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Former CEO of NSE Chitra Ramkrishna arrested by CBI in the co-location scam

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The Commune
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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested former National Stock Exchange CEO Chitra Ramkrishna in the co-location scam case on Sunday (March 6).

Ramkrishna was arrested in Delhi and later was taken for a medical checkup and she will be lodged in lockup at the CBI headquarters.

In February, the CBI had grilled Ramkrishna for three days as it carried out searches at her residence on 24th and 25th of that month. The CBI, as per reports also availed the services of a senior psychologist of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory who questioned her.

After the psychologist had questioned her, a conclusion was reached wherein it was decided that Chitra Ramkrishna was evasive in responses, therefore the agency had no choice but to arrest her.

A special CBI court had on Saturday rejected her anticipatory bail application and the CBI, which was probing the co-location scam since 2018 against a Delhi-based stockbroker, after a Sebi report showed alleged abuse of power by the then top brass of the NSE, the officials said.

Chitra Ramkrishna was appointed as the Joint Managing Director in 2009 and remained in the position till March 31, 2013, with the power of DMD, and in April 1, 2013, she was elevated as MD and CEO. 

According to the CBI, It was during this period that co-location facility was started by NSE that brokers could place their servers within the stock exchange premises giving them faster access to the markets. 

The CBI has revealed that Muralidharan Natarajan, the CTO of NSETECH (a subsidiary of NSE), who was responsible for setting up co-location architecture at the NSE, was directly reporting to Ramkrishna.

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National Waterways in Brahmaputra and Ganga connected via Indo Bangladesh Protocol Route

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The Commune
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Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and AYUSH, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal received the maiden voyage  of food-grains from Patna to Pandu via Bangladesh in Guwahati today.  Chief Minister of Assam, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma and MP of Lok Sabha for Guwahati, Queen Oja joined the celebration along with Sanjay Bandopadhyay, Chairma, Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI)  to welcome self propelled vessel MV Lal Bahadur Shastri carrying a total of 200 MT of foodgrains for Food Corporation of India (FCI) as it completed the maiden pilot run from Patna to Pandu via Bangladesh. IWAI is planning to run a fixed schedule sailing between NW1 and NW2 heralding a new age of inland water transport for Assam & the Northeast India.

The vessel started its sail from Patna on National Waterway-1 (river Ganga) and passed through Bhagalpur, Manihari, Sahibganj, Farakka, Tribeni, Kolkata, Haldia, Hemnagar; Indo Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) route through Khulna, Narayanganj, Sirajganj, Chilmari and National Waterway-2 through Dhubri, and Jogighopa covering a distance of 2,350 km. The dignitaries welcomed this wonderful beginning that has the potential to revolutionise cargo movement. Another vessel MV Ram Prasad Bismil with two barges Kalpana Chawla and APJ Abdul Kalam started voyage from Haldia on 17th Feb 22 and is on the way to Pandu. The vessel is carrying 1800MT Tata steel and already reached Bangladesh Border at Dhubri. The ODC (over Dimensional cargo, 252 MT) of Numaligarh Bio-refinery reached Silghat on 15th February from Haldia through IWT via IBP route. Another ODC (250MT) consignment is also on the way to Silghat.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “The start of cargo movement through ships through Indo Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBRP) marks the beginning of a new age of economic prosperity for the whole region of Northeast. I am confident that the vision of our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji and enterprise of our Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal dangoriya will pave the way for growth & development of the inland water transport.”

Speaking on this landmark moment, the Union Minister Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, said, “Today marks the beginning of a new age of inland water transport in Assam. This is going to provide the business community a viable, economic & ecological alternative. The seamless cargo transportation is a journey of unfulfilled desires & aspirations of the people of Assam. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister, the Northeast region is ready to unlock the value of the Astalakshmi. We are confident that the cargo movement via waterways is going to play a pivotal role in energising India’s northeast as the engine of growth.”

 

The sustained effort to rejuvenate the historical trade routes via Bangladesh got a fillip under PM Gati Shakti. It has been envisioned that Northeast will slowly turn & convert into a connectivity hub. The integrated development plan, under PM Gati Shakti, has been envisioned in order to amp up swift movement of cargo over Brahmaputra.

