India

Shahjahanpur (Uttar Pradesh), Sep 15 (IANS) Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur district made a group of Muslim pilgrims from West Bengal apologise for offering namaz by the roadside before they were allowed to continue their journey to Ajmer Sharif Dargah (Rajasthan).

A video clip, purportedly of the incident, showed some men holding their ears in a gesture of apology. A couple of them were seen doing sit-ups.

The incident took place earlier this week.

Superintendent of Police (Shahjahanpur), S. Anand confirmed that a few people from West Bengal travelling to Rajasthan in a bus were found offering namaz on the road under Tilhar police station limits in Shahjahanpur.

The Muslim pilgrims were issued challans and then left for their journey ahead, he added.

Additional Superintendent of Police, Sanjeev Vajpayee, told reporters, "Eighteen people, who were on their way to Ajmer Sharif Dargah, were brought to the Tilhar police station with the complaint that they were offering namaz on the roadside. These people were released after they gave a written apology and were issued a challan."

Local VHP leader Rajesh Awasthi, who reported the matter to police, said, "I was on my way to some place when I saw some men offering namaz on the roadside."

Awasthi added that he told them that they were in Uttar Pradesh, where offering namaz in the open was prohibited.

In a video that surfaced on social media, the VHP members were purportedly heard asking some passengers of a bus to hold their ears and apologise.

--IANS
amita/khz/

Srinagar, Sep 15 (IANS) Two terrorists killed in an ongoing encounter between terrorists and security forces at Nowgam area in central Kashmir's Srinagar district on Wednesday have been identified, Police said.

The Police added that acting on specific information generated by them regarding the presence of terrorists in Dangerpora area of Nowgam, a joint cordon and search operation was launched by the Police and the Army.

"During the search operation, as the joint search party approached towards the suspected spot, the hiding terrorists fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party which was retaliated effectively leading to an encounter," Police said.

In the ensuing encounter, two terrorists were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter.

They have been identified as Aijaz Rasool Najar of Pulwama and Shahid Ahmad alias Abu Hamza.

"As per Police records, both the killed terrorists were categorised terrorists and were linked with proscribed terror outfit Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind. Both the killed terrorists were involved in several terror crime cases, including attacks on Police/security forces and civilian atrocities. Besides, they were also involved in recent attack on an non-local labourer namely Muneer-ul-Islam of West Bengal on September 2, 2022, at Ugergund Newa area of Pulwama," Police added.

Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition, including one AK-series rifle, two pistols and one grenade were recovered from the site of encounter.

--IANS
zi/khz/

New Delhi, Sep 15 (IANS) The reconstituted National Medical Device Promotion Council (NMDPC) under the Department of Pharmaceuticals held its first meeting in New Delhi and was updated on the steps taken up by Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and the state licensing authorities for the smooth transition to licensing of class-A and class-B medical devices from October 1.

The NMDPC deliberated on the important issues of the Medtech (medical technology) industry.

The Council under the chair of the Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, has members from stakeholder departments, organisations, functions of which have a bearing on the growth of the sector and has representation from several medical device industry associations, representing the sector in India.

The Department of Pharmaceuticals presented the latest status of the various initiatives taken by it for the sector to the Council such as 100 per cent FDI in MedTech sector on automatic route, PLI scheme for medical devices, medical devices parks in four states, assistance for common infrastructure facility of superconducting magnetic coil testing facility, etc.

The Department of Health and Family Welfare (DoHFW) updated the preparedness for transition to licensing of class-A and class-B medical devices from October 1 under Medical Devices Rules, 2017. The Council appreciated the various efforts done by the CDSCO/DoHFW in rolling out the licensing process of class-A and class-B medical devices.

The Council also heard the views of the industry as well as AERB (Atomic Energy Regulatory Board) and National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) on the requirement of NABL accreditation of in-house laboratories of the manufacturers of specific medical devices on the radiation safety requirements at the manufacturing sites. The industry suggested various issues to be taken up in the subsequent Council meeting.

The Industry Associations' representatives were encouraged to actively engage with states, which were sanctioned medical devices parks by the Department of Pharmaceuticals for creating common infrastructure facilities and come forward to invest in the proposed parks to boost domestic manufacturing.

