Junior Digest

Agartala, Mar 10,2023: Tipra Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarma has said political parties should sit together and discuss their demands to move towards a “constitutional solution” to the problems of indigenous people in Tripura.

Debbarma said his party would raise the demand for direct funding to Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), its own police force and rights over land, among other issues.

“If the Centre, Tipra Motha, BJP, CPI(M), Congress and IPFT agree on direct funding, let it begin. If all the parties agree on rights over land or the police force, those can be implemented, too. The solution will come out only after the parties sit together and discuss the demands,” Debbarma said in a video posted on social media.

Patna, Mar 23,2023: Reiterating his demand for special status to Bihar, chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that the state would make speedy progress once the special status is granted to it.

Addressing a function organised on the occasion of Bihar Diwas at the historical Gandhi Maidan on Wednesday, Nitish Kumar said that Bihar should get the special status category for its overall development. He said the per capita income in the country is Rs one lakh 50 thousand whereas in Bihar it was just Rs 64383.

The CM said that despite all odds the growth rate of Bihar was increasing continuously since 2009 and sometimes it was even more than the national average. He said had the special status been granted to it, the state would have made speedy progress.

Highlighting the ongoing caste based census in Bihar he said that it was not done after 1931 and added that an effort was made to conduct it in 2011 but being improper, itd report could not be published

New Delhi , March 18,2023: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has awarded Rs. 100 crores in environmental compensation against Kochi Municipal Corporation for alleged continuing neglect of its duties resulting in a fire at a waste dump site in Kochi.
The Tribunal stated that, according to a media report, Kochi city was choked on account of a fire at the waste dump site on March 2, 2023, which led to a crisis situation. A warning was issued to the residents to stay indoors and hospitals asked to prepare emergency admission of patients with respiratory distress to deal with severe air pollution and its worrying public health fallout.
Considering the studies and long continuing neglect of its duties by the Kochi Municipal Corporation, we award environmental compensation under section 15 of the NGT Act against Kochi Municipal Corporation of Rs. 100 crores which may be deposited with the Chief Secretary, Kerala within one month for necessary remediation measures, including dealing with the public health issues of the victims, said the bench headed by NGT’s Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel.
The Tribunal noted that Kerala state reply said “the dump site is spread over 100 acres of land and a processing plant have a capacity for waste processing of 300 Tonnes Per Day. The contract to process the waste has been given to a contractor but only 33 percent of the work has been completed. Several major and minor fires earlier have broken out at the site. The present incident occurred on March 2, 2023, at 5:30 pm. The fire and Rescue Department took measures to control the fire. Naval Helicopters were deployed to airdrop water over the fire heaps. The fire was brought under control by March 5, 2023.
A health advisory was issued to the general public on March 4, 2023, to use masks and stay indoors. Extra precautions were advised to be taken by more vulnerable citizens – senior citizens, children below the age of 12, sick persons, and pregnant women. Medical camps were organized. 120 oxygen beds were set up. 200 persons sought medical help. 30 fire tenders, 45
excavators, 14 high-capacity water pumps, and four helicopters along with 350 firemen and 150 supporting staff were engaged in mitigation efforts at the site. There was no CCTV surveillance at the site. Brahmapuram Waste Treatment Plant is solely owned and maintained by the Corporation of Cochin, stated the Kerala state reply.
The plant has been closed on March 13, 2023. Multi-Sectoral Empowered Committee has been constituted by the Disaster Management Department.
The Tribunal said that it is self-evident that good governance in the matter of waste management is being neglected for a long time to the detriment of the environment and public health and no one has taken moral responsibility for such gross failure of rule of law and damage to public health. It is difficult to understand what is the value of citizens’ right to life and safety with such an attitude of total neglect by authorities in Government. This calls for soul-searching and also high-level inquiry to determine culpability in the larger public interest.
Such an attitude of State authorities is a threat to rule of law. We hope the situation is
remedied at the higher level in the State such as the DGP and the Chief Secretary to uphold the Constitution and the mandate of environmental law, said the NGT.

New Delhi, Mar 4,2023: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that Infrastructure development is the driving force of the country’s economy, and pointed out that India will achieve the target of becoming a developed nation by 2047 by following this very path.

