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FM Nirmala Sitharaman waives off import duty for life saving drug to save a TN child from rare disease

By
The Commune
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Mithra, the hardly 2 year old girl child who has been fighting a rare genetic disorder – Spinal Muscular Dystrophy (SMD) gets a sigh of relief as the import duty on the life saving drug has been lifted following intervention by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

SMD causes death of muscles one by one and will ultimately lead to death. An individual with SMD will have trouble in breathing, swallowing and other involuntary activities of the human body.

The treatment that is required to treat this disorder is Zolgensma, a one time gene replacement therapy which costs more than ₹16 crores. Over the past few weeks, her parents had been running from pillar to post trying to raise money for their child.

They had launched several online fundraising campaigns in multiple platforms and had appealed to several leaders. The family had managed to raise the full amount ₹16 crores required for the therapy but the GST and other taxes added up to around ₹6 crores.

BJP National Women’s Wing President Vanathi Srinivasan upon coming to know about the child’s condition and the issue had immediately written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 28 to help save the child. She had phoned Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on July 13 who had offered to help with all possible means.

BJP Tamil Nadu President K. Annamalai too had written to the Centre to intervene and waive off the import duty levied on the medicine for the treatment of her disease.

Following the intervention by BJP leaders, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister tweeted a letter to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to waive off the taxes on the medicines in order to take credit.

On July 14, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman waived off the import duty and other taxes on the life saving drug required for the child’s treatment.

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NTPC to set up India’s single largest solar park at Rann of Kutch

By
The Commune
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India Projected To See 5-Times Surge In Green Investments At ₹31 Lakh Crore Till 2030

NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd , a 100% subsidiary of NTPC, has received the go-ahead from Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) to set up 4750 MW renewable energy park at Rann of Kutch in Khavada, Gujarat. This will be India’s largest solar park to be built by the largest power producer of the country.

NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd (NTPC REL), has been given the go-ahead by MNRE on 12th July 2021 under Mode 8 (Ultra Mega Renewable Energy Power Park) of Solar Park Scheme. NTPC REL has plans to generate green hydrogen on a commercial scale from this park.

As a part of its green energy portfolio augmentation, NTPC Ltd, India’s largest energy integrated company aims to build 60 GW Renewable Energy Capacity by 2032. Currently, the state owned power major has an installed capacity of 66 GW across 70 power projects with an additional 18 GW under construction.

Recently, NTPC has also commissioned India’s largest Floating Solar of 10 MW (ac) on the reservoir of Simhadri Thermal Power Plant, Andhra Pradesh. An additional 15 MW (ac) would be commissioned by August 2021.

Further, a 100 MW Floating Solar Project on the reservoir of Ramagundam Thermal Power Plant, Telangana is in the advanced stage of implementation.

Additionally, NTPC RE Ltd. has recently signed an MoU with UT, Ladakh and Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) for the generation of green hydrogen and deployment on FCEV buses. The signing of the MoU was also marked with the inauguration of NTPC’s first solar installations in Leh in form of solar trees and a solar car port.

NTPC REL, the subsidiary was incorporated on 07.10.2020 to accelerate the RE business of NTPC.

(Published from PIB)

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Hollywood superstar Jackie Chan wants to join CCP, supports China on quelling democracy in Hong Kong

By
The Commune
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Hollywood superstar and martial arts legend Jackie Chan who is considered the most recognizable actor from Asia has expressed his admiration for and desire to join the Chinese Communist Party, Global Times reported.

Chan spent the majority of his film career in Hong Kong which always enjoyed democracy now wants membership at a symposium organised by the China Film Association last Thursday in Beijing.

Chan is also the vice-chairman of the China Film Association, not only expressed his proud feeling of being Chinese but also showed his admaration for the CPC.

“I can see the greatness of the CPC, and it will deliver what it says, and what it promises in less than 100 years, but only a few decades,” Chan said.

