that he did not qualify for it.
The previous meeting of the Joint Board of Vice- Chancellors was held on September 3, 2013.
The governor will also present President’s Police Medals and Police Medals for Distinguished and Meritorious Service to 57 police officers and personnel at Darbar Hall in Raj Bhavan tomorrow evening.
The police medals were announced on the Republic Day in 2013. Fadnavis and senior police officers will be present on the occasion.
PTI
Itanagar: Political parties in Arunachal Pradesh have taken exception to China objecting to the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the state on February 20 to attend the 29th Statehood Day celebration.
China had opposed the visit of the PM to the bordering state which they termed as ‘disputed territory’.
Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Padi Richo today said that Beijing had forgotten that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India.
“It is a fashion of China to object when President or Prime Minister visit our state,” Richo said.
The state BJP unit also assailed Beijing for objecting to the PM’s visit saying that under any circumstance the neighbouring country cannot oppose the visit of any central leaders to the state.
“We are very happy and proud to be Indian and there is no ambiguity in our status,” BJP state president Tai Tagak said.
“A state delegation will visit Delhi soon to take up the issue,” Tagak said reiterating his party’s stand on the issue.
“China should give up its expansionist policy because the world of today does not accept it”, Tagak said.
Meanwhile, Arunachal Civil Society (ACS) has also criticised China for its objection to Modi’s visit to the state.
“China has no right to object in the internal affairs of India or term Arunachal Pradesh as disputed zone. The state is the part and parcel of India since time immortal,” ACS chairman Patey Tayum said in a statement.
“Such attitude of China is not new as in 2008 when the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited, they showed the same resentment and claimed Arunachal Pradesh as disputed land besides Southern Tibet,” he added.
Chinese vice-foreign minister Liu Zhenmin on Saturday summoned India’s ambassador to China, Ashok K Kantha to lodge a protest over Modi’s visit to the state.
Modi during his visit flagged off two trains including an AC Express train from Naharlagun to New Delhi and an inter-city express between Naharlagun and Guwahati besides inaugurating the Itanagar Water Supply project and laying foundation of the 132 KV power transmission project.
PTI
New Delhi: A court here Monday granted interim protection from arrest to RK Pachauri, director general of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), against whom a sexual harassment complaint has been registered by a research associate working in his office.
Additional Sessions Judge Raj Kumar Tripathi granted interim relief from arrest to Pachauri till Feb 26 in the case.
The court`s direction came while hearing the anticipatory bail application of Pachauri.
The court also issued notice to Delhi Police to file a reply on the bail plea of the TERI director.
The Delhi High court had earlier granted Pachauri interim protection from arrest till Feb 23 after he had moved high court following a police summon for questioning him with regard to the allegations.
In the FIR, the complainant has claimed that Pachauri had sexually harassed her for nearly two years since she joined the organisation in September 2013. She also alleged that Pachauri had engaged in “sexually-laden conversations” with her over email and SMS.
The FIR was based on a complaint filed by the woman at the Lodhi Colony police station Feb 13, and included sexual harassment, stalking and criminal intimidation charges.
In the wake of the complaint, Pachauri, also the chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, had to cancel the plenary session of the top scientific body on global warming that he was scheduled to attend in Nairobi Feb 22.
On Saturday, some senior lawyers held a press conference and claimed that another former woman employee of TERI had sent them a letter complaining about Pachauri`s behaviour with her 10 years ago, when she worked there.
IANS
New Delhi: The Delhi Police is likely to summon the seniors of the five corporate officials arrested in the Petroleum Ministry document leakage case for questioning, sources said on Monday.
“We will soon be sending notices to the seniors of all five arrested officials. We want them to join the probe,” a police officer said.
In addition, the police were also on the lookout for an employee of the Petroleum Ministry named Lokesh, who was part of the multi-tasking staff (MTS) in Shastri Bhawan.