He said that this year’s budget will give new growth energy to the infrastructure sector to achieve the target”.

” Infrastructure development has always been an important pillar in the process of a country’s development” The Prime Minister said while addressing post-Budget Webinar on “Infrastructure and Investment – Improving Logistics Efficiency with PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan” here.

The Prime Minister said under the National Infrastructure Pipeline, the government is aiming to invest 110 lakh crore rupees in the coming years.

He added that this is the time for new responsibilities, new possibilities and bold decisions for each stakeholder.

Over construction of Roads, he said that, ” today’s average annual construction of National Highways has been almost 2 times as compared to before 2014″.

He added that unfortunately, after independence, modern infrastructure was not given much-required emphasis.

Talking about the “Gati Shakti National Master Plan” he said it is going to rejuvenate India’s Infrastructure and Multimodal Logistics and it is a great tool to integrate economic, infrastructure planning and development in the country”.

He said this year’s Budget, 100, critical projects have been prioritized and 75,000 crore rupees have been allocated.

Modi added that “only 600 route km of railway track was electrified per year before 2014 which is now reaching 4000 km per year”.

He further added that the number of airports and seaport capacity has doubled as well.

Elaborating on the role of the states, the Prime Minister informed about the one-year extension of interest-free loans up to 50 years loans and Budgetary expenditure for this has been increased to the tune of 30 per cent.

The Prime Minister emphasized that the robustness of India’s physical infrastructure is equally important for the strengthening of the country’s social infrastructure.

A strong social infrastructure will lead to more talented and skilled youth who will come forward to serve the nation” he said.

Pune, Feb 25,2023: The Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Textiles and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal addressed the Asia Economic Dialogue in Pune on Saturday.

The Minister shared his conviction that India would be the third largest economy in about five years. “My own conviction about the way India is growing is that we will drive our economy probably closer to 35-40 trillion-dollar economy by 2047. The desire of every Indian is to be second to none.”

The Minister exhorted the industry to be proud of their achievements, of the country’s strong macroeconomic fundamentals, about the reforms done in the past few years. “We believe India not only is the fastest growing large economy, we will continue to be so for many decades to come.”

The Minister observed that Asia has its own particular dynamics, where we have economies which are both democracies and those which are non-transparent and non-rule-based. “In the last decade or so, India has been wanting to internationalize and engage with technology and modern way of working. Today, India is clearly recognized as the country of the decade, if not the country of the 21st century. We have already moved from the tenth largest to the fifth largest economy. We today have a young demographic dividend, which is being recognized as our biggest asset.”

The Minister said the Russia-Ukraine conflict has had a severe effect on the developed world more than the developing countries. For food security and energy security and consequential impact on inflation, interest rates and growth, it has had a devastating effect on both developed and developing countries, he added.

The Minister recalled that in 2019, when India was engaged in discussions on joining RCEP group of nations, having studied what was being offered to India as part of the RCEP Agreement, we realized we were in some way an outlier. “To my mind, the then-government’s decision to offer to become a part of RCEP was ill-conceived, since we were entering into an FTA with a non-transparent economy with no rule of law or court of appeal or democracy. The agreement could have been the death-knell of all manufacturing in India.”

The Commerce Minister said over the years, we have hurt India’s interests by making our people getting used to low-cost substandard goods from China. “The trade deficit with China which was under 2 billion dollars around 15 – 16 years ago, increased to around 48 billion dollars by 2014. We allowed products to come from China while they stopped our products from India to go to China through legitimate or illegitimate reasons. Hence, it was music to my ear when Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to not join RCEP on 4th November, 2019, which was celebrated across the country by every section of industry and business, every farmer and every person associated with dairy sector.”

The Minister spoke of the need to sensitize our people to take more pride in Indian products. “India believes in the rule of law, their right to liberty, freedom of expression. Very different economic philosophies coexist in Asia. It will take some time for us to create adequate systems and manufacturing systems, and also sensitize our people and businesses to wean ourselves away from the opium of low-cost low-quality goods coming in from China.”

The Minister said India is now a partner the world can trust. “By converting the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity, we were able to open the world’s eyes towards India. Our ability to innovate and come out with vaccines and distribute and vaccinate the population at low cost has been a world record. During COVID-19, we did not let down a single international commitment. We are a trading partner the world can trust. We have had the highest ever exports in 2021-22.”

