New Delhi : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will on Wednesday embark on a three-day visit to Punjab during which he will participate in several programmes and fulfil some of the most significant guarantees made by the AAP government to the people of the state during the 2022 Assembly elections.
Shortly after his arrival on Wednesday, Kejriwal will inaugurate the ‘School of Eminence’ on September 13, in the presence of his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Singh Mann in Amritsar under the ‘Education Guarantee’ to provide quality education to the children of the state.
“This will be the first School of Eminence in Punjab, established in Amritsar. In the coming days, the AAP government will open 117 such Schools of Eminence throughout Punjab, ” the party said.
“After inaugurating the School of Eminence, Kejriwal will address a massive public gathering in Amritsar, and Chief Minister Mann will also address the crowd.”
There is also speculation of a major policy announcement related to the industries by Mann.
Kejriwal and Mann will also participate in town hall meetings in Ludhiana and Mohali on Friday.
The party claimed that under the leadership of Mann, it has already fulfilled several guarantees, including a much-appreciated provision of free electricity.
Chennai : Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) of Tamil super star Kamal Haasan is planning to forge political alliances with parties opposed to BJP in the run up to the 2024 general elections.
The party, according to sources, is focusing on three Lok Sabha seats: Coimbatore, Madurai and South Chennai. It may be noted that in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and in the 2021 assembly elections, the MNM had performed well in these three Lok Sabha constituencies.
Sources in the party told to media that Kamal Haasan has briefed his party district level functionaries regarding the political steps the party is about to take.
In the 2021 assembly elections, MNM secured 3.43 per cent of the total vote share in the state and the party leadership is pitching that in an alliance, the party would win seats.
The party is aiming for a minimum of three Lok Sabha seats in the 2024 elections and is planning electoral alliances on the basis of this. However, party functionaries confirmed with IANS that MNM will never have an alliance with the BJP in the next elections.
The MNM youth wing will conduct a two wheeler rally across all the assembly constituencies of the state to create awareness among the people on the political position taken up by the party.
The party leadership will also be communicating with people in all the assembly constituencies regarding the party’s position on better governance.
Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a 31% reduction in fire incidents this year, according to Alok Kumar, the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) of Fire and Emergency Services (F&ES).
From August 2022 to July 2023, the region saw a significant decline in fire-related emergencies, with only 4,000 incidents reported compared to the previous year’s 59,000.
The reduction can be attributed to the efforts of F&ES, which organized 28,000 fire awareness events across multiple locations in Jammu and Kashmir. As part of these initiatives, over three lakh individuals were trained in fire safety and prevention measures.
To further enhance fire safety, the F&ES is devising a plan to equip every household with a trained firefighter. This approach will enable residents to respond quickly and effectively to fire incidents before professional firefighters arrive on the scene. The training efforts extend even to students, with Class 10th students receiving instruction on fire suppression techniques.
ADGP Alok Kumar also stressed the importance of providing immediate first aid to individuals injured during fire incidents. Trained F&ES personnel are prepared to administer initial first aid to ensure the preservation of precious lives until the injured party can receive advanced medical treatment at a hospital.
New Delhi : The minimum temperature in the national capital on Monday was recorded at 23.7 degrees Celsius, two notches below the normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The weatherman has predicted generally cloudy sky with light rain or drizzle, with the maximum temperature expected to hover around 32 degrees.
On Sunday, the maximum temperature stood at 28.3 degrees, five notches below the normal.
Meanwhile, the relative humidity at 8.30 a.m. on Monday morning was recorded at 90 per cent.
As per the IMD, the national Capital recorded one mm of rainfall till 8.30 a.m on Monday.
Washington: US President Joe Biden said on Sunday that in addition to the “significant business” done at the just-concluded G20 in India such as the rail-ship economic corridor extending from India to Europe, he was able to raise the “importance of respecting human rights … the vital role (of) civil society and a free press” in his bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In a customary trip-ender news conference in Hanoi, the second leg of his tour of India and Vietnam. Biden was peppered with questions about China and President Xi Jinping, who had skipped the G20 meeting, and about Ukraine.
In his opening remarks, Biden thanked Modi’s “leadership and his hospitality and hosting the G20”.
He went on to speak about a part of the visit that was overshadowed by the G20 meeting — his bilateral with the Indian leader.
Biden said he and Modi had “substantial discussions about how we’re going to continue to strengthen the partnership between India and the United States, building on the Prime Minister’s visit to the White House last June”.
Biden had hosted Modi in a state visit, with the customary state dinner, which was the first for the Indian Prime Minister.
Biden then went on to say: “As I always do, I raised the importance of respecting human rights and the vital role that civil society and a free press have in building a strong and prosperous country with Modi.”
