India

New Delhi, Nov 18 (IANS) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday urged the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to scale up investments and mobilise private finance in India's key priority areas like renewable energy, energy efficiency and climate smart technologies.

She made this request to AIIB President Jin Liqun, who met her earlier in the day.

Sitharaman met Liqun in her capacity as the Governor of the second largest shareholder of the bank. Both discussed the ongoing and proposed issues of relevance to the AIIB and India, official sources said.

As India is the largest client of the AIIB, the Finance Minister reiterated during the meeting that it should think of setting up a regional presence in India to facilitate dialogue and outreach to project authorities, sources added.

While appreciating the AIIB's growing portfolio in India, Sitharaman suggested that it should shore up investments in key areas like renewable energy and climate technologies.

Earlier on October 26, the Finance Minister had attended the 7th annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the AIIB, where it was decided that the bank will ramp up investments in priority areas for India like clean energy and infrastructure sector with a special focus on education and health.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Nov 18 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Friday declined to entertain a plea seeking guidelines to control population explosion in the country, saying it will not touch the issue, as it is the government's job.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Abhay S. Oka queried the petitioner advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, if now the court will decide this? It told him that there has to be some reasonableness.

Upadhyay argued that while India only had 2 per cent of the world's land, it had 20 per cent of its population. The bench remarked that the plea was outside the purview of the court and was best left for the government to consider.

Noting that Upadhyay was seeking for a two-child norm to be mandated, the bench said let the legislature do it and it is not the court's task. "What can the Law Commission do about this? It's a social issue and let the government take this into account," it added.

The bench pointed out the prayers made in the pleas filed by Upadhyay and others, saying: "You have made all sorts of prayers like declaring Sunday as National Population Day. How can the Law Commission get into all this. Is this the Law Commission's task?"

Upadhyay said the matter was of grave importance and pointed to data relating to population growth.

But, the bench said: "We will not touch the issue. This is the government's job."

Centre's counsel submitted that the government was doing everything within its capabilities to control the rise in population. The top court said it was not inclined to entertain the plea and Upadhyay proceeded to withdraw it.

The plea filed by Upadhyay sought direction from the Centre to control the population explosion in order to secure the basic rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 15, 19, and 21 of the Constitution.

The plea sought directions from the Centre to ascertain the feasibility of enacting a stringent population control law in order to secure fundamental rights mainly rule of law, right to air, right to water, right to food, right to health, right to sleep, right to shelter, right to livelihood, right to justice and right to education guaranteed under Articles 14, 19, 21, 21A.

"In the alternative, direct the Law Commission of India to examine the population control laws and population control policies of the developed countries and suggest the population control steps in order to secure the fundamental rights..., " said one of the prayers made in the petition.

--IANS
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By Venkatachari Jagannathan
Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh), Nov 18 (IANS) The top men of rocket startup Skyroot Aerospace have their roots in Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).


On Friday, Skyroot Aerospace etched its name in the annals of Indian space history by becoming the first domestic private company to develop and fly a rocket.

Though there were some who had doubted private companies making rockets, the pedigree of the people at the Skyroot Aerospace proved them wrong.

The Hyderabad-based rocket startup was founded by Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka in June 2018. Till date, the company has raised Rs 526 crore in funds and has about 200 employees.

Incidentally, the two founders are from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) - Chandana from IIT Kharagpur and Daka from IIT Madras.

Chandana, a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering and M.Tech in Thermal Science and Engineering, worked with ISRO's rocket making centre Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram for nearly six years - 2012-2018.

In 2018 he co-founded Skyroot Aerospace.

"Doing rocket science for a living has filled my last decade with all the thrills and challenges one would ever aspire for. Grateful to my family, colleagues, investors and all well-wishers for being an integral part of this journey... Super pumped up for the next decade," Chandana said about his journey.

On his part, Daka describes himself as "former flight computer engineer at the rocket centre of ISRO. Designed and realised multiple avionics modules for Indian launch vehicles".

At Skyroot Aerospace, he leads operations, avionics.

For about three years (2012-2015), Daka worked at the flight computers group, avionics, at VSSC. In 2015 he joined Xilinx as Senior Product Applications Engineer.

And in 2018, he cofounded Skyroot Aerospace along with Chandana.

The duo also brought in Padma Shri awardee and liquid propulsion expert V. Gnanagandhi. Gnanagandhi was also with ISRO and is an expert in the cryogenic engine.

For the rocket's solid fuel, Skyroot Aerospace brought in another ISRO expert, V.G. Eswaran, former project director of world's third largest solid fuelled rocket stage.

To check the quality systems, the company roped in S. Selvaraju, former Director at the Directorate of Systems Reliability & Quality, ISRO. He has checked the quality systems for over 50 rocket launches of ISRO.

