New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that today we are creating a system in which there is no place for discrimination and building a society that stands firmly on the foundation of equality and social justice.

Prime Minister Modi was delivering the keynote address at the national launch ceremony of ‘Azadi Ke Amrit Mahotsav se Swarnim Bharat Ke Ore’. He also flagged off seven initiatives of Brahma Kumaris.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that the program by Brahma Kumari Sanstha, in the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebration, exemplifies the feeling, spirit and inspiration for a golden India. “There is no difference between personal aspirations and successes on the one hand and national aspirations and successes on the other,” he said.

The Prime Minister stressed that our progress lies in the progress of the nation. “The nation exists from us, and we exist through the nation. This realisation is becoming the biggest strength of us Indians in the making of a new India. Everything the country is doing today includes ‘Sabka Prayas’. ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’ is becoming the guiding motto of the country,” Modi said.

He noted the contribution of remarkable women in different epochs of Indian history and listed developments like entry of women in the armed forces, more maternity leaves, better political participation in the form of more voting and representation in the Council of Ministers as a mark of new confidence among women. He expressed satisfaction that this movement is society-led and the gender ratio has improved in the country.

The Prime Minister pointed out that the time of ‘Amrit Kaal’ is not for dreaming while sleeping, but for fulfilling your resolutions awake. The coming 25 years are the period of utmost hard work, sacrifice, and ‘Tapasya’. This is a period of 25 years to get back what our society has lost in hundreds of years of slavery, he said.

“It needs to be admitted that in the 75 years after Independence the evil of ignoring duties and not keeping them paramount has entered the national life. During this period, we only spent time talking and fighting about rights,” he said.

The Prime Minister regretted the tendency to tarnish the image of India, even at the international level. “We cannot get away from this by saying that this is just politics. This is not politics, this is the question of our country. Today, when we are celebrating the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, it is also our responsibility that the world should know India properly”, he added.

New Delhi: India and Mauritius on Thursday exchanged two agreements, including on extending a US$190 million Line of Credit from India for the Metro Express Project and on the implementation of Small Development Projects.

The two agreements were exchanged during the virtual joint ceremony today between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mauritius PM Pravind Jugnauth, to jointly inaugurate the Social Housing Units project and lay the foundation stone of the Civil Service College. The two leaders also launched the 8 MW Solar Photovoltaic Farm project.

The MoU on Small Development Projects relates primarily to socio-economic development, particularly creation of infrastructure in the education, basic health-care and community development sectors. Livelihood activity, skill development, renewable energy, conservation of environmental and cultural heritage, empowerment of women and child welfare, and disaster risk reduction, will be primary themes of such projects.

The implementation of the Small Development Projects will help in reaching out to various regions of Mauritius both in mainland as well as in Outer Islands (Agalega and Rodrigues) and to take up small-scale projects with shorter gestation period and high significance.

The $190 million Line of Credit agreement was between EXIM Bank and SBM Mauritius.

The Government of India has extended financial assistance to the tune of USD 527 million (USD 267 million as Grant and USD 260 million as LOC) towards the Metro Express project.

The 26 km long Metro project is being implemented in two phases. Phase I connecting Port Louis and Rose Hill was completed and e-inaugurated jointly by the two Prime Ministers on October 3, 2019. Phase II connecting Rose Hill to Curepipe is underway and is expected to be completed by December 2022. An interim part of Phase II i.e. between Rose Hill and Quatre Bornes (approx 2.7 km) was inaugurated by PM of Mauritius on June 20, 2021.

The Social Housing Units project inaugurated today, is one of the five high-profile infrastructure projects identified for implementation under the USD 353 million Special Economic Package (SEP) extended to the Government of Mauritius (GOM) in 2016.

The total cost of the project is USD 44.995 million – comprising grant assistance of USD 20 million under the SEP and Line of Credit support of USD 25 million (from the LOC of USD 500 million extended in 2017).

The Government of India in May 2016 had extended a grant of US$ 353 mn to the Government of Mauritius as Special Economic Package (SEP) to execute five priority projects identified by Government of Mauritius, among others. These were: the Metro Express Project, Supreme Court Building, New ENT Hospital, Supply of Digital Tablets to Primary School Children, and the Social Housing Project. With the inauguration of the Social Housing Project today, all the high profile projects under the SEP have been implemented.

The Social Housing Units project comprising 956 housing units with associated infrastructure such as Sewerage Treatment Plant, Leeching field, Playground etc. is implemented at two locations – Dagotiere (600 units) and Mare Tabac (356 units).

