India

Kolkata, March 16 (IANS) Uncertainties over the bill proposing enhancement of salaries for the minister and MLAs in West Bengal finally got over on Saturday after Governor C.V. Ananda Bose finally gave clearance to the bill.

“Hon’ble Governor C. V. Ananda Bose has assented to the following Bills: The Bengal Legislative Assembly (Members’ Emoluments) (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and The West Bengal Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2023,” a statement issued by the office of Governor said.

The bill was passed in the Assembly in September last year but it could not be implemented as the Governor did not give his consent.

The BJP raised strong objections to the proposal, calling the hike unethical considering that the state government is unable to pay enhanced dearness allowances to the state government employees at par with their counterparts in the Central government.

The government is expecting to officially execute the enhanced pay with effect from April 1, 2024.

The legislators will now be entitled to a monthly salary of Rs 50,000 a month, as against the existing amount of Rs 10,000. The monthly salaries of the ministers of the state have been increased from Rs 10,900 to Rs 50,900. For the cabinet ministers, the amount has been increased from Rs 11,000 to Rs 51,000.

The other additional perks and allowances that cabinet ministers, ministers of state and MLAs are entitled to in addition to monthly salaries will remain the same.

--IANS

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New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) Navneet Kumar Sehgal, a retired senior bureaucrat has been appointed as the Chairman of the Prasar Bharati Board, an official order said on Saturday.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of Section 4 of the Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Act, 1990 read with sub-section (4) of Section 4 and sub-section (1) of Section 6 of that Act, the President, on the recommendation of the Selection Committee, is pleased to appoint Navneet Kumar Sehgal, IAS (retd.) as the Chairman of the Prasar Bharati Board with effect from the date of his assuming charge of the post for a term of three years or until he attains the age of seventy years, whichever is earlier,” read the order by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

“The terms and conditions of his appointment shall be governed by the provisions of the Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Act, 1990 and the rules made thereunder,” it added.

Senior bureaucrat Sehgal retired from service in July 2023 and he would Chair the country's public broadcaster for a period of three-year or till the age of 70.

--IANS

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New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) Security was stepped up at the Enforcement Directorate office on Saturday morning, a day after Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K. Kavitha was arrested and brought to Delhi in connection with the excise policy case.

"We have deployed additional police personnel to maintain law and order situation in the area," said a senior police official.

At the Rouse Avenue court, the probe agency will be seeking her remand for custodial interrogation.

It is anticipated that the BRS leader may be confronted with senior members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), such as Sanjay Singh and Manish Sisodia, who are currently under judicial custody in this matter.

Additionally, Amit Arora, a witness who purportedly confessed to the ED regarding the alleged bribery scheme related to the liquor policy, might also be brought into direct confrontation with K. Kavitha, according to sources.

K. Kavitha, the daughter of party President and former Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, was arrested on Friday in a money-laundering case related to the Delhi excise policy case after searches at her residence in Hyderabad.

--IANS

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New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, BJP has launched a new campaign: a song on the theme 'Main Modi ka Parivar Hun'.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shared this song on his X account and has captioned it: "Mera Bharat, Mera Parivaar."

This comes the very day the Election Commission will announce the dates for the upcoming general elections.

The three minutes 13 seconds long video features Prime Minister Modi interacting with several people who appear to be beneficiaries of various welfare schemes announced by the Central government. The song also shows people from all sections of society connecting with the Prime Minister through these schemes and how the nation has progressed under his leadership over the past decade.

The lyrics of the song go: "He lives in the house of my heart, always cares about me…He understands my pain and suffering, remains involved in my happiness…He is not standing alone here, I am his world…I am Modi's family."

The campaign song depicts the faith people have in Prime Minister Modi and BJP's poll mantra 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas'.

The slogan 'Mera Bharat, Mera Parivaar' was coined by the Prime Minister in response to a personal remark made by an opposition leader.

--IANS

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Bengaluru, March 15 (IANS) Senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, K.S. Eshwarappa, announced on Friday that he will contest as an Independent candidate from Shivamogga in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Eshwarappa announced this after a meeting with his supporters in Shivamogga on Friday.

B.Y. Raghavendra, the son of former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, is the BJP candidate from Shivamogga, while the Congress has fielded Geetha Shivarajkumar as its candidate from the seat.

Geetha Shivarajkumar is the daughter of late former Chief Minister S. Bangarappa, and the sister of state Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa. She is married to Kannada superstar Shivarajkumar.

Meanwhile, Eshwarappa said on Friday that he will contest the polls as an Independent nominee to highlight how the state BJP is under the clutches of Yediyurappa's family.

"The Hindutva activists are pained over family politics in the state," he said.

