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 "LIVE: Ukrainians defy 'surrender or die' deadline in Mariupol")
2 min read Last Updated : Apr 17 2022 | 10:46 PM IST
10:46 PM
Pakistan on Sunday extended for two months the period for India to transport 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat and life-saving medicines as humanitarian assistance to war-torn Afghanistan via Attari-Wagah border crossing.
Foreign Office said that the time period granted for transportation of the humanitarian assistance expired on March 21 and the Government of India recently requested for extension in time period to complete the transportation process.
"As a manifestation of our sincere efforts towards addressing the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, it has been decided to grant two months' extension to facilitate completion of the transportation," FO said.
It added that all the modalities already decided shall remain the same as earlier communicated to the Indian side and the High Commission of India in Islamabad has been informed of the decision.
Pakistan in November 2021 had approved the transportation of 50,000 MTs of wheat and life-saving medicines as humanitarian assistance from India to Afghanistan via Wagah border on exceptional basis for humanitarian purposes.
India had committed 50,000 MT of wheat for Afghanistan because of food shortages in the war-torn country. Pakistan had agreed to facilitate both Afghanistan and India through safe and duty-free transportation of the commodity.
India has signed an MoU with the World Food Programme (WFP) on the distribution of wheat to Afghanistan.
10:14 PM
BJP president J P Nadda on Sunday claimed that recent communal violence during yatras taken out on Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti are a "conspiracy" to cause disintegration in the society, and accused the Congress of acting in the "most irresponsible" manner.
Addressing party men at the state executive committee meeting here, Nadda linked the violence to the recent results of five state assembly polls, in which the BJP put up an impressive performance.
"The historic mandate given to the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur has jolted some people. Hence in desperation they have associated themselves with the conspiracies of those who work to disintegrate the society. Due to this, there have been attacks on processions during Hanuman Jayanti and Ram Navami," he said.
Attacking the Congress, the main opposition to the ruling BJP in Karnataka, he said the previous Siddaramaiah government had freed members of PFI, a Muslim organisation which many BJP leaders have accused of stoking extremism and violence.
"Our government will take action against the culprits," Nadda said.
10:01 PM
Hong Kong has banned Air India services till April 24 after three passengers on one of its flights tested positive for Covid-19 post arrival on Saturday, a senior government official has said.|
Passengers from India can arrive in Hong Kong only if they have a Covid-19 negative certificate from a test done 48 hours prior to the journey, according to rules issued by the Hong Kong government, said the official on Sunday.
Moreover, all international passengers are required to take a post-flight Covid-19 test at the airport premises in Hong Kong.
"The three passengers on Air India's AI316 Delhi-Kolkata-Hong Kong flight on April 16 tested positive for Covid-19 post arrival," the official said.
Air India flights from New Delhi and Kolkata have been banned till April 24 by the Hong Kong government, the official added.
Air India did not respond to the PTI's request for a statement on this matter.
Regular international flights resumed in India on March 27 after a two years' hiatus induced by the Covid-19 pandemic.
9:59 PM
After crying foul over "foreign conspiracy", Imran Khan is now targeting the judiciary for not investigating the alleged letter.
Imran's blame game continues. The former PM addressing a mammoth historic rally at Bagh-e-Jinnah Ground, adjacent to the mausoleum of the Quaid-e-Azam, reiterated that his government was removed through a foreign-instigated regime change 'conspiracy' and demanded immediate free and fair elections to let the people decide (who they want as their prime minister), reported Business Recorder.
Khan demanded the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the letter under the supervision of the Chief Justice of Pakistan to ascertain the facts.
He said, "It will remain in my heart for the whole life that the courts were opened at midnight to oust me".
"Shouldn't the Supreme Court have investigated this letter, because it was a conspiracy against an elected prime minister of more than 200 million people?"
