AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday (November 9, 2024) slammed the BJP over its leaders’ “vote jihad” remark and asked if they use the same language when the Prime Minister visits Arab countries.

The Hyderabad MP accused the ruling party of deflecting focus from core issues like farmer suicides in Maharashtra. He went door-to-door in Aurangabad Central constituency in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and interacted with voters.

Also Read: Congress-ruled states ATM of party’s ‘shahi parivar’, MVA symbol of corruption: PM Modi

AIMIM has nominated Naser Siddiqui from the constituency, where he faces sitting MLA Pradip Jaiswal of Shiv Sena and Balasaheb Thorat of Shiv Sena (UBT), for the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly elections.

“Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is talking about ‘vote jihad’ in the State. But do they use the same language when the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) visits Arab countries,” asked the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief.

He said 324 farmers have died by suicide in “Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) division”, but no one is talking about it.

“Instead, Fadnavis is remembering ‘vote jihad’, They are just targeting only one community. They should answer why they failed to ensure reservation for the Maratha community,” he said.

Mr. Owaisi also appealed to Marathas, Muslims and Dalits to stay united.

“Looking at the political landscape of Maharashtra, it is the need of the hour that Marathas, Muslims and Dalits stay united and live in harmony,” he said.

The Aurangabad Central constituency is a part of the State’s Marathwada region, where activist Manoj Jarange has been agitating demanding quota for Marathas in education and government jobs.

Asked about the allegations that some NGOs in Maharashtra are working to propagate ‘vote jihad’, Mr. Owaisi said anyone can campaign in an election by abiding by the law. “Where did ‘jihad’ come in this,” he asked.

Targeting the Opposition bloc Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), senior BJP leader Fadnavis had claimed earlier that “vote jihad” was witnessed in 14 out of the 48 constituencies in Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha elections.

“In the Dhule constituency, the BJP candidate led with 1.9 lakh votes in five Assembly seats… However, our candidate lost the election by just 4,000 votes because of voting in the Malegaon Central Assembly segment,” he had said, referring to what he called ‘vote jihad’.

Representative image
| Photo Credit: MOORTHY RV

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has observed that the water quality in the Ganga in Uttar Pradesh is deteriorating because of the discharge of sewage or sullage into the river.

Earlier, while considering the prevention and control of pollution in the Ganga, the green body sought compliance reports from various states, including Uttar Pradesh.

In an order dated November 6, a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava said according to the report from Uttar Pradesh, there was a gap of 128 million litres per day (MLD) in sewage treatment in Prayagraj district.

25 untapped drains

Also, 25 untapped drains discharged untreated sewage into the Ganga in the district and 15 untapped drains discharged the sullage into the Yamuna, the bench, also comprising judicial member Justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert member A Senthil Vel, said.

“We find that out of the 326 drains disclosed in the report of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) dated October 22, 247 drains are untapped (in the state) and discharging 3,513.16 MLD of waste water into the river Ganga and its tributaries,” the tribunal said.

Expressing dissatisfaction, it directed the state’s chief secretary to file an affidavit disclosing the information regarding each drain across different districts, the sewage generated from those, the sewage treatment plants (STP) to which those were proposed to be connected and the timeline for making the STPs functional.

“The affidavit will also disclose the short-term measures that will be adopted to prevent the discharge of untreated sewage in the river in respect of each of the districts and drain till STPs are made fully functional and 100 per cent household connectivity is achieved,” the bench said.

Non-operational sewage treatment plants

It also took note of the CPCB report disclosing the status of 41 STPs across 16 Ganga-front towns, which said six plants are non-operational and of the 35 operational STPs, only one complied with the rules.

“We also find that the water quality monitored at 41 locations clearly discloses that faecal coliform (FC) exceeds the most probable number (MPN) of 500/100 ml at 16 locations and is more than 2,500 MPN/100 ml at 17 locations. Thus, it clearly discloses the fact that the water quality is deteriorating on account of the discharge of sewage or sullage into the river Ganga,” the tribunal said.

According to the CPCB, the desirable level of faecal coliform, which is the microbes from the excreta of humans and animals, is MPN of 500/100 ml.

The tribunal also directed the chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh to disclose the steps taken or proposed for making the STPs functional and to ensure that all the plants comply with the specified norms.

The affidavit has to be filed within four weeks, it said.

The matter has been posted on January 20 for further proceedings.

Marianna De Sanctis, Head of film repair, L’Immagine Ritrovata, leading a workshop on film restoration at the Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan on Friday.

The 9th edition of Film Preservation and Restoration Workshop India 2024 organised by the Film Heritage Foundation got under way here on Friday with sessions on digital preservation, film conservation and restoration, digitisation, disaster recovery, cataloguing, paper and photograph conservation and programming. The workshop was officially inaugurated on Thursday (November 7, 2024) in the presence of filmmaker Saeed Akhtar Mirza, actors Sheela and Jalaja, Chief Secretary Saradha Muraleedharan and others.