Speaking of Free Trade Agreements, the Minister told industry representatives that we did the fastest ever FTA in the history of the world, the India UAE Agreement having been completed in 88 days. “We also completed a fast FTA with Australia. That is the enthusiasm the world is demonstrating towards working with India. We have negotiations going on with Israel, Canada, EU, UK and GCC. Russia and its partner countries of EAU too want to fast-track negotiations with India.”

The Minister spoke of the need to be 10 indigenized in auto industry. “We must strengthen our domestic manufacturing capabilities; we should be competitive and able to stand on our legs and our consumers must be more caring on the potential we are losing by indiscriminate imports.”

Speaking on payment timelines to MSMEs, the Minister said that big companies who benefit from low borrowing costs should consider paying MSMEs promptly so that the small businesses too become more profitable.

On a question on promoting green businesses, the Minister said that while the developed world is the largest contributor to climate change, they are preaching to us today about what we should be doing despite us being only 2.5% of contributors to carbon emissions. “The government has focused on addressing climate change as a responsible global citizen. We are promoting circular economies so that we recycle our waste. We are among the top five performing nations in addressing climate change goals. We are also promoting products like sustainable textiles. We are also laying a big focus on promoting organic farming, for instance, we are going to make exports of agricultural organic produce from Sikkim grow from Rs. 8 crores currently to Rs. 8000 crores by 2030.”

On a question on FTA with the USA, the Minister said FTA approval in US requires the approval of US Congress and that there is no bipartisan support on this in the US. “Hence the Indo Pacific Economic Framework has been conceptualized as an alternate framework. We are looking at getting closer to the US in terms of resilient supply chains, technology partnerships and opening our economy through indirect measures.

We have constant dialogues with the US. A huge business delegation comprising top US corporations is coming down to India along with US Commerce Secretary during Holi. We are investing huge time and capital in strengthening the India-US partnership.”

On a question of supporting MSMEs, the Minister pointed out that any effort to increase exports will have an impact on MSMEs, given the whole ecosystem around large businesses. “While the government has schemes to kickstart businesses, ultimately, we have to have a balance between the interest of consumers and businesses. We can artificially support a sector only up to a point. MSMEs will always be very critical to the global economy. Hence, various concessions are being given to MSMEs as well as startups and women entrepreneurs.”

The Minister told the industry that the government has undertaken game-changing reforms for the empowerment of people. The aspiration of young population in India for the good things of life will drive the Indian economy and help us become a 47 trillion dollar economy by 2047, he added.

Feb 03,2023: Dadasaheb Phalke awardee and renowned director Kasinadhuni Viswanath died on late Thursday at a private hospital in Hyderabad.Viswanath, popularly known as ‘Kalatapasvi’, was born in February 1930 in Andhra Pradesh.He was 92. Several celebs expressed their grief over his death.He was 92. The five-time national award winner was suffering from age-related ailments.
A prominent name not just in Telugu cinema but also in Tamil and Hindi films, he became the 48th recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke award, the highest recognition in Indian cinema.
Viswanath, who started his journey as a sound artiste, directed award-winning films such as “Sankarabharanam”, “Sagara Sangamam”, “Swati Mutyam”, “Saptapadi”, “Kaamchor”, “Sanjog” and “Jaag Utha Insaan” in his long career that included an equally successful stint in front of the camera.
K. Viswanath made his Bollywood debut with 1979 film Sargam, which was a remake of his own movie Siri Siri Muvva. Some of his other popular Hindi films include Kaamchor, Shubh Kaamna, Jaag Utha Insan, Sanjog, Eeshwar and Dhanwaan.
His other honours include Padma Shri in 1992, five National Awards, 20 Nandi Awards (given by the Andhra Pradesh government) and 10 Filmfare trophies including the Lifetime Achievement award.
Viswanath, who made 50 movies since 1965. He was a celebrated filmmaker in the Telugu film industry and had also been active in Tamil and Hindi cinema.

Agra, Feb 20,2023: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde asserted that celebrating great Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s birth anniversary in Diwan-e-Aam at Agra’s Red Fort in Uttar Pradesh was a historic and golden moment.

