Regional

Jaipur, Dec 17 (IANS) Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring in social security across the country.

Speaking on OPS, Gehlot said, "The burden of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) will fall after 25 years. Why shouldn't the employee who serves the government for 35 years be protected? Now is the era of social security. In developed countries, money is received in a week. Now the time has come Modiji, to implement social security in the country. Centre gives an old age pension of Rs 200, what happens in Rs 200? Policy should be made in the whole country and everyone should get at least Rs 2000 to 3000 pension. In this, half the money should be given by the central government and half by the state."

Speaking on a question on the political model of a state getting traction in the nation, he said "When I will take political retirement, I will take political class, all skills and experience will be mentioned in it."

Gehlot was speaking at CMR while addressing a press conference after inaugurating an exhibition at the Jawahar Kala Kendra on Saturday to mark the completion of four years of the government.

Gehlot said, "We implemented OPS for the employees, but it is being opposed. NITI Aayog opposed, Finance Commission Chairman NK Singh has opposed. Many economists of the world are opposing it. The Prime Minister himself is against OPS. We have implemented OPS on humanitarian grounds. An employee who has been in the service of the government for 35 years must feel safe. Seeing this humanitarian basis, I implemented OPS," he clarified.

--IANS
arc/bg

By Shekhar Singh
Kasaul (Himachal Pradesh), Dec 17 (IANS) The state, known for widespread illegal cultivation of cannabis and its derivatives -- hashish, charas and the very popular Malana Cream -- is being flooded by 'chitta' and pharmaceutical drugs, quite like its neighbouring state, Punjab.


According to the Himachal Pradesh Police, data analysis of 'Register 29' maintained in all police stations to keep a track of drug peddlers reveal that about 60 per cent of those active in the state have taken to 'chitta'. It has added a new dimension to the drug menace in the state, despite charas.

Data shows that out of a total of 2,307 active drug traffickers or peddlers in the state, 1,836 (80 per cent) are from Himachal, 422 (18 per cent) from other states and 49 (2 per cent) are foreigners.

Chitta consumption has increased manifold in the past five years, also reflected in seizures by the police -- which registered a four-fold increase from 3.4 kg in 2017 to 14.9 kg in 2021. The growing market has seen many take to smuggling to afford the pricey drugs costing Rs 4,000 to Rs 6,000 per gm.

Once upon a time, the state drug headache was, for years, limited to illegal cannabis plantations in the Kullu Valley. According to sources, the demand is still high and the illegal business of the drug cartel is still booming.

Himachal Pradesh's ancient Aryan village of Malana is known all over the world as a haven for those looking for a high in the hills. An oily and aromatic strain of hashish called Malana Cream is considered to be the purest form of hashish and is derived by the locals from the cannabis grown illegally in the surrounding Parvati Valley.

The international popularity of the drug still brings thousands of tourists to the village. The economy of the area has boomed following the explosion of the demand for Malana Cream.

Malana Cream is not limited to Himachal Pradesh because it is trafficked to other states across the country.

Just a few days ago, Delhi Police's Special Cell arrested a drug trafficker and seized 30 kg Malana cream, also known as 'hashish', valued Rs 18 crore from his possession in Alipur in the national capital.

The accused was identified as Rajesh Kumar (30), a resident of Khanna Khurd near Ludhiana in Punjab.

With the arrest of the drug trafficker, the Special Cell claimed to have unearthed an interstate syndicate involved in smuggling drugs in Delhi and its peripherals. The police had said that the syndicate has sold over 45 kg of 'malana cream' worth over Rs 28 crore in Delhi-NCR and Uttar Pradesh in the last three months.

With an aim to curb the use of drugs and trafficking, Himachal Pradesh Police recently took to social media with a tongue-in-cheek message warning drug smugglers against indulging in illegal activities unless they were willing to spend nights at the state's 'extremely cold' prison cells.