Police said it is likely that Lokesh, who is missing at the moment, was working for another group of private companies and leaking information to them.
“We are probing all the angles and may register a new FIR in this regard,” said the officer.
Police have already arrested two government employees – Asharam, 58, and Ishwar Singh, 56 – who too were working as MTS in Shastri Bhawan.
Meanwhile, the five officials have been sent to three days` police custody as police raided two places in the city as part of its investigations.
Those sent to police custody till February 24 are – RIL corporate affairs manager Shailesh Saxena, Jubilant Energy senior executive Subash Chandra, Reliance ADAG DGM Rishi Anand, Essar DGM Vinay and Cairns India GM K.K. Naik.
All were arrested on Friday and booked under sections dealing with criminal conspiracy and use of stolen property. Their arrest took to 12 the number of those behind bars in the case.
Around a dozen teams of the Delhi Police`s crime branch are working on the case.
With IANS inputs
New Delhi: Indian Jesuit priest Father Alexis Prem Kumar, who was abducted by the Taliban in June last year, on Sunday thanked the Government of India for its effort to secure his release from Afghanistan.
“I want to thank almighty first. I also sincerely thank Prime Minister Modi as it is because of him that I am here, as well as all the officials of the Foreign Ministry; they have done a great job. The Government of India, especially the External Affairs Ministry, has taken a lot of effort to take care of me, to console me. Thirdly, I thank my own family and society of Jesus,” said Father Alexis.
Earlier in the day, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had confirmed the release of Father Alexis.
The 47-year-old Indian Jesuit priest was kidnapped by unknown gunmen from Herat in June last year and was being held as a captive in Afghanistan.
ANI
Manama: France deployed an aircraft carrier in the Gulf on Monday as part of the US-led military campaign against the Islamic State jihadist group in Iraq, a defence ministry official said.
“The integration of the Charles de Gaulle in the operation… (in Iraq) begins this morning,” a member of Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s staff told AFP as his entourage made its way to the carrier.
In a remark that may spark controversy, he also said that Muslims do yoga five times in a day and termed “Prophet Mohammad as the greatest yogi”.
“I believe if yoga comes into the life of common people, then the daily incidents of rape, I would not say, they will cease to exist, but there will definitely be a decrease in them,” said Mr Joshi.
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“It will create a new way of thinking amongst men and women, changing the way one feels for a human body… that the body is such a machine which nature has given us for some larger work… people’s attention will go towards this,” he said.
He was speaking during a seminar titled ‘The Iyengar Way – Yoga for the New Millennium’.
Referring to an experiment done in New York on transcendental medication introduced by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Mr Joshi said that when a vice chancellor of a university reviewed it, it was found that the crime rate in New York had come down, while the inmates in jails had undergone change in their behavior.
“Our Muslim brothers do yoga five times in a day. The postures of ‘namaz’…in that two or three postures, even you will be able to tell (which ones they are),” he said.
“That is why I think Mohammad sahab was a great yogi. As this prescription is of praying to god…connecting it to yoga, he could not have done it without practising yoga,” he added.
Referring to the government’s focus on skill development, Mr Joshi said that that there should be a coordinated group between various ministries including Ayush, Education, Health and Skills, which would see how yoga can be utilized in ones social and economic life.
“It will create a new way of thinking amongst men and women, changing the way one feels for a human body… that the body is such a machine which nature has given us for some larger work… people’s attention will go towards this,” he said.
He was speaking during a seminar titled ‘The Iyengar Way – Yoga for the New Millennium’.
Referring to an experiment done in New York on transcendental medication introduced by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Mr Joshi said that when a vice chancellor of a university reviewed it, it was found that the crime rate in New York had come down, while the inmates in jails had undergone change in their behavior.
“Our Muslim brothers do yoga five times in a day. The postures of ‘namaz’…in that two or three postures, even you will be able to tell (which ones they are),” he said.
