India

Kanpur, Oct 1 (IANS) Ten people died while several others were injured after a tractor-trolley carrying devotees overturned in a pond in Kanpur district.

The devotees, all residents of Kortha village under Sadh police circle, had gone to the Chandrika Devi temple in Fatehpur in the tractor-trolley. There were about 40 people in the vehicle. While returning, the trolley overturned into a roadside pond between Sadh and Gambhirpur village.

Ten bodies have been fished out so far and the rescue operation is underway. The bodies have been taken to the Bhitargaon CHC. The police and senior officials have reached the spot and are supervising the rescue operation.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed deep grief over the incident and has instructed officials to provide proper treatment to those injured in the accident.

Further details are awaited.

--IANS
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Islamabad, Oct 1 (IANS) A magistrate of Islamabad's Margalla police station has issued an arrest warrant against PTI chief Imran Khan, media reports said on Saturday.

The area magistrate issued the arrest warrant in the case registered on August 20 against Khan for his remarks on Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry, Geo News reported.

The FIR includes four sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), including 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 189 (threat of injury to public servant), and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant).

The former Prime Minister is facing contempt charges for his controversial remarks against Zeba Chaudhry, Geo News reported. The court has issued the warrant for Khan's non-appearance in court.

Following the issuance of the warrant, PTI leader Asad Umar warned the government not to arrest Khan, saying that it will "regret" the decision.

Meanwhile, former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the issuance of a warrant in such a "weak" case was pointless.

"A circus has been created in the media by issuing warrants over pointless legal clauses and a foolish case which was not needed," he wrote on Twitter, Geo News reported.

Refuting all claims that Khan has left his residence for an unidentified location, Senator Shibli Faraz shared a picture of the PTI chief feeding his dogs at his residence.

--IANS
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Dharwad (Karnataka), Oct 1 (IANS) Taking potshots at the election for AICC chief, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi stated on Saturday that no matter who becomes the President, he will be the remote control of Nehru family.

The Presidential election for the selection of candidate other than the family member of late former Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru is scheduled on October 17. "This is a drama taking place in AICC," he slammed.

Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Joshi, further attacked that Shashi Tharoor, the contestant against Mallikarjun Kharge has stated that he is the sponsored candidate of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. When the situation is like this, what changes he can bring, Joshi stated.

He questioned that what changes could former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh bring during his tenure? He is known as the remote control PM of Sonia Gandhi.

Forget about putting signatures, if they had to step out of their houses also, the permission is required from Nehru family, he taunted. It is just a farce that there is going to be a candidate other than Gandhi family, he added. Let this drama unfold, he stressed.

Reacting about Bharat Jodo Yatra, Union Minister Joshi stated that wherever Rahul Gandhi visits, BJP's victory is ensured. "I request Congress party to invite him to more number of states in the country, which is good for BJP," he said.

--IANS
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By Atul Krishan and Ujwal Jalali
New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) Banned for the next five years, the Popular Front of India (PFI) has been accused of being involved in anti-national and anti-social activities by the Indian government.


The blanket ban on PFI, which was formed in 2006, came just days after the nationwide crackdown on it by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi, a popular voice of Muslims in India, came down heavily on the government and said that a draconian ban of this kind is dangerous as it is a ban on any Muslim who wishes to speak his mind.

"The way India's electoral autarky is approaching fascism, every Muslim youth will now be arrested with a PFI pamphlet under India's black law, UAPA," Owaisi wrote on social media.

So did the government take the action in haste or was it already on the cards?

Top agency sources say that PFI had been one of the most potent radical Muslim outfits and its members had been involved in numerous cases of violence, unlawful activities and terrorism. It was not a one-day action, the probe had been going on for years.

Notably, over 1,300 criminal cases had been registered by the police and NIA against cadres of PFI and its front organisations in different states. Some of these cases were also registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Explosive Substances Act, the Arms Act, and other heinous sections of IPC.

In 2013, 13 members of PFI were convicted for an assault on T.J. Joseph, a college professor, whose hand was chopped off on allegations of blasphemy.

Ironically, before the ban, PFI used to claim on its website (not functional now) that none of its members has been accused, jailed, or booked for mass murder, anti-national activity, or terrorism. The reality, however, is different.

In 2013, PFI organised a training camp in Kannur, Kerala, to impart training in using explosives and weapons to prepare people for terror activities against India. The NIA took over the case after which 21 people were convicted by a special NIA court in 2016.