The housing units are of duplex type comprising of 4 housing units with two families occupying the ground floor and two families occupying the first floor. The carpet area of a single housing unit is approximately 60 sq.m., and every unit comprises of two bedrooms, living and dining rooms, kitchen, toilet and bathroom. The housing units are provided with adequate landscaping, recreational amenities (children’s playground, pétanquecourt (popular Mauritian game), jogging track, etc) as well as a Community Centre and kiosk for commercial shops.

The Civil Service College is to be set up under an MoU that was signed between India and Mauritius during the State visit of Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth to India in May 2017. It is a prestigious project in the context of bilateral cooperation and financed by India through a grant assistance amounting to USD 4.74 million.

The Civil Service College project is expected to be completed in 18 months i.e. by mid-2023.

After construction, the state-of-the art Civil Service College will comprise an Academic block of 3,574 sq.m. and an Auditorium of 1,120 sq.m, with all appropriate infrastructures like classrooms, meeting room, conference room, wellness centre etc.

It will provide a better facility for the Civil Servants of Mauritius to undertake various training and skill development programmes. Along with our on-going efforts intraining and capacity building, collaboration in the Civil Service College project will go a long way in building further linkages between Mauritius and India and in generating long lasting goodwill for India.

The 8 MW Solar PV Farm project at Tamarind Falls, Henrietta, is financed under a LOC of USD 500 million extended in 2017 through EXIM Bank of India for implementing various infrastructure projects in Mauritius.

The project is an extension of the existing 2 MW Solar Power Plant at Henrietta and is aimed to expand the renewable energy mix of Mauritius.

The project will comprise installation of 25,000 Photovoltaic cells to generate approximately 14 GWh of green energy annually, to electrify approximately 10,000 households with an estimated avoidance of 13,000 tons of CO2 emission.

Despite the challenges posed by Covid-19, India-Mauritius Development Partnership projects have progressed rapidly. In 2019, Prime Minister Modi and the Prime Minister Jugnauth had jointly inaugurated the Metro Express project and the New ENT Hospital in Mauritius in virtual mode. Likewise, in July 2020, the new Supreme Court Building of Mauritius was also inaugurated virtually by the two Prime Ministers.

India and Mauritius share close ties anchored in our common history, ancestry, culture and language. This is reflected in the privileged development partnership between our two countries, with Mauritius being a key development partner for India in the Indian Ocean Region. Today’s event, in line with the spirit of ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’, marks yet another milestone in this successful, time-tested partnership, an official statement said. (IANS)

Srinagar: A remote snowbound hamlet in Kashmir’s Bandipora district- Weyan- has become the first village in the country where the entire population from the age group of 15 years and above has been vaccinated against COVID-19, health officials in Kashmir said on Thursday.

Like other parts of the country, J&K began vaccinating 15 to 18 year olds from January 3. The vaccination started at a time when there was a sharp surge in Covid-19 cases.

Located on the foothills of famous Harmukh peak- the village Weyan is 28 km from Bandipora town and the vaccinators had to walk at least 14 kms to the snowbound village to inoculate every teenager in the village.  The village has around 170 households and is inhabited by Gujjar people.

Block Medical Officer Bandipora Dr Masrat Iqbal the village has no road connectivity and no communication and they deputed a team  from the health department from Bandipora to inoculate 56 teenagers in  the village.

“The vaccinators went by foot to the remote village and stayed there for three days and night and vaccinated 100 per cent from the age group of 15 years above, “ said Iqbal, who is also the Nodal officer Covid 19 district Bandipora. “The village has around 4 feet of snow.”

Iqbal said that the remote village has a total of 362 people and it was also the country’s first village to inoculate all its adult population in 2021.

The health officials besides vaccinating the children also carried out Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) of the entire population in the village.

“Not a single person tested positive for the Covid,” the nodal officer said.

“The village having around 170 households is inhabited by both Gujjar and the Kashmiri people and has become the first village in the country to achieve the distinction,” he said.

According to health officials,  J&K has been a front runner among the States/Union Territories in vaccinating the eligible population with the Covid vaccine.

The J&K administration achieved the completion of 1 Crore doses of Covid vaccination as early as September 18, 2021.

Subsequently, 100 per cent administration of the first dose in the 18 and above age group was achieved on October 14, 2021.

It was on January 12, 2022, the administration achieved 100 per cent vaccination of the second dose coverage in the 18 and above age groups. (UNI)

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said that it has arrested one Anas Ahmed in connection with a prevention of money laundering case of Rs 84 crore.

The accused has alleged links with Chinese people and he allegedly committed fraud through Powerbank and other such fraud mobile applications.

The ED official said that presently, Anas Ahmed is in judicial custody and lodged in Puzhal Central Prison, Chennai, in the predicate offence booked by CB, CID, Chennai.

