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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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New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he is aware of India's concerns over his country's conflict with Ukraine, and wanted the war to end.

During the bilateral meeting between both the leaders on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Samarkand, Putin was quoted on Friday as saying, "I know about your position on the conflict in Ukraine, and I know about your concerns. We want all of this to end as soon as possible. We will keep you abreast of what is happening there."

The Russian President said this after Modi told him that "today's time is not the time for war".

This was the first face-to-face meeting between Modi and Putin after Russia had attacked Ukraine in February this year.

--IANS
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Kohima, Sep 16 (IANS) BJP President J.P. Nadda, who was on a two-day visit to Nagaland to gear up the party for next year's Assembly elections, held a series of meetings with the state BJP leaders and its allies, besides visiting a church here on Friday.

Accompanied by state BJP President Temjen Imna Along and MP Phangnon Konyak, Nadda visited the Mary Help of Christians Cathedral in Kohima and requested the clergymen to plant saplings.

Nagaland being a Christian-majority state, the 16 feet high carved wood crucifix of the church, established in 1989, has one of Asia's largest crosses.

"It has been a great opportunity to visit the Cathedral. Really impressed with the arrangements for worship of God," the BJP leader wrote in the visitors' book of the cathedral.

Nadda then attended the all-important BJP core committee meeting and addressed the party functionaries of Nagaland.

He also chaired a meeting of BJP legislators and took part in a combined meeting of the leaders of BJP and its ally Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP).

With 42 legislators, the NDPP leads the opposition-less Nagaland government where the BJP with 12 members has been a junior partner since 2018.

The deliberations of the meetings were not yet disclosed by the state party leaders.

Nadda also took part in a special cultural show hosted by Chief Minister and one of NDPP's top leaders, Neiphiu Rio.

The BJP President then flew to Dimapur, Nagalnd's main commercial city, where he along with Deputy Chief Minister Yanthungo Patton and Temjen Imna Along led a colourful road show arranged by many well-decorated auto-rickshaws.

The road show ended at a resort in the Chumoukedima area, where Nadda attended a meeting of intellectuals and professionals from the state.

Though the solution to the Naga political issue is the top most topic in Nagaland and the state government and all political parties have been demanding to resolve the decades old issue before the elections next year, the BJP leader did not talk much on the all important issue.

While addressing a public rally at Old Riphyim in Wokha district on Thursday, Nadda had said that since 2015, work is going on to resolve the Naga political issue, just like the various accords signed in other northeastern states.

The BJP President had said: "There are certain issues of the Naga political talks. We are working on those. Peace accords were signed with militant outfits in Assam and Tripura. We are going to solve the Assam-Meghalaya border issue."

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 16 (IANS) In 1997, an ex-Merchant Navy personnel met with an accident which led to an amputation of right upper limb below the elbow. In July 2019, the Punjab and Haryana High Court awarded him Rs 14.82 lakh compensation, but unsatisfied with the amount and unfazed with a long-drawn legal battle, he moved the Supreme Court, which bumped the compensation by over 400 per cent and awarded him Rs 62.35 Lakh with 7.5 percent annual interest.

On Friday, a bench of Justices M.R. Shah and Krishna Murari said: "In view of the above and for the reasons stated above, the present appeal succeeds in part. The impugned judgment and order passed by the High Court is modified and it is ordered that the appellant herein - injured - claimant shall be entitled to a total sum of Rs. 62,35,000 with 7.5 per cent interest per annum from the date of filing of the claim petition till realization."

The high court had awarded Rs 25,000 only towards pain, shock, and suffering, though the right hand below elbow of the claimant was amputated. The bench noted that during prolonged hospitalisation, he was operated five times and he was shifted to Medical College and Hospital at Rohtak and thereafter to Jaipur Golden Hospital, New Delhi, where he remained admitted from January 3 to January 21, 1997.

The high court had awarded the future economic loss considering the loss of income at Rs 18,000/per month.

