#theshillongtimes

[theshillongtimes]

RG Kar protests: Junior doctors delegation, CM begin talks after govt allows transcription of proceedings

Kolkata, Sep 16:  After several abortive attempts, the meeting between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and a delegation of the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Forum (WBJDF), spearheading the movement against the ghastly rape and murder of a junior doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata, to end the ongoing impasse finally started at her south Kolkata residence around 7.10 p.m. on Monday.

Sources said that the meeting, which was slated for 5 p.m., had started smoothly after the two professional stenographers accompanying the 30-member delegation to record the minutes of the meeting on behalf of the protesting junior doctors were allowed entry to the meeting venue.

Besides the Chief Minister and the delegates, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and the state Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty were also there at the meeting. Before the meeting began, Banerjee told media persons that she was hopeful of the outcome of the meeting.

[theshillongtimes]

PM Modi has a new member at his residence, Deepjyoti

New Delhi, Sep 14: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a new member at his official residence — 7 Lok Kalyan Marg (LKM). Her name is ‘Deepjyoti’. ‘Deepjyoti’ is a newborn calf, having taken birth at the Prime Minister’s residence recently. PM Modi himself took to his social media handle and shared the information about the same.

[theshillongtimes]

CM Kejriwal cannot make comments about the case in public, says SC

New Delhi, Sep 13: In a major relief to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Supreme Court on Friday granted him bail in the corruption case linked to the alleged liquor policy scam, but set some conditions.

However, Justice Surya Kant, heading a two-judge bench, dismissed his distinct plea challenging the legality of arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the alleged liquor scam and the subsequent remand. Justice Kant held that there exists “no merit” in the contention that the CBI failed to adhere to the procedural law governing arrest and that Kejriwal’s arrest did not suffer from any procedural infirmities.

[theshillongtimes]

PoK residents should join India, says Rajnath Singh

JAMMU, Sep 8: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday asked the residents of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to come and join India as “we consider you our own unlike Pakistan which treats you as foreigners”. Addressing an election rally in the Ramban assembly constituency in support of BJP candidate Rakesh Singh Thakur, the Union minister asserted there is a sea change in the overall security situation in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. The senior BJP leader came down heavily on the National Conference-Congress alliance over its poll promise of restoring Article 370 and said it is impossible as long as the BJP is there.

[theshillongtimes]

Defence Ministry approves 10 capital acquisition proposals worth Rs 1.45 lakh crore including for a futuristic tank

New Delhi, Sep 3: In a huge boost to local defence manufacturing, the Centre on Tuesday approved 10 capital acquisition proposals amounting to Rs 1,44,716 crore, including for the modernisation of the Indian Army’s tank fleet with a futuristic Main Battle Tank.

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for 10 capital acquisition proposals amounting to Rs 1,44,716 crore. Of the total cost, 99 per cent is from indigenous sources under the ‘Buy (Indian)’ and ‘Buy (Indian-indigenously designed, developed and manufactured)’ categories, the ministry said in a statement.

The move clears the path for the procurement of future-ready combat vehicles (FRCVs), air defence fire control radars, Dornier-228 aircraft, next-generation fast patrol and offshore patrol vessels. The FRCV will be a futuristic Main Battle Tank with superior mobility, all-terrain ability, multilayered protections, precision & lethal fires over and real-time situational awareness, the Ministry of Defence said.

[theshillongtimes]

India-GCC bilateral trade reaches $162 billion, exports show consistent growth

New Delhi, Aug 28: Showing strong growth, the bilateral trade between India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries reached 162 billion dollars last year, the government has said.

The GCC now contributes 15 per cent of India’s total trade and sectors like energy, defence, security and health are growing in the region, according to Aseem P. Mahajan, Joint Secretary (Gulf), Ministry of External Affairs.

At a FICCI event in the national capital, he said that while overall trade figures might fluctuate, India’s exports to the GCC nations have shown “consistent growth”. According to him, the country exports various food processing, jewellery, synthetic fibres and yarns, textiles, pharmaceuticals and engineering goods, and chemical products to the GCC countries.

[theshillongtimes]

Bangladesh turmoil: BSF Guwahati Frontier steps up vigil along border

Guwahati, Aug 6: The Guwahati Frontier of Border Security Force (BSF) has, in the wake of the recent developments in Bangladesh, reviewed the security situation along the India-Bangladesh international border, anticipating various contingencies.

“A state of high alert has been declared to address any potential security threat. Commanders at all levels have been directed to maintain utmost vigilance and readiness to handle any unforeseen circumstances. They are to keep a strict watch on the border, with augmented manpower and the formation of quick reaction teams (QRTs),” a statement issued on Tuesday by the PRO, BSF Guwahati Frontier, said.

Notably, the India-Bangladesh international border spans 4096 kilometres, of which 509 km is under the jurisdiction of the BSF Guwahati Frontier, stretching from Cooch Behar district in West Bengal to South Salmara-Mankachar district in Assam.

[theshillongtimes]

Paris Olympics: ‘We wanted to play Germany in final’, says Harmanpreet ahead of hockey SF

Paris, Aug 5: After scripting a heroic win against Great Britain in the Quarter-Final of the Paris Olympic Games, a charged-up Indian men’s hockey team led by Harmanpreet Singh will take on a familiar foe in Germany on Tuesday in their quest to ‘change the colour of the medal’, here at the iconic Yves-du-Manoir Stadium.