The IWAI is also planning to run a regular scheduled service on these routes. The protocol on Inland water transit and Trade (PIWTT) between India & Bangladesh will be optimally beneficial when we can unlock the value from the cargo trade in the region. To improve the navigability, two stretches of IBP routes, i.e., Sirajganj-Daikhowa and Ashuganj-Zakiganj are also being developed at a cost of Rs. 305.84 crore on an 80:20 share basis (80% being borne by India and 20% by Bangladesh). The development of these stretches is expected to provide seamless navigation to NER via the IBP route. The contracts for dredging on the two stretches for providing and maintaining requisite depth for a period of seven years (from 2019 to 2026) are underway. Once the IBP Route no. 5 & 6 from Maia near Farakka in India to Aricha in Bangladesh, the IWT distance connecting NW1 to NW2 (North Eastern Region) will further reduced by nearly 1000 km, which will reduce time and cost to a great extent.

In line with the “Act East” policy of Prime Minister, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), has taken up several infrastructure projects on National Waterways-1, Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route, and NW2, through the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI). These steps will improve the connectivity with North Eastern Region (NER) through waterways. The Government has undertaken the ambitious Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) with an investment of about Rs. 4600 crore for the capacity augmentation of NW-1 (river Ganga) for safe and sustainable movement of vessels upto 2000 tonnes.

This historic feat will usher a new era of growth for all the states of Northeast India. The waterways will cut through the landlocked access which has been crippling development in the region for long. The waterways not only remove this geographical hindrance on the road of progress in the region but also provides an economical, swift and convenient transportation for the businesses and people of the region.

The meeting was  attended by Sanjay Bandopadhyaya, Chairman, IWAI along with Vinit Kumar, Chairman, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port and top officials of Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways.

(Published from PIB)

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Operation Ganga: More than 15,900 Indians have been brought back by special flights so far

By
The Commune
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Under ‘Operation Ganga’ to rescue Indian citizens, 2135 Indians have been brought back today by 11 special civilian flights from Ukraine’s neighbouring countries. With this, more than 15 thousand 9 hundred Indians have been brought back since the special flights began on 22nd February, 2022.The number of Indians airlifted by 66 special civilian flights goes up to 13852. Till date, the IAF has flown 10 sorties to bring back 2056 passengers, while taking 26 tonnes of relief load to these countries, as part of Op Ganga.

Among the special Civilian flights on March 6, 9 landed in New Delhi while 2 reached Mumbai. There were 6 flights from Budapest, 2 from Bucharest, 2 from  Rzeszow,  and 1 from Kosice.

On March 7, 8 special flights are expected to operate from Budapest (5), Suceva (2) and Bucharest (1), bringing in more than 1500 Indians back home.

(Published from PIB)

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India all set to export record 7 million tonnes of wheat as Russia-Ukraine crisis disturbs supply chain

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The Commune
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As the Russian offensive against Ukraine intensifies, India is all set to export seven million tonnes of wheat in FY 22-23 as global prices of essential commodities start to rise, Reuters reports.

“Indian wheat exports have picked up. By the end of February, we had already exported 6.6 million tonnes of wheat. Still one month is left,” Sudhanshu Pandey, Secretary, Department of Food & Public Distribution, was quoted.

Already. the benchmark wheat prices in Chicago have shot up by over 40 per cent this week with rising concerns over disruption in the supply chain after sanctions were imposed on Russia have contributed to this surge in prices.

It must be noted that Russia and Ukraine together make up almost 30 per cent of the global wheat exports and disruptions in the Black Sea route have now led to the demands for Indian wheat in the last week or so.

India is now on its way to surpassing its previous record of 6.5 million tonnes of wheat shipments in the 2012-13 fiscal year.

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“Media should not mix news with views”: Vice President Venkaiah Naidu

By
The Commune
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Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu today said that media ‘should not mix news with views’ and maintain objectivity in bringing facts to the people. He observed that people take the content of the news and broadcast media to be credible and media organisations should live up to their expectations. ‘Journalism should be treated as a mission’, he said.

Releasing a collection of editorials titled ‘Mutnuri Krishna Rao Sampadakeeyalu’ in Hyderabad today, the Vice President highlighted the critical role of media as the ‘fourth pillar of democracy’ in protecting and preserving democracy. He said the media is the vital channel of communication that can take the issues of the people to the government and the schemes and policies of the government to the people.