Shinde was speaking on the occasion of celebration of 393rd birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, which was celebrated in Red Fort in Agra with great fanfare on last night.

This program of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti celebration was organized by Government of Maharashtra, R. R. Patil Foundation and Ajinkya Devagiri Pratishthan, Aurangabad.

Shivaji Maharaj was kept under house arrest by Aurangzeb in the Red Fort. In this fort, Shivaji Maharaj had fearlessly spoken defiant words to Aurangzeb. From here Shivaji Maharaj escaped from the clutches of Aurangzeb, said Shinde.

Speaking further he said that, “I have come in this program not as Chief Minister but as a supporter of Shivaji Maharaj. During the period of tyranny of Mughal, Adilshahi, Nizamshahi, Shivaraya established Hindu Swarajya and ushered in the welfare state. So even today Shivaji Maharaj is always a guide. Shivarai was a skilled organizer and politician. Shivaji Maharaj means divine power. They wanted not only to build an empire but also to provide welfare to the ryots(farmer). He planted the seeds of freedom” Shinde said.

He added that the deity of Maharashtra and India is Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of Hindu Swarajya. Shivaji Maharaj had shown his brilliance to Mughal King Aurangzeb in this Diwan-A-Khas, said Shinde.

On this occasion message from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was broadcast.

Thiruvananthapuram, March 7 ,2023: A National seminar on ‘The Relevance of Sri Aurobindo in Our Times’ will be inaugurated by Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPR) Member Secretary Prof Sachchidananda Mishra here on March 9.

The two-day seminar, in connection with the 150th birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo, is being organised by the Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram in association with the Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPR), Ministry of Education, Government of India.

The seminar, aiming to bring out the significance of Sri Aurobindo’s life and his teachings, will be attended by eminent scholars .

“The proposed seminar will focus on ttopics including Contribution of Sri Aurobindo to the national movement and the freedom struggle, Indian Renaissance and Sri Aurobindo, Sri Aurobindo’s socio- political vision, Sri Aurobindo’s vision for evolution of humanity, Sri Aurobindo’s commentaries on the ancient Indian scriptures and its contemporary relevance, Sri Aurobindo’s vision for human unity, Sri Aurobindo as a creative artist,” R Sanjayan Director, Bhartheeya Vichara Kendram, said.

“Apart from being a master craftsman in English and a poet, Sri Aurobindo was also a philosopher and a mystic. A deep study of the works of Sri Aurobindo is absolutely essential for our times to instill patriotism among the youth and create national integration,” he pointed out.

Seminar coordinator Dr R Subramony said “Sri Aurobindo contributed immensely to the national resurgence of India. He was the prophet of the Life Divine, the harbinger of a New Dawn. Sri Aurobindo had carried out an intense political propaganda in order to familiarize people with the ideas of democracy, freedom and independence.”

The two journals edited by Sri Aurobindo until 1909, Bande Mataram and Karmayogin contain valuable insights on almost every sociological/political issue which haunted India, he added.

“Sri Aurobindo was arrested in the Alipur Bomb Case in May 1908. During the hard period of confinement in Alipore jail, Sri Aurobindo used to read the Gita and the Upanishads and was immersed in his sadhana.”

“He had immense spiritual experiences in the prison. Sri Aurobindo was acquitted in 1909. On 30th May, he delivered the famous speech at Uttarapara in which he described many of his spiritual experiences.”

In 1910 he shifted to Chandranagore and finally settled in Pondicherry, then a French occupied territory and there continued his spiritual sadhana and intellectual activities.

The philosophical journal Arya was started on August 15, 1914.The serialised essays of the Arya were later compiled into separate books such as The Life Divine, The Synthesis of Yoga, The Ideal of Human Unity, The Human Cycle, The Secret of the Vedas, Essays on the Gita, The Future Poetry. In The Life Divine he expounded his integral philosophy binding a unique synthesis of ancient and modern thought of East and West. Savitri written by Sri Aurobindo is the largest epic in English.

Shillong (Meghalaya) , March 7,2023 : National People’s Party chief Conrad Sangma on Tuesday took oath as the Chief Minister of Meghalaya for the second consecutive term.

