Page 1483 - Politics
All polling stations of Assam to have VVPAT system: CEO
All polling stations in Assam will have VVPAT system during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Chandra Sahu said here Wednesday. A VVPAT device is a printer attached to the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM). The VVPAT devices dispense a slip with the name and symbol of the party candidate for which a person has voted, thus enabling verification of the voting process. The VVPAT slips will be counted along with the votes punched into the EVM from randomly selected polling stations and tally with the counted votes, the CEO told reporters. Sahu said VVPAT awareness campaign has begun across the state with voters participating in mock voting to familiarise themselves with the device. The CEO said the Election Commission of India (ECI) has given stress to stop spread of paid news before and during the general election and Media Certification and Monitoring Committees (MCMCs) have been formed in this regard. To ensure free and fair election, the ...
Maha session may be curtailed in view of threat perception
The ongoing budget session of Maharashtra Legislature may be curtailed due to threat perception amid rising Indo-Pak tensions, sources said Wednesday. Opposition leaders who attended a meeting chaired Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis here to discuss the security issues amid rising tensions between the nuclear-powered neighbours India and Pakistan said the session may be cut short. The session, which began Monday, is scheduled to be a week-long affair. It was felt that the Vidhan Bhavan premises in south Mumbai, where key state political figures are gathered for the legislature session, could be an 'easy target, the leaders said. An IAF pilot is "missing in action" and a Pakistani fighter jet has been shot down, New Delhi said on Wednesday as fears of war darkened India-Pakistan relations with Islamabad launching retaliatory strikes and claiming it has arrested two Indian pilots in its territory.
Pak Army takes U-turn; says 'only one' Indian pilot under its custody
Pakistan Army on Wednesday said it has arrested "only one" Indian pilot, retracting from its earlier statement that two IAF pilots were under its custody. "There is only one pilot under Pakistan Army's custody. Wing Comd Abhi Nandan is being treated as per norms of military ethics," Pakistani military spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor said. Earlier, Ghafoor claimed that two Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots were arrested. One pilot is injured and has been shifted to a hospital, while another one is unhurt, the spokesman had said. In New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs said that Pakistan Air Force targeted military installations in India in response to Indian counter-terrorism operations but their attempts were foiled successfully though one Indian pilot is "missing in action". The MEA said that according to Pakistan the missing IAF pilot was in their custody. "We are ascertaining that," the MEA spokesman said.
State can grant reservations on its own: Maha govt tells HC
The Maharashtra government Wednesday submitted in the Bombay High Court that the Constitution grants it powers to identify a community as "backward" and give it reservation. Senior counsels Mukul Rohatgi and V A Thorat, appearing for the state government, began arguments on petitions challenging a 16 per cent quota to the Maratha community in government jobs and educational institutions granted last year. One of the main contentions in the petitions is that the Maratha quota takes the overall reservation in the state to 68 per cent, breaching the cap of 50 per cent imposed by the Supreme Court. Rohatgi, arguing before a bench of justices Ranjit More and Bharati Dangre, said 50 per cent was not the limit. "We have quantifiable data to show that the Maratha community is backward and hence, we had to go beyond 50 per cent," Rohatgi said. "The state government derives its powers from Article 15 and 16 of the Constitution which says it can identify any community as backward and take ...
BJP politicising armed forces' sacrifices: Opposition
Amid the rising Indo-Pak tensions, the Opposition on Wednesday condemned the ruling BJPs "blatant politicisation" of the armed forces sacrifices and also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not convening an all-party meeting.
Emirates flight to Delhi delayed due to closure of Karachi airspace
An Emirates airlines aircraft with about 300 passengers and crew landed here on Wednesday evening after more than a three-hour delay following a diversion because of India-Pakistan tensions and closure of Karachi airspace for India-bound flights.
Anguished over 'blatant politicisation' of sacrifices of armed forces: Opposition to govt
Twenty-one opposition parties Wednesday expressed anguish over what they alleged was "blatant politicisation" of the sacrifices of armed forces and urged the government to take nations into confidence on all measures to protect India's sovereignty, unity and integrity. After a meeting in the Parliament Library, the leaders of these parties issued a joint statement, expressing concern over the prevailing security situation in the country. "Anguished over blatant politicisation of sacrifices of armed forces by ruling party. Urge government to take nations into confidence on all measures to protect India's sovereignty, unity, integrity. "National security must transcend narrow political consideration," the joint statement said. The parties also condemned the "dastardly" Pulwama terror attack by "Pakistan-sponsored" terrorists of Jaish-e-Mohammed on February 14. The leaders paid homage to the soldiers killed in the attack and expressed solidarity with the Armed Forces. The statement also .