The Vice President also stressed that the media has the right and responsibility to question and criticise the government and suggest alternative solutions. At the same time, he observed, media organisations should not rake up trivial issues and spread panic among the people.

Observing the tremendous impact the media has on people, the Vice President said journalists should weigh the consequences of each word they print and broadcast on society. ‘They must remember that they are a part of society too’, he added.

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu lauded journalists for their resilience and courage during the pandemic and said they have shown great grit and resolve in bringing out reports from the ground.

On this occasion, the Vice President paid rich tributes to Shri Mutnuri Krishna Rao, the pioneering Telugu journalist and editor of the nationalist newspaper ‘Krishna Patrika’ from 1907 to 1945. He noted the lasting impact of both Shri Krishna Rao’s work and Krishna Patrika in inculcating patriotism in the Telugu youth and in setting high standards in journalism during that time.

Referring to the role of newspapers in the freedom movement, Shri Naidu said they played a vital role in taking the spirit of the freedom struggle to the grassroots and keeping people abreast of the changes happening around the country.

The Vice President appreciated Sri Marumamula Dattatreya Sharma for bringing out the book and hoped that it would make the present generation aware of the high standards of journalistic values set by Shri Krishna Rao.

Dr KV Ramanachary, Advisor to the Govt. of Telangana, Dr Varaprasad Reddy, Chairman, Shantha Biotech, Shri Tummala Narendra Chowdary, Founder Chairman, Rachana Television Pvt Limited, Shri K Ramachandra Murthy, senior journalist, Shri Valleswar, senior journalist, Shri Dattatreya Sharma, author, Shri MVR Sarma, Editor, Darsanam and others participated in the event.

(Published from PIB)

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Newly elected Chennai Mayor meets abusive Bishop who had instigated violence against Hindus

By
The Commune
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R Priya of the DMK who was recently sworn in as the Mayor of Chennai had met with controversial Christian pastor Bishop Ezra Sargunam who is know for spewing vitriol against Hindu faith.

Priya had contested in the recently concluded urban local body elections in Tamil Nadu and emerged as winner from the Mangalapuram ward.

Her father, R Rajan, is the area co-secretary for the DMK. Her grandfather Chengai Sivam was a former MLA from Perambur. She is being celebrated as the first Dalit woman Mayor.

Priya after taking over as Mayor met with Bishop Ezra Sargunam, pictures of which have now gone viral on social media. She is said to be a member of the Otteri ECI Church in Tamil Nadu.

Ezra Sargunam is rabid Christian fundamentalist who shares close ties with the DMK and is known for his hate speech against Hindus.

Earlier in 2018, he had asked SDPI (a fanatic Islamic organization) to go all out against Hindus who are questioning them in the light of the murder of PMK functionary Ramalingam who had opposed Islamic conversions. He had promised support to Vaiko, Thirumavalavan and M.K.Stalin if they undertook this endeavour.

He had said that there was nothing called the Hindu religion and instigated Christians to punch Hindus in the face and make them bleed if they did not recognize the truth.

Several complaints have been made against him on different occasions from different quarters. However, no action has been taken against him so far.

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Minor girl near Madurai allegedly abducted and sexually abused by one Nagore Hanifa dies

By
The Commune
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News had been going around in social media that a 17 year old girl near Madurai was allegedly abducted, drugged, and gangraped and later thrown outside her house in an unconscious state.

However, multiple versions of what happened are being reported.

According to South India Forward Bloc founder K. C. Thirumaran, the girl Yogini (name changed), a 17-year-old girl hailing from Thumbaipatti near Melur in Madurai District had left home around 11 AM on February 14, 2022 (Valentines’ day).

A 29-year-old man named Nagore Hanifa from Pallivaasal Street (Pallivaasal is Mosque in Tamil) had reportedly lured Yogini into a relationship.

Parents of Yogini lodged a comlpaint at the Melur All Women Police Station on February 15, 2022. Yogini’s mother in her complaint had alleged that her child had gone missing. The parents had also submitted a complaint to the District Superintendent of Police on February 27, 2022.

On March 3, Yogini, who was unconscious and intoxicated was taken in an autorickshaw by Nagore’s family members and was thrown outside her house, alleged K. C. Thirumaran who had met the girl’s parents at the Rajaji Government Hospital in Madurai.