The industry's support was also solicited for the proposed National MedTech Expo, 2022, being organised by the Department in December 2022 at New Delhi's Pragati Maidan to showcase the strengths and capabilities of Indian medical devices industry involving start-ups, innovators, domestic manufacturers, hospitals etc.

--IANS
avr/khz/

New Delhi, Sep 15 (IANS) With a view to regulate the pre-owned vehicles market in the country, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has issued a draft notification to promote ease of doing business and transparency in the sale and purchase of registered vehicles through dealers.

The pre-owned car market in India has been gradually gaining ground. In recent years, the advent of online marketplaces, which are involved in buying and selling of pre-owned vehicles, has further given a boost to this market.

In the current ecosystem, many issues were being faced, including during transfer of vehicle to subsequent transferee, disputes in regard to third party damage liabilities, difficulty in determination of defaulter etc.

MoRTH has proposed amendments in Chapter III of Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, to build a comprehensive regulatory ecosystem for the pre-owned car market.

The key provisions of the proposed rules include an authorisation certificate for the dealers of registered vehicles to identify the authenticity of a dealer. Furthermore, the procedure for intimation of delivery of vehicle between the registered owner and the dealer has been detailed.

The powers and responsibilities of a dealer in possession of registered vehicles have also been clarified. Dealers have been empowered to apply for renewal of registration certificate/renewal of certificate of fitness, duplicate registration certificate, NOC, transfer of ownership, of motor vehicles in their possession.

As a regulatory measure, maintenance of an electronic vehicle trip register has been mandated which would contain details of the trip undertaken viz. trip purpose, driver, time, mileage etc.

As per the Ministry, these rules are expected to aid in recognising and empowering intermediaries/dealers of registered vehicles as well as provide adequate safeguards against fraudulent activities to the selling or purchasing of such vehicles.

Comments and suggestions have been invited from all stakeholders within a period of 30 days.

--IANS
kvm/khz/

New Delhi, Sep 15 (IANS) The scope and mandate of Special Campaign 2.0 from October 2 to October 31 to reduce pendency has been expanded and all regional offices have been included in the campaign, apart from all ministries or departments and all attached or subordinate and autonomous bodies of the Centre.

Minister of State Jitendra Singh on Wednesday launched the exclusive 'Swachhata' portal for the Special Campaign 2.0, scheduled to begin on October 2.

Developed by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), the portal-- www.pgportal.govlin/scdpm22 -- is dedicated to Swachhata and reducing pendency of work in government offices.

The minister said that till date, more than 67,000 sites have been identified by the ministries/departments of Government of India for conducting the cleanliness campaign and it is likely to touch one lakh sites by September 30. There were only 6,000 sites in the first special campaign undertaken in October 2021.

The minister informed that during the first phase of Special Campaign in October 2021, about 12 lakh sq ft of space was freed up in offices for productive use and Rs 62 crore was earned from disposal of scrap.

The minister said the activities included indoor and outdoor cleanliness campaign, disposal of scrap, weeding out of outlived records and disposal of pending references from the MPs, state governments, inter-ministerial references, Parliament assurances and public grievances.

Singh said, "The Special Campaign 2022 reinforces importance of timely disposal of references and a clean work space and it is expected to cover over 1.5 lakh post offices, overseas mission/posts, railway stations, and other public offices in mission mode during the month-long campaign."

--IANS
kvm/arm

By Zubair Qureshi
Srinagar, Sep 15 (IANS) The season of picking walnuts from the trees is at its peak these days in the Kashmir Valley.


Walnuts of the Valley are exported not only to other states, but also to the whole world. About 2.66 lakh metric tonnes of walnuts are grown in Jammu and Kashmir in an area spanning 89,000 hectares every year. More than 98 pert cent of the total walnuts grown in India come from Jammu and Kashmir.

Walnuts found in Jammu and Kashmir are mainly of three types -- Vonth, Kaghazi and Barzul.

Vonth is hard and does not break easily. It has a thick and large outer shell and its kernel is small in size. This type is sold locally and is mainly used for oil extraction.

The Kaghazi or paper walnut is relatively large in size. Its outer shell is thin and the kernel is large and white in colour. Paper walnuts can be cracked with bare hands.

Barzool is a medium-sized walnut. It has a black and thick outer shell. The kernel is very tasty and not completely white in colour. This variety can be easily broken.