“I also envy that you are Communist Party members, I think the Communist Party is just great, what the Communist Party says, what they promised, will always be delivered within a few decades,” he said.

“I want to be a Communist Party member, thank you,” he added, smiling, to thunderous clapping.

In China, cinema has always been used for propaganda and as part of the Communist Party’s centennial celebrations theaters throughout China have been instructed to screen at least two propaganda films per week.

These have been described as movies that “sing the praises of…and eulogize the Party, the motherland, its people and its heroes.”

Chan said what impressed him the most was the resilience and spirits of the Eighth Route Army, the military force that, under the leadership of the Mao Tse Dong led CPC, fought the Japanese invaders during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), and he was touched by the bravery of the soldiers.

Chan has been supporter of the CPC for years and served as a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) – an advisory body of professionals nominated by the party.

Chan, a native of Hong Kong all his life has been criticised for his pro-CCP views and attitudes and he also supported Beijing’s crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

In 2019, in an interview given to the state-owned television network CGTN, Chan called the Hong Kong protests,  “sad and depressing” and said he hoped Hong Kong “can return to peace soon”.

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“Stop Digvijaya Singh from making anti-Hindu statements”: AICC member writes to Sonia Gandhi

By
The Commune
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Vishwabandhu Rai who is a member of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) from Maharashtra, has written a letter to AICC chief Sonia Gandhi, to stop Rajya Sabha member and former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh Digvijiaya Singh from issuing anti-Hindu statements.

In a statement given to the media, Rai said, “He (Digvijaya Singh) has been making Hindu voters angry by his statements. Still, the party has been giving him top posts in the organisation and also has been sending him to Rajya Sabha. His comments have alienated Hindu voters. This is the reason that Congress party has been losing elections from local bodies to Lok Sabha,”.
 
https://twitter.com/fpjindia/status/1414857439216766979

In his letter, whose copy is now available with the Free Press to Sonia Gandhi, he wrote, “For making a particular community happy, Digvijaya Singh has been hurting sentiments of majority people. The opposition has successfully managed to brand him as anti-Hindu. He must stop issuing anti-Hindu statements so that the Congress party can regain belief of Hindus. If he is not stopped, the party will lose rest of Hindu voters. Party will also not survive.”

Rai also demanded an inquiry into the role of Digvijaya Singh in the downfall of the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh. “There are several instances, where the role of Singh appears suspicious. His role in every event that caused damage to the party must be probed,” he said.

Talking to journalists, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra said it is not the first time that a Congress leader has raised questions on Digivijaya Singh. “Earlier, senior Congress leader Kamal Nath and Umang Singhar had also issued statements against him (Digvijaya Singh),” he said.

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Maoist sympathizing Christian priest appointed as TNPSC member by DMK govt

By
The Commune
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On Tuesday (July 13), the Human Resources Management department of Tamil Nadu Government issued an order notifying the appointment of members to the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC).

The MK Stalin-led DMK government has appointed four new members to the Commission of which one of them is a Catholic priest named Fr. A. Raj Mariasusai.

Mariasusai is a Christian priest of the Salesian order who is the Rector of Janodaya Salesian College located in The Retreat, Yercaud.

He is a problematic Christian priest and a sympathizer of Maoist Stan Swamy. The Retreat Don Bosco Yercaud, an organization which he is associated with, undertook a campaign and distributed ‘relief materials’ in honour of terror accused Stan Swamy who died recently.

Condemning the appointment of a Christian priest as a member of TNPSC that is responsible for choosing civil servants, a senior government official who wished to remain unidentified said “How would the DMK government react if the AIADMK or the BJP government appoints a person from a Hindu mutt or a monk from any of the Hindu spiritual organization is appointed as TNPSC member?”

Another source The Commune spoke to said that Raj Mariasusai is known for spreading anti-Hindu thoughts and instigating people of the tribal community in the Salem-Yercaud region against the government.