Prestone Tynsong and Sniawbhalang Dhar took oath as Deputy Chief Ministers of Meghalaya, in Shillong.

In Meghalaya, the NPP-led alliance, with the support of 45 MLAs two of the BJP has staked claim to form the government in the state.

Among the allies, the eight cabinet berths will go to the NPP, two to the United Democratic Party (UDP) and one each for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP).

Sangma’s NPP won 26 seats in the Assembly elections and will form the government in as the chief minister for a second consecutive term.

Sangma won from the South Tura constituency with a margin of 5,016 against Bharatiya Janata Party’s Bernard N Marak, as per the data shared by the Election Commission of India on March 2.

United Democratic Party (UDP) bagged 11 seats in the results of assembly polls announced on Thursday. Congress won five seats. Trinamool Congress, which had inducted all Congress MLAs in the previous assembly, also got five seats.

BJP, People’s Democratic Front and Hill State People’s Democratic Party bagged two seats each. Voice of the People Party got four seats. Two seats were won by independent candidates.

BJP and NPP were partners in the outgoing government but fought the assembly polls separately.

Mar 18,2023:Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday invoked the constitutional “Lakshman Rekha” guiding different institutions, including the executive and the judiciary, and wondered that if judges become part of administrative appointments, who would carry out judicial work.

Rijiju was responding to a question on a Supreme Court bench directing the government to set up a panel comprising the prime minister, the chief justice of India and the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha to select the chief election commissioner (CEC) and election commissioners till a law is in place for the same.

“The appointment of election commissioners is prescribed in the Constitution. Parliament has to enact a law. Accordingly, the appointment has to be done. I agree that there is no enactment for that in Parliament, there is a vacuum,” the minister said at the India Today Conclave.

Rijiju said he is not criticising the apex court judgment or talking about its “repercussions” or what the government is going to do on the issue.

The minister felt that if judges got involved in administrative work, they would have to face criticism. He said the principle of justice will be compromised if a judge ends up hearing a matter of which he or she was a part.

“Suppose you are the chief justice or a judge. You are part of an administrative process that will come into question. The matter comes to your court. Can you deliver a judgment on a matter you were part of? The principle of justice itself will be compromised. That is why the Lakshman Rekha is very clear in the Constitution,” Rijiju said.

New Delhi, Mar 11,2023: The gross direct tax collections up to March 10, 2023, registered a growth of 22.58 per cent on a year-on-year (YoY) basis at Rs16.68 lakh crore, data released by Finance Ministry said on Saturday.

This is a provisional data. Direct Tax collection, net of refunds, stood at Rs 13.73 lakh crore, 16.78 pc higher than the net collections for the corresponding period of last year, the data showed.

The collection is 96.67 per cent of the total budget estimates and 83.19 per cent of the total revised estimates of direct taxes for the current fiscal year, the Finance Ministry said.

As far as the growth rate for Corporate Income Tax (CIT) and Personal Income Tax (PIT) in terms of gross revenue collections is concerned, the corporate income tax (CIT) during the period registered a growth of 18.08 pc while personal income tax (PIT) grew by 27.57 percent.

After adjustment of refunds, the net growth in CIT collections was 13.62 pc and that in PIT collections was 20.73 pc.

Refunds amounting to Rs 2.95 lakh crore have been issued during April 1, 2022 to March 10, 2023, which are 59.44 pc higher than refunds issued during the same period in the preceding year, the data showed.

Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh), Mar 25,2023: Emphasising that “we are on the verge of victory” against the scourge of Left-wing extremism (LWE), Union Home Affairs and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Saturday paid heartfelt tributes to the more than 36,000 personnel of various police forces who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty while combating internal security challenges across India.