Amid Indo-Pak tension, BSF on alert at Bangladesh border
The BSF has issued an alert and has taken all preventive measures at the India-Bangladesh border in the eastern part of the country to ensure "miscreants or terror elements" don't cross over taking advantage of the tension at the Indo-Pakistan border, an official of the force said Wednesday. Bangladesh and West Bengal share about 2,216.7 km border, of which a large portion is unfenced. Patrolling in the riverine border areas of Sunderbans has also been increased, the BSF official said. "We have issued an alert in the Indo-Bangla border and have taken all preventive measures to ensure that miscreants or terror elements don't cross over to this side of the border by taking advantage of the volatile situation in the western front," a senior BSF official told PTI. An IAF pilot is "missing in action" and a Pakistani fighter jet has been shot down, New Delhi said on Wednesday as fears of war darkened India-Pakistan relations with Islamabad launching retaliatory strikes and claiming it has ..
German Consul General meets Kiran Bedi
Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany Karin Christina Maria Stoll called on Lt Governor Kiran Bedi at the latter's office here Wednesday. A release from the Lt Governor's office said they discussed schemes to help the youth of Puducherry learn the German language to enable them hone their language skills. Officer on Special Duty in Raj Nivas G Theva Needhi Dhas was also present during the discussions. The envoy had met the Chief Minister V Narayanasamy earlier at his office and official sources said it was a courtesy call.
Sabarimala: Cabinet decides to set up SPV to provide more facilities at Ayyappa temple
The Kerala Government Wednesday decided to set up a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to provide more facilities and enhance basic infrastructure facilities for pilgrims at the Sabarimala hill shrine and its base camps at Pamba, Nilackal and nearby areas. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here. The proposed SPV, which will be under government control, will take up development projects as per the Sabarimala master plan in a time-bound manner, utilising the funds set apart each year in the state budget and the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), a government press release said. The company would not be driven by profit and a governing body would be constituted with the chief secretary as chairman and department secretaries as members. The commissioner of the Travancore Devaswom Board, which administers the shrine, would be the convener, the statement said. Besides, an implementation committee with the Devaswom principal ..
BJP MLA decries ex-UP minister's doubt over IAF strikes at Balakot terror camp
With a former UP minister and SP leader terming India's air strikes at JeM's Balakot terror camp in Pakistan as "false", BJP MLA Prateek Bhushan Singh Wednesday dubbed his claim as an act of "foolishness" and asked SP president Akhilesh Yadav to rein him in. "This statement is an act of foolishness. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav should explain how his party leader, who was also a minister in his Cabinet is making such claims aimed at maligning the country's image," Singh, an MLA from Gonda Sadar seat told PTI. SP leader Vinod Kumar alias Pandit Singh had doubted the veracity of India's air strikes Tuesday. "BJP leaders are liars. Is the surgical strike anything new? TV channels were airing it today. This (that an air strike will happen) was known for 10 days," Singh had told party workers at a programme in Gonda. "It was known for five days that they (the government) have colluded with Pakistan and decided to drop a couple of bombs on an abandoned house. And then issue a .
PM must suspend all his political activities till missing pilot returns safely: Omar
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should suspend all his political activities till the missing Indian Air Force pilot returns home safely. India Wednesday said the pilot went missing after the IAF foiled Pakistan Air Force's attack on military installations in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan claims the pilot is its custody. "PM Modi must suspend his political activities until #WingCommanderAbhinandan is returned safely. It can't be business as usual with him crisscrossing the country at taxpayer expense making political speeches while our pilot is a Pakistani captive," Abdullah said in a series of tweets. The former chief minister also appealed to Pakistan to treat the Indian Air Force pilot well. "In the meantime, Pakistan please treat him as you would have us treat one of your men in uniform should he be unfortunate enough to be captured on this side of the border," he said. "Thoughts with the family, friends & colleagues of ...
Qureshi threatens to boycott OIC meeting over Swaraj's participation
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Wednesday threatened to boycott a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) scheduled for this week in the UAE if India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj participates in the event. Swaraj has been invited as a "guest of honour" at the inaugural session of the OIC foreign ministers' conclave in Abu Dhabi on March 1-2. "I have no reservations with the OIC or any other Islamic country. My reservations are with Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj's attendance at the OIC meeting," Qureshi was quoted as saying by the Geo News. "If Swaraj attends the meeting then I will not participate in it," he said. He said he spoke with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. "We believe India has committed aggression against a brother Islamic country and attacked a founding member of the OIC," Qureshi quoted Cavusoglu as saying. "The Turkish foreign minister said there is no reason ...
IAF pilot missing in action, Pak F16 shot down as clouds of disquiet darken over India, Pakistan
An IAF pilot is "missing in action" and a Pakistani fighter jet has been shot down, New Delhi said on Wednesday as fears of war darkened India-Pakistan relations with Islamabad launching retaliatory strikes and claiming it has arrested two Indian pilots in its territory. In Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan tried to defuse the tensions by saying that war is futlie and can lead to unknown consequences while making an oblique reference to the nuclear weapons that both countries possess. A day after India bombed Jaish-e-Mohammed's biggest training camp in Pakistan, it was a morning of developments moving with dizzying rapidity. Islamabad claimed it hit back at India by bringing down two Indian military aircraft, one of which crashed in Pakistan occupied Kashmir while the other fell in Jammu and Kashmir. Officials here said a Pakistani Air Force F-16 fighter jet was shot down by Indian air defence forces in Jammu region's Rajouri sector. During the encounter, a MiG 21 was lost and the ..