Walnuts in Kashmir are grown organically, which means no chemical sprays or fertilisers are used in its cultivation. Kashmiri walnuts are popular across India and are exported to the UK, the Netherlands and France, among many other countries. While the sales of Kashmiri walnuts declined after the Covid-19 pandemic, they are now slowly regaining their glory.

The walnut trees are found in the north and south of the Kashmir Valley. Removing walnuts from the trees is not something everyone can do. Only a skilled worker can perform the task. The trained person sits on a strong branch of a tree with a long stick. The worker then strikes the rest of the branches with force, causing the walnuts on them to fall down.

The horticulture department is making a serious effort to plant short trees to prevent injuries. Also, planting new walnut trees has been made mandatory after cutting the old trees.

--IANS
zubair/arm

Ahmedabad, Sep 15 (IANS) India was once a milk-deficit country. But at present, it is the largest producer of milk in the world, contributing 21 per cent of global milk production.

During the 1950s and 1960s, the situation was radically different. India was a milk-deficit nation dependent on imports and the annual production growth was negative for several years.

The annual compound growth rate in milk production during the first decade after independence was 1.64 per cent, which declined to 1.15 per cent during the 1960s. In 1950-51, per capita consumption of milk in the country was only 124 gram per day. By 1970, this figure had dropped to 107 gram per day, one of the lowest in the world and well below the minimum recommended nutritional standards. India's dairy industry was struggling to survive.

Milk production in 1950-51 stood at merely 17 million tonne (MT). In 1968-69, prior to the launch of 'Operation Flood', milk production was only 21.2 MT which increased to 30.4 MT by 1979-80, 51.4 MT by 1989-90 and 209.96 MT by 2020- 21. In three decades (the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s), the daily milk consumption in the country rose from a low of 107 gram per person in 1970 to 427 gram per person in 2020-21.

The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) was created in 1965 with a mandate to support the creation of the 'Anand pattern' of dairy cooperatives across the country through the 'Operation Flood' programme which was to be implemented in phases.

The 'Anand Pattern' was essentially a cooperative structure comprising village-level Dairy Cooperative Societies (DCSs), which promote district-level unions, which in turn promote state-level marketing federation. Starting in 1970, NDDB replicated the Anand-pattern cooperatives through the 'Operation Flood' programme all over India.

Verghese Kurien, widely renowned as the "Father of White Revolution" in India, was the first chairman of NDDB. Along with his team, Kurien commenced work on the launch of the project which envisaged the organisation of Anand-pattern cooperatives in milk sheds across the country from where liquid milk produced and procured by milk cooperatives would be transported to cities.

'Operation Flood' helped quality milk reach consumers across 700 towns and cities through a National Milk Grid. The programme also helped remove the need for middlemen thereby reducing the seasonal price variations. The cooperative structure made the whole exercise of production and distribution of milk and milk products economically viable for farmers to undertake on their own.

It also ended India's dependence on imported milk solids. Not only was the nation equipped to meet its local dairy needs but it also started exporting milk powder to many foreign countries. Genetic improvement of milking animals also increased due to cross-breeding. As the dairy industry modernised and expanded, nearly 10 million farmers started earning their income from dairy farming.

After 'Operation Flood', the Indian dairy and animal husbandry sector emerged as a primary source of income for a huge number of rural households -- most of them either landless, small or marginal farmers. Today, India holds the pride of having been the largest milk-producing country in the world for nearly two-and-a-half decades.

Over the past two decades, India's milk production has doubled. The credit also goes to a well-known federation called 'Amul', which was created by 3.6 million milk producers in Gujarat. In order to improve the livelihood of the farmers, Amul also charted its journey on a similar path as 'Operation Flood'. By helping small dairy farmers earn their livelihoods, the production of milk per house was doubled.

The dairy sector assumes a great deal of significance for India on various accounts. As an industry, it employs more than 80 million rural households with the majority being small and marginal farmers as well as the landless. The cooperative societies have not only made the farmers self-sufficient but have also broken the shackles of gender, caste, religion and community.

Women producers form the major workforce of the dairy sector in the country. The sector is an important job provider, especially for women, and plays a leading role in women's empowerment.

With a series of measures being taken by the government as well as the growing role of the private sector in dairy development, India is expected to sustain its growth in milk production and milk processing in the coming decades.

Every year, since 2001, June 1 is observed as World Milk Day by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations to acknowledge the importance of milk as a global food and to celebrate the dairy sector. In India, the birthday of Verghese Kurien, on November 26, is observed as National Milk Day.