The girl was immediately rushed to a hospital in Melur but they were asked to take her to the Rajaji Government Hospital in Madurai.

The girl who remained unconscious and in critical condition at the Rajaji Government hospital died on March 6, 2022.

The police have arrested Nagore Hanifa who has been charged under the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Eight people inclduing Nagore Hanifa’s mother have also been arrested for allegedly helping abduct the girl.

While one version states that she was drugged and gangraped by Nagore Hanifa and his group of friends, another version states that Nagore Hanifa lured the girl into a relationship and promised to marry her.

According to the police, the girl’s mother had lodged a complaint at the Melur police station on February 15 saying that her child had gone missing since the previous day. The parents had allegedly asked them not register it as a case to protect the the privacy of their child. However, on insistance, the parents agreed and a case of ‘missing girl’ was registered at the Melur Police Station on February 21.

As per police investigation, the girl had allegedly ‘fallen in love’ with Nagore Hanifa and suspected that she could have eloped with him.

Nagore Hanifa during interrogation had said that he had ‘fallen in love’ with the girl and had taken her to his friend Perumal Krishnan’s place. He had then taken her to Pallipalaym near Erode where his uncle Ibrahim stays and reportedly sexually abused her in the pretext of living as ‘husband and wife’. Ibrahim later told Nagore Hanifa that word had broken about him and the girl and that this would lead to problems.

Nagore Hanifa allegedly convinced the girl that the both can commit suicide and even bought rat medicine. While the girl consumed the rat medicine, Nagore Hanifa spitted it out. As the girl’s health started deteriorating, she was taken to a private hospital where they had given her intravenous drips.

As the girl’s condition worsened, Nagore Hanifa took her back to Thumbaipatti and asked his mother to drop the girl. On March 3, Madina Begum, the mother of Nagore Hanifa had left the girl at the latter’s house in an unconscious state post which the girl’s parents rushed her to the hospital in Melur. The doctors who treated her there immediately sent her to Rajaji Government Hospital in Madurai as her condition was critical.

The girl who was in critical condition reportedly died on March 6.

Nagore Hanifa who was reportedly hiding in the school was taken into custody on March 5. His accomplices Raja Mohammad, Sahul Hameed, Perumal Krishnan, and Prakash have also been taken into custody. Nagore Hanifa’s mother Madina Begum, his aunt Ramzam Begum and father Sultan Alaudin were arrested and interrogated.

Police have denied allegations of ‘gangrape’ and said that there were no bruises on the body.

A case has been registered under the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

(With inputs from Dhinasari)

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More than 13,700 Indians leaving Ukraine brought back, around 3000 airlifted in just 1 day

By
The Commune
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Under ‘Operation Ganga’ to rescue Indian citizens, about 3000 Indians were airlifted on March 5 by 15 special flights from Ukraine’s neighbouring countries. These included 12 special civilian and 3 IAF flights. With this, more than 13 thousand 7 hundred Indians have been brought back since the special flights began on 22ndFebruary, 2022.

The number of Indians brought back by 55 special civilian flights goes up to 11728. Till date, the IAF has flown 10 sorties to bring back 2056 passengers, while taking 26 tonnes of relief load to these countries, as part of Op Ganga.

Three C-17 heavy lift transport aircraft of the IAF, which had taken off yesterday from the Hindan air base, landed back at Hindan today morning. These flights evacuated 629 Indian nationals from Romania, Slovakia and Poland. These flights also carried 16.5 tonnes of relief load from India to these countries. All Civilian flights, except one, had landed during morning today, while flight from Kosice to New Delhi is expected to arrive late in the evening. Today’s civilian flights included 5 from Budapest, 4 from Suceva, 1 from Kosice and 2 from Rzeszow.

On March 6, eleven special flights are expected to operate from Budapest, Kosice, Rzeszow and Bucharest, bringing in more than 2200 Indians back home.

(Published from PIB)

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“Will settle the account once in power in UP”: Son of jailed gangster & grand nephew of former VP Hamid Ansari

By
The Commune
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As the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh heads for its final phase of assembly election on 7 March, a video has emerged wherein Abbas Ansari who is the son of jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari is telling his supporters that once their party wins the election, we will “settle the account”.