Trump, Kim handshake kicks off nuclear summit
US President Donald Trump shook hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the start of their second summit Wednesday, saying the totalitarian state could enjoy a brilliant future if it gives up nuclear weapons. Trump predicted a "very successful" summit as the pair prepared for dinner at the luxury Sofitel Legend Metropole hotel in Hanoi to follow up on their initial historic meeting in Singapore in June. In a brief sit-down ahead of one-on-one talks, Trump repeated his view that North Korea had "tremendous" economic potential. For his part, Kim pledged to do his "best" to achieve an outcome that "will be welcomed by all people." They were due to open with about 20 minutes of head-to-head talks before sitting around a table with only a handful of top advisers. Negotiations were then scheduled to resume on Thursday. Earlier, Trump sent a tweet touting North Korea's "AWESOME" potential if his "friend" Kim agrees to relinquish his weapons. The president risks being distracted by ...
Praying for safety of Indian Air Force pilot: Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said he is praying for the safety of the Indian Air Force pilot who is "missing in action" after India foiled Pakistan's attempts to target military installations by using its Air Force in response to India's counter-terrorism operations. Even as the Pakistani Army released a 46-second video showing a blindfolded man and claimed he is the pilot of IAF's shot down aircraft, India said it is "ascertaining the facts". The Delhi chief minister said the entire country is proud of its brave son and hoping that he has a safe return. "I pray for the safety of Indian Air Force pilot...Whole country is proud of this brave son and everyone is hoping for his safe return. We all stand united to keep our country safe and strong," Kejriwal tweeted. The man in the video released by Pakistani Army is seen as saying "I am an IAF officer. My service No is 27981". The veracity of the video could not be ascertained. In a very brief press statement, MEA ...
Business chief says delaying Brexit is an option for sanity
Prime Minister Theresa May insisted Wednesday that Britain will leave the European Union on schedule next month, while the head of a major business organization said May's grudging decision to allow lawmakers to vote to delay Brexit provides an "option on sanity." May bowed to pressure from within her own Conservative government on Tuesday and gave Parliament the chance to delay Britain's scheduled March 29 departure if lawmakers fail to approve her divorce agreement with the bloc. May stressed that she personally opposes extending the Brexit deadline, and said "the United Kingdom remains on course to leave the European Union with a deal" if lawmakers "hold their nerve." Writing in the Daily Mail, May said talks with the EU about securing changes to the divorce deal to make it more palatable to Parliament have "begun to bear fruit." The House of Commons rejected May's deal with the EU last month largely over concerns about a provision to guarantee an open border between the U.K.'s ...
Farmers to get Rs 105 subsidy per KW/month on electricity
The Delhi government on Wednesday announced that it will provide Rs 105 subsidy per KiloWatt/month on fixed charges under agriculture electricity connections.
India summons Pak Dy HC, lodges protest
India on Wednesday summoned Pakistan's Deputy High Commissioner here to lodge a strong protest over Pakistan Air Force's bid to attack Indian military installations, External Affairs Ministry sources said. According to sources, Pakistan Deputy High Commissioner Syed Haider Shah, who was summoned to the South Block here, also told Indian officials about capturing of an Indian pilot by Pakistani authorities. India has accused Pakistan of using its Air Force to target Indian military installations on Wednesday morning in response to pre-dawn counter-terror strikes of Tuesday against Jaish-e-Mohammad camps in Pakistan. In Islamabad, Pakistan's foreign office also summoned India's Acting High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia and condemned what it called "unprovoked ceasefire violations" by the Indian forces along the Line of Control resulting in killing of four civilians.
Sikh leader wins federal by-election in Canada
A Sikh leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) won a by-election to enter the Canadian parliament. Jagmeet Singh, 40, won the Burnaby South constituency seat in British Columbia (BC) province after defeating Liberal party candidate Tory Shin, a corporate lawyer, and Lee, a former Burnaby member of the provincial legislature representing the BC Liberals, his campaign said. The by-election was held in three different provinces on Tuesday, with barely eight months left for the federal elections in October, also sealed Singh's position as an undisputed leader of the NDP, the third largest party in the House of Commons. The other two seats were bagged one each by the ruling Liberals from Ontario province and the main opposition Conservatives from Quebec. The Scarborough-born Sikh leader, also rated as a rising star in Canadian politics, had a shaky position as the head of the NDP as he was not a Member of Parliament. Following his win, Singh is now considered as a viable challenge to the .