The top court said it is required to be noted that the appellant was serving in the Merchant Navy and his salary at the relevant time was $1,000 and his right hand below elbow was amputated resulting in 70 per cent disability in the right arm.

As the high court had observed that the claimant can still earn something, the court said: "However, it is required to be noted that the claimant will not be able to do any work in the Merchant Navy. The High Court also observed that in the Merchant Navy, usually the job is for six months in a year. The said observation is absolutely without any basis."

Frowning on the HC's observations, the top court said that it cannot be said that the claimant would do nothing for the rest of six months and the high court did not consider the future rise in income.

"Under the circumstances and in the facts and circumstances of the case, the High Court ought to have awarded the future economic loss considering the loss of income at least at Rs 30,000 per month. Therefore, the total loss comes to Rs 57,60,000 (30,000x12x16)," it said.

It also awarded the petitioner Rs 4 lakh towards pain, shock, and suffering.

In his plea, the appellant had claimed a compensation of Rs 1.02 crore under different heads.

--IANS
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Mumbai, Sep 16 (IANS) The Adani Family, through Endeavour Trade and Investment Ltd, a special purpose vehicle, has successfully completed the acquisition of Ambuja Cements Ltd and ACC Ltd.

The transaction involved the acquisition of Holcim's stake in Ambuja and ACC along with an open offer in both entities as per SEBI Regulations.

The value of the Holcim stake and open offer consideration for Ambuja Cements and ACC is $6.50 billion, which makes this the largest ever acquisition by Adani, and also India's largest ever M&A transaction in the infrastructure and materials space.

Post the transaction, Adani will hold 63.15 per cent in Ambuja Cements and 56.69 per cent in ACC (of which 50.05 per cent is held through Ambuja Cements).

"What makes cement an exciting business is the headroom for growth in India, which exceeds that of every other country well beyond 2050," said Gautam Adani, Chairman, Adani Group.

"Cement is a game of economics dependent on energy costs, logistics and distribution costs, and the ability to leverage a digital platform to transform production as well as gain significant supply chain efficiencies. Each one of these capabilities is a core business for us and therefore provides our cement business a set of unmatched adjacencies.

"It is these adjacencies that eventually drive competitive economics. In addition, our position as one of the largest renewable energy companies in the world will help us manufacture premium quality green cement well in line with the principles of a circular economy. All of these dimensions put us on track to become the largest and most efficient manufacturer of cement by no later than 2030," he added.

Currently, Ambuja Cements and ACC have a combined installed production capacity of 67.5 MTPA. The two companies are among the strongest brands in India with immense depth of manufacturing and supply chain infrastructure, represented by their 14 integrated units, 16 grinding units, 79 ready-mix concrete plants and over 78,000 channel partners across India.

The Board of Ambuja Cements approved an infusion of Rs 20,000 crore into Ambuja by way of preferential allotment of warrants. This will equip Ambuja to capture the growth in the market. The actions will significantly accelerate value creation for all stakeholders, in line with the Adani Group's business philosophy.

Both Ambuja Cements and ACC will benefit from synergies with the integrated Adani infrastructure platform, especially in the areas of raw material, renewable power and logistics, where Adani Portfolio companies have vast experience and deep expertise.

Ambuja and ACC will also benefit from Adani's focus on ESG, circular economy and capital management philosophy. The businesses will continue to be deeply aligned to UN Sustainability Development Goals (SDG) with clear focus on SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy), SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and SDG 13 (climate action).

In line with the Adani Portfolio's governance philosophy, the board committees of both Ambuja Cements and ACC have been reconstituted. The audit committee and the nomination and remuneration committee now comprise 100 per cent independent directors.

Further, two new committees have been constituted – the Corporate Responsibility Committee and the Public Consumer Committee – both comprising 100 per cent independent directors to provide assurance to the board on ESG commitments and maximise consumer satisfaction. Also, a Commodity Price Committee has been constituted, comprising 50 per cent independent directors, to strengthen risk management.