He is also said to be indulging in illegal religious conversion of tribal communities by targeting their children through ‘alleged’ education and ‘skill development’ programmes.

May be an image of 6 people, child, people standing and people sitting

Last week, the DMK government appointed Dindigul I. Leoni as the head of the Tamil Nadu Textbook & Educational Services Corporation, who is known for making crass and sexist remarks about women.

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Watch: TN shooter Elavenil Valarivan interacts with PM Modi in Hindi

By
The Commune
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 13, interacted with Indian athletes’ contingent bound for Tokyo Olympics today through video conference. The interaction by the Prime Minister is an endeavour to motivate the athletes ahead of their participation at the games. Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports Anurag Thakur, MoS Youth Affairs and Sports Nisith Pramanik and Law Minister Kiren Rijiju were also present on the occasion.

In a candid and informal interaction, Prime Minister Modi spoke to the athletes and thanked their families for their sacrifice. One of the sportsperson the Prime Minister interacted was Elavenil Valarivan.

He greeted Elavenil with ‘Kem Cho?’ (How are you? in Gujarati) as the shooter was raised in Ahmedabad.

Speaking to Elavenil Valarivan, the famed shooter from Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, who is going for the Olympics for the first time, the Prime Minister asked why she got interested in the sport. Elavenil Valarivan replied to the Prime Minister in fluent Hindi as her parents sat and viewed the interaction with pride.

On a personal note, PM Modi talked to the shooter and greeted her parents in Tamil and recalled her early years as he was MLA from her area Mani Nagar. He also enquired how she balances both her studies and sports training.

Watch the interaction here:

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Pakistani Taliban attack Pak’s security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, one officer and 11 soldiers dead

By
The Commune
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As the Taliban intensify their attack on Afganistan with the support of Pakistan, in the restive region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a captain-rank officer and 11 soldiers of the Pakistan Army were killed and around 15 soldiers were reportedly injured in a major attack during an operation against banned militant group Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan or Pakistan Taliban, reports India Today.

Also, the terrorists have taken some civilians working in the region as hostages. The hostages are 6 employees of Pakistan’s Jazz Mobile Operator. 

The officer who died during this attack has been identified as Captain Abdul Basit, who was on deputation to Thal Scouts of Pak Frontier Corps Wing.

As per reports, Captain Basit was leading a retaliatory operation in the region to rescue those abducted when he was killed in the line of duty.

https://twitter.com/majorgauravarya/status/1414905299719184384

As per information released by Pakistan Army Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), and TV, three militants were killed in the “intense exchange of fire” and a cordon-and-search operation is on.

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Assam CM introduces Cattle Preservation Bill 2021 to regulate cow slaughter

By
The Commune
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Bangladeshi Muslims Infiltrating Tamil Nadu For Jobs, Alleges Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

The newly-elected Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma government has tabled Assam Cattle Preservation Bill 2021 in the state Assembly to regulate slaughter, consumption, and transportation of cattle.

Sarma used the micro-blogging site Twitter to inform about the introduction of the bill in the state Assembly and said, “Cattle are revered in our society from time immemorial. Respecting our deep-rooted belief system and agricultural necessity, we’ve tabled Assam Cattle Preservation Bill, 2021 in Assembly to regulate slaughter, consumption and transportation of cattle,”.

The bill proposes to ban the sale of beef and beef products in areas that are “predominatly inhabited by Hindu, Jain and Sikh and other non-beef eating communities” and the bill has further provisions wherein selling of beef and beef products within “5 Kms of any temple, satra, or other religious institutions belonging to Hindu religion or any other institution or area”.

But more importantly, the bill also proposes a ban on the slaughter of cattle without a certificate from a competent authority and the transportation of cattle within Assam or outside the state without a valid permit will also be prohibited.