For India, Harmanpreet (22’) netted a goal, while Lee Morton (27’) was on the scoresheet for the Great Britain as the match ended with score tied at 1-1 in the regular time, thus forcing the game into the shootout, where India converted all their chances and denied their opponents twice to win the match 1-1 (4-2 SO) and make it to the semifinals, where they face world no 2 Germany.

[theshillongtimes]

SC issues notice on PIL against guidelines curbing transgenders, female sex workers, gay men from donating blood

New Delhi, Aug 2: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to examine a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the guidelines issued by the National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC) and National Aids Control Organisation (NACO), imposing a blanket restriction on transgender persons, female sex workers, and gay men from donating blood.

Issuing notice, a bench, headed by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud, directed the listing of the plea with a similar pending matter. The plea, filed through advocate Ibad Mushtaq, said that the blanket prohibition provided under the 2017 Guidelines on Blood Donor Selection and Blood Donor Referral issued by the NBTC and NACO is a violation of the right to equality, dignity and life protected under Articles 14, 15, 17 and 21 of the Constitution.

[theshillongtimes]

Govt’s policies have potential to strengthen rupee: Piyush Goyal

New Delhi, August 1: Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that the government’s efforts to boost semiconductor manufacturing, domestic shipping and a reduction in imports of oilseeds, rubber and pulses have the potential to strengthen the rupee vis-a-vis the US dollar.

The Union Minister was speaking at an Assocham event for the launch of a book titled “Bharat@100: Envisioning Tomorrow’s Economic Powerhouse” written by former Chief Economic Advisor K.V. Subramanian.

[theshillongtimes]

25 years of Kargil victory

Dras (Ladakh), July 25: Twenty-five years after Indian bravehearts scripted a memorable victory for the country, winning decisive battles in the icy heights of Kargil, the Indian Army is honouring the valour, indomitable spirit and supreme sacrifices made by them in service of the nation with a solemn celebration in Dras. The two-day silver jubilee celebrations of the Kargil Vijay Diwas will culminate in Dras on Friday amid a patriotic fervour. (PTI)

[theshillongtimes]

Paris Olympics: All eyes on Bopanna and Sumit as India aim to relive 1996 tennis triumph

Shillong, July 21: The 1996 Olympics was, historically speaking, the pinnacle of Indian tennis as a sport. Against all odds, Leander Paes, at the age of 23, won bronze at the Atlanta Summer Games in 1996 despite not being a major power in the ATP Tour’s worldwide rankings.

Paes was the first and only Indian tennis player to win an Olympic medal. Fast forward to 2024, India will be aiming to recreate what Paes achieved in 1996 and bring an end to the 28-year-long medal drought in the sport of tennis, which is majorly dominated by European countries.

[theshillongtimes]

Two Indian coal mines among world’s five largest mines

New Delhi, July 18: Chhattisgarh-based Coal India subsidiary South Eastern Coalfields Limited’s Gevra and Kusmunda coal mines have secured the second and fourth spots, respectively, in the list of the world’s 10 largest coal mines released by WorldAtlas.com. Located in Korba district of Chhattisgarh, these two mines produce more than 100 million tonnes of coal annually, accounting for about 10 per cent of India’s total coal production, the Ministry of Coal said on Thursday.

[theshillongtimes]

NTA to conduct CUET-UG retest for ‘affected’candidates on July19

NEW DELHI, July 14: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has decided to conduct a retest for over 1000 candidates of CUET UG on July 19. The NTA had on July 7 released the provisional answer key of Common University Entrance Test (CUET)-UG 2024 and announced that it will conduct a retest for CUET UG candidates between July 15 and 19 if any grievance raised by students about the conduct of the exam is found to be correct. While the agency notified the retest schedule on Sunday, it remained silent on the declaration of the result which has already been delayed by over two weeks with the final answer key not yet notified. The delay in CUET-UG results comes amid a raging row over alleged irregularities in competitive exams, including NEET and NET. According to NTA sources, the distribution of question papers in language not opted by the candidates is one of the reasons for the retest and the 1000-odd candidates are spread across six states.

[theshillongtimes]

Only wildlife genetics laboratory in NE provides DNA forensic service for a decade

Guwahati, July 11: The Wildlife Genetics Laboratory (WGL) at Aaranyak, the only in Northeast India, has been providing high-quality wildlife DNA forensic analysis services in the region especially in Assam for ten years thereby carving a niche for itself in aiding wildlife crime investigation in the region.

The laboratory has provided its services in over a hundred cases in Assam besides several cases in other states as well

During this period, the laboratory has provided a range of DNA analysis services including the identification of wildlife species from morphologically similar biological material, forensic individual matching through DNA fingerprinting of rhinos, elephants, tigers, leopards, and parentage testing of captive elephant calves.

[theshillongtimes]

The Gautam Gambhir way: Back players staunchly, high on instinct & recognise match-winners quickly

New Delhi, July 10: The cricketing world is abuzz with anticipation about what Gautam Gambhir will bring as the new head coach of the India senior men’s team, following his appointment on July 9.

At 42, Gambhir becomes the youngest head coach of the Indian team, taking over from Rahul Dravid, who ended his stint with T20 World Cup win last month. His three-year tenure in the top job starts on July 27 with the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka.

Gambhir, a gutsy former left-handed opener, mentored Lucknow Super Giants to IPL playoffs in 2022 and 2023. He then became the mentor for the Kolkata Knight Riders, a team he had previously captained to two IPL titles, and under his guidance, they went on to win IPL 2024.