New Delhi: In a shocking incident, gangster Sanjeev Jeeva was killed in firing inside the court complex of a Lucknow court.
Sanjeev Jeeva was attacked while he was brought to court for hearing in a criminal case.
The Miscreant reportedly rained 6 rounds of bullets, TV reports said.
Gangster Sanjeev Jeeva is said to be a close aide of dreaded gangster turned politician Mukhtar Ansari.
Two days after rolling out the Gruha Jyoti scheme offering free power up to 200 units to domestic consumers, Karnataka Energy Minister K J George on Wednesday said the enrolment to avail of the benefit will start from June 15.
People who want to get this facility should enroll through the Seva Sindhu portal of the state government from June 15 to July 5, he said. Applicants will be required to upload proof that they are the resident of the building to avail of the benefit, he said. According to George, the documents that need to be uploaded in the Seva Sindhu application to register for the scheme are any of the documents such as Aadhaar card, voter ID, title deed or lease or rental agreement. The minister said that in the next two days a policy will be brought to include new buildings or new tenants.
As per the scheme, electricity supply companies will determine the average consumption of power in the last fiscal, based on which each consumer’s average consumption will be calculated. If it is below 200 units, then another 10 per cent will be added.
This average consumption will be free of cost, and the rest of the consumption up to 200 units will be charged. Supposing a consumer uses an average of 150 units of power, he or she will be eligible to get up to 165 units of electricity free.
Any excess consumption up to 200 units will be charged. Anyone consuming above 200 units will have to pay for the entire bill.
According to the minister, the state has 2.16 crore consumers who use less than 200 units of power, whereas there are only two lakh consumers who use more than 200 units of electricity. George also said that the average consumption of domestic power is 53 units. The scheme is expected to cost the state exchequer at least Rs 13,000 crore, he added.
“We are not trying to exclude anyone. We want to include more people in this scheme. Our objective is to offer relief to the middle class as well, which is hit by price rise,” George said.
A senior officer in the energy department told PTI that the government may consider changing the base year to calculate average unit consumption depending on the consumption pattern.
“Depending on the consumption pattern, we may think of setting up a new average year,” he said.
The government on Wednesday hiked the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy by Rs 143 to Rs 2,183 per quintal for the 2023-24 crop year (July-June) in order to encourage farmers to bring more area under the crop and boost their income.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the increase in MSP for all mandated Kharif (summer) crops for the 2023-24 crop year.
Briefing media, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal said: “In agriculture, we have been fixing MSP from time to time based on the recommendations of the CACP (Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices). The increase in MSP of kharif crops for this year is highest compared to the previous years.”
Farmers will benefit from the increase in the MSP at a time when the retail inflation is on a declining trend, he added.
Goyal said the MSP of common grade variety of paddy has been increased by Rs 143 to Rs 2,183 per quintal for the 2023-24 crop year, from Rs 2,040 in the previous year.
The support price of ‘A’ grade variety of paddy has been hiked by Rs 163 to Rs 2,203 per quintal from Rs 2,060, he said.
Highest increase in MSP was in moong by 10.4 per cent at Rs 8,558 per quintal for 2023-23 crop year, as against Rs 7,755 per quintal in the previous year.
Paddy is the main kharif crop, the sowing of which normally begins with the onset of southwest monsoon. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has projected a normal monsoon for the June-September period despite the evolving El Nino conditions.
The monsoon has missed its onset date of June 1 in Kerala.
An injured eight-year-old boy was killed along with his mother and another relative when an ambulance with the three on board was waylaid by a mob and set ablaze in Manipur’s West Imphal district, officials said.
The incident occurred at Iroisemba on Sunday evening when the boy was being taken to a hospital by his mother and their relative in Imphal after he sustained a bullet injury in his head during a shoot-out, they said.
Three have been identified as Tonsing Hangsing (8), his 45-year-old mother Meena Hangsing, and Lydia Lourembam, aged 37, the officials said.
A senior Assam Rifles officer confirmed the incident and said security has been beefed up in and around the camp where it happened.
Sources said Tonsing, the son of a tribal man, and his Meitei mother, were staying at an Assam Rifles relief camp at Kangchup.
On June 4 evening, a gunfight started in the area, and despite being in the camp, he was hit by a bullet.
“A senior Assam Rifles officer immediately spoke to police in Imphal and arranged for an ambulance. Since the mother was from the majority community, a decision was taken to take the kid to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal by road,” sources said.
The ambulance was under Assam Rifles escort for a few kilometres, after which the local police took over.
“Around 6:30 pm, the ambulance was waylaid by civilians at Isoisemba and set ablaze. All three in the vehicle were killed. We still do not know where the bodies are,” one of the sources added.
The Kangchup area has several Kuki villages and is on Kangpokpi district’s border with Imphal West, close to the Meitei village of Phayeng. The area has been seeing heavy exchange of fire in the second wave of violence across the state since May 27.
Violent clashes broke out in the northeastern state after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
The clashes were preceded by tension over eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had led to a series of smaller agitations.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals — Nagas and Kukis — constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.