As per an MHA dossier, in Tamil Nadu, PFI cadres killed V. Ramalingam (a Hindu leader) for challenging its Dawah activities in 2019. Other prominent cases include the killing of pro-Hindu leaders such as Nandu (Kerala, 2021), Abhimanyu (Kerala, 2018), Bibin (Kerala, 2017), Sharath (Karnataka, 2017), R. Rudresh (Karnataka, 2016), Praveen Poojari (Karnataka, 2016) and Sasi Kumar (Tamil Nadu, 2016).

Some AQ and ISIS training videos, depicting gruesome murders, had also been recovered from the PFI cadres accused in these cases. Such activities created fear among the members of other religious communities, besides the public.

Further, there had been a number of instances of international linkages of PFI with terrorist groups.

Sources said that some activists of PFI, particularly from Kerala, had joined ISIS and had participated in terror activities in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Some of these Indian ISIS terrorists were also killed in action by security forces in those conflict theatres.

Further, PFI had linkages with Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh. Some of these terrorist elements had been arrested by the NIA and state police forces.

The PFI, which had always claimed to be a social organisation, was found involved in the murder of BJP youth wing worke Praveen Nettaru in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district.

Nettaru was hacked to death by bike-borne assailants on July 26. The ten accused persons arrested so far are all members of PFI.

(Atul Krishan can be reached at Atul.k@ians.in; Ujwal Jalali can be reached at ujwal.j@ians.in)

--IANS
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New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched 5G telephony services, ushering in an era of ultra high-speed Internet.

Addressing the gathering in the presence of industry leaders including Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries Limited; Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Enterprise; Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group and others, the Prime Minister said that the summit might be global but its repercussions and directions are local.

Modi also inaugurated the sixth edition of the India Mobile Congress (IMC) in New Delhi and also witnessed the IMC Exhibition that was put on the occasion.

"Today, 130 crore Indians are getting a wonderful gift in the form of 5G from the country and from the telecom industry of the country. 5G is a knock on the doors of a new era in the country. 5G is the beginning of an infinite sky of opportunities. I congratulate every Indian for this."

The PM noted with satisfaction that in this launch of 5G and the march of technology, rural areas and workers are equal partners. Stressing on the technological growth that India has been witnessing in the last few years, the Prime Minister said, "New India will not remain a mere consumer of technology, but India will play an active role in the development and implementation of that technology."

The Prime Minister pointed out that India was dependent on other countries for 2G, 3G and 4G technologies. But with 5G, India has created a new history. "With 5G, India is setting a global standard in telecom technology for the first time," he remarked.

Talking about Digital India, the Prime Minister said that some people think that this is just a government scheme. "But Digital India is not just a name, it is a big vision for the development of the country. The goal of this vision is to bring that technology to the common people, which works for the people, works by connecting with the people."

Focussing on the need for a holistic approach to Digital India, the Prime Minister elaborated "We focused on four pillars, in four directions at once. First, the price of the device; second, digital connectivity; third, the cost of data; fourth, and most importantly, the idea of 'digital first' .

Regarding the first pillar, the Prime Minister said that the low cost of devices can only be achieved through Aatmnirbharta. The Prime Minister recalled that there were only two mobile manufacturing units in India till eight years ago. "These numbers have now gone up to 200," Modi said.

The Prime Minister underlined that from exporting zero mobile phones in 2014, today we have become a mobile phone exporting country worth thousands of crores. "Naturally, all these efforts have had an impact on the cost of the device. Now we have started getting more features at a lower cost," he added.

Modi also mentioned that India had 25 crore Internet connections back in 2014; a number that has now increased to 85 crore. More Internet users are coming onboard from rural areas. 5G will play a key role in how users new and old will benefit from the Internet and its possibilities.

"Many people used to make fun of my Aatmanirbhar Bharat - but we increased mobile phone manufacturing units in India. 8 years back, there were only two mobile manufacturing units. Today there are over 200 units in India. We are at number 2 in the world and are exporting our mobile phone to the world," said the PM.

PM Modi also virtually interacted with Metro workers, who were present inside a Metro tunnel, via 5G technology.

The Prime Minister said that the cost of data is among the lowest in the world. It has come down from 300 rupees per GB to about 10 rupees per GB. Remarking on the consumer-centric focussed efforts of the government, the Prime Minister said that the cost of data in India has remained very low due.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched 5G services in the country, saying it was a "historic day for 21st century India" and added that the technology will revolutionise the country's telecom sector.

