Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in a group photo with State Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, MLAs and MLCs during the last day of Winter Session of State Assembly, in Nagpur on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday (December 21, 2024) allocated portfolios to his council of ministers, retaining the crucial Home department with him.

Mr. Fadnavis will also handle Energy, Law and Judiciary, General Administration Department and Information and Publicity departments, an official statement said here.

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has been allocated Urban Development, Housing and Public Works Department (public enterprises).

Ajit Pawar, another deputy CM, got Finance and Planning, State Excise.

The portfolios were allocated after the weeklong winter session of the state Legislature ended earlier in the day.

As many as 39 ministers had been sworn in on December 15, before the start of the session, while Mr. Fadnavis and his two deputies had taken the oath of office on December 5.

The Mahayuti alliance of the BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena swept the November 20 assembly elections, winning 230 of 288 seats.

Portfolios allocated to BJP ministers are — Chandrashekhar Bawankule (Revenue), Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil (Water Resources- Krishna and Godavari Valley Development corporation), Chandrakant Patil (Higher and Technical Education, Parliamentary affairs), Girish Mahajan (Water Resources- Vidarbha , Tapi, Konkan Development Corporation and Disaster Management).

Ganesh Naik has been given Forests, Mangal Prabhat Lodha Skill Development, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Jaykumar Raval Marketing and Protocol, Pankaja Munde Environment and Climate Change, Animal Husbandry; Atul Save OBC Welfare, Dairy Development and Renewable Energy.

Ashok Uike has been given Tribal Development, Ashish Shelar Cultural Affairs and Information Technology, Shivendrasinh Bhosale Public Works.

Jaykumar Gore has been given Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Sanjay Savkare Textiles, Nitesh Rane Fisheries and Ports, Akash Fundkar Labour.

Shiv Sena Ministers’ portfolios: Gulabrao Patil Water Supply and Sanitation, Dadaji Bhuse School Education, Sanjay Rathod Soil and Water Conservation, Uday Samant Industries and Marathi language, Shambhuraj Desai Tourism, Mining, Ex-servicemen Welfare, Sanjay Shirsat Social Justice, Pratap Sarnaik Transport, Bharat Gogawale Employment Guarantee, Horticulture, Salt Pan Lands Development; Prakash Abitkar Public Health and Family Welfare.

NCP ministers’ portfolios: Hasan Mushrif Medical Education, Dhananjay Munde Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, Dattatrey Bharne Sports ,Youth welfare and Minority Development and Aukaf, Aditi Tatkare Women and Child Development , Manikrao Kokate Agriculture.

Narhari Zirwal has been given Food and Drug Administration, Special assistance. Makrand Patil has been given Relief and Rehabilitation, while Babasaheb Patil was allocated Cooperation.

Among Ministers of States, Shiv Sena’s Ashish Jaiswal has been given Finance and Planning, Agriculture, Relief and Rehabilitation, Law and Judiciary and Labour.

BJP’s Madhuri Misal has been given Urban Development, Transport, Social Justice, Medical Education, Minorities Development and Aukaf.

Pankaj Bhoyar, also of BJP has got Home (Rural), Housing, School Education, Cooperation and Mining.

BJP ‘s Meghana Bordikar has got Public Health and Family Welfare, Water Supply and Sanitation, Energy, Women and Child Development, Public Works (Public Enterprises).

At the 55th Goods and Services Tax Council (GST) meeting held in Jaisalmer on Saturday, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu backed the proposal to reduce the GST rate on gene therapy (CAR- T cell therapy) from 12% to nil rate to alleviate the burden of cancer patients.

He also supported the proposal to exempt the composition tax payers from GST on renting of commercial property to registered persons payable on reverse charge mechanism. The Minister stressed the need for development and sharing of MIS reports to all States for effective implementation of the circular to clarify the recording of correct place of supply of online services to unregistered recipients.

The meeting was attended by the Commercial Taxes secretary Brajendra Navnit, Commissioner of Commercial Taxes D.Jagannathan, and senior officers from the State.

