A woman working in the paddy fields was gunned down by suspected hills-based militants in Manipur’s Bishnupur district on Saturday (November 9, 2024), officials said.

The incident took place in Saiton area when the woman, along with other farmers, went to tend to the crops when militants opened fire from hill-based positions on the low-lying farmlands in Imphal Valley.

The woman died on the spot, the officials said, adding the incident sparked tension in the village with the locals alleging that the central forces deployed in the area were not taking action to thwart such attacks.

Additional security forces have been sent to the area.

The killing came two days after a 31-year-old woman was killed in an attack by unidentified persons on Zairon Hmar village in Jiribam district on Thursday (November 7, 2024) night.

Six houses were burnt in the incident. The woman’s charred remains were found by villagers on Friday afternoon.

More than 200 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and adjoining hills-based Kukis in Manipur since May last year.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah addresses the joint ‘Vijay Sankalp Sabha’ of Hazaribagh, Ramgarh and Mandu Assembly Constituencies ahead of the Jharkhand Assembly polls.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Accusing Hemant Soren-led government in Jharkhand of according to a red-carpet welcome to Bangladeshi infiltrators, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said such forces will be deported as soon as BJP forms government in the state.

He also charged the Congress and JMM of spreading lies that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will claim tribal rights making it clear that the saffron party will put tribals out of its ambit.

Also Read: BJP smashed backbones of poor states; squeezed Jharkhand like lemon: Hemant Soren

“The JMM-led coalition has laid out red carpet for Bangladeshi infiltrators, who settle in Jharkhand and grab tribal land, employment of youths and indulge in anti-national activities. Let the BJP regime form. They will be deported and not a bird will be allowed to cross the border,” Mr. Shah said at an election rally at Potka in East Singhbhum.

Also Read: Children born to ‘Bangladeshi infiltrators’ will not have tribal rights, says Nadda

He asserted that the saffron party will put corrupt Congress and JMM leaders behind bars, and realise every paisa of poor people they looted.

Peter Schwarz, president of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF)
and Antonio Ceriello, former head of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, interact with V. Mohan, chairman Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre in Chennai on Saturday, November 9, 2024
| Photo Credit: RAVINDRAN R

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) is drawing up new guidelines for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes in consultation with a global expert panel. These guidelines are being evaluated, and will be launched in Bangkok in April during the World Congress, said IDF president, Peter Schwarz.  

Prof. Schwarz was in Chennai along with the chairperson of the guidelines committee, Antonio Ceriello, (former head of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes – EASD) to give Indian diabetologists a sneak peek into the new set of guidelines.

Speaking to The Hindu, Prof. Schwarz said: “Forming such a guideline is always a big undertaking, because we need to put all the evidence — from science and clinical practice — together. What is unique about the International Diabetes Federation’s guidelines is that it does not lose the science, but makes sure that the practice is applied on to the environment in specific countries. We are talking about putting not the drugs, but the patient in the middle of the care model.” 

Prof. Chereillo added: “In many countries in the world, these guidelines are used by healthcare systems to justify some choices in terms of reimbursement or in terms of what can be allowed, how to access care. This is why we we wanted to set the minimum, basic care, that reflects the basic right of anyone with diabetes for treatment; less than this is not acceptable.” While there are multiple guidelines for diabetes in the world, he said most focus on the best available chances because they are coming from the United States or Europe. “But our idea is to give instruments to be used at [a] local level in order to get the best options for the treatment of diabetes.” 

The current, or existing guidelines from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) or EASD may not be suitable for all countries, because of accessibility and affordability issues, explained V. Mohan, chairman, Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialties Centre, Chennai. The IDF, which is an organisation comprising over 240 associations of diabetologists across the world, looks at it from a slightly different perspective than national associations for diabetology.  

For instance, the ADA’s recommendation that GLP-1 receptor agonists, including semaglutide, may be used as first-line treatment in certain cases “is questionable, for several reasons” said Prof. Ceriello. “I can say that they are good drugs. But there are several problems. Firstly, the shortage of the drugs. In Australia, for example, people were forced to stop because the drug was not anymore available. When these drugs which aid weight loss are stopped, the patients regain weight. So, as part of the guidelines we do not say GLP-1 first, then insulin. We keep insulin as our first choice, and if needed and suitable, you can add GLP-1.”