Khan said, "I was imprisoned for an independent judiciary in the Musharraf era. Respected judges, when the horse-trading was taking place in the parliament and politicians were changing their loyalties for money, why didn't you take action against them? Had they not betrayed the people of their respected constituencies and the constitution of the country? Does our law allow them to be a part of any international conspiracy," Khan asked.
9:36 PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said it is a matter of great pride for every Indian that the foundation stone of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine will be laid on April 19, and asserted that the centre will add strength to the efforts of using traditional forms of medicine to further global wellness.
In a series of tweets, the prime minister said that starting Monday, he will be on a visit to Gujarat during which he will join programmes in Gandhinagar, Banaskantha, Jamnagar and Dahod.
These programmes will cover different sectors and will boost 'ease of living' for people, Modi said.
"Upon reaching Gujarat tomorrow, I will visit the Vidya Samiksha Kendra. This modern centre leverages data and technology in order to improve learning outcomes. I will also interact with those who are working in the education sector," Modi said.
The programme in Banaskantha will take place on April 19 at the impressive Banas Dairy complex, he said, adding that a new dairy complex and potato processing plant will also be inaugurated.
9:14 PM
As the political slugfest continued over the killings of an RSS and PFI leader in a span of 24 hours in Palakkad district, with the opposition parties blaming the ruling CPI(M) for failing to prevent such incidents, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said his government has instructed the police to initiate strong legal action against those involved in the murders.
Terming the killings as 'condemnable' and against human conscience, Vijayan, in a Facebook post, said his government will be taking an uncompromising stance against those involved and strict legal action would be taken against them.
The CM urged the people to keep away from forces which are trying to divide the state through communalism and narrow-mindedness and not to succumb to provocations and rumors spread by such entities.
While Vijayan assured of action against those involved in the crime, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the state assembly V D Satheesan charged the state government and its Home department with having 'miserably failed' to restrain the communal forces in the southern state from killing each other.
The LoP, speaking to reporters in Kochi, also attributed lack of police action against such communal forces to Vijayan's communal appeasement policies.
Satheesan alleged that these violent conflicts were deliberate attempts by communal forces to polarise the political and social climate in the state.
Laying the blame for such violence at the doors of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), a political offshoot of the Popular Front of India (PFI), and the RSS, he said both these outfits were not only mutually hostile, but were also feeding off each other.
9:12 PM
Twenty people, including the "main conspirators", were arrested over the violence in northwest Delhi's Jahangirpuri, where an uneasy calm prevailed on Sunday as companies of anti-riot police patrolled the streets and people largely stayed indoors.
Two juveniles have also been apprehended in connection with the clashes, police said, adding that the case has been transferred to the Crime Branch for further investigation.
To cool tensions, the Delhi Police held a meeting with members of Aman (peace) Committees, and asked them to counter any rumours and appeal to people in their areas to maintain peace.
Adarsh Nagar BJP Councillor Garima Gupta blamed illegal Bangladeshi immigrants for the violence and tried to raise the issue during the meeting. But, she said, the police officer in the meeting told her she was digressing from the issue.
Eight police personnel and a local were injured in stone-pelting and arson after clashes broke out between two communities in Jahangirpuri during a Hanuman Jayanti procession on Saturday evening. Some vehicles were also torched.
Security has been beefed up in and around C and D blocks, barricades have been put up and police personnel deployed at every 200 metres, the police said.
9:05 PM
Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth arrived in Mumbai on Sunday as part of his week-long visit to India.
He arrived at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 1.20 am, a statement from the Maharashtra government's publicity department said.
Jugnauth was received at the airport by senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), as well as those from the state protocol department and police.
He is scheduled to travel to Gujarat on April 19. His engagements include inauguration of Global Centre for Traditional Medicine at Jamnagar, while at Gandhinagar he will attend the Global Ayush investment and innovation summit on April 20.
He is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi that day.
On Saturday, the MEA had announced that Jugnauth will pay an eight-day visit to India beginning Sunday to further strengthen the vibrant ties between the two countries. He will be accompanied by his spouse Kobita Jugnauth and a high-level delegation during his visit from April 17 to 24, it had said.
