India

Srinagar, Nov 3 (IANS) Two non-local labourers were fired upon by terrorists on Thursday in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district, an official said.

Police said that two non-local labourers, one from Bihar and another from Nepal -- who were working at a school in Bondialgam area of Anantnag district were injured after terrorists fired at them.

The injured have been shifted to hospital and the area has been surrounded by the security forces.

Kashmir Zone Police in a tweet said: "Militant fired upon two outside labourers who were working at a private SAPS school at Bondialgam in Anantnag district. Both of them are being shifted to hospital."

--IANS
sq/pgh

Bhubaneswar, Nov 3 (IANS) President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to visit Jagannath temple in Odisha's Puri on November 10, an official said on Thursday.

Murmu will arrive here on a two-day maiden visit to her home state (Odisha) on November 10.

"We have received an official communication regarding the President's visit to Puri. She will visit Jagannath temple. We will have a district-level preparatory meeting for the proposed visit of the President on Friday," said Puri Collector Samarth Verma.

After arriving here, the President is scheduled to visit Puri to seek obeisance of Lord Jagannath. She will stay for some time in Puri Raj Bhavan. Later, she will return to Bhubaneswar, where she will be accorded civic reception at Raj Bhavan in Bhubaneswar, official sources said.

The President will pay floral tribute at the statues of several veteran leaders and freedom fighters of Odisha in the capital city. The Odisha Governor will host a state banquet in her honour at Raj Bhavan on the night of November 10.

Next day, the President will visit Tapoban High School at Khandagiri, Government Girls High School, Uni-II, and Kuntala Kumari Sabat Tribal Girls Hostel.

Later in the day, she will visit Jaydev Bhawan and inaugurate Odia textbook for engineering and a portal (e-Kumbh) before flying back to Delhi.

--IANS
bbm/pgh

Rawalpindi, Nov 3 (IANS) The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has condemned the attack on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insafs (PTI) long march in Gujranwala, killing one and injuring five people, including PTI Chief Imran Khan, media reports said.

According to details, ISPR issued a statement and condemned the attack on PTI long march, and expressed its condolences to the family of the person reported dead amid the firing, ARY News reported.

The institution prays for the speedy recovery of the PTI leader and all other injured, it said.

Former Prime Minister Khan and few other PTI leaders were injured after a man opened fire near the PTI reception camp at Allahwala Chowk during the party's long march.

According to reports, the assailant opened fire on Khan's container near the Allahwala Chowk in Wazirabad, injuring five people and killing one.

Ibtisam, who was part of the rally, said he rushed to stop the attacker as soon as he saw him load his gun and point it at the container.

He said the attacker pointed both his hands up in the air after loading his gun. His aim went down after he grabbed his hand.

--IANS
san/arm

New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS) Nearly 53 per cent Delhi-NCR residents identified stubble burning by farmers in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh as the primary cause for toxic air in Delhi and surrounding areas.

To understand what the perception of citizens is on the primary cause of high levels of pollution in Delhi-NCR, online community platform LocalCircles reached out to residents of Delhi, Ghaziabad, Noida, Faridabad and Gurugram.

Over 20,000 responses were received in the survey in which 61 per cent respondents were men while 39 per cent respondents were women.

To gauge the perception of Delhi-NCR residents on the primary cause of toxic air, the survey asked: "What according to you is the primary reason for bad air quality during October to December in Delhi NCR?"

In response, the majority of the 10,037 respondents to the query identified stubble burning by farmers in adjoining states as the root cause.

The data break-up shows 53 per cent of respondents identify "stubble burning by farmers in Punjab, Haryana and UP" while a much smaller percentage or 13 per cent believe the primary cause is "motor vehicle emissions"; seven per cent blame it on "garbage burning in the city"; seven per cent on "industrial emissions"; 7 per cent on "construction activity"; while 13 per cent have no opinion.

When asked about supporting the introduction of an odd-even vehicle scheme in Delhi-NCR as a solution to reduce the air pollution level, nearly 56 per cent of respondents do not support it while 38 per cent are willing to support this step to reduce pollution and 6 per cent have no clear opinion.