However, cattle may be allowed to be transported for bonafide agricultural or animal husbandry purposes and no permission will be required for transporting cattle to and from registered Animal Market for the purpose of purchase and sale within the district, according to the bill.

The new bill also proposes the setting up of ‘Gaushalas’ for taking care of cattle and penalties are also proposed for offences under the bill that include imprisonment ranging from a minimum of three years to eight years with fine not less than 3 lakh rupees and may extend to 5 lakh rupees.

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‘Pakistan army leading one of the divisions of the Taliban’: Afghanistan Vice President Amrullah Saleh

By
The Commune
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According to a Facebook post posted by Afganistan Vice President Amrullah Saleh, the Taliban are divided into three divisions from an organisational standpoint and the first of which is led by Pakistan’s special anti-terrorist teams.

In part of this article, he wrote: “From an organizational point of view, the strength of the enemy is divided into three parts — The first section deals with trained personnel directly guided by special Pakistani counter-insurgency units/nuclei from Peshawar-Quetta and elsewhere. Google communication tools and maps make it very easy. The second part is the local parts that work under the name of the military commission, and they do not play many roles except by extorting money from the people and imposing parties on the local people. The third part is the recent recruits and summonses, who have no morals.”
 
According to a news report by Tolo News, the withdrawal of foreign troops, mainly the American troops from Afghanistan created a very immediate vacuum, “but that government forces were in order,” said Saleh, 
 
Saleh also said if the Taliban gain more land, they will still not be able to rule the country as the people who are now under their control are suffering.
 
Some members of the Afghanistan House of Representatives said that men and women must take up arms and stand up to preserve the system and the achievements of the past decades, reported Tolo News.
 
Mir Rahman Rahmani, Speaker of the House of Representatives, said, “I ask all respected lawyers to stand bravely by your people and fight the enemy for your material and spiritual possessions.”
 
“Let’s unite and stand by the security forces,” said Reyhaneh Azad, a Daikundi MP.
 
The Members of the Afghan Parliament accused the Taliban of violating the human rights of the people in several districts they control. 

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‘You won’t be able to have office in any district’: VCK spokesperson threatens Dinamalar, stokes secessionism

By
The Commune
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VCK Spokesperson Vikraman has issued threats to Tamil daily Dinamalar and made secessionist remarks in an interview with the YouTube channel RedPix.

The DMK and their alliance partners have been upset after Dinamalar published an article speculating the intention of the Central government to form a separate state Kongu Nadu from Tamil Nadu. On behalf of Viduthalai Siruthaigal Katchi, he threatened Dinamalar that if they publish articles on Kongu Nadu, they will not let the publication’s office function in any district.

He alleged that the RSS is testing waters through Dinamalar to separate Tamil Nadu into different states and called it a ‘yellow paper’.

Stoking secessionism, he said,”How can the BJP claim that Kongu Nadu is the people’s will? Was there a referendum in the Kongu region? Shall we have a referendum be held to determine if Tamil Nadu wants to remain in India or not? ”

Dr. Ramadoss of Pattali Makkal Katchi, according to VCK Vikraman, is backing the split of Tamil Nadu in order to place his son Anbumani as Chief Minister of a state made up of northern districts where Vanniyars are the majority.

He went on to say that the demand for a Tamil Nadu flag has been long overdue and that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin should hoist the flag on the state’s foundation day.

He further said that the demand for Tamil Nadu’s secession from India is still alive and remains one of the core principles of VCK.

It should be noted that the video has received over 16000 views, yet Tamil Nadu Police have taken no action in response to his separatist remarks.

R. Vikraman is a self-proclaimed ‘journalist’ who took refuge in Thol. Thirumavalavan’s Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), has been accused of sexual harassing a man under the pretext of conducting an audition a few months ago.

(with inputs from RedPix)

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TheCommune
The Commune is a news and views portal focusing on social and political issues of the southern part of India with a focus on Tamil Nadu.
Contact us: thecommune.news@gmail.com
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