Bhubaneswar: Most parts of Odisha are facing a heatwave-like situation since almost a month, on Wednesday Bhubaneswar recorded 39°C at 11:30 am.
The hottest place in Odisha was however Sambalpur which recorded 41 degree Celsius. As many as nine places in Odisha have recorded temperatures of more than 35°C. Jharsuguda recorded temperatures as high as 40.6°C.
The Kalabaishakhi influence will decrease in Odisha, said the latest bulletin of the Official Twitter handle of Meteorological Centre situated here in Bhubaneswar.
The heatwave is expected to continue till a few more days. The regional weather center has predicted that the day temperature will decrease by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius.
A heatwave alert has been issued for various districts of Odisha, said the latest MeT report. People have bee advised to refrain from stepping outside the house from 11:00am to 3:00pm.
They have been asked too take necessary precautions in case going out of home within the time is unavoidable.
Sambalpur : 41 degrees
Jharsuguda : 40.6 degrees
Hirakud : 39.8
Bhubaneswar : 39 degrees
Balasore : 38.2 degrees
Chandbali : 36.8 degrees
Gopalpur : 36.6 degrees
Keonjhar : 36.4 degrees
Puri: 35.8 degrees
Paradip : 34.2 degrees
New delhi. The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu along with President Chandrikapersad Santokhi of Suriname, witnessed the cultural festival on the occasion of the commemoration of 150 years of the arrival of Indians in Suriname yesterday evening (June 5, 2023) in Paramaribo.
Addressing the gathering at the Independence Square in Paramaribo, the President said that today we are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Indians in Suriname which is an important milestone in the history of Suriname. On this day, in the year 1873, the first group of Indians reached the shores of Suriname, on board the ship Lalla Rookh which was the beginning of a new chapter in the history of this country.
The President said that as a multicultural society and as a land of opportunities, Suriname has welcomed all the varied communities that came and settled there. During these years, diverse communities evolved into one family and one country. She appreciated people of Suriname for their dedication and commitment to unity and inclusiveness.
The President was happy to note that despite the vast geographical distances, the different time zones and cultural diversity, the Indian diaspora has always remained attached to their roots. She said that over the last 150 years, the Indian community has not only become an integral part of society in Suriname, but it also constitutes an important pillar of the deepening partnership between India and Suriname.
The President said that at a time when Suriname is celebrating the legacy of its ancestors and its links with India, India stands with Suriname in solidarity and reverence. She announced the Government of India’s decision of extending the eligibility criteria for OCI Card up from the fourth generation to the sixth generation of those original Indian immigrants who had arrived in Suriname from Indian territories. She said that the OCI card can be seen as an important link in their 150 year old relationship with India. She urged members of the Indian diaspora to continue to make efforts to maintain their connections with India.
The President said that both Suriname and India have made efforts to rebuild their economies and social systems after a long period of colonial rule. This experience has created a feeling of solidarity between the two countries. She said that India-Suriname bilateral relations are based on shared aspirations for development.
Earlier in the day, the President paid homage at the Baba and Mai monument, a symbolic representation of the first Indian man and woman, who first set foot in Suriname. Subsequently, she paid her respects at the Mama Sranan monument which represents Mama Sranan, the Mother Suriname holding her five children, the five ethnicities that inhabit Suriname with care and affection.
At a ceremony held at the Presidential Palace, President Murmu was conferred with the highest civilian honour of Suriname ‘Grand Order of the Chain of the Yellow Star’ by the President of Suriname. In her acceptance remarks, the President thanked President Santokhi and Government of Suriname for bestowing upon her this honour. She said that this recognition holds immense significance, not only for her but also for the more than 1.4 billion people of India. She dedicated the honour to the successive generations of the Indian-Surinamese community, who have played a stellar role in enriching the fraternal ties between the two countries.
The President also attended a luncheon banquet hosted in her honour by the President of Suriname. In her banquet speech, President Murmu underlined India’s approach of an inclusive world order that is sensitive to legitimate interests and concerns of every country and region. She said that it is in this spirit of solidarity that India extended a helping hand to more than 100 countries during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
The President said that India holds the Presidency of the G-20, through which it is building stronger bridges with both developing countries and advanced economies. In order to provide a greater voice to the issues of interest to developing countries and Global South, India also organised the Voice of South Summit in January this year, with the participation of 125 countries from Global South. She appreciated Suriname for being part of this initiative.
KOTTAYAM: People from all walks of life bid a tearful adieu to actor and comedian Kollam Sudhi, who died in a car accident. He was laid to rest at Thottakkad Reformed Anglican Church Cemetery in Kottayam. Thousands paid homage to the actor when the body was kept at Ponganthanam MDUP School in Vakathanam, and St Matthew’s Parish Auditorium in Vakathanam, Kottayam.
Sudhi died in an accident that happened at Kaipamangalam in Thrissur early Monday morning. The car in which he was travelling collided with a pickup lorry. Though seriously injured Sudhi was rushed to Kodungalloor A R Hospital, his life could not be saved. Binu Adimali, Ullas Aroor and Mahesh who were with Sudhi in the car also sustained injuries.