Prof. Schwarz chimed in: “I’m a strong supporter of calming down to look at the science and the impact. We would move the patient from a lifelong treatment with insulin, which is becoming cheaper and cheaper, to a lifelong treatment with an expensive drug. This has social and financial dimensions and there are side effects – all of which we have to consider.” Dr. Mohan added that there is currently no long-term data on the side effects of the GLP-1 class of drugs, so it may not be advisable to use them as the first-line for everyone at this stage. 

Global diabetes index

Prof. Schwarz added that the IDF is also developing a global diabetes index. “Once a year we will ask 100,000 physician and 100,000 patients in every country in the world about their perception of the quality of diabetes care, and it will be translated into a score of up to 100. Then, immediately, we can compare the quality of diabetes care in Kerala with Wisconsin in the United States. Countries can learn best practices from each other. For instance, he said, the chain of institutions Dr. Mohan runs would be a role model on how to conduct diabetes care in different areas with varying income groups.  

Vishwajit Rane. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Goa Minister Vishwajit Rane on Saturday (November 9, 2024) asked top officials of Departments under him to file police complaints over alleged forged appointment and offer letters.

The directive came after Goa Congress chief Amit Patkar showed several such letters given to aspirants for jobs in Urban Development, Town and Country Planning and Health Departments, all of which are part of Mr. Rane’s portfolio.

Mr. Patkar, addressing a press conference, said these were part of efforts to extort money from aspirants, adding the offer and appointment letters have signatures of head of Departments (HoDs).

Responding to the allegations, Mr. Rane, in a media statement, said, “Forgery of government officials’ signatures is a criminal offence. All Department heads have been instructed to file FIRs against individuals involved in producing and distributing these fraudulent documents.” Mr. Rane claimed one of the letters had a forged stamp of the Forest Department and that it falsely implicated official Jyoti Sardessai, who is actually a former director of the Food and Drug Administration.

“It shows the lengths to which individuals are going to misrepresent government authorities and mislead the public,” Mr. Rane said in the statement, adding strict action would be taken against such defamatory activities.

“The circulation of a call recording by an individual allegedly offering to sell government jobs was intended to damage the reputation of the minister and departments involved,” Mr. Rane said. “Steps should be taken to ensure the police investigate and address this misconduct,” the Minister said.

The cash for government jobs “scam” came to light in the State after six persons were arrested for allegedly taking bribes, following which Chief Minister Pramod Sawant asked people to come forward and file complaints in case they have been duped in this manner.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Patkar, addressing a press conference, said Mr. Sawant should clarify if vacancies will be filled through the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) or individual Departments. He also said the Congress would petition Governor P.S. Sreedharan Pillai over these irregularities.

“The State Government must issue a white paper on the availability of jobs. These vacancies must be filled through SSC to curb such scams. A high-level commission should be constituted to probe the issue,” Mr. Patkar said. “The BJP government in Goa allowed vacancies to lapse so that they could be filled on a contractual basis,” he alleged.

The KEA has collected the IP address from which seats in the most sought-after courses in top colleges were selected by students, said Minister for Higher Education M.C. Sudhakar
| Photo Credit: file photo

The State government has decided to file a criminal complaint against Internet Protocol (IP) addresses from which multiple entries were made on the Karnataka Examinations Authority portal during government quota seat selection after the Common Entrance Test 2024 for admissions to engineering courses.

Following allegations of seat-blocking, the KEA issued notices to over 2,300 students and has now identified the IP addresses that were used for multiple registrations.

Speaking to the presspersons on Friday (November 8), M.C. Sudhakar, Minister for Higher Education, said, “The KEA has collected the IP address from which seats in the most sought-after courses in top colleges were selected by students, who later did not report to the colleges. Based on this, we have decided to file a criminal complaint.”

Many students have lost seats because of such fraudulent activity. Therefore, we want to put an end to such criminal malpractices and send a strong message to those involved, he said.

The Minister said the seat-blocking case was suspected to have taken place in BMS College of Engineering (92 seats), Akash Institute of Technology (82), New Horizon College of Engineering (52), Vivekananda Institute of Technology (45), Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering (34), Sir M.Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology (32) and M.V.J.College of Engineering (31 seats), and in streams like computer science, artificial intelligence, and other related subjects.