The christmas fare of the Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco) opened here on Saturday (December 21). The fare is open till December 30 at Ernakulathappan Ground in the city, said a press release.

The fare aims to curb inflation during the festival period, offering thirteen subsidised items and other daily essentials at discounted rates, the release added.

In addition to the subsidised items, branded products, including Sabari products, rice powders, and meat masala, would be available at the Supplyco Fare with discounts ranging from 5-30%, it said.

To whom does an iPhone, which fell into a temple hundial, belong? In Tamil Nadu, it’s usually owed to the diety in temples. According to the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Act, any item — be it gold or silver ornaments or money deposited into the hundial in any temple — will belong to the deity.

In this case, the iPhone has been reported to have fell into the hundial Arulmigu Kandaswamy temple in Thiruporur on August 18 at noon by Dinesh, a resident of Ambattur. A month later, he submitted a letter to the temple saying he would like to be informed when the hundial was opened as he would like to have his phone back.

He also said that he was not aware to have dropped his phone in the hundial. It contained important data. He urged the temple authorities to inform him when the hundial would be opened. The hundial was opened on December 19th, and Mr. Dinesh was informed.

When The Hindu reached out to him, he said that the temple authorities told him to copy the data from the phone if he wanted after h submitting a letter to that effect and proving his ownership of the phone, though he had wrote a letter asking his phone back. He refused to provide any details.

Minister P. K. Sekarbabu said the department would abide by whatever was legal and take a decision accordingly. A retired official of the department said that it was best that the police be approached to deal with the issue. “It is not our job to question the ownership. It’s an electronic device and the department can either take a small amount as a fine and return it or hold a public auction to give it to the highest bidder.”

Karnataka has a rapidly growing corrugated packaging industry and with a market size of approximately ₹50,000 crore annually and a growth rate of 10-12%, India’s corrugated box manufacturing sector is poised to continue its upward trajectory for the next 5 to 10 years, said industry players.

Corrugated cartons are made up of a few layers of material rather than just a single sheet like cardboard.

Defence Economist and Senior Fellow at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, Abhijit Iyer-Mitra, who spoke at the 52nd Annual Meeting and Exhibition of the Federation of Corrugated Box Manufacturers (FCBM) held in Bengaluru highlighted the significant role of the sector in driving sustainability, efficiency, and innovation across various industries, including food and beverage, e-commerce, and more.

The event saw participation from leading industry experts, manufacturers, and policy makers, who discussed the key drivers and future trends shaping the industry. FCBM is the apex body of India’s corrugated packaging industry with a membership of over 2000 corrugated box manufacturers.

According to industry experts who spoke at the event, India has over 600 automated plants and another 7,000 semi-automatic plants in the corrugated box manufacturing space. The industry employs over half a million people and processes about 2 million tons of kraft paper annually into corrugated boxes.

Dharmendra V. Pandya, President of FCBM said, the corrugated box industry in the country was witnessing unparalleled growth, driven by strong demand in key sectors and the adoption of cutting-edge technologies.

The global corrugated packaging Industry is estimated to be at $300 billion and is growing at a CAGR of 4.3% fueled by expansion of e-commerce consumer preference for biodegradable packaging and innovations in lightweight materials. The Indian packaging industry is estimated to grow at 22 to 25% annually and the corrugated packaging Industry is expected to grow at 10-12%.

‘’As we look ahead, we anticipate significant shifts toward larger automatic plants and advanced machinery, which will not only enhance productivity but also meet the evolving needs of consumers and businesses alike,’‘ added Pandya.

Some of the key factors fuelling the growth of the industry include the increasing demand for packaging solutions in the food and beverage industry, the rapid rise of e-commerce, and favorable government initiatives aimed at boosting manufacturing capabilities and sustainability.

Satish Krishna Sail
| Photo Credit: File Photo

The High Court of Karnataka has suspended the conviction of MLA for Karwar Satish Krishna Sail in six cases of illegal export of seized iron ore, in which he was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment in each of the cases.

The court also directed that the Karwar Assembly constituency should not be notified for byelection as per Section 151 of the Representation of the People (RP) Act, 1951, till the outcome of his appeal against the trial court’s verdict of conviction and sentence.

