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The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the introduction of a bill that will codify relevant provisions of four existing laws and intends to increase the legislative protection of minimum wage to the entire workforce.&nbsp;

Sources said The Codes on Wages Bill, 2019 will be introduced in the ongoing Budget Session of parliament and would benefit about 50 crore workers.

They said the codification proposes to simplify 32 central labour laws into four codes to bring them in sync with the emerging economic situation, facilitate easier compliance by establishments, promote ease of living and ensure labour welfare and wage and social security for workers.

The Code of Wages Bill is the first in the series of four labour codes. It seeks to subsume relevant provisions of The Minimum Wages Act, 1948, Payment of Wages Act 1936, Payment of Bonus Act Act, 1965 and Equal Remuneration Act 1976.&nbsp;

Sources said many states have multiple minimum wages and the code simplifies it by doing away with the type of employment as one of the criteria.&nbsp;

There are 2000 rates of minimum wages and the code reduces the number substantially. The fixation of the minimum wage will primarily be based on geography and skills.

Many changes have also been introduced in inspection regimes such as web-based random computerised inspection scheme, jurisdiction-free inspections and calling for information electronically.

It universalises the provision of minimum wages and timely payment of wages to all employees irrespective of sector or wage ceiling. At present, the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act and Payment of Wages Act apply on workers below a particular wage ceiling working in scheduled employments only.

Sources said the code would ensure the right of sustenance of every worker and intends to increase the legislative protection of minimum wage from existing 40 per cent to 100 per cent of the workforce. They said the bill would ensure that every worker gets minimum wage. A statutory floor wage would be introduced, which will be computed based on minimum living conditions.

The states would notify the payment of wages to workers through digital mode. The definition of wages, now different under different labour laws, has been simplified to reduce litigation and will entail a lesser cost of compliance for an employer and the rules to be framed would prescribe one template.&nbsp;

The changes, sources said, will bring transparency and accountability and the bill was a step for ensuring statutory protection of minimum wage.&nbsp;

They said that the limitation period has been increased to three years and made a uniform for filing claims such as for minimum wages, bonus, equal remuneration as against existing varying period of eight months to two years.&nbsp;

The Code of Wages Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 10, 2017, and referred to the Standing Committee which gave its report in December 2018. The bill lapsed due to the dissolution of 16th Lok Sabha. The sources said a new bill has been drafted considering the recommendations of the Standing Committee and suggestions of stakeholders.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the introduction of a bill that will codify relevant provisions of four existing laws and intends to increase the legislative protection of minimum wage to the entire workforce.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the introduction of a bill that will codify relevant provisions of four existing laws and intends to increase the legislative protection of minimum wage to the entire workforce. Sources said The Codes on Wages Bill, 2019 will be introduced in the ongoing Budget Session of parliament and would benefit about 50 crore workers. They said the codification proposes to simplify 32 central labour laws into four codes to bring them in sync with the emerging economic situation, facilitate easier compliance by establishments, promote ease of living and ensure labour welfare and wage and social security for workers. The Code of Wages Bill is the first in the series of four labour codes. It seeks to subsume relevant provisions of The Minimum Wages Act, 1948, Payment of Wages Act 1936, Payment of Bonus Act Act, 1965 and Equal Remuneration Act 1976. Sources said many states have multiple minimum wages and the code simplifies it by doing away with the type of employment as one of the criteria. There are 2000 rates of minimum wages and the code reduces the number substantially. The fixation of the minimum wage will primarily be based on geography and skills. Many changes have also been introduced in inspection regimes such as web-based random computerised inspection scheme, jurisdiction-free inspections and calling for information electronically. It universalises the provision of minimum wages and timely payment of wages to all employees irrespective of sector or wage ceiling. At present, the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act and Payment of Wages Act apply on workers below a particular wage ceiling working in scheduled employments only. Sources said the code would ensure the right of sustenance of every worker and intends to increase the legislative protection of minimum wage from existing 40 per cent to 100 per cent of the workforce. They said the bill would ensure that every worker gets minimum wage. A statutory floor wage would be introduced, which will be computed based on minimum living conditions. The states would notify the payment of wages to workers through digital mode. The definition of wages, now different under different labour laws, has been simplified to reduce litigation and will entail a lesser cost of compliance for an employer and the rules to be framed would prescribe one template. The changes, sources said, will bring transparency and accountability and the bill was a step for ensuring statutory protection of minimum wage. They said that the limitation period has been increased to three years and made a uniform for filing claims such as for minimum wages, bonus, equal remuneration as against existing varying period of eight months to two years. The Code of Wages Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 10, 2017, and referred to the Standing Committee which gave its report in December 2018. The bill lapsed due to the dissolution of 16th Lok Sabha. The sources said a new bill has been drafted considering the recommendations of the Standing Committee and suggestions of stakeholders.