Reacting to the development, former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that he never 'cheated' Eshwarappa, adding that he had even told the party high command to give ticket to Eshwarappa's son K.E. Kantesh based on social justice.

Talking to reporters in Haveri, from where he is contesting, Bommai said he was not aware of the meeting convened by Eshwarappa.

"I had requested to consider Kantesh for Gadag-Haveri based on social justice. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP President J.P. Nadda asked me to contest from the seat. That is why I am contesting from Haveri," Bommai said.

The senior BJP leader also said that Eshwarappa has built the party in the state of which he is a loyal soldier.

Bommai also said that he along with Union Minister Pralhad Joshi will speak to Eshwarappa.

--IANS

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New Delhi, March 7 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the plea filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) challenging the guidelines set out by the Calcutta High Court in connection with the dissemination of information regarding the raids and search operations conducted by the probe agency in the alleged scams in West Bengal.

At the very outset, a Bench headed by Justice Hrishikesh Roy told Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju, representing the ED, that it would not pass any interim order staying the guidelines issued by the High Court.

“Mr Raju, if you want to withdraw the plea, you withdraw it. Otherwise, we will dismiss it,” added the Bench, also comprising Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra.

Sensing the disclination of the apex court to entertain the petition, ASG Raju chose to withdraw it.

“Accordingly, without entering into the merits of the impugned order, the SLP stands dismisses as not pressed,” ordered the apex court.

Before the Calcutta High Court, Rujira Narula Banerjee, wife of Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, had contended that the ED officials leak information relating to the investigation to assassinate her character and malign her family.

In its order, a bench of Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharya of the Calcutta High Court said: “The investigating agencies in general and the ED in particular should not involve or be accompanied by media persons during their raids/interrogations/search and seizure procedure, since such act on the part of the investigating agency compromises fair trial as well as privacy of the concerned individual, raising presumptions of guilt/involvement before being established in due process of law before the competent court.”

The High Court had also asked the media to not publish the photographs of the accused before the final charge sheet in the matter is filed.

--IANS

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New Delhi, March 7 (IANS) SpiceJet on Thursday announced the successful resolution of Rs 413 crore dispute with Echelon Ireland Madison One Ltd.

The airline said that the settlement with Echelon Ireland Madison One Ltd will result in savings of Rs 398 crore for SpiceJet.

As part of the agreement, SpiceJet will acquire two airframes, enhancing the airline's fleet and operational capabilities.

"This settlement marks the third major resolution for SpiceJet following its recent fundraising. These successful settlements have resulted in total savings of INR 685 crore for the airline, further solidifying SpiceJet's financial stability and balance sheet," said the spokesperson.

Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet said: “We are pleased to announce the successful resolution of our dispute with Echelon Ireland Madison One Ltd, marking another significant milestone for SpiceJet."

He said that this settlement not only underscores our commitment to financial prudence but also enables us to further fortify our fleet with the acquisition of two airframes.

--IANS

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Mumbai, March 7 (IANS) Veteran Bollywood superstar Shatrughan Sinha, who was last seen on the big screen in ‘Yamla Pagla Deewana: Phir Se’, is making his webseries debut with ‘Gangs of Ghaziabad’, and he has completed shooting for the same.

The series is set against the backdrop of small towns and rural landscapes and explores themes of power, loyalty, and redemption from the underworld of 1990s Western Uttar Pradesh.

The series also stars Ashutosh Rana, Pradeep Nagar, Jatin Sarna, Abhimanyu Singh, Mukesh Tiwari, Mahira Sharma, Sunny Leone, Durgesh Kumar, Srikant Verma, Muneesh Tanwar, Lokesh Tilakdhari, Rajesh Bhati and Pragati Sharma.

The series is written and directed by Nagender Choudhary, who has previously worked as assistant director on projects like ‘LOC Kargil’ and also co-directed ‘Paltan’.

The makers have also roped in Julius Packiam for background score, who has worked on big hits like ‘Pathaan’ and ‘Tiger 3’.

The project is put together by Vinay Kumar who has teamed up with ‘Highway’ actor Pradeep Nagar who doubles up as producer under their banner of Suman Talkies.

Vinay and Pradeep, in a joint statement, said: “We aim to delve into the gritty realities of the 1990s, exploring themes of friendship, betrayal, and redemption against the backdrop of an India of a different time. Our goal is to give audiences a peek into that world with authentic storytelling that reflects the complexities of human nature and the harsh realities of life in the heartland.”

“It was a joy working together with this bunch of talented actors especially Shatrughan Saab for whom this will be a much awaited comeback. He is such an icon who is an acting institution in himself. We’ve all emerged richer from this experience of sharing a set with him.”

