India

New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) After the Varanasi court admitted the maintainability of the petition filed by five Hindu women, the Congress has maintained a safe distance from the whole controversy and has not reacted since the court order came. The Congress strategy is not to be embroiled in the controversy which will harm the party but focus on the real economic issues.

Congress leaders when approached refused to speak and said that our priorities are different from that of the BJP. The people are groaning under inflation and unemployment which are the real issues. The Bharat Jodo Yatra is to bridge the gap between the different faiths and overcome the hatred propagated by the BJP-RSS, they added.

Political analyst Shakil Akhtar said "The whole issue is to keep the pot boiling. The Congress has spoken on the issue of Bilkis Bano and not giving a commentary on the court hearings is a good thing. However, the media should stop referring to Hindu- Muslim but call them petitioners and defendants."

The Congress hopes to counter the communal issue through the Yatra. Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi has said, "the Congress party through the Yatra is attempting to undo the damage done by the BJP in the last eight years. They have divided the country."

The party leaders are terming it as a "diversionary tactic" of the ruling BJP. The Congress wants strict adherence to the provisions of the 1991 Act in letter and spirit, saying that any kind of change in the status of places of worship would lead to a massive conflict.

Seeking maintenance of status quo at the places of worship, Congress General Secretary Ajay Maken had said in May when the issue came to the fore: "The matter is under the purview of the Supreme Court and we hope justice would be delivered as the case of the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute was decided on the basis of the Places of Worship Act, 1991, which says that the religious character of a place of worship shall continue to be the same as it existed on August 15, 1947."

Dubbing it a "political" move, the Congress says it is a "diversionary" tactic by the BJP to push the issues of inflation, unemployment and the falling rupee onto the back-burner.

Former Home Minister and senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram had said that the status quo at all places of worship should be maintained else it would lead to a conflict.

"Places of Worship Act was passed by the Narasimha Rao government with the lone exception of Ram Janmabhoomi. All other places should have status quo as any kind of change could lead to a huge conflict," he had said.

The Congress insists that the ideological differences with the BJP is core to the Congress politics and to fight for the people's cause is the key takeaway from the brainstorming session. But the party has now been put on test in the Gyanvapi row which could be a new controversy in political discourse. It now has to rethink its strategy on the issue.

Rajasthan's Congress Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had said, "the BJP policies are dividing the country and it is dangerous which can bring the nation to the verge of civil war. The Congress will not allow it and this yatra's focus is to counter polarisation."

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh had said that this Yatra will be a turning point in Indian politics and will mark a new beginning.

--IANS
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Mumbai, Sep 17 (IANS) As it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday on Saturday, a string of Bollywood stars including Anil Kapoor have wished the leader.

Anil took to Twitter and shared two pictures with Modi. In the first photo, the actor is seen sitting next to the leader while in the second picture shows the two shaking hands.

He then wrote on the microblogging website: "A very Happy Birthday to the man who has put India on the world map in a way we could never have imagined."

Anil added: "The harbinger of acche din, the leader of our proud nation. May you live long and stay healthy! @narendramodi."

--IANS
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Mumbai, Sep 17 (IANS) Veteran actor Anupam Kher has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his leadership and wished him good health and longevity on his birthday on Saturday.

Anupam took to Instagram where he shared a video of the Prime Minister taking oath.

He wrote the caption in Hindi: "Honourable Prime Minister Shree @narendramodi ji! A very happy birthday to you. May god bless you with longevity and good health."

"You are dutifully accomplishing everything that you had promised and you will continue to do so in the coming years. Thank you for your leadership. Happy Birthday Prime Minister #NarendraModiJi! #India #BirthdayWishes."


--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) India on Saturday reported 5,747 fresh Covid cases and 29 deaths in the last 24 hrs, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Saturday.

With the fresh fatalities, the death toll due to Covid rose to 5,28,302.

Meanwhile, the active caseload has marginally risen to 46,848 cases, accounting for 0.11 per cent of the country's total positive cases.

The recovery of 5,618 patients in the last 24 hours took the cumulative tally to 4,39,53,374. Consequently, the recovery rate stands at 98.71 per cent.

Meanwhile, daily positivity rate stands at 1.69 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate at 1.74 per cent.

Also in the same period, a total of 3,40,211 tests were conducted, increasing the overall tally to over 89.12 crore.

As of Saturday morning, Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 216.41 crore.

Over 4.07 crore adolescents have been administered with first dose of Covid vaccine since the beginning of drive for this age bracket.

On Friday, the country had reported 6,298 infections.

--IANS
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Hyderabad, Sep 17 (IANS) Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao stayed away from Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations organised by Union Culture Ministry here on Saturday to mark erstwhile Hyderabad State's accession to the Indian Union.

With Telangana government celebrating September 17 as Telangana National Unity Day, the Chief Minister skipped the event organised by Government of India, where Union Home Minister Amit Shah hoisted the national flag and reviewed a colourful parade by the Central paramilitary forces.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Karnataka's Transport Minister B. Sriramulu attended the event which saw performances by 1,200 artists from the three states.

Erstwhile Hyderabad State, which was spread over Telangana and parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka, acceded to the Indian Union on September 17, 1948, following India's military operation.

For the first time, Government of India organised official celebrations to mark the occasion. Union Minister for Tourism and Culture G. Kishan Reddy had invited Chief Ministers of all the three states for the event.