Among the 66 participants, 30 are from Kerala, while the rest are from Australia, South Korea, United Kingdom, Romania, Sri Lanka and from various States in India. Experts from L’Immagine Ritrovata, Institut National de l’Audiovisuel (INA), Cinemateca Portuguesa, Fondation Jerome Seydoux – Pathe, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, La Cinematheque de Toulouse and The Criterion Collection/Janus Films, Martin Scorsese-led Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project and the British Film Institute are leading the sessions.

Anantapur District Collector Vinod Kumar V. at the inaugural of the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar mela in Anantapur town on Saturday (November 09).
| Photo Credit: ARRANGEMENT

Anantapur District Collector Vinod Kumar V. has said the district had all the potential to achieve top place in the country in implementation of Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar scheme.

The Collector, speaking at the PM Surya Ghar mela held at the APSPDCL office here on Saturday (November 09), urged people to get a solar rooftop installed with subsidy through the scheme which would bring down the electricity bills. Mr. Vinod Kumar said the district receives lesser rainfall and temperatures are very high which is suitable for solar power generation.

Mr. Vinod Kumar said the district should achieve top rank in the implementation of the scheme not just at State but at the national-level and asked the officials, people and bank officials to work in this direction. He asked officials to implement the scheme in the city as well as 32 mandals of the district and implement the scheme in a mission mode.

The Collector said government and bank officials should take up the benefits of the scheme effectively to the people. He urged officials to give priority to utilise every drop of rain water and solar energy to the optimum level.

GUWAHATI:

The Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland or NSCN (I-M) has sought “third-party intervention” to resolve the 27-year-old “Naga political issue”, a euphemism for its conflict with the Centre.

The extremist group, which calls itself the National Socialist Council of Nagalim, also threatened to resume its “armed resistance” if the proposal is rejected and accused the Centre of betraying the “letter and spirit” of the Framework Agreement signed in 2015.

The “betrayal” alludes to the Centre’s alleged refusal to recognise a separate Naga flag and Naga constitution the NSCN (I-M) demanded to end the conflict that began in the 1940s. The outfit claimed the Indian government agreed to recognise the “unique history” of the Nagas and the idea of “shared sovereignty”. The Centre said it did not make such commitments.

“In order to conclude and realise an honourable political agreement, we rule out peaceful means against the ignominious betrayal of the letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement of August 3, 2015, by the Government of India,” NSCN (I-M) general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah, also the chief political negotiator, said in a statement on Friday.

“However, in the first place, we propose a third-party intervention to resolve the betrayal of the letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement, but if such a political initiative is rejected by the GoI, NSCN shall resume the violent armed resistance against India for defending Nagalim unique history and her sovereign existence,” he said.

The NSCN (I-M) claims the Naga-inhabited areas of the northeast were made a part of India without the consent of the people. Naga groups declared “independence” on August 14, 1947, leading to decades of armed conflict with Indian security forces.

Formed in January 1980, the NSCN continued the conflict but split in 1988 into two groups—one led by Isak-Muivah and the other by S.S. Khaplang. The NSCN (I-M) declared a ceasefire with the Centre in July 1997, and its members have been living in their designated camps since.

After several rounds of talks, the Centre and the NSCN (I-M) signed the Framework Agreement in 2015 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called it a landmark development. This agreement was to have settled the conflict until the Centre signed the Agreed Position in 2017 with a conglomerate of Naga extremist groups opposed to the NSCN (I-M).

“The violent confrontation between India and Nagalim shall be purely on account of the deliberate betrayal and breach of commitment by India and its leadership to respect and honour the letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement… Therefore, India and its leadership shall be held responsible for the catastrophic and adverse situation that will arise out of the violent armed conflict between India and Nagalim,” Mr Muivah said.

He said the “Nagalim sovereign national flag and Nagalim sovereign constitution” must be officially recognised and acknowledged if the Centre desires an “honourable political agreement”.

Madras High Court. File
| Photo Credit: K. Pichumani

The Madras High Court has directed the Home Secretary to conduct an inquiry with respect to the allegation of prison staff being used for personal work of the higher officials in most of the prisons in the State and ensure that the former perform only prison duties.

A Division Bench of Justices S.M. Subramaniam and M. Jothiraman said, the inquiry regarding the allegations levelled by a writ petitioner could be conducted with the assistance of the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department or through the intelligence wing.

If the allegations levelled by the petitioner Sujatha were found to be true, the Home Secretary must issued orders withdrawing all the uniformed personnel from the residences of the higher officials in the prison department and deploy them only for prison work.

“The said exercise is to be done by the first respondent (Home Secretary) within a period of three weeks from today. List the matter on November 29, 2024 for filing of status report before this court,” the Division Bench said in the interim order passed on the writ petition.

The petitioner’s counsel M. Radhakrishnan and P. Pugalendhi told the court that as many as 60 prisoners had been lodged in every cell at the Puzhal Central Prison though only 20 prisoners must be lodged in each cell as per the rules governing the administration of prisons.