The transaction was financed by facilities aggregating to $4.50 billion availed from 14 international banks.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 16 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Samarkand on the sidelines of the 22nd meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, discussions between the two leaders, apart from centering around issues pertaining to bilateral cooperation, also focussed on energy security, global food security and availability of fertilisers in the context of the challenges emanating from the current geo-political situation.

The meeting between Modi and Putin assumes significance in the context of Russian crude forming a significant 13 per cent share of India's overall oil import basket, amid increased supplies from there.

Meanwhile, the statement further said that the leaders appreciated the sustained momentum in bilateral ties, including contacts at various levels.

"President Putin expressed appreciation for Prime Minister's video-message at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok earlier this month," the statement said.

In the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Prime Minister Modi reiterated his call for an early cessation of hostilities and the need for dialogue and diplomacy.

This was the first meeting of both leaders this year, which marks the 75th anniversary year of establishment of diplomatic relations. They agreed to remain in touch, the statement said.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 16 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a plea by the Karnataka government, challenging the Karnataka High Court judgment, which struck down provisions of law prohibiting betting and wagering in online games.

Senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi, A.M Singhvi, and Shyam Divan, represented the gaming companies' associations, submitted before a bench of Justices S. Abdul Nazeer and V. Ramasubramanian that the issue was whether it was game of skill or chance or gambling.

The Karnataka government contended that cybercrime has become a major issue and cited filing of 28,000 cases in the last three years, while emphasising the need for a law against online gaming to maintain public order. It further argued that people have died by suicide and the online gaming has ruined many families, therefore it was necessary to deal with its ill effects.

The state government's plea said: "The Karnataka Police (Amendment) Act, 2021 made criminalised wagering, betting or risking money on the unknown result of an event."

On February 14 this year, the high court struck down the government's ban and the legal provision which criminalised playing games of skill, including online games, and betting.

The top court issued notice to online gaming industry body All India Gaming Federation and skill-based gaming firms. It directed to tag this matter with a similar matter, where the Tamil Nadu government has challenged the judgment by the Madras High Court.

The Karnataka High Court had said that the Act was unconstitutional and there cannot be any ban on online games of skill. The state government contended before the apex court that the high court had grossly erred in not taking into account the material produced by it in connection with cases registered by the police authorities.

--IANS
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Ahmedabad, Sep 16 (IANS) An Ahmedabad court on Friday convicted Congress leader Jignesh Mevani and 19 others guilty in a 2016 vandalism case and sentenced them to six months imprisonment.

The Metropolitan Magistrate awarded three different sentences under the three different sections of IPC - six months jail under one, Rs 500 fine under another, and Rs 100 fine in the third.

It has stayed the operative part of the order, so Mevani and others can appeal the order before the sessions court.

In 2016, Mevani and others were leading protests demanding to name Gujarat University's Law Department as Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Bhavan. The protest turned violent and the premises were vandalised. All protestors were arrested and produced before the court.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 16 (IANS) The Delhi High Court on Friday granted more time to the Centre to file a detailed response to a petition seeking a declaration that the PM CARES Fund is "state" under Article 12 of the Constitution.

Seeking a detailed reply in the matter from the government, a division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad said: "It is an important issue requiring a proper response."

The matter will be further heard on January 31 next year.

In the previous hearing also, court had asked the Centre to file a "detailed and exhaustive" reply following a one-page affidavit response filed by the PMO Secretary.

The court was hearing the plea filed by Samyak Gangwal, seeking a declaration that the fund is "state" under Article 12 of the Constitution and to restrain it from using Prime Minister of India or Prime Minister, including its abbreviations, in its name and on its website.

According to the Centre's earlier submissions, PM CARES Fund is not a "public authority" under the ambit of Section 2 (h) of the RTI Act, further clarifying that no government money is credited to the PM CARES Fund and only unconditional and voluntary contributions are accepted in it.

"It is reiterated that the Trust's fund is not a fund of the Government of India and the amount does not go in the Consolidated Fund of India," said an earlier affidavit filed by the PMO.

--IANS
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