--IANS

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New Delhi, March 7 (IANS) India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik is set to end his IPL career at the end of the upcoming edition, when he appears for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) over the next two months, says report.

According to an ESPNcricinfo report, Karthik will also make a final decision soon on his international future.

The wicketkeeper-batter, who commenced his IPL journey with Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), stands among a distinguished list of seven players who have participated in every IPL season since its inception in 2008. This group includes renowned names such as MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Wriddhiman Saha and Manish Pandey.

Remarkably, Karthik has only been absent for two matches out of all 16 IPL seasons. The first instance occurred in his debut season, against Kolkata Knight Riders, and the second was in 2023 when he sat out of the league match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Karthik's current stint with RCB is his second with the Bengaluru based franchise, having played with them in 2015, when he was acquired for a whopping Rs 10.5 crore.

Ahead of the 2022 edition of the league, he was released by KKR and was available for the IPL Mega Auction. He was bought by RCB for INR 5.5 crore.

Karthik has assumed leadership roles in the IPL in 43 matches. On six occasions as a stand-in captain at Daredevils and for 37 matches between 2018 and 2020 at Knight Riders before relinquishing the position. His overall captaincy record stands at 21 wins, 21 losses, and one tied match.

Overall, he has represented six teams over the course of his IPL career. He started off with Delhi Daredevils in 2008 before moving to Kings XI Punjab in 2011. He spent the following two seasons with Mumbai Indians before going back to Delhi in 2014. RCB bagged him in 2015 and he played for Gujarat Lions in 2016 and 2017 before spending four seasons with KKR.

RCB will play the tournament opener against defending champions Chennai Super Kings on March 23 at his home ground in M A Chidambaram Stadium.

--IANS

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Agartala, March 7 (IANS) Tripura Governor Indra Sena Reddy Nallu on Thursday administered the oath of office and secrecy to the two new ministers -- Animesh Debbarma and Brishaketu Debbarma, both from Tipra Motha Party (TMP), at a simple ceremony at the Raj Bhavan.

Chief Minister Manik Saha, his council of ministers, and senior civil and security officials were present at the swearing-in ceremony, held at the Durbar Hall of Raj Bhavan.

After year-long hectic parlays and six days after signing of a tripartite agreement with the Centre and the Tripura government, the opposition and the tribal-based TMP decided to join the BJP-led coalition government in Tripura adding a new twist to Tripura politics.

TMP legislator Animesh Debbarma, who was the opposition leader before becoming a cabinet minister, and lawyer turned politician Brishaketu Debbarma, took oath as minister of state and both are the new entrants in the council of ministers in Tripura.

Both the tribal leaders, who took the oath in tribal ‘Kokborok’ language, were elected to the state assembly twice.

Before taking the oath, Animesh Debbarma resigned from the post of Opposition Leader in the state assembly.

Since the BJP-led alliance assumed charge for the second consecutive term on March 8 last year, three ministerial berths are lying vacant as the total strength of the cabinet is 12.

After Wednesday’s expansion of the cabinet, one ministerial berth will remain vacant.

Another tribal-based party, the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), is also an ally of the BJP-led government, and its lone MLA Sukla Charan Noatia is a Cabinet minister in charge of Cooperation, Tribal Welfare (TRP and PTG) and Welfare of Minorities Departments.

The TMP, in its maiden electoral battle in the February 16 Assembly polls held last year, had fielded 42 candidates, including 20 on the tribal reserved seats. The party had won 13 seats with a vote share of 19.69 per cent, as it highlighted its demand for 'Greater Tipraland' or a separate state for the tribals under Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution.

After the Assembly polls, the TMP with overwhelming dominance among the tribals, became the second-largest party in the state to secure the main opposition party status.

After wresting power in the politically important Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) in April 2021, the TMP intensified its agitation in support of its ‘Greater Tipraland’ demand, which has been strongly opposed by the ruling BJP, Left Front, Congress, Trinamool Congress and other parties.

The TTAADC, which has jurisdiction over two-thirds of Tripura's 10,491 sq km area, and is home to over 12,16,000 people, of which around 84 per cent are tribals, is, in terms of its political significance, the second most important constitutional body in the state after the Tripura Assembly.

On March 2, the TMP signed a tripartite agreement with the Center and the Tripura government 2 in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha and others.

According to the agreement, a Joint Working Group/Committee would be formed to work out and implement the mutually agreed issues in a time-bound manner to ensure an 'honourable' solution to tribals' demands.

“The agreement was signed amicably to resolve all the issues of the indigenous people of Tripura relating to their history, land rights, political rights, economic development, identity, culture, language etc.,” the agreement said.

--IANS

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