9:04 PM
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will be leaving for the US later on Sunday to attend the spring meetings of the World Bank and the IMF as well as G20 finance ministers and central bank governors (FMCBG).
During the official visit to the US, Sitharaman will take part in bilateral meetings with several countries, including Indonesia, South Korea, Sri Lanka and South Africa.
She will also hold one-on-one meetings with CEOs from the semiconductor, energy and other sectors of priority for the Government of India, the finance ministry said in a statement.
India is expected to record the highest growth rate among large economies of the world. As per the Economic Survey, India may log 8-8.5 per cent GDP growth in the current fiscal ending March.
In a high-level meeting, it said, the finance minister will also meet David Malpass, President, World Bank.
Sitharaman will also participate in a high-level panel discussion on 'Money at a Crossroad' hosted by the Managing Director, IMF.
8:40 PM
Incidents of communal flare-up during Hanuman Jayanti processions were reported from Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand while a mob went on a rampage, attacking police personnel, a hospital and a temple in the old town of Hubballi in Karnataka over a social media post on Sunday.
In the national capital, 20 people were arrested and two juveniles apprehended, while security was stepped up following clashes between two communities on Sunday when a Hanuman Jayanti procession was passing through Jahangirpuri. Eight cops and a civilian were injured in the violence.
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 have been clamped in Hubballi city in Karnataka after the violence that left 12 police personnel injured.
According to Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner Labhu Ram, a police complaint had been lodged on an objectionable social media post after which a person was arrested.
Not satisfied with the action, some people gathered around the police station but were persuaded to disperse. Around midnight, a large number of people once again started gathering around the police station and indulged in heavy stone-pelting
8:27 PM
The BJP has expelled its four municipal councillors in Delhi over charges of corruption following a sting operation conducted by a news channel.
Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta expelled the councillors -- Amarlata Sangwan (Timarpur ward), Saroj Singh (Trilokpuri), Atul Kumar Gupta (Kondli) and Radha Devi (Mongolpuri) -- from the party on April 15.
Saroj Singh's husband Sher Singh and Radha Devi's husband Raju Rana have also been expelled from the party as they featured in the sting operation, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said.
The sting operation showed the leaders demanding money for various municipal works in their wards.
According to the party, the leaders faced "clear" charges of corruption.
"As per constitution of the BJP, your primary membership is scrapped with immediate effect and you are expelled from the party," read the expulsion orders issued by the Delhi BJP president.
The BJP maintains zero tolerance policy towards corruption, stated the order.
Last year, the BJP had suspended three of its councillors facing corruption charges.
8:26 PM
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday attacked the West Bengal government for its opposition to the New Education Policy unveiled in 2020, wondering whether the opposition stemmed from "political considerations."
Pradhan who also wondered if the state was against clauses that could raise employability of students, tried to defend the NEP which has been attacked by many non-Hindi speaking state governments by claiming that it gave equal importance to local languages.
After the NEP was unveiled two years back, former state education minister Partha Chatterjee had said that it is the agenda of the RSS to give importance to subjects related to Vedic philosophy and ancient Indian tradition. There has also been opposition to its language formula which is seen as tilting towards Hindi and Sanskrit.
Pradhan said, "It (NEP) was done in a spirit of consultative mechanism in a scientific manner. Does West Bengal oppose that very spirit? Are they opposed to a committee helmed by a scientist like K Kasturirangan for reasons other than academics?"
The Union minister, who was talking to reporters on the sidelines of an event at a city hotel, said that most of the state governments were not opposed to the NEP irrespective of their political leanings.
"Local language is given utmost importance in the NEP. Does this government look at things in a different way? Doesn't the Bengal government wish to raise employability of its people? NEP 2020 stands for knowledge-based employability," Pradhan, a BJP leader, said.
8:12 PM
Telangana on Sunday recorded 11 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of cases to 7,91,630 so far, a bulletin said.