Kollam Sudhi is familiar to the Malayalees through films and television comedy shows. Sudhi entered the film industry in 2015 with the film Kanthari and has acted in many films including Kattappanayile Rithwik Roshan, Kuttanadan Marpappa, An International Local Story and Keshu Ee Veedinte Nathan.
A compromise enforced by the Congress leadership a week ago in their Rajasthan unit appeared to be fragile as dissident leader Sachin Pilot is likely to walk out and announce a new party ‘Pragatisheel Congress’ on June 11, the death anniversary of his late father Rajesh Pilot.
Sources said Pilot is being helped with the groundwork for the formation of the new party by Prashant Kishor’s IPAC, a political consultancy firm. There is also talk about Pilot aligning with Hanuman Beniwal’s Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) and AAP in a third front in Rajasthan.
It is to be seen how many MLAs will walk out from Congress if Pilot takes the plunge and whether it would have an impact on Congress government in the state.
The 45-year-old former Deputy Chief Minister has been at loggerheads with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for years. The central leadership has so far not agreed to replace the veteran leader with him, who as state chief had led the party to power in the 2018 elections.
Speculation about Pilot’s plans had been spreading over the past couple of months after he conducted a one-day fast on April 11 and a five-day padayatra starting May 11. Questions had raised what he would do on June 11, senior Pilot’s death anniversary.
The Congress leadership had been trying to bring peace in the Rajasthan unit ahead of Assembly elections later this year and on May 29 after four-hour-long discussions by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and top leader Rahul with the warning leaders, the leadership had announced that both have agreed to work unitedly to defeat the BJP.
However, the leadership, while assuring Pilot that he would be gracefully accommodated, did not spell out the exact details. Gehlot has been insisting that Pilot should not be accommodated and wants him to leave the party.
Day after the meeting with leadership, Pilot indicated that he was not willing to compromise by making it clear that he would not go back on his demands for a probe against BJP leader and former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, reconstitution of Rajasthan Public Service Commission and compensation for youth who suffered due to question paper leaks.
If Pilot finally decides to move, it would also mean that he has not taken Rahul’s assurance to address his concerns at a later stage seriously.
The leadership had intended to make Pilot the Chief Minister in September last year by elevating Gehlot as party president. However, smart manoeuvring by Gehlot who wanted to remain as Chief Minister led to high drama where a meeting of Congress Legislature Party could not meet to set in motion the process.
If Pilot finally decides to leave, he will be joining a list of prominent leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kapil Sibal, Jitendra Prasada, RPN Singh, Sunil Jakhar, Ashwani Kumar, Hardik Patel and Alpesh Thakore.
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras continued to bag the top spot in the National Institute Ranking Framework, 2023 for the fifth consecutive year, while the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru has been ranked as the best university, according to the Ministry of Education.
IISc Bengaluru has bagged the second spot in the “overall” category followed by IIT Delhi.
Among the engineering institutions, IIT Madras retained the top spot for the eighth consecutive year. IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay have been ranked second and third, respectively in the category.
Delhi University’s Miranda House and Hindu College have bagged the first and second spot among colleges followed by Presidency College, Chennai.
IISc Bengaluru has been ranked as the best institution for research, while IIT Kanpur has been ranked the best for innovation.
Among the management colleges, Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad has been ranked at the top followed by IIM Bangalore and IIM Kozhikode.
In pharmacy, the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hyderabad has been ranked first. Jamia Hamdard and BITS Pilani have been ranked at the second and third spot, respectively.
Similarly for law, the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru followed by the National Law University, Delhi and NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad have figured in the ranking.
A court in Varanasi on Monday sentenced gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari to life imprisonment for the murder of Awadhesh Rai, the brother of a Congress leader, more than 30 years ago.
Awadhesh Rai, the brother of former MLA Ajay Rai, was shot dead on August 3, 1991, at the gate of his Lahurabir residence in Varanasi. A case was registered against Mukhtar Ansari and others.
The MP-MLA court’s special judge Avanish Gautam awarded life sentence to Ansari in the case, a lawyer told reporters outside the Varanasi court.
Reacting to Ansari’s conviction earlier in the day, Ajay Rai said, “This is the end of our many years of waiting. I, my parents, Awadhesh’s daughter and the whole family kept patience… Governments came and went and Mukhtar strengthened himself.
“But we did not give up. Because of our lawyers’ efforts, today the court has found Mukhtar guilty in the murder case of my brother,” Rai added.
Lawyers said that around 1 am on August 3, 1991, Congress leader Ajay Rai and his brother were standing at the gate of their house in Varanasi when some assailants, including Ansari, came there in a car and shot Awadhesh.
Ajay Rai fired from his licensed pistol in retaliation, following which the assailants fled, leaving the car behind, they said. Awadhesh was rushed to a hospital in Kabirchaura, where doctors declared him dead.
Ansari, a five-time MLA from Mau Sadar seat, did not contest the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election and the seat was won by his son Abbas Ansari on a ticket from the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, which had tied up with the Samajwadi Party.