As regards the research and development and strategic initiatives, Skyroot Aerospace has another former ISRO hand - C.V.S. Kiran. A material scientist, Kiran has about 16 years of experience across academia and industry, including at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at v.jagannathan@ians.in)

--IANS
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New Delhi, Nov 18 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday arrested a Principal Chief Engineer, Rail Wheel Factory, Yelahanka, Bangalore for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 75,000 from a man.

The accused was identified as G.K. Jalan.

A senior CBI official said that a case was registered against Jalan, the Principal Chief Engineer, Rail Wheel Factory, Ministry of Railways, Bangalore on the allegations of demanding illegal gratification from the a civil contractor who was awarded several contract works in the Rail Wheel Factory.

Jalan allegedly demanded Rs 1,00,000 as bribe from the complainant for continuing the contracts work of various types of civil work inside Rail Wheel Factory.

"The accused threatened the complainant to terminate the tenders awarded to him. The CBI laid a trap and caught the accused red-handed while demanding & accepting bribe of Rs 75,000 from the Complainant.

Searches were conducted on the premises of the accused which led to recovery of cash of Rs 1.41 lakh and incriminating documents," said the CBI official.

The arrested accused will be produced today before the Competent Court in Bangalore.

--IANS
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Hyderabad, Nov 18 (IANS) Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao's daughter and TRS MLC K. Kavitha on Friday warned BJP MP D. Arvind that if he continues to make personal comments against her she will slap her with chappal (footwear).

Reacting strongly to certain remarks made by him, Kavitha said Arvind had stooped to a new low.

"What do you think of yourself? If you make baseless comments again, I will slap you with chappal in Nizamabad crossroads," she warned Arvind, who represents Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency.

The MLC apparently vented her anger over Arvind's derogatory remark made on Thursday.

On CM KCR's claim that the BJP is trying to target Kavitha to switch loyalties, Arvind had remarked that CM is "trading his daughter".

The member of Telangana Legislative Council said she had been acting with restraint for a long time but would not keep quiet now.

She slammed the MP for showing no respect for Chief Minister KCR and for making personal remarks against her. She asked the BJP leader what was his contribution to Telangana.

Kavitha, who had lost to Arvind in Nizamabad in the 2019 elections, said she would defeat him from wherever he contests the election next time.

She also rubbished Arvind's claim that she approached Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to join Congress party.

The TRS leader claimed that some friends of BJP had approached her with a proposal but she rejected it.

"I am not interested in any other party. My heart is always in the party where my leader is. CM KCR garu is my leader and he will remain one. My life and my entire political career is with him alone," she said.

When asked if she feared being targeted by central agencies for rejecting the proposal, she said she would face them. "Whatever they do is irrelevant. We will face them. It's not a big deal."

Reacting to the allegations by BJP leaders about her involvement in Delhi liquor scam, she said that there is a court order in the case but the BJP leaders have no respect for any institution in the country.

"I did not get any summons. There is nothing on me. The unfortunate thing in this country is that there are unofficial leaks every day," she said.

"If there is a scam and there is proof. Let the agencies come. We will cooperate," she added.

Kavitha alleged that the Modi government is using ED, IT and CBI to harass opposition leaders.

"As many as 25,000 cases have been registered against opposition leaders. There is not a single case against BJP. Why is there no ED, IT and CBI case against a single BJP leader," she asked.

"If you say Jai Modi there will be no ED. It's like washing powder Nirma. You get cleaned when you join BJP," she added.

--IANS
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Srinagar, Nov 18 (IANS) In a significant development, the National Conference (NC) on Friday said that its president, Dr Farooq Abdullah, has refused to seek re-election to the post, elections for which will be held on December 5.

The party said on its twitter page, "Dr Farooq Abdullah Sahib has informed his colleagues of his decision to step down as president of JKNC. In spite of the best efforts of senior colleagues in the party Dr Sahib was adamant that he wouldn't review his decision".

In another tweet, NC said, "In light of this sudden announcement which has caught everyone by surprise, the General Secretary as per the party constitution, has been tasked with conducting the election for party president which will be completed on Dec 5. Until then Dr Sahib continues as President of JKNC".

Elections for NC president's post will be held on December 5 which is the birthday of NC founder, late Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah.

Till the abrogation of article 370 on August 5, 2019, December 5 was observed as a public holiday in Jammu and Kashmir.

In the event of Dr Abdullah not seeking re-election, it is likely that the command of the party would pass on to his son and NC vice president Omar Abdullah unless the party like the Indian National Congress (INC) decides to choose a president from outside the Abdullah family.

--IANS
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Kolkata, Nov 17 (IANS) Union Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari fell ill on Thursday afternoon after an official function in West Bengal's Siliguri district, but is said to be stable now.

