Delhi Excise policy: ED raids 25 locations in national capital

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday raided at least 25 locations in the national capital as part of its ongoing money laundering investigation into the now-scrapped Delhi Excise policy, officials said.

The premises covered under the search operation belong to private entities linked to liquor dealership and distributorship, they said.

The federal agency has conducted multiple raids in this case till now and had also arrested Sameer Mahandru, a liquor businessman and managing director of liquor manufacturing company Indospirit, last month in the case.

The money laundering case stems from a CBI FIR that had named Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia as an accused among others.

The scheme came under the scanner after the Delhi LG recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the implementation of Delhi’s Excise Policy 2021-22. He had also suspended 11 excise officials in the matter.

PM Modi launches rural roads scheme in Himachal Pradesh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)-III in Himachal Pradesh for upgrading 3,125 km of rural roads.

He also laid foundation stones of two hydropower projects the 48 MW Chanju-III hydro-electric project and the 30 MW Deothal Chanju hydro-electric project.

More than Rs 420 crore has been sanctioned by the central government under this phase of the PMGSY-III for upgrading 440 km of rural roads in 15 border and far-flung blocks of the state.

The two hydropower projects will generate over 270 million units of electricity annually and Himachal Pradesh is expected to earn an annual revenue of around Rs 110 crore from these.

Earlier, Modi addressed a public meeting at the Indira Gandhi stadium in Una district after flagging off the inaugural run of the new Vande Bharat Express. He also laid the foundation stone of a Bulk Drug Pharma Park and inaugurated the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Una.

Outsiders shouldn’t be allowed to vote in J&K: Ghulam Nabi Azad

Joining the rising chorus against the outside voters in Jammu and Kashmir,  Ghulam Nabi Azad  said on Wednesday that outsiders should not be allowed to cast votes in the union territory.

“People from outside shouldn’t cast their vote in the UT. Only local voters should be allowed. They can vote in their states in a sealed envelope, as per the system,” said Azad who recently floated new Democratic Azad Party.  “The importance of voting in Jammu and Kashmir has been that only locals vote – be it Jammu or Kashmir.”

Earlier the PDP leader and former J&K leader Mehbooba Mufti also opposed the voting by outsiders saying this will change the demography and dilute the value of the vote of the original residents of the region.

She said that  nowhere in the country except in Jammu and Kashmir, the outsiders are being allowed to vote.

“BJP wants to eradicate the original citizens of Jammu and Kashmir and settle the outsiders,” Mufti said.

The Jammu administration on Tuesday issued an order authorizing revenue officials to issue certificates of residence to those residing in the winter capital for more than one year to facilitate their entry in the ongoing special summary revision of electoral rolls. The order was subsequently withdrawn.

SC delivers split verdict in Karnataka hijab ban matter, matter referred to CJI

The Supreme Court on Thursday delivered a split verdict on a batch of pleas challenging the Karnataka High Court judgement refusing to lift the ban on hijab in educational institutions of the state.

While Justice Hemant Gupta dismissed the appeals against the high court verdict, Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia allowed them.

“There is divergence of opinion,” Justice Gupta, who was heading the bench, said at the outset while pronouncing the verdict.

In view of the split verdict, the bench directed that the appeals against the high court verdict be placed before the Chief Justice of India for constituting an appropriate larger bench.

While pronouncing the judgement, Justice Dhulia said the high court had taken a wrong path and that wearing Hijab is ultimately “A matter of choice, nothing more, nothing less”.

He said his main thrust in the judgment is concept of essential religious practice which was not essential to the dispute.

Saying that his focus was on education of the girl child, especially in rural areas, Justice Dhulia asked, “Are we making her life any better”.

While allowing the appeals against the high court verdict, Justice Dhulia said he has quashed the state government’s February 5, 2022 order which banned wearing clothes that disturb equality, integrity, and public order in schools and colleges.

On March 15, the high court had dismissed the petitions filed by a section of Muslim students of the Government Pre-University Girls College in Karnataka’s Udupi seeking permission to wear the hijab inside classrooms, ruling it is not a part of the essential religious practice in Islamic faith.

Punjab secures another investment in IT Sector through TestingXperts

CHANDIGARH/MOHALI: Touted as the world’s fifth largest pure-play Quality Assurance and Software Testing Company (source: NelsonHall),  TestingXperts

has announced that it will open a state-of-the-art Innovation and Delivery Centre at Mohali in Punjab generating direct employment for 3,000 people and indirect employment of over 5,000 people with an investment of $20 million.

TestingXperts has laid the foundation for one of the largest state-of-the-art buildings in IT City, Mohali. Spread over 2.17 acres with 300,000 sqft of planned office space, this will be TestingXperts’ second office in Tricity after its Chandigarh office in IT Park.