Launching the service at the four-day India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2022 at Pragati Maidan in the national capital, Modi spoke about the benefits of 5G in India and how the service will help the country's technological revolution.

He also spoke about key pillars that will support the Digital India movement, including the need for affordable technology and a widespread network.

The Prime Minister stressed on manufacturing of smart phones in India and said how it will ensure a reduction in device costs.

"Till 2014 we used to import 100 per cent of our mobile phones. That's why we decided to become 'atmanirbhar' in this particular area. In India, we now have 200 mobile phone manufacturing units now," he said.

Modi also mentioned that India had 25 crore internet connections back in 2014, a number which has now increased to 85 crore.

More internet users are coming onboard from rural areas, he said, adding that 5G will play a key role in how users new and old will benefit from the internet and its possibilities.

"Many people used to make fun of my atmanirbhar Bharat, but we increased mobile phone manufacturing units in India. Eight years ago, there were only two mobile manufacturing units in India. Today, there are over 200 units. We are at number 2 in the world and are exporting our mobile phones to world," the Prime Minister noted.

Modi said that at the time of 2G, 3G, 4G, India was dependent on other natios for technology, but with 5G, the country has created a new history.

"With 5G, India is setting a global standard in telecom technology for the first time."

The Prime Minister went on to say that with the increase in digital connectivity, the country has witnessed a multiplier effect.

"We have taken digital from the elite to the grassroots in India, and this has led to innovation in the country."

Earlier, the Prime Minister virtually interacted with metro workers, who were present inside a tunnel, via 5G technology.

5G will be launched in select cities on Saturday and it will progressively cover the entire country over the next couple of years.

The cumulative economic impact of 5G on India is estimated to reach $450 billion by 2035.

The cumulative economic impact of 5G on India is estimated to reach $450 billion by 2035.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) Bharti Airtel on Saturday showcased a 5G-connected ambulance to transform primary health care in emergency situations, along with smart farming solutions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 5G official launch in the country.

The 5G ambulance, that can be built for around Rs 7-7.5 lakh, brings a hospital's emergency care to the patient.

Airtel, Apollo Hospitals and Cisco have joined hands to build the 5G-connected ambulance.

The state-of-the-art 5G ambulance is equipped with the latest medical equipment, patient monitoring applications, and telemetry devices that transmit the patient health data to the hospital in real-time.

In addition, it is also equipped with onboard cameras, camera-based Headgear, and 'Bodyc Cams' for paramedic staff -- all connected to the ultra-fast and low latency Airtel 5G network.

It will be further enabled with technologies like AR/VR, said the company.

"Healthcare is one of the most promising use cases for 5G, and we are delighted to deepen our partnerships with Apollo Hospitals and Cisco to bring some innovative use cases for the Indian market," said Ajay Chitkara, Director & CEO, Airtel Business, Bharti Airtel.

With real-time camera feed available, the paramedics in an ambulance can use the cameras to collaborate with the ER doctors at the hospital who are equipped with technologies like AV/VR to undertake basic procedures, if necessary.

The doctors can virtually guide the paramedic to carry out the procedure and save precious lives.

The Airtel's 'Ambupod' technology provides health testing, immunisation and the doctor's connectivity in difficult-to-reach areas.

"Doctors can do a virtual examination of the patient through a video call and view their reports. Medical services can be provided to many villages at the same time," according to the telecom provider.

The company also showcased smart farming solutions to Modi during his visit to the Airtel pavilion.

Airtel, along with its partners L&T and CDAC, has made an effort to make the agriculture sector more productive with the help of 5G technology.

"If every farmer in the country gets the necessary information like soil moisture, atmospheric moisture and temperature information in advance to improve the productivity of agriculture, then he can make a better decision," the company said.

Camera-based analytics can suggest to the farmer according to the colour and nature of the crop, at what time and how much pesticide to use.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) As the Centre's flagship mission Swachh Bharat completed eight years of its implementation, a survey by an online community revealed that only 43 per cent of the surveyed people believe availability of functioning public toilets has improved since then.

A survey by the online community platform LocalCircles said that nearly 63 per cent see positive impact of mission on cleanliness and civic sense among children and 53 per cent believe civic authorities are now more responsive to complaints about waste management. As per the survey, 56 per cent felt Swachh Bharat mission has led to improvement in civic sense of people.

Asked "how has the availability of functioning public toilets in your area/ district/ city improved in the last 8 years?", 41 per cent of the 26,629 respondents described the situation as "no improvement" while 11 per cent felt "it's gotten worse".