Addressing officers and men of the CRPF here on the occasion of the Force’s 84th Raising Day, the visiting leader averred: “In your gilded history; 2,249 members attained martyrdom and 763 of them fell fighting in this very state. I reiterate that we stand alongside the affected families. After the genesis of LWE, this is the maiden occasion when CRPF Day is being celebrated within Bastar division. This is a matter of extreme joy and pride. We have pushed them onto the back foot. LWE posed a hurdle against development vis-à-vis establishment of schools, infirmaries and supply of grain. I give entire credit to the CRPF for reversing the situation. The Force involved the local police and thereby boosted the latter’s morale. Such coordination displayed organisational skill. From a peak in 2010, a 76 per cent decline has been recorded in LWE and the fatalities graph plummeted by 78 per cent. A Joint Task Force was constituted for preventing insurgents from misusing borders. In Bihar and Jharkhand, a security vacuum is ending. In order to prevent funding of rebels, the NIA and the ED registered numerous cases.”

Be it Jammu, Kashmir, the North-East or LWE-affected areas; the CRPF displayed ceaseless alertness and gallantry. Consequently, development percolated to tribal folk, he stressed.

Mr Shah bowed to freedom fighter Usha Mehta on her birth anniversary and dedicated three CRPF projects worth approximately Rs 174 crore.

“A weekly news bulletin in adivasi language has been started by Akashvani and Doordarshan. Not only will the local tongue be strengthened but tribal folk shall receive direct global news and a connection will thus be formed. Female power has been highlighted by a CRPF all-women expedition on 38 motorcycles. All Indian daughters were consequently encouraged,” the Minister observed.

He touched on the milestones in CRPF history and highlighted the stellar role of the Iron Man of India Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

“The Force boasts 246 battalions having in excess of three lakh personnel. When I am visiting any corner of the country and receive news of an untoward incident and also learn that the CRPF is reaching ground zero, I experience relief and continue on my schedule as I am confident that the CRPF jawan will not return without teaching a lesson to wrongdoers. Turning the pages of history reveals that the CRPF took on the Chinese Army in Ladakh and gave a fitting reply to Pakistani forces at Sardar Post on April 9, 1965. Democracy can thrive only in an atmosphere of security. During elections, the CRPF contributed significantly by taking responsibility for smooth conduct of the democratic process. It played a significant role in repelling terrorist attacks on Parliament and the Ram Janmabhoomi,” Mr Shah added.

Mumbai Feb 17,2023: In a major setback to Uddhav Thackeray, the Election Commission of India on Friday recognised the Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction as the real Shiv Sena and also allotted tit he traditional party symbol of bow and arrow.

In a 78-page order, the ECI ruled that Shinde, who became Chief Minister eight months back after revolting against then Chief Minister Thackeray, was supported by MLAs with 76 percent of the party’s winning votes in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls.

The election panel, however, allowed the Thackeray faction to keep the ‘flaming torch’ poll symbol allotted last year.

Shinde, who was speaking to a news channel, called the ECI decision “victory of truth”.

“The Election Commission has given a decision based on democracy. Thanks to Election Commission, democracy has won. This is the victory of our struggle,” said Shinde.

“We had a big struggle”, Shinde said emotionally.

Thackeray was yet to react on the development.

New Delhi, Feb 28,2023: Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Minister Satyendar Jain resigned from their ministerial posts on Tuesday.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accepted the resignation of both the ministers. Sisodia is on five-day CBI remand in connection with the alleged Delhi excise scam. At the same time, Minister Satyendar Jain is already in jail in in relation to a money laundering case.

Sisodia was in charge of the crucial departments in the Delhi Government like Education, Public Works, Finance, Excise, Energy and Water. As Satyendar Jain was in Tihar Jail, Sisodia was also looking after the Health department.

Sisodia was arrested on Sunday after a long interrogation by the CBI in an alleged excise case.

AAP leader and Member of Parliament Sanjay Singh said that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal accepted the resignation of both the ministers.

“Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has accepted the resignation so that the work of the Delhi government does not get hampered,” Singh tweeted.

Delhi BJP unit working president Virendra Sachdeva tweeted and alleged, “Today @ArvindKejriwal has to accept the resignation of Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain. Kejriwal, the real mastermind of the liquor scam, will also have to resign. BJP’s struggle to demand Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation will continue.”

“Today, two Ministers of Delhi government Manish Sisodia and SatyendarJain have resigned.

Both had important departments, in such a situation the work of Delhi’s people would get affected. New ministers will be announced soon,” AAP MLA and spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said in a press briefing here.