“That is why I think Mohammad sahab was a great yogi. As this prescription is of praying to god…connecting it to yoga, he could not have done it without practising yoga,” he added.
Referring to the government’s focus on skill development, Mr Joshi said that that there should be a coordinated group between various ministries including Ayush, Education, Health and Skills, which would see how yoga can be utilized in ones social and economic life.
He also said that if one starts any work after chanting mantras from Vedas or Upanishads, it will have good results.
Noting that yoga is not only for humans but also birds and animals, the veteran BJP leader said that yoga connects humans with animals as well.
“If you see carefully, in nature, animals and birds too do yoga…’mayur asan, sarp asan‘…this is natural. It’s not that it (yoga) is for humans but animals and birds as well. It is possible that they are for pests as well… It connects us with not only humans but also animals,” he said.
Mr Joshi also claimed that yoga was the greatest option of bringing peace, public order and prosperity in the entire country, and said it is very essential to introduce yoga in every wing of education.
He said that yoga brings sharing and caring, and programmes on yoga are very important for world peace. India can benefit the world through yoga, ayurveda and Sanskrit language, he said.
“This is land grab by the government; Britishers used to do this,” said Mr Hazare as he addressed hundreds of supporters at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
It was here the septuagenarian activist had started his protest against corruption in 2011, which had managed to capture the imagination of India and mobilised thousands of people to take to the streets; but the movement had fizzled out in a few months.
Today, the activist took on the government over its promise of delivering ‘Achche Din’ (better days), and asked, “Are the ‘Acche Din’ only for industrialists, not for common people”?
He has been highly critical of the government for making certain changes in the Land Acquisition Act, introduced by the earlier Congress-led UPA government, through an ordinance.
The government had in December recommended promulgation of the ordinance making significant changes in the Land Acquisition Act including the removal of a consent clause for acquiring land for five areas of industrial corridors, PPP projects, rural infrastructure, affordable housing and defence.
‘What is the need to bring in ordinance when Act was passed in 2013,’ Mr Hazare said at Jantar Mantar, adding, ‘To cater to the industrialists, how can you betray the farmers?’
He also claimed that “very few farmers” were aware of the new Bill, and there is a need to create awareness about it.
Mr Hazare also threatened to start a ‘jail bharo andolan’, a movement to court arrest, if the government did not address concerns over the Ordinance within four months.
The activist had famously courted arrest during his agitation in 2011; he had been sent to Delhi’s Tihar Jail, where thousands of his supporters had congregated, and the government had been forced to release him.
Arvind Kejriwal, the current Chief Minister of Delhi, was considered one of Mr Hazare’s closest aides during the anti-corruption movement. The two parted ways after Mr Kejriwal floated political outfit the Aam Aadmi Party in 2012, despite the misgivings openly stated by his then mentor.
The Chief Minister will meet the activist tonight, sources have said.
Dhaka: A Bangladesh ferry with over 100 passengers sank on Sunday after colliding with a cargo ship, reports said.
Ferry MV Mostofa, with some 150 passengers capsized into River Padma after it collided with a cargo vessel at the Daulatdia-Paturia crossing, Fire Department said according to a news agency.
While few dozens of the passengers managed to swim ashore, a rescue operation is on to save others.
Fire Department official Shahzadi Begum said rescue teams were deployed and many passing boats were helping in the operation.
Inspector Zihad Mia, who is overseeing the rescue, said that that the ferry was submerged at a depth of up to 20 feet (6 meters).
The Padma is one of the largest rivers in the delta nation, which is crisscrossed by more than 130 rivers.
Low-lying Bangladesh, with extensive inland waterways and slack safety standards, suffers regular ferry disasters, with deaths sometimes running into the hundreds.
Last August, a ferry with a capacity of 85 passengers was found to be carrying more than 200 when it capsized also on the Padma near Dhaka, leaving with more than 100 people dead or missing. The owner was arrested after weeks in hiding on charges of culpable homicide, unauthorized operation and overloading.
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