There were, however, 43 per cent who felt the facilities have improved. Of these, 16 per cent of the respondents described the progress as "significant improvement" and 27 per cent felt there was a "slight improvement". In addition, 5 per cent were noncommittal. Overall, 52 per cent respondents were not satisfied with the Government's efforts to make functioning public toilets available in their area even after 8 years of the mission being rolled out.

Where civic or local authorities are concerned, what has changed or improved according to citizens' perception? LocalCircles survey posed the question on the responsiveness of municipality/ panchayat changed in the last 8 years towards complaints on garbage collection, waste disposal and street cleaning?" Of the 13,536 respondents to the question 45 per cent are not happy with 38 per cent out of this group describing the situation as "no change/still not responsive" while 7 per cent felt the civic authorities are "not responsive". On the other hand, 53 per cent gave a nod with 50 per cent of them describing the situation as "become somewhat responsive" and just 3 per cent opting for "become very responsive". Of the total respondents to this survey question, 2 per cent were undecided.

The next survey question sought citizen feedback on civic sense asking them "Do you believe civic sense has improved in the last 8 years given the efforts by the government on Swachh Bharat?" This question received 12,397 responses out of which 56 per cent citizens felt there has been some positive impact. The breakup of data shows 42 per cent feel civic sense has "improved slightly" while 14 per cent feel things have "improved significantly". Of the remaining respondents, 12 per cent feel this has "gotten worse"; 29 per cent feel things are "still the same" and 3 per cent are undecided.

While early in the mission there was strong momentum which fizzled away within the first few years. The public engagement in Swachh Bharat is near zero now except the top 15-20 clean cities where citizens and municipalities are working towards the cause of clean city.

A renewed civic sense awareness campaign must be conducted regularly at local levels with the right incentives and penalties so citizens and civic bodies work together towards a clean city.

--IANS
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By Saiyed Moziz Imam Zaidi
New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) The Congress will witness a contest for the party president's post between Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor, both having filed their nominations on Friday. However, with senior leaders siding with Kharge and the Congress G-23 group too endorsing his candidature, it leaves fellow member Tharoor to fend for himself.


The G-23 leaders are the main proposers of Mallikarjun Kharge along with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for the Congress presidential poll. Digvijaya Singh who also collected the nomination papers for himself ended up becoming a proposer for Kharge. He is tipped to become the Leader of Opposition in the Upper House when Kharge vacates the position after being elected Congress president.

In the set of nominations, the names of the proposers include Anand Sharma, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Prithviraj Chavan, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Mukul Wasnik and Manish Tewari, who were in the G-23. Others who signed the nomination papers include Ashok Gehlot, who opted out of the race on Thursday after meeting Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi.

Almost all the G-23 leaders were present at the Congress headquarters at the time of Kharge's filing of nomination, signalling an end to the stalemate since 2020 when the group wrote a letter demanding elections in the party. The group, however, has not come out in support of Shashi Tharoor who was part of it.

Gehlot, who was initially the frontrunner, opted out after Sunday's fiasco in Jaipur where MLAs loyal to him boycotted the CLP. Gehlot's supporters demanded that the issue of Chief Minister should be decided after October 19 but Congress state in-charge Ajay Maken wanted a one line resolution.

Ashok Gehlot opted out and said, "In this circumstances I don't want to contest and the issue of chief ministership will be decided by the party high command. Whether I remain the CM will be decided by Madam (Sonia Gandhi)... I am a loyal soldier of the Congress from Indiraji's time. I have expressed regret and sadness over whatever happened in Jaipur."

Earlier, while entering Sonia Gandhi's residence at 10 Janpath, Gehlot was seen carrying a set of papers. On one of the papers, it was written "Whatever has happened is sad and I am also hurt."

"I have always acted as a loyal soldier of the party. The incident that happened on the day of the legislature party meeting has left everyone shaken. It gave a message as if I wanted to continue as the Chief Minister, so I apologised to her," Gehlot said after the meeting.

In Rajasthan, amid the full blown controversy, the Congress has had to issue gag orders against making public statements. The Congress on Tuesday served show-cause notices to Rajasthan Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal, party chief whip Mahesh Joshi and RTDC chairman Dharmendra Rathore for holding a parallel meeting of party legislators in Jaipur.

The notice issued to Dhariwal said that he, being the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, has committed "grave indiscipline" by hosting a parallel MLAs meeting at his residence and thus "pressuring MLAs not to attend the official meeting".