Justice M. Nagaprasanna passed the interim order on December 19 as Mr. Sail stood disqualified as an MLA since October 24, the day on which he was convicted, as per Section 8 of the RP Act.

The court also said Mr. Sail should not be disqualified to contest future elections during the pendency of this appeal.

Restrictions

With this interim order, Mr. Sail would retain his position as the MLA for Karwar but with limited rights as the High Court has imposed several restrictions on him in terms of the apex court’s order, passed in the case of Afsal Ansari vs. State of Uttar Pradesh in a similar situation in which Afsal Ansar faced disqualification as a Member of Parliament following his conviction and sentence beyond two years in terms of the RP Act.

The High Court said Mr. Sail would not be entitled to participate in the proceedings of the Legislative Assembly and would have no right to cast his vote in the House or to draw any perks or monetary benefits.

In view of the suspension of conviction benefiting him to retain his position as an MLA, the High Court said his appeal would have to be heard expeditiously, as was directed by the apex court in the Afsal Ansari case, and decided to hear the appeal on February 10, 2025.

Fine to be paid

As per verdict of the trial court, apart from undergoing imprisonment, Mr. Sail has to personally pay around ₹9.26 crore as fine apart from paying another around ₹9.26 crore as fine on behalf of his company — Shri Mallikarjuna Shipping Pvt. Ltd., of which he is the managing director as he was found guilty of the offences of cheating and causing loss to the State exchequer by indulging in the illegal export of seized iron ore.

Though the High Court suspended his sentence on November 13, Mr. Sail filed an application for suspension of conviction to enable him to retain the position as MLA during the pendency of his appeal. 

नई दिल्ली: 2024 जब खत्म होने की कगार पर है, तब सिने प्रेमी उन फिल्मों की बात कर रहे हैं, जो सालभर दर्शकों के दिलों पर छाई रहीं. ‘पुष्पा 2’ जहां इंडिया की ‘ऑल टाइम ब्लॉकबस्टर्स’ में से एक बन गई है, वहीं ‘लापता लेडीज’ अपने ऑफबीट कॉन्टेंट के चलते दुनियाभर के दर्शकों की पसंदीदा सूची में शामिल है. इस बीच, अमेरिका के पूर्व राष्ट्रपति बराक ओबामा ने एक भारतीय फिल्म का जिक्र करके सिने प्रेमियों को रोमांचित कर दिया है. बराक ओबामा ने 2024 की अपनी पसंदीदा फिल्मों की सूची जारी की है, जिसमें पहला स्थान भारतीय फिल्म को दिया है.

पूर्व अमेरिकी राष्ट्रपति बराक ओबामा ने हर साल की तरह अपनी पसंदीदा फिल्मों की सालाना सूची शेयर की है. पायल कपाड़िया की फिल्म ‘ऑल वी इमेजिन एज लाइट’ की पिछले कुछ महीनों में ग्लोबल स्तर पर तारीफ हुई है. यह एकमात्र भारतीय फिल्म है जिसे बराम ओबामा की ने अपनी पसंदीदा फिल्मों की सूची में जगह दी है. उन्होंने शुक्रवार 20 दिसंबर को अपने सोशल मीडिया अकाउंट पर यह लिस्ट शेयर की.

फिल्म ने दुनियाभर में कई पुरस्कार जीते हैं.

बराक ओबामा की 2024 की पसंदीदा फिल्में
बराक ओबामा ने अपने इंस्टाग्राम हैंडल पर लिखा, ‘यहां कुछ फिल्में हैं जिन्हें मैं इस साल देखने की सलाह दूंगा.’ उन्होंने जो फोटो शेयर की है, उसमें लिखा था, ‘बराक ओबामा की 2024 की पसंदीदा फिल्में- ऑल वी इमेजिन एज लाइट, कॉन्क्लेव, द पियानो लेसन, द प्रॉमिस्ड लैंड, द सीड ऑफ द सेक्रेड फिग, ड्यून: पार्ट टू, एनोरा, दीदी, ए कंप्लीट अननोन.’