“With establishment of this office, TestingXperts will drive enormous opportunities in the Mohali and Tricity for software professionals, by adding 3,000+ professionals in addition to the existing workforce of 1,000+,” said Manish Gupta, Founder and CEO, TestingXperts.

The tech ecosystem in Punjab is undergoing a massive shift with the government focusing on creating a technologically charged ecosystem and function as a catalyst in building, empowering and supporting the business environment. The ‘Invest Punjab’ initiative has ensured more investors and ease of business in the State leading to investments in the IT and Electronics Sector to the tune of Rs. 770 crore in the financial year 2021-22, an increase of nearly 67% over the previous financial year.

Principal Secretary, Department of Investment Promotion, Information Technology and Industries, Punjab, Dilip Kumar IAS  shared that with continued proactive marketing efforts and effective policy advocacy by Invest Punjab team, another major investment has been registered by world renowned IT company TestingXperts in IT city Mohali with an investment of Rs 160 Cr in a phased manner.

 

TestingXperts has been growing at a consistent growth of 50% over the span of the last 5 years and is poised to grow to $200 million revenue in the next 5 years. Being an innovation led company, it invests 5% of its annual revenue on building new innovative solutions and products with a motive to help companies save on QA costs and Go to Market faster with new and updated features.

Manish Gupta said, “TestingXperts has been on a high growth trajectory and plans to double its headcount in the next 18 months. With our expertise and focus on Next gen technologies like AI/ML, RPA No code/low code test automation, young professionals will have career defining opportunities to work on the leading and latest tech stack along with working on projects from some of the largest companies in the world. This will help Tricity educate, nurture and retain the best talent here.”

Incidentally,  Manish Gupta, who has his roots in Chandigarh and is an alumnus of the prestigious Punjab Engineering College. TestingXperts also provides world-class training at its in-house Tx-Academy, arming its staff with next-generation technologies, the latest market trends, best-of-the-breed QA processes, and leading industry tools.

TestingXperts has been certified ‘Great Place to Work’ gold standard for the last 3 consecutive years which catapults it right on the top for employees as their preferred place to work in the Tricity.  With 12 Global offices including in the UK and US, 1000+ Employees, 300+ Clients in 25+ Countries, TestingXperts is a Next-Gen QA (Quality Assurance) and software testing services provider headquartered in London with test labs across US, Europe, and offshore test labs in India (Chandigarh, Bangalore, Noida and Hyderabad).

THE World Rankings: Shoolini University ranks No. 1 private university in India

Himachal Pradesh based Shoolini University has been ranked as Number 1 among private universities in India in the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings for 2023.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023 include 1,799 universities across 104 countries and regions, making them the largest and most diverse university rankings to date.

Founded in 2009, Shoolini University has been ranked in the 351-400 band globally in THE-2023 with only the Indian Institute of Science ahead of it. The university figures in the band along with JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Bengaluru, a deemed university.

Based on 13 calibrated performance indicators that measure an institution’s performance across four areas: teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook,  THE World University Rankings are considered to be the world’s largest and most reputed rankings, which act as a valuable resource for international students and universities by helping them identify the right candidates and institutions of higher learning.

Terming the achievement as a matter of national pride, Shoolini University Chancellor and Founder Dr. P.K. Khosla said, “This ranking will enable us to be recognized as one of the world’s best institutions for higher education and research. It is a collective outcome of the untiring efforts put in by our faculty to establish new benchmarks in teaching and research. Motivated by a multi-disciplinary approach to education powered by state-of-the-art infrastructure, cutting-edge research, highly competent faculty, unmatched industry exposure, notable international collaborations, and an enviable placement record, we aim to be in the league of top 200 global universities by 2026.”

Hailing the landmark accomplishment, Shoolini University Vice-Chancellor and Co-Founder Prof Atul Khosla said, “With the 351-500 global rankings at THE World University Rankings, and as India’s top private university and second best among all private and public Institutions, we look forward to attract the best minds to study, teach and research with us. This will open doorways of new opportunities for international and domestic partnerships with academia and industry.”

While Shoolini University has come a long way in 13 years of its inception as a pioneering research-focused institute of international repute, it is now making a mark cutting across diverse disciplines like management, pharmaceutical sciences, agriculture, basic and applied sciences, computer sciences, mass communication, engineering and law.

Shoolini University has entered into more than 250 collaborations with reputed international universities in South Korea, UK, Canada, Australia, Taiwan and USA. These tie-ups with top-class global universities enable its students and faculty to remain at the forefront of cutting-edge technology through global exposure.  Notably, over 70 per cent of the university’s research is in collaboration with international universities and 38.9 per cent of its publications are in the world’s top 10 per cent journals.

 

Terming THE World University ranking as a new and exciting chapter for Shoolini University, Pro Chancellor and Co-Founder Vishal Anand said, “We are an innovation-led campus that kindles great ideas and inspires out-of-the-box thinking to make our students stand out.” Scripting history for setting exemplary global standards in research, academic excellence and knowledge transfer and innovation, this university has  emerged as one of India’s leading multi-disciplinary universities and has been figuring among the top rankings by various international and national ranking agencies.