“On Thursday we got six days custody of Anas from the Hon’ble Principal City Civil & Sessions and Special Judge for PMLA Cases, Bengaluru. We have to record his statement, we will also confront him with documentary evidences,” said an ED official.

The ED official said that they initiated money laundering investigation into the operations of entities of the accused. They allegedly induced people to invest certain amount of money through Powerbank and other such fraudulent apps by assuring to remit interest on daily or weekly basis on the investment made.

The accused entities closed their purported business after collecting huge sum of money from innocent people and went incommunicado.

“The accused entities neither paid interest nor returned the principal amount to anyone and withheld the investment made by public which has resulted in commission of cheating,” said the ED official.

Anas Ahmed is a partner in two accused firms namely H&S Ventures Inc and Clifford Ventures.

The ED official said these two partnership firms are responsible for cheating people to the tune of Rs 84 crore.

“Anas Ahmed has Chinese links and is suspected of being the mastermind of the whole racket. He indulged into corrupt and illegal activities through his partnership firms by deviating from the declared line of business/activity of gaming and has collected money from public under the guise of investment schemes through fraudulent apps,” said the official.

The ED learnt that the proceeds generated through criminal activities have been layered through a number of shell entities to remit out of India and also invest in crypto currencies. (IANS)

Srinagar: An active and armed militant of Laskhar-e-Taiba was arrested from central Kashmir, police said on Thursday.

Identified as Jehangir Ahmad Naikoo, the militant was arrested from Budgam district. He belongs to Memandar Shopian and was nabbed during an operation by a joint search team.

“Acting on a specific information regarding presence of militant in Chadoora area of Budgam, police along with 53RR and 181Bn CRPF launched a search operation in Gamander area early morning.”

“During the operation, an active militant affiliated with LeT was arrested,” a police spokesperson said.

Arms and ammunition was recovered from his possession. “A pistol, two pistol magazines and 16 pistol rounds have been recovered from his possession,” he added.

Meanwhile, a militant associate was arrested in Kashmir on Thursday, police said.

The arrest was made in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

Police said a joint team of police, Army and CRPF had set up a joint mobile check point at Pachahar Rajpora Pulwama when they found one youth roaming in a suspicious manner.

“On being challenged, he tried to flee from the Naka and also attempted to fire upon the Naka party. The youth, however, was tactfully apprehended and during the search one pistol and several rounds of ammunition were recovered from his possession,” a police officer in Pulwama said.

He has been identified as Rahil Showkat Dar of Drabgam Pulwama. “The said youth had gone missing a few days ago and a missing report stands lodged at a Police Station,” he said.

A case has been registered in police station Rajpora and further investigation has been taken up.

Tirupati: In a horrific incident, a woman murdered her husband and carried his severed head to a police station in Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district on Thursday.

The incident occurred at Renigunta near the temple town of Tirupati.

According to police, Vasundhara attacked her husband Ravi Chandran (53) with a knife and killed him during a quarrel at their home. She then cut his head and carried it in a bag to the police station where she surrendered.

Police officers rushed to the scene and also brought the accused there to gather clues. The body was shifted to SV Medical College for autopsy.

A police officer said preliminary investigations show that Ravi Chandran and Vasundhara used to have frequent fights. The couple had an argument over some issue on Thursday morning and in a fit of rage the woman stabbed him to death. Not stopping at that, she cut his head and carried it to the police station.

The couple has a 20-year-old son. Ravi Chandran is a native of Narasaraopet in Guntur district. Police have informed his relatives about the incident. (IANS)

New Delhi: Days after 20 YouTube channels and two websites were blocked for spreading anti-India propaganda and fake news, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday warned that the government will continue to take such action against those “hatching conspiracy” against the country.

“I had ordered for action against them.… I am happy that many big countries across the world took cognisance of it. YouTube also came forward and took action to block them,” Thakur told reporters here while replying to queries on the issue.

In a “closely coordinated” effort with intelligence agencies, the I&B ministry had in December last year ordered the blocking of 20 YouTube channels and two websites as they were spreading anti-India propaganda and fake news.

“And in future also, action will be taken to block any such account hatching conspiracy against India, spreading lies and dividing the society,” the minister asserted.

In a statement in December, the ministry had said that these 20 YouTube channels and the websites belonged to “a coordinated disinformation network” operating from Pakistan and spreading fake news about various sensitive subjects related to India. The channels were used to post “divisive content in a coordinated manner on topics like Kashmir, Indian army, minority communities in India, Ram Mandir, General Bipin Rawat, etc”, it had said. (Agencies)

Urges completion of 25000 works under District Capex this year

Jammu: Chief Secretary, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta Thursday hailed the improvement in the current year’s revenue collections despite the ongoing pandemic and stated that a strong and consistent revenue performance and a positive outlook for future will underpin equally strong capex growth this fiscal year and beyond.