Telangana government has also announced year-long celebrations to mark 75 years of Hyderabad State's accession.

Kishan Reddy said that BJP had been fighting for the last 25 years for official celebrations of the day. The Union Minister said this was the occasion people had been waiting for 74 years.

He said that 74 years after India's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel hoisted the national flag on the soil of Hyderabad after defeating Nizam's Army, Home Minister Amit Shah unfurled the tricolour here.

He claimed that the decision of the Telangana government to organise the celebrations is a victory for the people.

"It doesn't matter what you call it but it is a matter of happiness that the national flag is being hoisted across the state," he said.

Without naming MIM, Kishan Reddy said that even the party which inherited the legacy of 'Razakars' was forced to celebrate the day by hoisting the tricolour.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Sep 17 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED)'s summons to Karnataka Congress President D.K Shivakumar in connection with the Rs 74.93 crore disproportionate assets case has thrown a spanner in the party's efforts to wrestle power from the BJP in the upcoming Assembly elections.

This has come at a time when Shivakumar has announced that he will mercilessly initiate action against MLAs who are not taking up a proactive role in 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' led by former party president Rahul Gandhi. He also stated that he would not share any information with Opposition leader Siddaramaiah regarding prospective candidates.

Shivakumar, who is aspiring for the chief minister's post, has also managed to get an upperhand in the party affairs against his competitor and Opposition leader Siddaramaiah

As per party insiders, with this development Siddaramaiah camp will have an upper hand.

The ED has taken up the case filed by the CBI against Shivakumar in 2020. The CBI had raided 14 locations in Bengaluru and other places. Adding to his woes, he will also have to attend an inquiry before the Income Tax department on September 27. Shivakumar was sent to Tihar Jail in connection with this case.

Sources are drawing similarities between AAP leader Satyendra Jain and Shivakumar case. Jain, who was the Health Minister between 2015 and 2017, has been sent to jail in a disproportionate assets case. The ED had arrested Jain's wife and associates and seized Rs 4.81 crore assets.

At a time when Assembly elections are fast approaching, ED notice to Shivakumar is also said to be a setback for the Congress party and might impact 'Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka.

--IANS
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Puri, Sep 17 (IANS) On the occasion of the 72nd birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has created a sand sculpture of Modi with installation of 1,213 mud tea cups at Puri beach in Odisha.

Sudarsan has created a 5 ft high sand sculpture of the Prime Minister with a message "Happy Birthday Modi Ji" at the beach. He has used about five tonnes of sand in this sculpture. Pattnaik has created different sand sculptures of Modi ji on his birthdays.

"We have used these mud tea cups to show the journey of PM Modi's from a tea seller to Pradhan sevak of India, with millions of blessings," said the sand artist.

Recently, to pay tribute to Britain's longest-serving monarch Queen Elizabeth II, Pattnaik had created a sand sculpture with 740 real roses at the Puri beach.

So far, the Padma Shri awardee sand artist has represented India in more than 60 international sand art championships around the World and won many prizes for the country. He is always trying to create awareness through his sand art. During Covid-19, his awareness through sand arts was appreciated by the WHO.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Sep 16 (IANS) The Karnataka government will celebrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday on Saturday by launching a 15-day health campaign focusing on screening and creating awareness about non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Starting Saturday, the campaign will culminate on October 2 on Gandhi Jayanti.

State Health Minister K. Sudhakar said the initiative, which will be launched in the presence of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, is aimed at creating awareness among the people about non-communicable diseases, from children to elderly citizens.

Speaking during a video conference with district health officers and top officials of the Health and Medical Education Department on Friday, Sudhakar gave instructions to the officials to focus on screening of various health parameters and diseases during the 15-day campaign at all health facilities, from primary health sub-centres to super-speciality hospitals.

The campaign will also push for children's vaccination, increase the rate of vaccination for the booster dose of Covid-19 which is currently at 20 per cent, encourage blood and organ donation, distribute Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka cards and raise awareness about the importance of general check-ups and regular testing for non-communicable diseases.

"There is very little awareness among people about many diseases, government schemes and testing facilities at PHCs. A person might feel that he is fit, but awareness needs to be created so that people get tested for diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. Awareness must also be created about the facilities provided by the government at the health centres," Sudhakar said.

Sudhakar also instructed the officials to ensure that people are screened for NCDs during the 15-day campaign. Additionally, he told the officials to set targets for each ASHA worker to convince and bring in people to get screened for each disease.

--IANS
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Srinagar, Sep 17 (IANS) The body of a minor girl picked up by a leopard in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri border area was found, Police said.

The Police added that a minor girl identified as Munizah was putting up with her parents in a highland meadow in Bijhama forests of Uri border tehsil when a leopard attacked her and vanished with her body into the dense forest.

A Police team assisted by locals found the body of the six-year-old girl in the forest late Friday evening.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 16 (IANS) The government on Friday cut windfall tax levied on locally- produced crude oil from Rs 13,300 per tonne to Rs 10,500 per tonne.

The government also cut tax on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) exports to Rs 8.50 per litre from Rs 9 per litre, according to a gazette notification.

Similarly, cess on export of diesel was slashed to Rs 6.50 per litre from Rs 13.50 per litre.

The decision came after the fifth fortnightly review of windfall taxes conducted by the Centre.

The notification will come into force from September 17.

--IANS
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