However, the government cannot act against the colleges at this stage since the role of these colleges needs to be investigated. Nor can the government issue a notice without proof,” the Minister said.

We suspect a huge racket is behind this, he added.

A file photo of JD(S) national president and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda at an election rally in Channapatna Assembly constituency where his grandson Nikhil Kumaraswamy is contesting as the NDA candidate.
| Photo Credit: K. BHAGYA PRAKASH

Stating that he will not rest till he gets rid of the Congress government in the State, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, whose family has been taunted by Congress leaders for weeping in public, on Friday said his family has “inherited tears because the family has come up from poverty”.

“I will not say anything to those who are taunting us. We are aware of the problem of farmers and the poor. Those who respond to problems will have the heart of a mother. Our family understands poverty and problems,” the former Prime Minister told presspersons at Pandavapura in Mandya district, recalling his early years of poverty. “When a farmer is in trouble, we weep.”

Targeting Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, he alleged that the former had “worked for underworld don Kotwal Ramachandra for ₹100 but is now the president of the party that had been presided over by people like Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.”

His reaction came after former Bengaluru Rural MP D.K. Suresh taunted the family for shedding tears in public for the sake of votes, and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that NDA candidate for the Channapatna Assembly seat byelection Nikhil Kumaraswamy has been tutored to “continue with the family’s tradition of weeping”.

Silence over Prajwal

The Chief Minister had also questioned the silence of the former Prime Minister’s family over the sexual assault cases allegedly involving former MP Prajwal Revanna, and had sought to know why Mr. Gowda, Mr. Nikhil Kumaraswamy, and Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy had not shed tears for the sexual assault victims.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addresses a public meeting for Ghaziabad UP Assembly seat bye-elections, in Ghaziabad, on November 8, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Uttar Pradesh Chief Yogi Adityanath on Friday (November 8 2024) addressing election rallies in Kundarki, Meerapur and Ghaziabad Assembly seats requested voters to give a clear message in the country that goons and rioters have no place in electoral politics and nationalist people who respect farmers, daughters and sister should be elected. He alleged that wherever the Samajwadi Party (SP) workers are seen daughters are scared. 

“Samajwadi Party (SP) is a party that plays with public faith and public safety. While our double engine government is working with commitment to protect the honor of every daughter and sister, extending development to every village, street and neighbourhood and to uplift every poor person, on the other hand the SP has a tendency to cheat. They cheat the people, cheat the youth, cheat the farmers, cheat the poor, it is the time to teach such people lessons in electoral politics,” Mr. Adityanath said in Ghaziabad.

Earlier addressing a rally in Kundarki Assembly segment under Moradabad district, he accused the SP of corruption in recruitment examinations. “When recruitment was announced in their rule, Saifai’s list used to be there in that recruitment. Now any youth from the 25 crore population of Uttar Pradesh gets a job on the basis of merit without any discrimination,” he asserted. 

Nine Assembly seats including Sisamau in Kanpur, Katehri in Ambedkar Nagar, Kundarki in Moradabad, Ghaziabad in Ghaziabad, Majhwan in Mirzapur, Karhal in Mainpuri district, Khair in Aligarh, Phulpur in Prayagrah and Meerapur in Muzaffarnagar district are going for byelections on November 20, in place of earlier declared date of November 13. 

Image used for representation only.
| Photo Credit: K. K. Mustafah

As the tea industry in the country continues to grapple with quality issues the Indian Tea Association (ITA) on Friday emphasised on the introduction of a statutory scientific quality grading system from one leaf to five leaf marks on tea retail packets to enhance market competitiveness and consumer trust.

The proposal was made during the 141 Annual General Meeting of the Indian Tea Association where ITA chairperson Hemant Bangur floated the proposal during his speech.

Speaking on the issue of quality and compliance as far as tea is concerned, Mr. Bangur emphasized that the industry is committed to ensuring safe tea consumption through rigorous maximum residue limits (MRL) compliance. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has set maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticides used in tea.