"As Parliamentary Affairs Minister, hosting the unofficial meeting confused the Congress MLAs as to which one was convened officially," the notice reads.

The notice that has sought a response within 10 days also noted that Dhariwal's action (parallel meeting) came even when senior party leader Mallikarjun Kharge and Rajasthan in-charge Ajay Maken repeatedly clarified that they have come to speak to each MLA "individually and impartially" and report to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

Similarly, the notice addressed to Joshi stated that he, as Chief Whip, has conducted "grave indiscipline" by boycotting the official CLP (Congress Legislature Party) meeting and by participating in and convening a parallel meeting of the MLAs at the time when the officially appointed observers were waiting for the official meeting to start.

"As Chief Whip your presence at the unofficial and illegal meeting confused the MLAs as to which one was convened officially," added the notice.

In the show-cause notice to Rathore, he was accused of making all the logistical arrangements and was held responsible for being behind the entire planning of the unofficial meeting of the MLAs.

Maken has recommended disciplinary action against Dhariwal, Joshi and Rathore whom he blamed for holding the parallel meet.

Maken, in his report to the party president, has reported "grave indiscipline" on their part. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, sources said, has been exonerated in the report submitted to Sonia Gandhi.

The official meeting of the Congress Legislature Party was to be held at 7 p.m. on Sunday at the Chief Minister's residence in Jaipur, but before that Gehlot's loyalists gathered at Dhariwal's residence. From there, they went to Speaker C.P. Joshi's residence and collectively submitted their resignations to him.

The other contender for the Chief Minister's post, Sachin Pilot on Thursday met Sonia Gandhi and said that everyone has to work together for the party to come back to power in 2023.

--IANS
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By Archana Sharma
Jaipur, Oct 1 (IANS) Will the desert storm wipe out the Congress in Rajasthan? Can the divided Congress infuse fresh energy in its demotivated workers? Will the party be able to beat the opposition which is already fragmented? Can it cash in on the divided opposition to change the trend persisting in the state since four decades where power gets shifted to alternate hands every five years?


These are the questions being discussed by the Congress as well as the opposition parties.

The Congress workers are already fed up with discussing rebels, political camps, infighting and finally the party's future after the last four years since the Congress has been in power in Rajasthan.

They agree that the party has failed to strengthen its presence at the booth level in these four years and the voters' trust in the Congress remains shaken, said a senior leader.

The ongoing political crisis has hit the workers hard and they have lost trust in their leaders.

However, a ray of hope emerged after former deputy CM Sachin Pilot spoke of returning the party to power in the 2023 polls after meeting Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday.

"We need to discuss strategies to bring back our government, however no one is interested in thinking about it, but all seem interested in saving their chairs," said a senior leader.

It is because of these senior and selfish leaders that chief minister Ashok Gehlot had to say sorry in front of everyone in Delhi, said another leader.

"We are glad that amid the ongoing crisis, someone used the word ‘together' in these testing times. This word is sacrosanct today as the party stands divided in three factions: there is one group loyal to the high command, another to CM Ashok Gehlot and the third to Sachin Pilot," he added.

Meanwhile, questions are being raised about the conduct of Assembly speaker CP Joshi who silently accepted the resignations of 92 Congress MLAs and is staying silent amid all this drama when the MLAs themselves are saying that they were made to resign forcefully.

The WhatsApp calls of all senior leaders are busy…discussing if a new CM will come or if Gehlot will manage to hold on to his chair.

The million dollar question is, "Will the desert storm wipe out the Congress in Rajasthan?"

This is the question being discussed because the Gehlot camp MLAs are now questioning his right hand men, UDH Minister Shanti Dhariwal, PHED minister Mahesh Joshi and RTDC chairman Dharmendra Rathore on why they called an unofficial meeting parallel to the CLP meeting last Sunday. These are the three leaders who were issued show-cause notices on Sunday.

Now all are waiting for the decision of the high command on the CM face. There will be a ray of light, says Vedprakash Solanki from the Pilot camp who termed Dharmendra Rathore a 'Dalal' when he called Pilot a traitor.

We are ready to go for mid-term elections but we want CM Gehlot to remain our leader, says minister Parsadilali Lal Meena.

We are with the high command, says Divya Maderna, granddaughter of Parasram Maderna who couldn't become CM under similar conditions as are existing today.

So with three factions in the party, all eyes are now on the high command.

--IANS
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