New Delhi, Mar 01,2023: The Supreme Court in a significant order directed that the Highest Z+ Security Cover be provided to Reliance Industries Chairman and billionaire Indian businessman, Mukesh Ambani and his entire family, throughout India, and abroad.

The Supreme Court, in its order, said that the cost of security expenses for this exercise of providing Z+ security, shall be borne by the Ambanis.

A two-judge Bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Krishna Murari and also comprising Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah pronounced the order yesterday.

“When Mukesh Ambani and his family are within India, State of Maharashtra and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) are to ensure their security. When they are traveling abroad, the Ministry of Home Affairs would ensure the same,” the Supreme Court, said, in its order.

The Supreme Court passed the order, after hearing an appeal filed by the Central government against the petitioner Bikash Saha.

Inititially, Saha, had questioned in his petition filed before the Tripura High Court over the security being provided to the Ambanis family.

Acting on the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Saha, the Tripura High Court through its order of May 31 and June 21 had directed the MHA to produce the original file pertaining to threat perception and assessment report of Mukesh Ambani and family.

Later on the Central government had filed an appeal, after June 21, before the Supreme Court challenging this Tripura High Court’s order, which had entertained the PIL of Shah, against the security cover given to Reliance Industries Chairman, Mukesh Ambani and his family.

The Apex Court had also last year agreed to examine the issue and stayed the Tripura HC order.

Senior Advocate, and former Attorney General of India (AG) Mukul Rohatgi appearing for the Ambanis, submitted before the Supreme Court that his clients are at continuous risk of being targeted to financially destabilize the country and such risk exists in India and also when they are traveling abroad.

The Supreme Court also settled the disputes of security of Amabanis, as it observed that the issue of security cover provided to the Ambanis is the subject matter of litigation in different parts of the country, and the Bench hoped that after passing this order, the issue be given a logical conclusion.

Agartala, March 8,2023: Manik Saha, was sworn in as Tripura Chief Minister for the second time, heading a BJP-IPFT government, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Wednesday.

Alongside Saha, eight cabinet ministers – seven BJP legislators and one from its alliance partner IPFT – were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Satyadev Narian Araya at a mega event in the Vivekananda Stadium.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National President J P Nadda, and Chief Ministers of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Manipur – Pema Khandu, Prem Singh Tamang, and Nongthombam Biren Singh respectively – graced the ceremony.

Saha had become chief minister for the first time last May after the BJP high command asked then incumbent Biplab Kumar Deb to step-down following massive opposition against him within the party.

The ministers inducted on Wednesday includes four new faces.

Four ministers in Saha’s previous cabinet – Ratan Lal Nath, Pranajit Singha Roy, Santana Chakma and Sushanta Chowdhury have been included in the new cabinet. The four new faces include three first-time MLAs Tinku Roy and Bikash Debbarma (BJP) and sole IPFT lawmaker Shukla Charan Noatia. The other new inductee is second-time MLA Sudhanshu Das (BJP).

Three setting ministers including two veteran BJP leaders – Jail Minister Ramprasad Paul and Tribal Welfare Minister Rampada Jamatia – and Industries Minister Manoj Kanti Deb were excluded from Saha’s cabinet despite winning the electoral battle due to their poor performance in the outgoing cabinet, BJP sources claimed.

“I am committed to the development of the state without any political consideration. I believe in a democracy people have the right to vote for opposition parties and the co-existence of the ruling party and opposition is the beauty of India, which led to development and prosperity. Under the guidance of Prime Minister Modiji, we shall drive Tripura into a model state,” Saha said after the day’s swearing in ceremony.

However, three ministerial berths in the cabinet including the slot of the Deputy Chief Minister have been kept vacant, and according to sources, these would be filled up with the MLAs of the second-largest party TIPRA Motha if it agrees to join the government.

In the state Assembly polls held on February 16, BJP got a clear majority winning 32 seats in the 60-member House, while it’s ally IPFT bagged one seat.

TIPRA Motha won 13 of thr 20 tribal reserved constituencies to emerge as the main opposition edging out the state’s dominant parties CPI-M and Congress. The CPI-M-led Left Front and Congress had fought the election together after a seat-sharing deal to throw a challenge to the BJP. However, the CPI-M managed only 11 seats snd Congress got three seats.