No deaths due to the virus were reported today and the total fatalities stand at 4,111 till date, it said.
Hyderabad recorded the highest number, nine cases.
A total of 29 people recovered from the infection, taking the cumulative number of recoveries to 7,87,313 so far.
The active cases stood at 222, the bulletin said.
A total of 9,546 samples were tested today and the total number examined was 3,44,52,755 till date.
The case fatality rate was 0.51 per cent and the recovery rate 99.45 per cent, it added.
8:11 PM
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday held a meeting with representatives of farmer unions, urging them to opt for crop diversification and direct seeding of rice to save water.
He said the state government will take up with the Centre the issue of giving remunerative price of alternative crops.
Mann held the meeting with members of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), the grouping which had led the stir against the Centre's farm laws.
He sought inputs from representatives of 23 farmer organisations present in the meeting over the issue of providing staggered power supply to the agriculture sector.
The CM said the proposed staggered power supply will help in avoiding the peak load during the paddy sowing season, according to an official release.
He suggested equitable power supply through Punjab State Power Corporation Limited as per region-wise demand, dividing the state into four zones.
Mann directed officials to visit villages to encourage farmers to adopt the direct seeding of rice (DSR) technique to save water and electricity.
7:43 PM
BJP leader and former Army chief J J Singh on Sunday lashed out at Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over his meeting with UK MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi and said the AAP should clarify if it endorses the "pro-separatist and anti-India" views of the British lawmaker.
Dhesi, a Labour Party MP, met Mann along with AAP Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha last week and reportedly raised several issues, including blacklisting of several Sikhs.
"It is very unfortunate that AAP government in Punjab...is going the extra mile to welcome Labour Party MP Dhesi whose views are pro-separatist and anti-India. AAP owes an clarification to the country whether it supports his views on Kashmir and other matters which are against our country," Singh said.
The BJP leader further said Mann should disclose what transpired in the meeting with Dhesi and what commitments the AAP government in Punjab has given to him.
Dhesi had criticised the Indian government's revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
7:36 PM
A Delhi court on Sunday sent two men, including a 21-year-old who allegedly fired a bullet that hit a sub-inspector in the violence during a Hanuman Jayanti procession in the city's Jahangirpuri, to police custody.
Duty Magistrate Divya Malhotra sent Md Aslam and another co-accused Md Ansar to police custody till Monday, while the other 12 accused were sent to judicial custody for 14 days.
All the accused in the case were produced before the court and the police alleged that Ansar and Aslam were the main conspirators who got to know about the 'Shobha Yatra' on April 15 and hatched up the conspiracy.
It said the custodial interrogation of Aslam and Ansar was required to unearth the larger conspiracy and involvement of others.
Delhi Police said they took the help of CCTV footage to identify the others involved in the case.
7:34 PM
Police teams are on the look out for the Popular Front of India (PFI)'s Mumbra unit president Abdul Matin Shekhani who was booked for a protest outside a mosque a couple of days ago, a Thane police official said on Sunday.
The protest, against alleged atrocities on Muslims by authorities in several states post violence during Ram Navami on April 10, was held outside a mosque here on Friday without police permission after which a case was registered, he said.
The Mumbra police are probing the case, he added.
7:29 PM
A day after clashes broke out during a Hanuman Jayanti procession in the city's Jahangirpuri area, the Delhi Police on Sunday held a meeting with members of local peace committees and asked them to appeal to the people to maintain calm, officials said.
Adarsh Nagar BJP councilor Garima Gupta claimed she tried to raise the issue of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants living in the area during the meeting, but was not allowed to do so.
"We were asked to participate in the meeting by the police. I said that the problem was due to Bangladeshis living illegally in the area and they also kept weapons. But the police officer in the meeting claimed that I was diverting the issue at hand," she said.
What is the purpose of calling such a meeting where "real issue" cannot be raised, Gupta asked.
There was stone-pelting and arson during the clashes between two communities that left eight police personnel and a local injured. Some vehicles were also torched, the police said.