Gadkari complained of not feeling well as he came to down from the stage after laying the foundation stone of a proposed road connecting Siliguri with Sevak Cantonment.

He was first taken to a nearby cottage and three doctors were rushed from the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) via a green corridor. The doctors started the initial treatment at the cottage only after keeping him under saline support.

It is learnt that the Union Minister felt sick after his blood sugar level came down. Fluctuating blood pressure levels also added to the complication. Later he was taken to a local hotel for complete rest. His other programmes for the day have been cancelled.

BJP's Darjeeling MP, Raju Singh Bista informed media persons that the condition of the Union Minister is stable now and he needs rest. "There is nothing to be worried about," he said.

Dr P.G. Bhutia, one of his attending medical practitioners also confirmed that after tests like ECG, blood sugar and blood pressure, the Union Minister had been advised to be on rest for some time.

"His condition is stable now. His existing medicines will continue and we have not prescribed any new medicine," he said.

On being informed, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was in the state Secretariat then, expressed concern over the development. She immediately called up the Commissioner of Siliguri Municipal Corporation, Akhilesh Kumar Chaturvedi and asked him to ensure that Gadkari gets proper medical attention.

--IANS
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By Venkatachari Jagannathan
Chennai, Nov 17 (IANS) The countdown for the Friday launch of Skyroot Aerospace-developed rocket Vikram-S, with three small satellites, will begin three hours before the lift-off time which is fixed at 11.30 a.m, said an official.


"The countdown will begin three hours before the rocket's lift off. The rocket is expected to lift off at 11.30 a.m. on Friday. The countdown time is less as it is a small rocket," a senior official of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) told IANS.

Further, the single-stage rocket is powered with solid fuel which has also cut down the countdown time.

The official said the rocket will fly off from the ISRO's sounding rocket launch pad at the Sriharikota rocket port.

On Friday, Skyroot Aerospace is expected to become India's first private sector company to develop and fly a rocket.

The Hyderabad-based rocket startup was founded by Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka in June 2018. Till date, the company has raised Rs 526 crore funds and has about 200 employees.

Its 545 kg, six-metre-long rocket will carry three satellites from Space Kidz India, Bazoomq Armenia, and N-Space Tech India.

In 25 seconds after the liftoff and at an altitude of 17.9 km, the rocket's engine will burn out. The rocket would eject its payload at an altitude of 81.5 km.

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), Department of Space (DOS), on Thursday said it had authorised the rocket launch with three satellites.

According to IN-SPACe - the regulator for private space players, the Vikram-S rocket flight is a technology demonstration flight to showcase the capabilities of the company.

It carries with it three PCB-based payloads for three customers which are equipped with sensors for the measurement of acceleration, pressure and other aspects.

This rocket will help validate the technologies that will be used in the subsequent Vikram-1 orbital vehicle of Skyroot Aerospace that is planned for launch next year, subject to technical clearance by IN-SPACe, the regulator said.

However, the IN-SPACe has declined to answer a couple of crucial questions like when was the draft National Space Transportation Policy-2020 approved and what about the financial guarantee or the insurance cover to be provided by the rocket launching company to the sectoral regulator.

As per the original draft policy, IN-SPACe authorisation requires the financial guarantee or insurance cover by the proposer/rocket launch company as part of its ownership towards fulfilment of nation's liability as per international agreements.

"As per the regulations up to certain value of damage, companies are liable and beyond that the state will foot the bill. The liability determination process is finalised and managed by INSPACe," Secretary, Space and ISRO Chairman, S. Somanath, had told IANS.

He said for the rockets, the liability is determined by the type of the rocket mission, range and others. The ISRO will do this exercise. For the satellites, the issue of liability cannot be estimated and has to be determined case to case basis.

Skyroot Aerospace's Chandana had told IANS that the insurance aspect has been taken care off but declined to mention the insurer's name and coverage citing a non-disclosure agreement.

IN-SPACe Chairman Pawan Goenka told IANS that the talk on the queries will be done post the Skyroot Aerospace's rocket launch while declining to answer the queries.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at v.jagannathan@ians.in)

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Nov 17 (IANS) The Congress unit in Karnataka on Thursday alleged voter ID scam by the state's ruling BJP and demanded Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's resignation, as well as a probe into the scam by the Chief Justice of the High Court of Karnataka.

In a joint press conference at the KPCC headquarters in Bengaluru, the state's party in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, opposition leader Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar said that they would lodge a criminal complaint regarding the matter.

"The government is stealing the data of voters. The ruling BJP is indulging in election fraud through a private agency. Bommai, in-charge minister, BBMP Special Commissioner Tushar Girinath and the Election Commission are operating as one team to steal voters' data," Surjewala stated.