The American President may have been trying to pre-empt an issue that has been regularly asked of him and his officials by the American press. In fact, Prime Minister Modi was asked about it himself in the rare news conference he did with President Biden during his June visit.
US officials have said they have not hesitated to raise these issues with their Indian counterparts but not in the manner of one country lecturing the other but as a shared challenge.
The reference is to efforts by former President Donald Trump and his supporters to subvert the 2020 presidential election and the January 6 insurrection, for which he has been indicted in two separate cases.
About the G20 meetings, the American President said: “This was an important moment for the United States to demonstrate our global leadership and our commitment to solving the challenges that matter most to people around the world to invest in inclusive growth and sustainable development, addressing the climate crisis, strengthening food security and education, advancing global health and health security.”
“We showed up ready to work and we showed the world the United States is a partner with a positive vision for our shared future, ” he added.
Left unsaid was that unlike the US, China’s President Xi Jinping and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin did not show up demonstrating their lack of commitment to the G20 platform.
Xi, in fact, had attended the recent meeting of the BRICS in Johannesburg, South Africa, where the group admitted six new members, a move that was supported by China and Russia and not so much by India.
Biden focussed on two of the major achievements of the G20 summit. The first was the launch of the rail-ship economic corridor that starts in India, cutts across West Asia (as the Middle East is called in India) and ends in Europe. It will “open up untold opportunities for transformative economic investment”.
“We’ve also discussed Russia’s brutal and illegal war in Ukraine, ” he said, touching upon the other notable achievement of the summit, a joint declaration. “There was sufficient agreement in the room on the need for justice for just and lasting peace, that upholds the principles of the World Charter, and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Chandigarh : Emerald Finance Limited, an RBI registered NBFC, has partnered with Genetix Biotech Asia Private Limited, a cutting-edge consultant firm in the life-science industry, to offer its Early-Wage-Access program to the employees of Genetix.
Genetix is one of the leading firms in the life-science spectrum in India for the last 30 years.
It was at the forefront in the fight against Covid19, and had developed their own RT-PCR Kits and Extraction kit.
“This partnership aims to provide an instant financial relief to the employees by allowing them to access part of their salaries seamlessly throughout the month,” says Sandeep Aggarwal, Finance Controller, Genetix Biotech.
Whether it is to cover unexpected expenses, address urgent financial obligations, or simply bridge the gap between paychecks, the facility is available at their fingertips.Emerald, in line with its vision to expand its offerings and to serve retail customers at large has been working on a salary advance solution.
This product entails tying up with employers to offer short term loans as salary advance. The amount lent is then collected through salary deduction. “This is a niche product in India. This product is in vogue in developed countries like the US and Europe,” says Talin Aggarwal, Head Strategic Partnerships, Emerald Finance Limited.
New Delhi : With the G20 Leaders’ Summit scheduled to commence from Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold bilateral meetings with more than 15 world leaders, sources said.
On Friday, he will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of Mauritius, Bangladesh and the US at his official residence, 7, Lok Kalyan Marg.
On Saturday, in addition to the G20 meetings, the Prime Minister will hold bilateral meetings with the UK, Japan, Germany and Italy.
On September 10, he will hold a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
He will do a pull aside meeting with Canada and bilateral meetings with Comoros, Turkey, the UAE, South Korea, European Union and European Commission, Brazil and Nigeria, sources informed further.
In a major development, the BJP and JD(S) are holding a final round of talks in connection with putting up a united fight in the upcoming Lok Sabha election against the Congress in Karnataka, said sources on Friday.
Sources confirmed that former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national President J.P. Nadda and held talks in a confidential meeting.
Sources explain that JD(S) is demanding five parliamentary seats out of 28 and BJP is negotiating for four seats. The JD(S) insisted for Hassan, Mandya, Kolar, Tumakuru and Bengaluru Rural seats. Hassan was represented by Deve Gowda’s grandson Prajwal Revanna. The Karnataka High Court had recently disqualified him in the backdrop of concealing information regarding property from the Election Commission of India.
Mandya is the strong base of JD(S), but BJP is supporting sitting MP Sumalatha Ambareesh, who won as an independent candidate. She had extended her support to BJP in key matters. BJP is likely to keep the Mandya seat and make Sumalatha Ambareesh to contest on BJP ticket, sources said.
Bengaluru Rural is represented by D.K. Suresh, brother of Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar, who is making an all out effort to emerge as the face of the Vokkaliga community. Presently, the influential community concentrated in south Karnataka is rallying behind Deve Gowda and JD(S). Shivakumar managed to break the hold of JD(S) on the Vokkaliga vote bank in the last Assembly elections.