The Delhi Police arrested 14 people over the violence, including a 21-year-old man who allegedly fired a bullet that hit a sub-inspector, officials said on Sunday.
7:29 PM
A day after clashes broke out during a Hanuman Jayanti procession in the city's Jahangirpuri area, the Delhi Police on Sunday held a meeting with members of local peace committees and asked them to appeal to the people to maintain calm, officials said.
Adarsh Nagar BJP councilor Garima Gupta claimed she tried to raise the issue of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants living in the area during the meeting, but was not allowed to do so.
"We were asked to participate in the meeting by the police. I said that the problem was due to Bangladeshis living illegally in the area and they also kept weapons. But the police officer in the meeting claimed that I was diverting the issue at hand," she said.
What is the purpose of calling such a meeting where "real issue" cannot be raised, Gupta asked.
There was stone-pelting and arson during the clashes between two communities that left eight police personnel and a local injured. Some vehicles were also torched, the police said.
The Delhi Police arrested 14 people over the violence, including a 21-year-old man who allegedly fired a bullet that hit a sub-inspector, officials said on Sunday.
7:28 PM
BJP national president J P Nadda on Sunday gave a clarion call to the ruling party workers in Karnataka, where assembly elections are due early in 2023, to become an instrument of change and ensure that the country moves forward.
He was addressing party men at the state executive committee meeting in Hospet.
7:26 PM
Multiple rockets struck the centre of the eastern city of Kharkiv on Sunday, according to AP journalists in the city.
The barrage slammed into apartment buildings and left broken glass, debris and part of at least one rocket scattered on the street. Several apartments caught fire, with firefighters and residents scrambling to douse the flames.
At least two bodies were seen, and four other people were injured, though the scale of the attack suggested the casualty toll could rise further.
7:04 PM
The battered port city of Mariupol appeared on the brink of falling to Russian forces Sunday after seven weeks under siege, a development that what would give Moscow a crucial success in Ukraine following Russia's failure to storm the capital and the loss of its Black Sea flagship.
The Russian military estimated that about 2,500 Ukrainian fighters holding out at a hulking steel plant with a warren of underground passageways provided the last pocket of resistance in Mariupol. Russia gave a deadline for their surrender, saying those who put down their weapons were guaranteed to keep their lives, but the Ukrainians did not submit.
"All those who will continue resistance will be destroyed, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, the Russian Defense Ministry's spokesman, said. He said intercepted communications indicated there were about 400 foreign mercenaries along with the Ukrainian troops at the Azovstal steel mill, a claim that couldn't be independently verified.
Seizing Mariupol would free up Russian forces to weaken and encircle Ukrainian soldiers forces in eastern Ukraine, where Russia has focused its war aims for now and is deploying personnel and equipment withdrawn from the north after a botched attempt to take Kyiv.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar described Mariupol as a shield defending Ukraine as Russian troops prepare for a full-scale offensive in Donbas, the country's eastern industrial heartland where Moscow-backed separatists already control some territory.
In a reminder that no part of Ukraine was immune until the war ends, Russian forces carried out new missile strikes Sunday near Kyiv and elsewhere in an apparent effort to weaken Ukraine's military capacity before the anticipated assault in the east.
After the humiliating loss of the flagship of its Black Sea Fleet, Russia's military command vowed Friday to step up missile strikes on the capital. The Russian military said Sunday that it had attacked an ammunition plant near Kyiv overnight with precision-guided missiles, the third such strike in as many days.
7:03 PM
A day after winning the Asansol parliamentary seat for the TMC by over three lakh votes, Shatrughan Sinha said the party's "street fighter" supremo Mamata Banerjee will prove to be a "game-changer" in the 2024 General Election.
In an interview with PTI, he credited Banerjee, the West Bengal chief minister, with the victory from Asansol, a seat that the Trinamool Congress won for the first time.