He made this observation while reviewing the functioning of the Finance department in which Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department and other senior officers of the department were present.

The Chief Secretary said that the expenditure efficiencies in the system have vastly improved due to the recent introduction of a series of financial reforms and nowhere was it more evident than in the number of works completed in 18-19 as compared to this year at relatively less expenditure than the correspondingly previous years.

“In the past, on an average 2000 works would be completed. Now as on today, 11508 works have already been completed and by the time the current financial year comes to a close, around 25000 works are expected to be completed. This represents 12 times increase over the previous years’ average,” he said.

Dr Mehta said the capex performance has to be further improved to maximize the gains of fiscal reforms so as to create a virtuous cycle of the growth in J&K that feeds on itself and continues to grow.

Stating that PRIs are the top focus of the government, the Chief Secretary said that the developmental spending in the rural areas needs to be ramped up with the close support of the representatives of the local self government for better infrastructure development.

Earlier Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department, Atal Dulloo in his presentation stated that SGST collections as on December 2021 has been 46 % higher than the corresponding period in the last year while IGST settlement has registered a growth of 35 %  over the previous year in the same period.

He further said that stamp collection is 87 % higher than the previous year over the same period even as MST collections have shown a growth of 46.41 cr.

It was further informed that Excise collections during the year are expected to exceed the last year’s target by Rs 300 cr.

Giving details of the works under execution, Finance Secretary informed that out of 44245 projects/works taken up during 2021-22 under District capex, 42102 works have been accorded administrative approval out of which 40248 works have been tendered. 28523 works out of the tendered works have been allotted / presently under execution. The department informed that out of 28523 works under execution; around 25000 works are expected to be completed during this fiscal year.

The department further informed that out of 2357 works sanctioned under languishing projects, 1192 works have been completed so far at a cost of Rs. 1983.77 cr.

Finance Secretary said that expenditure performance of various departments is being monitored and wherever necessary instructions are being issued to increase the spending so that annual capex targets are met by the department.

Highlighting the importance of monitoring the regular CSS inflows from the central government, the Chief Secretary said that the department must work closely with the departments for seeking more CSS funds from the union government.

Dr Mehta laid emphasis on ensuring real time audit of the departments through e-audit and said that instead of auditing account books on ex post basis, the department needs to do so on ex-ante basis so that deviations from norms are checked before they happen.

He directed the department to ensure that all 24 services in the Excise department are integrated in the single window under the Business Reform action Plan of the I&C department.

The Chief Secretary further directed the department to bring all 16 services under E-Grass on top priority.

‘4 houses gutted completely, 2 suffer partial damage’

By: Sheikh Danish

Srinagar: A lady died of burn injuries while three others sustained injuries in a fire incident that broke out on Thursday in Aali Kadal area of Srinagar.

Four houses were damaged completely and two partially as well, official sources said.

The fire broke out near Gunz Khoad Rahbab Sahab shrine in Aali Kadal area this evening, which damaged four houses completely and two residential houses partially as well.

“Today at about 5:00 PM, fire broke out in a residential house belonging to Ghulam Mohammad Fushoo at Rehbab Sahib Aali Kadal due to leakage of a gas cylinder due to which four residential houses were gutted and damaged completely and two residential houses damaged partially.”

The houses that got completely damaged belong to Abdul Salaam Bhat, Noor Mohammad Bhat, sons of Late Abdul Qodous Bhat, Ghulam Hassan Fushoo and Late Abdul Rehman Fushoo, Ghulam Mohammad Fushoo, son of Late Abdul Rehman  Fushoo and Mushtaq Ahmad Matoo and Riyaz Ahmad Matoo, sons of Ghulam Nabi Matoo.

The partially damaged houses belong to Akhter Ahmad Ganie, son of Rasool Ganie and Nisar Ahmad Kawa, son of Siraj din Kawa.

Moreover, one lady died while three persons were injured during the incident.

The deceased has been identified as 56-year-old, Shakeela, wife of Ghulam Mohammad Fushoo while the injured have been identified as Abdul Aziz Gujri, 48, son of Ghulam Rasool Gujree of Karfalli Mohalla Habbakadal A/p Rehbab Sahib Alikadal (burn injury in his head), Hajra, wife of Abdul Aziz Gujri of Karfalli Mohalla Habbakadal A/P Rehbab Sahib Alikadal (Burn injury in his face) and Ghulam Mohammad Fushoo, son of Late Abdul Rehman Fushoo (burn injury in his face)

Shakeela was taken to SMHS hospital here in injured condition, where she succumbed to her injuries. (KNO)