--IANS
khz/

New Delhi, Sep 14 (IANS) Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez and Pinky Irani got involved in a heated exchange of words during the course of questioning in connection with the Rs 200 crore extortion-cum-cheating case involving multimillionaire conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar.

According to the police, Mumbai-based Irani was a friend of Chandrashekhar who had introduced him to Jacqueline.

Both were summoned by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police to join the investigation and get their statements recorded before the agency.

When the EOW team questioned Jacqueline seperately, she reportedly gave the 'right' answers to most of the questions, while giving misleading answers to a few.

As soon as the EOW confronted her with Irani, both started fighting. Now Jacqueline is expected to be summoned again next week. Sources said the EOW is now satisfied with all of Jacqueline's answers.

In the afternoon, the EOW officials had told her that she was free to go to her hotel for lunch, which she denied and instead had lunch at the police canteen.

"We have asked her to prepare a list of gifts which Chandrashekhar gave her," an official said.

--IANS
atk/arm

New Delhi, Sep 14 (IANS) The Supreme Court was on Wednesday told that economic criteria cannot be the sole basis to identify backwardness of a class because economic backwardness is a consequence and social and educational backwardness the cause for it.

The submission was made to a five-judge constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice U.U. Lalit, which is hearing a batch of petitions challenging validity of the 103rd constitutional amendment to provide a 10 per cent quota to economically weaker sections (EWS) in government jobs and admissions.

It was argued that the reservation under Article 15(6) and Article 16(6) is ultra vires to Article 14 as well as Article 15(4)(5), 16(4) (4A), as the reservation to the economically weaker section, ultimately, protects the interest of the general category.

It was also argued that the unequal classes in whose favour reservation is given under Article 15(4)(5) and Article 16 will be treated equally with privileged general category candidates in the matter of admission of educational institutions as well as in matters of employment, which violates Article 14 of the Constitution.

The 103rd Constitution Amendment Act, Article 15(6) and 16(6) was added in the Constitution giving reservation to the EWS of the society who are not covered by Article 15(4), (5).

Senior advocate Salman Khurshid, representing some petitioners, submitted that the amendments are ultra vires to the Constitution as it violates the ceiling cap of maximum 50 per cent seats to be reserved under for the underprivileged class, as laid down in M.R.Balaji Vs State of Mysore (1963), which was affirmed by the Supreme Court in Indra Sahney's case, while holding that no provision of reservation or preference can be so vigorously pursued as to destroy the very concept of equality.

Khurshid submitted that the "class of economic weaker section" is already included in the "classes" who are protected under clause (4)(5) of Article 15 because the 'social backwardness' is the cause and not the consequence of the economic, educational, and political backwardness in society.

He submitted that the general bourgeoisie class which constitute only 30 per cent of the whole population already have 50 per cent of seats which are unreserved in which persons belonging to the classes mentioned under clauses (4)(5) cannot compete due the lack of standard of facilities and resources to which the general bourgeoisie class have privilege to avail.

Senior advocates Khurshid, and P. Wilson and advocate Ravi Verma Kumar made submission before the top court.

The bench, also comprising Justices Dinesh Maheshwari, S. Ravindra Bhat, Bela M. Trivedi, and J.B. Pardiwala, will continue to hear arguments on Thursday.

A three-judge bench of the apex court in August 2020, had referred the pleas questioning its validity to the Constitution bench. The Centre had earlier told the apex court that a 10 per cent EWS quota was introduced to promote social equality by providing equal opportunities in higher education and employment to those who were excluded due to their economic status.

--IANS
ss/vd

Srinagar, Sep 14 (IANS) Two terrorists have been killed in an ongoing encounter between terrorists and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar district on Wednesday, police said.

"One more terrorist killed (Total 02). Identification being ascertained. Search going on," police said.

The firefight at Nowgam area started after a joint team of police and security forces got an input about the presence of terrorists in that area.

As security forces cordoned off the area, terrorists hiding there started firing, drawing retaliation by the security forces.

There have been a series of encounters between terrorists and security forces across Kashmir over the last few months in which many terrorists and their commanders have been eliminated.

A terrorist was killed in an encounter between terrorists and security forces at Heff Shirmal area in Shopian district on Monday.

--IANS
zi/vd