Incidentally, Mukhtar Ansari is the nephew of the former Vice President of India, Hamid Ansari who recently in an interview had said that Muslims are not safe in India. As of now, Abbas Ansari has been booked for the violation of the election code and criminal intimidation after the video of settling accounts which only means taking vendetta on government officials surfaced on social media.

Ironically Abbas Ansari is contesting the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls from Mau on the ticket of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party  (SBSP) named after the great Indian king Suheldev who defeated and killed the Ghaznavid general Ghazi Miyan at Bahraich in 1034 CE.

The SBSP has a poll alliance with the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party and in that video, Abbas Ansari is seen telling his supporters that once the election are over, he has spoken to Yadav and told him he must ensure no official is transferred or posting takes place in next six months after the party comes to power in the state.

“Jo yahan hai wo yahan hi rahega, pehle hisaab-kitab hoga uske baad unke jaane ke certificate par mohar lagaya jaega (Those who are here, will remain here. First account will be settled with them and only after that their departure papers will be stamped,” Ansari is heard seen saying in the video.

The exact location of this speech and the date when Abbas Ansari promised to settle scores are not clear.

Mau Superintendent of Police Ghule Sushil Chandrabhan said an FIR has now been registered under IPC Sections 171 G (false statement in connection with an election) and 506 (criminal intimidation) at the Sadar Kotwali over the video.

“Besides, a report of the incident has been sent to the returning officer of the Assembly constituency for further action,” the officer added.

Reacting to Abbas Ansari’s speech of settelling scores with officials who he thinks have wronged him and his community, the Mau candidate for the BJP tweeted, “The ‘sahabzade’ of the mafia has told ‘babua’ (Akhilesh Yadav) that no officer should be transferred before six months. Transfer will be done only after the account has been settled.”

“What account is he dreaming of settling? It appears that he is not able to understand which way the wind is blowing #SP_means_hooliganism,” the party said.

Mau goes to the polls in the seventh and last phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on March 7 and Mukhtar Ansari had been representing the seat since 1996 but he is now in jail facing trial in a number of criminal cases. 

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Serial fake news peddler from Puthiya Thalaimurai fans North-South divide, makes unverified claims on evacuation mission

By
The Commune
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Alleged ‘journalist’ from Tamil mainstream news channel Puthiya Thalaimurai, who has been caught peddling fake news several times, has once again made unverified claims fanning north-south divide saying that ‘South Indian’ students are allegedly being discriminated in the evacuation operation.

Claiming to have spoken to a parent of a student who had returned from Ukraine, Niranjan Kumar who is Puthiya Thalaimurai’s correspondent based in New Delhi posted a tweet in which he said that there was differential treatment being meted out to ‘South Indians’ and ‘North Indians’.

“North Indian students are wanting to go first and allegedly threatening South Indians to come later.”, he said citing his unnamed source.

The alleged ‘journalist claimed that the parent, whose son had been stuck in Poland border for two days, apparently told him that his son’s friends are undergoing this suffering and that those who had come later to the border than his son had already landed in India.

“Flight has been arranged for them only this afternoon.”, the alleged journalist from Puthiya Thalaimurai  wrote adding that such an incident was truly a sad one.

However, there has been no such credible reports of discrimination either by Indian officials or students. The tweet by the person who claims himself to be a ‘journalist’ prima-facie seems to be based on hear-say and not on facts.

This is not the first time that this alleged journalist had peddled fake news inciting regional chauvinism. He had peddled fake news that the Modi Government at the Centre had ‘rejected’ Tamil Nadu’s tableau for the Republic Day Parade for not having ‘prominent freedom fighters’ while the fact is that each year only limited number of tableaus from states are selected based on the recommendations of an expert committee appointed by the Ministry of Defence.

Tamil Nadu’s tableaus were selected in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021, far more than many other states.

Just recently, the alleged ‘journalist had peddled fake news against BJP candidate of Ward No. 134.Uma Anandan, saying that she had lost by securing just 8 votes while she emerged as a winner with 5635 votes.

In January 2021, he was called out by the Office of Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for peddling fake news saying that the Minister had refused to meet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami citing budget consultation work.

The Finance Minister’s Office clarified that no such request was placed on behalf of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and called out the Puthiya Thalaimurai’s journalist tweet as false.

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