A few pharmaceutical firms were in the recent past caught illegally producing and selling opioids, including 'chitta' (adulterated heroin) in Himachal's Baddi near Solan, India's pharmaceutical hub.

The police each year launch special drives to destroy cannabis cultivated illegally over hundreds of acres. But what's most worrisome is the increasing number of people, particularly youth, getting hooked on 'chitta'.

An official said addicts from affluent families were turning peddlers to manage their daily 'chitta' doses and chains were being formed by roping in new vulnerable targets.

--IANS
ssh/uk/

Bengaluru, Dec 17 (IANS) Mohammad Shariq, the terror suspect in Mangaluru cooker blast case, was on Saturday shifted to Victoria Hospital here from Mangaluru by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), sources confirmed.

Confirming the development, Mangaluru Police Commissioner Shashikumar stated that he was taken to Bengaluru amid heavy police protection under the monitoring of NIA officers early this morning.

According to sources, Shariq has recovered completely and is able to walk and manage daily chores by himself. However, he has been moved to the burns ward of the Victoria Hospital for further treatment.

He will be taken to NIA facility in Bengaluru soon, sources said. The NIA officers had already started grilling Mohammad Shariq a few days ago following his recovery.

The probe has revealed that Shariq was getting financial support from Abdul Mateen Taha, who was directly in touch with terror outfit IS. He also introduced Shariq and others to terror network, sources said.

The handlers got the funding through darknet and bitcoin. The terror suspect was planning to carry out the blast in the communally-sensitive Mangaluru and quietly come back to Mysuru and continue to hatch conspiracy in the identity of a Hindu man. However, his plans turned turtle with the explosion of cooker bomb in the outskirts of Mangaluru on November 19.

However, the opposition Congress has questioned the investigation regarding the Mangaluru blast and declaration of Mohammad Shariq as a terror suspect.

--IANS
mka/shb/

Mumbai, Dec 17 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde claimed on Saturday that the state governments performance in the past six months has rattled the Opposition parties which prompted them to take out a rally which failed to gather enough support.

"Despite making such big preparations, holding so many meetings, what is the outcome? We have all witnessed it today... All the parties, their leaders and different flag colours did not create any impact," said Shinde, hitting out at the Maha Vikas Aghadi-led mega procession taken out on Saturday.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP ridiculed the Opposition's ‘halla-bol' mega march as a 'superflop', which was "taken out only for selfish political reasons of their leaders", adding that "where are the drone images to prove their claims?"

"This march was out of fear... They are now out of the government. We grabbed power from under their noses and we are doing very well. The march was in apprehension of their defeat in the 2024 Parliamentary and Assembly elections," Fadnavis said.

BJP state President Chandrashekhar Bawankule said that the government of Shinde-Fadnavis is zooming ahead like a ‘bullet train' with the agenda of development.

"The Opposition's action is out of frustration for the future when they will lose the elections very badly" Bawankule predicted.

Meanwhile, state Congress' working President Arif Naseem Khan retorted that the ruling BSS-BJP has been "totally shaken by the sheer turnout, which crossed three-lakh mark", adding that people were still joining the procession after the rally ended late in the afternoon.

Fadnavis reiterated that the BSS-BJP combine will not only rule to complete its full term, but also sweep the next elections and continue to work for the fast progress and development of the state.

Simultaneously, the BJP carried out a ‘maafi-mango' (beg forgiveness) agitation in different parts of Mumbai to protest against the defaming of Maharashtra's saints and icons by Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders like Sanjay Raut and Sushma Andhare.

--IANS
qn/arm

Aizawl, Dec 17 (IANS) After 56-months of instability, Governor's rule has been promulgated in the politically important Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC), one of the three tribal autonomous constitutional bodies in Mizoram, officials said here on Saturday.

The Governor's rule was imposed by the state government for 6 months and the Deputy Commissioner of Lawngtlai district has been appointed as caretaker on behalf of the Governor to exercise such functions or powers vested in or exercisable by the CADC with immediate effect.