Commenting on Shoolini’s global rank of 39 in Citations in the THE World University Rankings 2023, Ashish Khosla, Shoolni’s President of Innovation and Technology said, “ We have developed a thriving ecosystem of research and innovation, and have filed more than 1,100 patents so far, which are among the highest in India. The university also has a 100 per cent placement record in several core courses and has secured more than 3,000 placements for its students in top multi-national and leading Indian companies.”

Mig 29K develops technical snag, pilot ejects safely

A MiG 29K fighter jet of the Indian Navy developed a technical malfunction while returning to a base in Goa on Wednesday morning and the pilot ejected safely, officials said.

The aircraft was on a routine sortie over the sea off Goa. “The pilot ejected safely and has been recovered in a swift search and rescue operation,” the officials.

The pilot is reported to be in a stable condition. A Board of Inquiry (BoI) has been ordered to investigate the cause of the incident.

Socialist leader Mulayam Singh Yadav cremated at his native village Saifai

People in large numbers were headed Tuesday for the last rites of veteran socialist leader Mulayam Singh Yadav at his native village Saifai in Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh, the intermittent morning drizzle adding to the sombreness.

Samajwadi Party founder and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister passed away aged 82 at a private hospital in Gurugram on Monday.

His mortal remains were brought to Saifai Monday evening and kept at his ‘kothi’ where thousands descended to pay their last respects to “Netaji”, as Yadav was fondly called.

Party workers and people in their hundreds — riding cycles, motorcycles, cars, SUVs and other means of transport — were headed to Saifai from nearby areas Tuesday morning for the final rites.

In her condolence message, President Droupadi Murmu Monday described Yadav as “Dharti Putra” – a moniker bestowed on the socialist leader for his growth as a political heavyweight from the grassroots level.

“Yadav was hugely popular among the locals for his conenct with the masses,” Manoj Mishra, a native of Etawah told media, reminiscing how ‘Netaji’ knew people of the region by their first names.

As it drizzled Tuesday morning, hundreds of people queued up outside Yadav’s ‘kothi’ for his the final darshan.

Among them was a group of six men who had come from Chunar village in Mirzapur in eastern UP.

“We left village in an auto for Mirzapur railway station. Boarded a train at 11 pm and reached Etawah around 7 am,” Babu Nandan Yadav told to media after Yadav’s darshan.

Meanwhile, preparations were underway for the last rites of Yadav at Saifai amid heavy security presence and large public turnout.

The cremation is scheduled in the afternoon. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chhatisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar are likely to arrive here during the day.

Amit Shah to visit JP’s village in Bihar

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit the birthplace of Jayaprakash Narayanan, popularly known as JP, in Bihar’s Saran district on Tuesday to attend the 120th birth anniversary celebrations of the socialist icon.

Accompanied by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Shah will reach Sitab Diara via Varanasi.

He will unveil a life-size statue of JP in Sitab Diara and address a public gathering. Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the home minister’s visit, officials said.

This will be Shah’s second visit to Bihar after the BJP was ousted from power in the state. Earlier, he visited Purnea and Kishanganj in the Seemanchal region on September 23.

Delhi CM Kejriwal flags off 50 low-floor CNG buses

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday flagged off 50 low-floor CNG-powered cluster buses and said they will improve connectivity to the rural belts of the national capital.

He also flagged off 30 Innova cars and 36 motorbikes for the enforcement wing of the Transport Department.

“These vehicles will be involved in enforcing lane discipline. From April, we started the lane discipline drive,” he said at the event.

According to transport department officials, this is the first time motorcycles have been inducted in the enforcement team. This will ensure enforcement teams can enter narrow lanes where cars cannot.

Kejriwal said there will be 1,800 electric buses on the roads of Delhi by 2023, while 80 per cent of the city’s fleet will be electric by 2025.

The government has floated a tender for 1,500 electric buses, and by November next year, 1,800 such buses will be playing on Delhi roads, he said.

“We have inducted 50 new low-floor CNG (air-conditioned) buses. From many years, people faced inconvenience since there were no buses. But in the last two-three years, electric, CNG, cluster buses have been inducted,” he added.

The new buses will be kept at the new Bawana bus depot.

“This will help rural connectivity. There are already 360 cluster bus routes. There will be six new routes for these buses that will serve rural areas,” he said.

Later, in a tweet in Hindi, Kejriwal said, “Today 50 new CNG buses and 66 new vehicles for road safety and bus lane enforcement were flagged off from the Rajghat depot. As many as 7,320 buses are on the roads of Delhi now, the highest-ever. By 2025, more than 10,000 buses will be in service of the people of Delhi, 80 per cent them will be electric buses.

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