Popularly called 'Shotgun Sinha', the actor-turned-politician, who had started his political career with the BJP but shifted to the Congress before the 2019 parliamentary polls and now to the TMC, said he has now found the "right direction".
"One has to travel a lot to find the right direction... thus far and no further," he said when asked if the TMC will be his final destination in politics.
Sinha told PTI over phone from Asansol that he was excited to start a new and the "best innings" with the Trinamool Congress.
He said Banerjee is gaining popularity across the country after inflicting a crushing defeat on the BJP in the West Bengal assembly polls last year.
"The victory in Asansol was due to the able leadership of Banerjee and the hard work of TMC leaders and workers. This can be seen as an extension of her 'khela hobe' (game is on) slogan."
He said the TMC had decimated the BJP in the West Bengal polls in 2021 notwithstanding the "misuse" of money and power by the BJP.
"Mamata Didi is a tried and tested politician with a street fighter image. Her popularity has spread in the country, especially after defeating the BJP in 2021 West Bengal polls despite the BJP using money and misusing power due it being in the Centre," he said.
6:37 PM
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday decided against joining the cabinet of new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Zardari who is considered a key player behind the ouster of Imran Khan as prime minister, said that his party will not take ministries as they want their friends to be accommodated first, citing The News International reported by Geo News.
At the same time, the PPP has invited applications from candidates for National Assembly and provincial assemblies for the next election.
In a brief press talk at Parliament House, Asif Zardari said that they want their friends to be accommodated first. When asked if he wants to put all the burden on Shehbaz Sharif, he said that there is no such thing. "We want friends to be given a chance," reported Geo News.
After Zardari's press talk, senior leaders of the PPP started explaining his remarks and said he did not mean that the PPP was not joining the cabinet.
6:14 PM
A senior leader of ousted prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has warned that Pakistan was sliding towards civil unrest.
Former information minister Fawad Chaudhry made the remarks on Saturday in reaction to brawls in the Punjab Assembly in which both speaker and deputy speaker were thrashed by the angry lawmakers.
Police was called to control the rowdy members who were trying to stop acting speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari from holding voting to elect the new chief minister of the province.
"We are inches away from full fledge Civil unrest, Imran Khan has exercised utmost restraint very soon even he won't be able to stop this very angry mob and we will see country plunging into a civil unrest, Fawad tweeted.
The former minister also said that the ongoing political turmoil was linked to the Supreme Court's failure to decide the case regarding the fate of rebel lawmakers.
Another leader from his party, Zulfi Bukhari, also concurred with Fawad's statement.
"These are just a few MPAs (members of provincial assembly), imagine if the awam (public) goes out of control and takes the matter in their own hands only solution to calm this civil unrest is ELECTIONS. Let the people decide their own fate. CALL ELECTIONS! tweeted Bukhari.
6:01 PM
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Sunday sought registration of an FIR against those who allegedly involved children during the violence in northwest Delhi's Jahangirpuri a day before.
In a letter to the Delhi police commissioner, the NCPCR said many children can be seen pelting stones and also seen as part of the mob that started the violence.
The Commission noted that use of children is a crime under the Juvenile Justice Act and sought an FIR against persons who are found to be in violation of the Act.
"An action taken report should be submitted to the Commission within seven days of receipt of this letter," it said.
According to the police, there was stone-pelting and arson during the clashes between the two communities in Jahangirpuri here. Some vehicles were also torched.
The Delhi Police has arrested 14 people, including one of the "main conspirators" behind the clashes and another person who allegedly fired a bullet that hit a sub-inspector, officials said on Sunday.
As on Sunday morning, there is a heavy police deployment in the Jahangirpuri area. A team of Rapid Action Force has also been deployed to keep a tight vigil on the situation which is now under control, a police officer said.
5:51 PM
Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM has urged former Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan to join the party, days after a close aide of the leader accused the Samajwadi Party of ignoring him.
"You are requested to join the AIMIM so that BJP and the SP could be eliminated from Uttar Pradesh," said AIMIM state spokesperson Mohammad Farhan in a letter to the Samajwadi Party MLA.