Pollution level in Delhi has been in severe category since the last couple of days and GRAP III has kicked in banning construction activities.

--IANS
kvm/pgh

New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS) Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said India needs to become a quality conscious nation and adopt quality as an integral part of the process in preparing the foundation of becoming a developed nation by 2047.

Addressing a seminar on Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) - emerging global trends in laboratories of Atmanirbhar Bharat, the minister said that until India becomes a leader in quality, it will not be able to become a developed economy.

India will have to expand its manufacturing ecosystem and also implement high quality standards for goods and services that it offers Goyal said.

He added that BIS is a very important element in this entire ecosystem.

Goyal said: "We are looking at how India can be at the forefront of the modern contemporary testing ecosystem which is a must for India to become a manufacturing power."

He emphasised that India is on the right track to make testing and laboratory systems an integral part of the world which have been drawn up for India to not only satisfy the aspirations of a billion plus people, but to also meet the needs of a world that is very demanding.

The minister urged BIS to do a complete study of what quality standards the world is adopting, which are the areas that India needs to focus on and what can be done to build up the necessary infrastructure to meet those standards.

He suggested that Artificial intelligence can be used in laboratory certification.

Elaborating on this, he said if any company is consistently adhering to high quality standards, they can be removed from repeated inspections or can be given licenses for longer duration.

--IANS
ans/pgh

New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said a fast growing economy like India needs greater investment in coal production and gasification projects as globally, energy prices especially that of gas, is going up.

Launching the sixth round of coal mine auction of the Ministry of Coal here the Finance Minister highlighted that India is at present the best investment destination in the world.

The minister pointed out that due to policy consistency and transparent process of the present Government, coal imports for power sector has come down by 41 per cent.

Sitharaman said that 11 states are to benefit directly from Thursday's auctioning of 141 coal mines.

She said that mining sector reforms are providing the right fillip to our fast growing economy.

Finance Ministry will be extending all help for coal gasification and incentives in commercial mining, she further added.

Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi said that the coal ministry is exploring alternative methodology for enhanced use of coal.

Joshi said that Finance Ministry has extended Rs 6,000 crore incentive for coal gasification and Rs 250 crore for exploration process.

During the biggest auction undertaken so far, today 141 mines pertaining to 11 states have been auctioned.

Joshi said that previously auctioned mines have started production and hoped that 10 to 15 million tonnes coal will be produced from new mines by next year.

The Ministry of Coal is anticipating 900 million tonnes production this year, he said.

--IANS
ans/pgh

By Hamza Ameer
Islamabad, Nov 3 (IANS) Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman and former Pakistan Prime Minster Imran Khan survived a deadly attack on Thursday after an assailant reached close to his container and opened fire targeting Khan during the party's long march in Gujranwala.


Nabbed by the police, the attacker later said that he only wanted to kill Khan and no one else.

The shooter opened a burst of bullets which hit PTI leaders standing next to Khan and also injured the former premier who got shot in the leg.

According to PTI leaders, Khan is presently 'out of danger'.

As per sources, senior PTI leaders, including Senator Faisal Javed Khan, former Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and Ahmed Chatha, were injured in the firing.

Immediately after the attack, Khan was taken inside the container, after which he was rushed to the local hospital from where he was shifted to the Shaukat Khanam Hospital in Lahore.

Other than the PTI top leadership, at least six others others have been injured in the attack, one of whom is in a critical state. As per reports, at least one person has died in the attack.

The attackers, numbering two, were nabbed by the supporters of PTI present in the march before being handed over to the police.

As per details, one of the attackers is named Faisal Butt, while the other has been identified as Mohammad Naveed.

Faisal said he wanted to kill Khan ever since the latter started his long march from Lahore on October 28.

"I got angry with Khan for spreading hatred and misleading the people. I only wanted to kill Khan and no one else," said Faisal.

"I did this on my own will and no one told me to do so. I just got angry on Khan and wanted to kill him," Faisal added.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took immediate notice of the incident and ordered the Interior Ministry to submit a report on the matter.