Officials said that the CADC's Chief Executive Member (CEM) Buddha Lila Chakma resigned from his post earlier and the Mizoram governor Hari Babu Kambhampati accepted hs resignation on November 17 and then Rasik Mohan Chakma staked claim to be the CEM of the CADC.

"The Governor is of the firm opinion that this constant change of administration due to political maneuvering is extremely damaging for the welfare of the CADC and its people, and is certainly not what is intended by the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which envisions the effective administration of the tribal areas," said a notification issued on Friday night.

It said that a Commission, constituted earlier, has submitted its report recently, stating that in the absence of recruitment rules, a number of irregular activities have occurred in the CADC without following proper procedures.

Tribal leaders criticised the state government's decision.

Chakma Development Foundation of India's (CDFI) founder Suhas Chakma said that the imposition of the governor's rule in the CADC is bad in law, arbitrary and without any nexus. The CADC is a constitutional body having its own house and as per the constitutional scheme of things laid down by the Supreme Court in S.R. Bommai case, all what matters is whether a party in question has the majority to prove on the floor of the house or not.

The same was not done by the Governor, Suhas Chakma said in a statement.

"If political maneuvering damaging the welfare of the people is the ground for imposition of the Governor's or President's Rule, the same rule can be imposed in all the Autonomous District Councils, States and India too," the CDFI leader said.

The instability in the CADC has continued after no political parties secured absolute majority in the elections to the 20-member CADC held in April, 2018.

Amidst a hung council and the BJP, which won five seats, tried to form the governance in the CADC with its arch rival Congress, which bagged seven seats, rather than its NDA ally, the Mizo National Front, having eight members.

For the all round socio-economic development of different tribal communities, Mizoram has three tribal autonomous bodies -- Lai Autonomous District Council (LADC), Mara Autonomous District Council (MADC) and the CADC.

--IANS
sc/pgh

Kolkata, Dec 17 (IANS) In a shocking incident, a minor girl has accused a youth pursuing his MBA studies of raping her after being drugged by his mother.

As per the statement given by the victim to the local Haridevpur Police Station, the incident took place on October 24 this year, which was the occasion of Kali Puja. However, she filed a complaint with the police on December 16 night.

According to the police, they arrested youth, Kunal Kothari and his mother Anushree Kothari on Saturday morning and presented them at a lower court in Kolkata, which remanded them to police custody. Since the victim is a minor, police have framed charges under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 against the two accused persons.

City police sources said that as per the statement of the victim, accused Anushree Kothari and the victim girl were undergoing a beautician course at a local institute.

"As per the victim's version, Anushree Kothari invited the minor girl to her residence on October 24 on the occasion of Kali Puja. After she went there, the accused woman gave her some soft drink after which she became unconscious. According to her version, almost after three days she got back to her senses and realised that she had been sexually assaulted by Kunal Kothari," a local police official said.

The victim has informed the police that initially she kept the matter a secret to her family members out of shame and later confided the same to one of her relatives who reportedly suggested her to report the entire incident to the police. The victim has also informed the police that in the interim period, she had also undergone treatment in the matter.

Kunal Kothari's maternal uncle, Binay Chakraborty has, however, denied all the charges raised against his family members.

"This is a sheer conspiracy. What I came to know was that the girl wanted to get married to Kunal, which his mother was opposed to. What I learned was that she even threatened Kunal and her mother of dire consequences if they did not accept her," he said.

--IANS
src/uk/

New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party will hold a meeting of its Bengal core group in Delhi on December 19 to prepare the roadmap for the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.

According to sources in the BJP, Subhash Sarkar, Nishith Pramanik, Suvendu Adhikari, Dilip Ghose, Sukanta Majumdar, Locket Chatterjee, all MPs and BJP organization general secretary BL Santosh will attend the meeting. It will be held in the evening at the residence of Subhash Sarkar and will be chaired by BL Santosh and Sunil Bansala.