Earlier in the month, jailed SP leader Azam Khan's media incharge had accused party president Akhilesh Yadav of ignoring his colleague and the Muslim community, sparking speculation of a rift in the opposition party.
The AIMIM spokesperson in the letter to Khan said, "When you were fighting for life in Medanta Hospital, the whole nation was concerned about your well-being and praying. On your safe return to the Sitapur jail, Akhilesh Yadav did not consider it necessary to meet you."
He claimed that neither Yadav nor his party has "slightest pain" that the leader is in jail.
"Akhilesh Yadav took votes from Muslims by putting your photo in the 2022 Assembly elections, but when it came to making you the leader of the opposition, he did nothing," the AIMIM leader alleged in the letter.
Urging Azam Khan to join the AIMIM, he said Owaisi has raised his voice against every oppression being committed against Khan and always considered him as his elder brother.
5:31 PM
An Army Commanders' Conference is scheduled to be held in New Delhi from April 18 to 22, the Ministry of Defence said on Sunday.
Army Commanders' Conference is an apex level biannual event that is held in April and October every year, the ministry said.
The conference is an institutional platform for conceptual level deliberations, culminating in making important policy decisions for the Indian Army.
During the conference, the senior leadership of the Army will review the operational situation along the active borders, assess threats in the entire spectrum of conflict and undertake an analysis of capability voids to further focus on capability development and operational preparedness plans.
Discussions on aspects pertaining to infrastructure development in border areas, modernisation through indigenisation, induction of Niche tech and assessment of any impact of the Russia - Ukraine war are also scheduled.
As per the release, Various agenda points sponsored by regional commands will be deliberated upon by the senior commanders apart from proposals concerning improving works, financial management, introducing e-vehicles, and digitisation in the Indian Army.
As part of the conference, Boards of Governors meetings of the Army Welfare Education Society (AWES) and Army Group Insurance Fund (AGIF) will be organised.
5:30 PM
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's April 18 visit to Delhi government schools has been postponed, Aam Aadmi Party sources said on Sunday.
The fresh date for his visit will be decided in two-three days, they said.
No reason was given for the postponement of Mann's visit.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had on April 14 announced Mann's visit.
"And on Monday, April 18, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann will come to visit our government schools along with his many officials. They are coming to see how such improvements are achieved as they have to do the same in Punjab," Kejriwal had said.
5:26 PM
Household products of over 30,000 brands operating at small and medium scale cater to a majority of the country's population, while only 20 per cent use such items sold by big corporate houses, a survey said.
Products of Fast Moving Consumers Goods (FMCG), consumer durables and cosmetics from over 30,000 small and medium brands are catering to the demand of 80 per cent of India's population, according to the survey by traders' body CAIT.
The survey was conducted on the basis of use of item including food grains, oil, grocery, personal cosmetics, inner wear, ready-made garments, beauty and bodycare, footwear, toys, educational games and healthcare.
"It's a myth that about 3,000 big brands of corporate houses, particularly in the FMCG sector, consumer durables and cosmetics etc, are catering to the needs of the people of the country. In fact, more than 30,000 small and medium but regional level brands are the largest contributor in meeting the demand of the people of India," CAIT (Confederation of All India Traders) said.
The survey said the demand of a vast majority is fulfilled by the products of small and tiny manufacturers sold in loose quantity.
Big brands are in demand among people of higher and upper-middle class due to extensive media and outdoor publicity and endorsements by celebrities, CAIT secretary general Praveen Khandelwal said.
On the other hand, brands of small manufacturers are sold through one-to-one contact between customers and shopkeepers, also through word-of-mouth among people of medium, lower-medium income groups and those belonging to economically weaker sections, he added.
Topics :CoronavirusToday NewsMoscowRussia Ukraine ConflictBoris JohnsonMauritius
First Published: Apr 17 2022 | 7:04 AM IST