"I condemn the incident of firing on PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the strongest words. I have directed the Interior Minister for an immediate report on the incident. I pray for the recovery and health of the PTI Chairman and other injured people," Sharif said.

"The government will extend all the necessary support to the Punjab government for security and investigation. Violence should have no place in our country," Sharif added.

Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi has also ordered an immediate inquiry into the firing incident.

The attack on Khan came at a time when the slow pace of the long march was being criticised for not having an impact on the government officials, who have stated that the government will not bow down to any of the demands of Khan, which he aims to achieve with the long march.

The march has been moving at a snail's pace since with a travel time of about four hours or less in a day.

Khan himself had said earlier that time will define if his fight for revolution in the country against the current leadership will be achieved peacefully or through bloodshed.

It is also a fact that Khan is by far the most popular leader in the country at present, and any attempt to assassinate him is bound to trigger widespread chaos and angry protests.

--IANS
hamza/arm

New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Thursday affirmed the death penalty for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Mohammad Arif alias Ashfaq for carrying out the December 2000 Red Fort attack, saying there was a direct attack on the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India.

Dismissing Arif's review plea against capital punishment, a bench comprising Chief Justice U.U. Lalit and Justices S. Ravindra Bhat and Bela M. Trivedi said: "the aggravating circumstances evident from the record and specially the fact that there was a direct attack on the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India, completely outweigh the factors which may even remotely be brought into consideration as mitigating circumstances on record."

Arif, a Pakistan national, was held guilty of murder, criminal conspiracy, and waging war against the country. The bench concluded there is nothing on record which can be taken to be a mitigating circumstance in favour of the review petitioner.

"The suggestion that there is a possibility of retribution and rehabilitation, is not made out from and supported by any material on record," said Chief Justice Lalit, who authored the judgment on behalf of the bench.

The Chief Justice said in conclusion, it must therefore be observed that even after eschewing circumstances, which were directly attributable to the CDRs relied upon by the prosecution, the other circumstances on record do clearly spell out and prove beyond any doubt the involvement of the review petitioner in the crime in question.

Referring to judgment in Mohd Ajmal Amir Kasab case (2008 Mumbai terror attack) (2012), the bench said: "when there is challenge to the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India by acts of terrorism, such acts are taken as the most aggravating circumstances. It is well accepted that the cumulative effect of the aggravating factors and the mitigating circumstances must be taken into account before the death sentence is awarded."

The bench noted that there were other circumstances, including a disclosure statement by the convict, which led to an encounter at Batla house and killing of Abu Shamal alias Faisal, which went against the convict.

"The disclosure statement led the police to the hideout at G-73, Batla House, New Delhi and when the police team arrived with the review petitioner, there was firing upon the police team.. After the person concerned named Abu Shamal alias Faisal died in the encounter, certain firearms and ammunition were recovered. The submission that such recovery of ammunition or the encounter of Abu Shamal could not be associated with the disclosure statement of the review petitioner is not quite correct," said the bench.

In the Red Fort attack, three people, including two Army jawans, were killed.

In August 2011, the Supreme Court confirmed the death sentence of arrested LeT terrorist Mohammad Arif for carrying out the December 2000 Red Fort attack. The apex court also dismissed his review petition later in August 2011. However, in 2016, the apex court decided to re-hear his review petition.

In November 2005, the trial court had awarded Arif a death sentence. The trial court had also fined Arif Rs 4.35 lakh for the attack that left two Rajputana Rifles jawans and a civilian dead. The Delhi High Court, in 2007, upheld the death sentence to Arif.

--IANS
ss/uk

New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Thursday accepted former apex court judge Justice L. Nageswara Rao's proposal to conduct elections to the executive committee of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on December 10.

A bench comprising justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Hima Kohli said: "Justice L. Nageswara Rao, former judge of this court, has submitted a note dated November 2. The note indicates the comprehensive exercise which has been carried out by the former judge of this court on an expedited basis.

"The court appreciates the alacrity with which the assignment has been taken up in the national interest. The judge has interacted with all the stakeholders, including the International Olympic Committee, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the state associations."