"There are panchayat elections in Bengal in April that will also be discussed along with Lok Sabha elections. Along with this, the strategy to strengthen the party at the booth level will be discussed", the source added.

On Friday, Union home minister Amit Shah held a closed door meeting with members of the party's West Bengal unit in Kolkata to review the law and order situation in the state. BJP leaders said that Shah had also taken stock of the party's preparations for the upcoming panchayat elections in the state. The meeting also discussed the Lok Sabha elections, and Shah took the ground zero report from them.

--IANS
dr/bg

Chandigarh, Dec 17 (IANS) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Badal on Saturday appealed to all Punjabis to unite and force the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government to take exemplary steps against gangsters who have "destroyed peace in the state and made life hell for the common man".

Expressing shock at the killing of 20-year-old Harmandeep from Gidderbaha in Muktsar district, who was kidnapped for ransom 15 days back, the SAD President described the incident as heart-wrenching.

"The law and order situation in Punjab has become such that even the ordinary man is being forced to pay ransoms," he said.

Sukhbir Badal said that Harmandeep's parents owned only seven acres of land and they were in no position to pay Rs 30 lakh ransom as demanded by the kidnappers.

Asserting that no one is safe in the state anymore, Badal said no investment is coming into Punjab and the industrialists and traders are even contemplating to move out of the state.

"If this state of affairs continues, no business will remain in Punjab," he said.

Holding Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann responsible for the situation since he also holds the Home portfolio, Badal said Mann has no moral authority to remain in office.

"The Chief Minister has failed to take action against gangsters who are now calling the shots in Punjab. Even the state police have failed to perform their duties under the leadership of Bhagwant Mann," the SAD chief said.

Stating that he would visit various parts of the state as part of his 'Punjab Bachao Daura', Badal said, "We will try to instill a sense of security in people by urging them to unite to ward off the gangsters."

Badal also detailed how he had recently visited Nakodar in Jalandhar district, where gangsters had killed a businessman for failing to pay extortion money.

--IANS
vg/arm

Hyderabad, Dec 17 (IANS) Forest officials of Telangana on Saturday captured a leopard which strayed into the premises of a pharma company, Hetero Labs, in Sangareddy district.

A team of personnel from Nehru Zoological Park (NZP) captured the animal which entered the building in the early hours of Thursday.

The incident happened at Gaddapitaram in Jinnaram mandal. The employees, who noticed the big cat entering the lab, locked it from outside and alerted authorities.

A team of officials from NZP captured the animal after 11-hour-long operation.

An official said the operation was successful after the team fired a tranquilizer.

The leopard entered the facility of the pharma company around 4 a.m. Noticing this, the staff came out and locked it and alerted officials.

The visuals of the animal inside the facility went viral on social media.

The team shifted the leopard to a cage and transported it to zoo.

Veterinarians were keeping a close watch on its condition.

The animal is likely to be released into forest.

--IANS
ms/pgh

Palanpur, Dec 17 (IANS) Gujarat MoS Cooperative, Salt industry, Printing and Small Scale Industry Jagdish Vishwakarma on Saturday said that people who voted against the BJP in Vadgam constituency in the state Assembly polls "have betrayed the nation".

Congress leader Jignesh Mevani got elected from Vadgam for the second consecutive time.

Addressing people at his native village Varnawada, which falls in the Vadgam constituency, the minister said:" I thank you for the warm welcome, but all those who have voted against the BJP have betrayed the nation. I would have been more pleased if instead of this warm welcome today, you would have voted for the party."

"The villagers should understand that development is possible only if the MLA is from the ruling party," he claimed.

He even reminded that all villages falling under the Vadgam taluka are connected with good roads, and as far as filling water in the Karmavat lake is concerned, it is a big project. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel is monitoring the project and it is likely to be completed soon, he said.

--IANS
har/svn/