They said the 60 prisoners had to use the same toilet leading to unhygienic conditions. The counsel also complained about only 15 prison warders being deployed in a shift at the central prison though there should be 60 warders in every shift in order to keep a watch over the inmates.

They also alleged most of the prison warders get deployed at the residences of the higher officials for performing their personal work.

Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar addresses the 4th Convocation Ceremony of National Institute of Technology Delhi, at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, on November 9, 2024.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Demonising Constitutional institutions and sermonising people is fast becoming a “pastime”, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Saturday (November 9, 2024) and cautioned that such actions are a recipe for chaos.

He also said even those who “constitutionally matter in the political arena” are “sermonising all and demonising our Constitutional institutions”. Addressing an event of an educational institution in New Delhi, the Vice-President said it is time to “bid adieu to this”.

“Also, I say with utmost restraint — time for our elites to be elites. To them, I appeal — to be a worthy elite, you have to be spurred by the fervour of nationalism,” he said, without naming anyone.

Mr. Dhankhar also spoke on the crucial role of the alumni in strengthening the educational ecosystem, urging for active participation and contributions to alumni associations.

“The alumni of an institution are in several ways its lifeline…. I strongly urge to have an alumni fund. Making annual contributions is all important. Some of the best institutions globally have been on an upward trajectory because these institutions are fuelled by alumni energy,” he said.

The Vice-President said associations of trade, industry, business, and commerce must also come forward to fuel research and spur innovation through liberal financial contributions.

Waterlogging due to heavy rains in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, in October 2024. File photo
| Photo Credit: Akhila Easwaran

Tamil Nadu has experienced a significant rise in extreme weather events in 2024, with 67 extreme weather days recorded so far, nearly double the 27 days reported in 2023. This sharp increase is highlighted in the Climate India 2024 report, published by the Centre for Science and Environment and Down to Earth.

In Tamil Nadu, the impact has been severe, with rising temperatures, heavy rainfall, and cyclonic storms causing damage to agriculture, infrastructure, and local communities.

The State recorded 67 extreme weather event days in 2024, according to the report. It also reported 25 human fatalities, 14 livestock deaths, and the damage of 149 houses due to these extreme weather events.

While Tamil Nadu is one of the worst-hit States, neighbouring Kerala and Karnataka have experienced even more frequent and intense weather disruptions.

According to the report, India has experienced extreme weather on 255 out of 274 days in the first nine months of 2024, surpassing the number of extreme days recorded in the previous two years. This makes 2024 the most extreme year in terms of weather events over the last three years, with a worrying trend of daily extreme events continuing since 2022.

The report is based on data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), which tracks extreme weather events over 24-hour periods. For tracking damage from extreme weather, the IMD relies on media reports and includes details on human fatalities and livestock losses in its monthly summary.

Crop loss

One of the biggest impacts of these extreme weather events has been on agriculture. In 2024 alone, Tamil Nadu reported 1,039 hectares of crop damage due to irregular rainfall, intense heatwaves, and storm surges. The loss of crops like paddy, sugarcane, and groundnut has further strained the livelihoods of farmers and aggravated food security concerns in the region.

: The Election Commission of India on Friday named IAS officer Archana Patnaik as the Chief Electoral Officer of Tamil Nadu, replacing incumbent Satyabrata Sahoo. Ms. Patnaik is at present the Secretary of the MSME Department.

Ms. Patnaik would cease to hold and hand over forthwith the charge of all or any charges of work under the Government of Tamil Nadu, which she may be holding before such assumption of office as the CEO, a notification from the Election Commission of India said.

Mr. Sahoo has already been posted as Secretary of the Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairy Development Department.

A file photo of a health worker at a COVID-19 testing camp at K.R. Market bus stand in Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit:
K. Murali Kumar

The initial quotes by the two firms that bagged the order for 3 lakh PPE kits — DHB Global Hong Kong (China) and Big Pharmaceuticals — included freight and transportation charges. But a corrigendum was issued days later, changing the nature of the contract leading to the Karnataka government bearing the freight and transportation charges, which resulted in undue benefit to the suppliers to an extent of ₹14.21 crore, the John Michael D’Cunha Commission report on alleged irregularities during COVID-19 noted. 

At whose instance?

“It is not known at whose instance the above corrigendum came to be issued. Nonetheless, by this corrigendum, not only the fundamental terms of the contract were altered with regard to the specifications of the equipment, but also the terms of transportation were changed to the detriment of the procuring entity. By altering the contract, the procuring entity is seen to have agreed to bear the additional transportation fee from the point in the delivery of the shipment such as the cost of shipping, packaging charges and the cost of transportation from freight station to the Warehouse,” the report said. 

The corrigendum and the consequent payment of freight and transportation charges, the report notes,“ was wholly arbitrary, malafide, without authority of law and was intended to confer undue advantage to the suppliers to the extent of ₹14.21 crore.” It recommends disciplinary action against officials concerned.

‘Criminal misconduct’

It also said the act of not only approving the contract but also the subsequent corrigendum by the then Chief Minister and the then Health Minister “amounts to criminal misconduct” under The Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.