“The proactive measures taken by Assam and West Bengal State Governments and the Tea Board to foster an ecosystem of compliance, which is crucial for enhancing the brand equity of Indian teas, was commended.” the ITA chairperson said.

During the AGM, the stakeholders of tea industry highlighted the challenges faced by the industry which included the “unsustainable increase in costs” amidst “unremunerative prices” with “adverse weather conditions across Assam and Bengal” further aggravating the situation. 

Referring to the Tea Board data Mr. Bangur pointed out that there has been drop of tea production across north India, and as of September 2024 the crop decline stands ar 63 million kilograms

“With a low compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of tea prices (2.88%) compared to rising input costs (10-12% CAGR), tea industry in the last decade has been in a perpetual state of crisis,” the ITA chairperson said.

There has been some silver lining on the export side with an increase by 31 million kilograms till August 2024. The ITA chairman also urged for enhanced incentives to support the production of orthodox teas, which are highly sought after in international markets.

The ITA also emphasised that the Darjeeling tea sector needs a financial relief package which has the endorsement of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce.

Nelamangala police arrested a man for allegedly assaulting a woman police sub-inspector.

According to the police, the accused, identified as Madhusudhan, and his mother, went to the police station after a dispute. She had filed a complaint against him at the station.

When the duo started to quarrel again, the woman police allegedly slapped Madhusudhan, who hit her back, the police said.

Following the incident that took place on Thursday night, the police registered a case and arrested Madhusudhan.

SEBI chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Anti-corruption watchdog Lokpal on Friday (November 8, 2024) sought an explanation from the chief of India’s stock market regulator, Madhabi Puri Buch, on the conflict of interest charges levelled against her in three separate complaints that cited a recent report from the U.S.-based shortseller firm, Hindenburg Research.

The order, issued by a Bench led by Lokpal chairperson Justice A.M. Khanwilkar, stressed that this was only a procedural direction and does not explicitly name Ms. Buch. However, it implies that Ms. Buch is required to file an affidavit within four weeks from the receipt of the order, and the Lokpal Bench will take up the mater for further consideration on December 19.

Also Read: SEBI chief Madhabi Puri Buch skips Parliament’s PAC summons, citing personal reasons

Hindenburg Research, which had alleged malfeasance and stock price manipulation by the Adani group of companies in early 2023, published a report this August stating that the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) had drawn a blank in its probe into the Adani group due to a reluctance “to follow a trail that may have led to its own chairperson”; apart from regulatory “conflict or capture”.

Following the research firm’s report, SEBI, as well as Ms. Buch and her spouse Dhaval Buch, who was also named in the report, had issued separate statements in a bid to clarify those charges.

Complaint filed in Aug.

A complaint was filed in the matter with the Lokpal on August 13, 2024, naming the public servant [Ms. Buch] against whom action was sought under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act for allegedly having committed an offence punishable under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Another plaint was submitted with similar charges on September 11, followed by a third one on October 14.

Having gone through the complaints, the Lokpal issued an order on Friday, stating: “For the present, without expressing any opinion on the relevance and admissibility of the allegations/contents of the complaint (s) and the explanatory affidavit (s), including about the correctness of the plea taken therein by the respective complainant, we deem it appropriate to call upon the said RPS (respondent public servant) to offer explanation qua the allegations made against her in the respective complaint and elaborated in the concerned explanatory affidavit.”

“We also make it amply clear that since the allegations are primarily against the named RPS being a public servant and implicit reference is made to other persons, coupled with the fact that the complainant (s) themselves have primarily prayed for action under the Act against the named RPS, the opportunity to offer explanation is being limited to the named RPS in the respective complaint at this stage,” it said.

Earlier, the Lokpal had asked the first two complainants in the matter to clarify certain issues in an order dated September 20, following which they had filed explanatory affidavits. “In other words, we are now called upon to consider not only the allegations noted in the original complaints but also the contents of the explanatory affidavit (s) filed to delineate justification as to why action against the public servant ought to proceed,” Friday’s Lokpal diktat noted.

In its September order, the Lokpal noted that the complainants had pointed to “certain extremely serious personal allegations” against the public servant made by Hindenburg Research. Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra was one of three complainants against the SEBI chief, and had alleged “quid pro quo arrangements, which potentially threaten national interests”.