(फोटो साभार: Instagram@barackobama)

नर्स की अद्भुत कहानी है ‘ऑल वी इमेजिन एज लाइट’
‘ऑल वी इमेजिन एज लाइट’ दुनिया के मंच पर इतिहास रच रही है. फिल्म की चर्चा तब शुरू हुई थी, जब इसने साल की शुरुआत में ‘कान्स फिल्म फेस्टिवल’ में ग्रांड प्रिक्स अवॉर्ड जीता था. फिल्म को हाल में दो गोल्डन ग्लोब्स और क्रिटिक्स च्वाइस अवॉर्ड्स के लिए नॉमिनेट किया गया था. इसके अलावा, पायल ने कुछ दिनों पहले 29वें केरल इंटरनेशनल फिल्म फेस्टिवल (आईएफएफके) में ‘स्पिरिट ऑफ सिनेमा अवॉर्ड’ जीता था. इस फिल्म को ऑस्कर के लिए भारत की आधिकारिक एंट्री के लिए नहीं चुना गया था. ‘ऑल वी इमेजिन एज लाइट’ एक परेशान नर्स प्रभा की कहानी है, जिसे अपने अलग हो चुके पति से एक ‘उपहार’ मिलता है. फिल्म में कनी कुसरुति, दिव्या प्रभा और छाया कदम जैसे कलाकारों ने अहम रोल निभाया है.

Tags: Allu Arjun

The east division cyber crime police busted an online fraud racket and arrested four persons, including the branch manager of a private bank, in Rajkot in Gujarat in connection with accessing a payment gateway company’s website to withdraw ₹12.5 crore within two days .

CRED, having their corporate nodal account at AXIS bank Indiranagar branch in Bengaluru, filed a complaint that they lost ₹12.5 crore from their account after the accused allegedly took access to their account by using fake CIB request form with the directors’ fake signature.

One of main accused is Vaibhav Pitadia, who was working in Axis Bank’s corporate section in Rajkot. Based on his information, the police team arrested his associates, Shailesh from Rajkot, Nehaben and Shubham from Surat.

Investigation revealed that Vaibhav used his associates to create several mule accounts to transfer the money online which was later withdrawn and used personally.

The officials have seized the bank accounts and efforts are on to recover the money.

A set of decisions taken at the 55th Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meeting on Saturday is expected to address Kerala’s grievances regarding Integrated GST (IGST), Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal’s office said.

The meeting, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Jaisalmer, decided to ensure that bills for online services specifically mention the State where the consumer is located.

When traders fail to specify the destination of the service in bills related to interstate transactions, the State where the consumption took place stood to lose out on tax revenue. The GST Council decision is expected to offer a solution to this problem.

Kerala has been demanding greater accuracy in matters related to IGST, which is levied by the Union government, and then settled between the Centre and the State governments.

Further, the committee on IGST settlement has submitted recommendations for ensuring greater clarity and precision in the settlement process. This measure is expected to benefit Kerala.

In July, the Kerala Public Expenditure Review Committee had stressed the need for Kerala to pay close attention to the IGST mechanism, observing that the existing system actually works towards revenue loss for the State.

Police with the four accused for ganja smuggling in Chittoor on Saturday.

The Chittoor Urban police on Saturday arrested four youths and seized 8 kgs of ganja worth nearly ₹1.2 lakh at Bodigutta road near Chittoor-Bengaluru National Highway ouitskirts.

Chittoor Superintendent of Police (SP) V.N. Manikantha Chandolu said that a special party formed with members of the II-Town police rushed to the spot to get information about the covert activity and arrested the four accused.

According to the police, the four accused — Amarnath, Devendra, Lokesh, and Karthik — used to procure ganja stocks from a person named Vasu of Bangarupalem town, who is on the run, and sell the material in small quantities at profitable prices to their clients. During interrogation, it came to light that Vasu used to get the contraband from unknown persons at Visakhapatnam railway station and transport it to Chittoor town, before despatching the same to various localities.

The police registered a case and sent all the four accused, residents of Chittoor town, to remand.