Sources said that both BJP and JD(S) have realized the strong position of the Congress government in the state. If they contest elections independently, Congress may easily win most of the seats. Moreover, both parties are worried and concerned over the aggressive moves of the Congress under the “Operation Hast”.
Deve Gowda is concerned with the health of his son former CM H.D. Kumaraswamy, who was recently admitted to the hospital. Kumarwaswamy had undergone a major heart surgery.
Sources said that JD(S) is likely to give up the Mandya seat to BJP, even if it is a setback.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is updated about the move by the party and he has also given a green signal for an alliance, said sources.
The Congress party is striving to wrestle 20 seats in Parliamentary elections out of 28 riding high on the victory in the Assembly elections and implementation of guarantee schemes
New Delhi : India on Friday played down the absence of Chinese president Xi Jinping from the G20 summit and apprehensions on the Ukraine conflict derailing talks, by saying that its presidency of the grouping has managed to bring all nations on board and this would be on display during the summit over the next two days.
Addressing the pre-G20 summit press conference, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said that China is a multilateral player and in a multilateral discussion, the issues are different from bilateral issues.
“China brings its own perspective on issues of growth and development. However in such events, there has be a consensus and everybody has to be on board, since every nation has a veto power. We have managed to bring everybody on board. We have worked with every single country and brought them on board, which you will see during the course of the summit, ” Kant said while responding to questions relating to Xi’s absence in any way undermining the significance of the event.
On a question of Ukraine conflict derailing the G20 summit, the Sherpa said: “G20 is a forum for discussing issues of growth and development. However, the last time in Bali (G20 summit), it was felt that war and conflict impact economy and growth so it was discussed. Here too, it may be discussed, but the leaders will have to take a call on the agenda. Once the leaders discuss it, I can talk about it.” https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-8839373527029193&output=html&h=280&slotname=6564585680&adk=3063427007&adf=2566748822&pi=t.ma~as.6564585680&w=738&fwrn=4&fwrnh=100&lmt=1694181454&rafmt=1&format=738×280&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kaumimarg.com%2Fnews%2F46109-india-plays-down-chinese-prez-xis-absence-from-g20-summit.aspx&fwr=0&fwrattr=true&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&wgl=1&dt=1694181452156&bpp=2&bdt=983&idt=1892&shv=r20230906&mjsv=m202308310101&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3D9f65b83faedc8f45-228dd10b4edf003b%3AT%3D1682010528%3ART%3D1694181427%3AS%3DALNI_MbazqSxo4MCpUW-2V6DANidvf26bg&gpic=UID%3D00000c000ec9f32d%3AT%3D1682953565%3ART%3D1694181427%3AS%3DALNI_MZLmtM7lCNSz7Rgi3whfOUxBY-x9A&prev_fmts=748×280%2C738x280%2C738x280&correlator=5797216280122&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=1520704503.1648141537&ga_sid=1694181453&ga_hid=894839757&ga_fc=1&u_tz=330&u_his=5&u_h=768&u_w=1366&u_ah=728&u_aw=1366&u_cd=24&u_sd=1&adx=92&ady=2386&biw=1349&bih=643&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&eid=44759875%2C44759926%2C44759842%2C31076839%2C44795921%2C31076996%2C44792012%2C44801879&oid=2&pvsid=1440514291562331&tmod=933325960&nvt=1&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kaumimarg.com%2Fcategory%2F6-national.aspx&fc=896&brdim=-8%2C-8%2C-8%2C-8%2C1366%2C0%2C1382%2C744%2C1366%2C643&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7CpoeEbr%7C&abl=CS&pfx=0&fu=128&bc=31&ifi=4&uci=a!4&btvi=3&fsb=1&xpc=8u95zYCsN4&p=https%3A//www.kaumimarg.com&dtd=1909
Jammu and Kashmir’s Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha on Thursday urged people in Jammu and Kashmir not to give shelter to militants while emphasizing the importance of citizens’ cooperation in eradicating the terror ecosystem from the Union Territory during his visit to Sopore.
Sinha said that the network comprising conflict profiteers, terrorists, and secessionists had been dismantled, creating a strong desire for peace, prosperity, and accelerated development in the region.
Addressing a gathering in Sopore, Sinha highlighted the remarkable progress in numerous cities and towns within the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory. He inaugurated and laid foundation stones for various development projects in Baramulla district.
Sinha asserted that the administration had successfully dismantled the terror ecosystem and called upon citizens to support these efforts, entrusting the remaining tasks to the police and security forces.
During his visit, the LG expressed optimism that Sopore town would regain its status as a business hub and evolve into a smart city, aligning with the aspirations of the local people.
Regarding the Sopore fruit mandi, Asia’s second-largest mandi, Sinha acknowledged the challenges it had faced and promised swift action to transform Sopore into a model town.