Shivakumar charged that thousands of BJP workers in the state have been roped in to manipulate electoral rolls.

"The BJP workers have been hired on contract basis by a private agency, given identity cards by the authorities to carry out the process of voter ID renewal," he charged.

In Bengaluru alone, about 17,000 to 18,000 such identity cards are given, he said, adding that the BJP workers are going door to door and mapping the voters.

"They are marking empty houses, studying voters' political affiliations and coming up with a voters' list to win elections."

Article 324, 325, 326 of the Indian Constitution and Section 28 of Representation of People's Act specify that only the government officers can carry out the task of handling issues related to voters list, Shivakumar said and added that the rules have been violated by ruling BJP and bureaucracy.

Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah claimed that all this is being done on the behest of the Chief Minister.

"He (Bommai) should be arrested. He should resign as he has no moral right to continue as he is at the helm of affairs. This kind of conspiracy, theft never happened by the Chief Minister himself in the history of Karnataka," he said.

KPCC Campaign Committee Chairman and MLA, M.B. Patil said that initially it was done in Mahadevapura constituency in Bengaluru.

"Now, BJP has taken the exercise in the entire Bengaluru and all 224 Assembly constituencies of the state."

Shivakumar further alleged that through the fraud ways, the votes of minorities, SC/STs and Other Backward Classes were being taken out of voters list.

"The BJP workers are mapping political inclinations and taking out their names or shifting their names to other wards. Voters from other constituencies are being brought and settled in empty houses to aid BJP candidates."

He demanded that thousands of BJP workers who were given identity cards by the government should be arrested, and complete data collected should be sieged.

"Who permitted a private entity to act on behalf of election commission and BBMP? How the government orders dated January 29 and August 28 were issued giving authorisation to this private entity?

"Why was an advertisement not ordered to be issued by Bommai who is also in-charge minister, BBMP or the Election Authority before giving the election work to a private party?" Surjewala queried.

"How was a private entity permitted to collect personal voter information like caste, religion, gender, mother tongue, marital status, Aadhaar number, phone number, address, voter id number, email address of voters? Is it not a clear cut theft bridge of privacy and fraud played upon innocent voters?

"Can personal data of voters uploaded by a private entity authorised by the government on its private app digital Samiksha, which supposedly is used by political parties MP, MLA, corporators and aspirants for political usage on payment?" he further questioned.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Nov 17 (IANS) AAP MLA Akhilesh Pati Tripathi is likely to appear before the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Delhi by 11 a.m. on Thursday in connection with the MCD ticket selling issue, officials said here.

Led by senior officials, the probe team is set to confront the Model Town MLA with testimonies and digital evidence.

On Wednesday, the ACB had arrested Tripathi's brother-in-law Om Singh, his associate Shiv Shankar Pandey alias Vishal Pandey, and one Prince Raghuvanshi for allegedly selling MCD ticket for Kamla Nagar Ward (No 69) for Rs 90 lakh.

They were placed under arrest under section 7/13 of POC Act and 171 (E) of IPC.

"The accused were arrested for accepting bribe for giving AAP ticket of MCD election to Shobha Khari, wife of the complainant Gopal Khari, for Ward No. 69, Kamla Nagar," said Madhur Verma, the DCP ACB.

Since the complainant has named him, the MLA has been summoned to join the pobe.

Complainant Gopal Khari, a resident of Kamla Nagar, had approached the ACB on November 14 with the grievance that he was associated with AAP as an active worker since 2014 and on November 9, he met Tripathi with the request to secure councillor's ticket for his wife Shobha Khari.

The complainant further stated that Tripathi demanded a bribe of Rs 90 lakh for the same.

"Khari paid a bribe amount of Rs 35 lakh to Tripathi and Rs 20 lakh to Rajesh Gupta (MLA Wazirpur), at his instance. Khari assured Tripathi that the remaining 35 lakh will be paid by him after getting the ticket. On November 12, Khari did not find the name of his wife in the list of contesting councillors released by the party.

"Thereafter, Om Singh contacted the complainant and assured him that the ticket will be given to him in the next elections. He also offered to return his money (bribe amount). Khari also submitted audio and video recordings of his alleged dealings during payment and return of the bribe amount," said the ACB official.

After receiving the complaint, the ACB formed a team of its elite officials to nab the accused. On the intervening night of November 15 and 16, they laid a trap at the residence of Khari and caught Singh and his associates -- Pandey and Raghuvanshi -- red-handed in the presence of independent witnesses. They had gone to return the bribe amount of Rs 33 lakh out of total 35 lakh received on behalf of Tripathi.

"The bribe amount of Rs 33 lakh has been seized. Further investigation of the case is on," said the official.

--IANS
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