The bench said there is a broad consensus in terms of the note submitted by Justice Rao that the elections should be held on December 10, 2022.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta represented the Centre before the apex court.

The bench said in its order: "The amendments proposed to the constitution of the Indian Olympic Association have to be circulated today so that the general body meeting can be held on November 10. The proposal which has been submitted in that regard is accepted. The proposed amendments are permitted to be circulated. Justice Nageswara Rao is at liberty to chalk out the modalities for the circulation of the proposed amendments."

The bench ordered that no other court should entertain any petition relating to the amendments to the constitution of IOA or to the election to the executive committee of the IOA.

"All objections shall be submitted by any person or party before this court alone," said the bench.

The bench also directed the IOA to make payment of honorarium of Rs 20 lakh to Justice Rao, though he had taken up the task assigned to him pro bono.

"The Solicitor General has stated that Justice Nageswara Rao has indicated that he would perform the task which has been assigned by this court pro bono. The Solicitor General fairly states that having regard to the magnitude of the task and the efforts which have been put in, it would be appropriate if an honorarium is paid to the judge," noted the SC bench.

The bench added, "The remuneration which is payable to the assisting counsel shall be fixed by the judge and intimated to IOA. IOA has agreed to defray the remuneration as so fixed."

The top court has scheduled the matter for further hearing on December 7.

On September 22, the Supreme Court had appointed Justice Rao to prepare electoral rolls and conduct elections, and amend the constitution of Indian Olympic Association.

The apex court in September had stayed the Delhi High Court August 16 order, directing the Committee of Administrators to take control of IOA governance.

The Sports Ministry told the court that it could lead to suspension by the international committee due to third party interference.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had on September 8 issued a final warning to IOA to sort out governance issues and hold elections by December.

--IANS
ss/arm

New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS) Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday sought three weeks' time to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Prevention of Money Laundering case pertaining to illegal mining and extortion in Jharkhand and Bihar.

Sources in the ED claimed that Soren has written a letter to the probe agency seeking time to attend a few programmes.

Soren was summoned by the ED to join the investigation on Thursday, but he skipped the questioning.

The federal agency had also written a letter to Jharkhand Police Commissioner for appropriate security arrangements ahead of his questioning.

"There was a cheque signed by Mr Soren which was found by us during the recent raid. He also allegedly misused his position and granted a lease," the sources said.

Recently, the ED had filed a Prosecution Complaint (charge sheet) before a Special Ranchi court against Pankaj Mishra, Bachhu Yadav and Prem Prakash, all said to be close to the Jharkhand CM.

The court has already taken the cognisance of the chargesheet.

During investigation of the case, as many 47 searches were conducted throughout India on several dates resulting in the seizure of cash amounting to Rs 5.34 crore, freezing of bank balances amounting to Rs 13.32 crore, freezing of an inland vessel MV Infralink -III, reg. No- WB 1809, 5 number of stone crushers, two nos. of Hyva trucks besides the seizure of incriminating documents along with two numbers of AK 47 Assault Rifles, the probe agency said.

Earlier, the ED had arrested Pankaj Mishra, Bachhu Yadav and Prem Prakash who are in judicial custody.

The ED initiated money laundering investigation on the basis of the FIR registered by Barharwa Police Station, Sahibganj District, Jharkhand under various sections of IPC, against Mishra and others.

Later, several FIRs regarding illegal mining lodged under IPC, Explosive substances Act, Arms Act have also been taken into the ambit of scheduled offence.

Till date, the ED has identified POC relating to illegal mining to the tune of more than Rs 1000 crore in this case.

PMLA Investigation revealed that Mishra, who enjoys political clout being the representative of the Chief Minister, controls the illegal mining businesses as well as inland ferry services in Sahebganj and its adjoining areas through his accomplices.

"He exercises considerable control over the mining of stone chips and boulders as well as installation and operations of several crushers, set up across various mining sites in Sahebganj. Proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 42 crore acquired by Mishra have been identified till date," said the ED official.

Further investigation in the matter is on.

--IANS
atk/shb/