Cabinet approves bill to codify labour laws, increase protection of minimum wage

As heavy rains lashed parts of Maharashtra, bodies of six people were recovered by civil administration after in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri after Tiware dam breached on Wednesday, causing a flood-like situation in seven downstream villages.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UPDATE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UPDATE</a> 6 bodies have been recovered so far after Tiware dam in Ratnagiri was breached. Rescue operations continue. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Maharashtra?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Maharashtra</a> <a href="https://t.co/qS1f9dWuTO">https://t.co/qS1f9dWuTO</a>
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According to a report by news agency ANI, around 22-24 people are feared to be missing. Twelve houses near the dam have been washed away.&nbsp;

A team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police and volunteers are present at the spot and carrying out relief efforts.

Further details regarding the incident are awaited.

Parts of Maharashtra are hit by worst monsoon rain with Mumbai, country's financial capital, recording the second highest rainfall in the last 45 years.

The heavy downpour has caused several accidents across Maharashtra while issues like waterlogging have brought the city to a standstill.

Following the torrential rains, Tuesday was declared a public holiday by the state government and people were advised to avoid stepping out of their houses.&nbsp;

Several subways and roads have been shut due to water logging and flooding.

The main runway of the Mumbai airport was also shut for operation after a flight overshot the main runway.

Meanwhile, more rains have been predicted by the Indian Meteorological Department for the next 48 hours.

As heavy rains lashed parts of Maharashtra, bodies of six people were recovered by civil administration after in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri after Tiware dam breached on Wednesday, causing a flood-like situation in seven downstream villages.

As heavy rains lashed parts of Maharashtra, bodies of six people were recovered by civil administration after in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri after Tiware dam breached on Wednesday, causing a flood-like situation in seven downstream villages. #UPDATE 6 bodies have been recovered so far after Tiware dam in Ratnagiri was breached. Rescue operations continue. #Maharashtra https://t.co/qS1f9dWuTO — ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2019 × According to a report by news agency ANI, around 22-24 people are feared to be missing. Twelve houses near the dam have been washed away. A team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police and volunteers are present at the spot and carrying out relief efforts. Further details regarding the incident are awaited. Parts of Maharashtra are hit by worst monsoon rain with Mumbai, country's financial capital, recording the second highest rainfall in the last 45 years. The heavy downpour has caused several accidents across Maharashtra while issues like waterlogging have brought the city to a standstill. Following the torrential rains, Tuesday was declared a public holiday by the state government and people were advised to avoid stepping out of their houses. Several subways and roads have been shut due to water logging and flooding. The main runway of the Mumbai airport was also shut for operation after a flight overshot the main runway. Meanwhile, more rains have been predicted by the Indian Meteorological Department for the next 48 hours.

Maharashtra: Around 22 people missing as dam breached in Ratnagiri; six bodies recovered

The US Senate on Tuesday passed the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/asean-acknowledges-indo-pacific-concept-offers-its-centrality-as-means-of-engagement-229736">National Defense Authorisation Act(NDAA)</a> upgrading India to NATO ally-like status with the expansion of defence ties.

The bill "expresses support for enhancing the major defence partnership with India".&nbsp;

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-will-always-stand-for-open-indo-pacific-we-have-put-china-on-notice-pence-190830">US NDAA budget 2020 passed</a> by the Senate aims to empower the Department of Defence to make investments to ensure "competitive distance between the United States and Russia and China".

The draft of the bill which was prepared by Democrat Adam Smith was criticised by China earlier for its "negative content" which seeks to block the transfer of sensitive technology to China and prevents Chinese state companies from receiving US federal funds.

According to the bill, it prioritises defence investments that restore US&nbsp;"comparative military advantage and deters aggression" by supporting an "army multi-domain task force for the Indo-Pacific region to develop capabilities and operational concepts to restore the US comparative military advantage in the region".

It also seeks to increase "funding for posture site assessments in the Indo-Pacific region to accelerate the transition to smaller, dispersed, resilient&nbsp;and dynamic basing".

In May, Vice President Mike Pence had said the US was building a "new and stronger bonds with countries like India to advance its vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific".

Last year, the US had rechristened&nbsp;the Pacific Command to Indo-Pacific Command to signal India's importance. In a move to push the concept, in July last year, the US had announced $113 million in new regional investments focused on digital connectivity, infrastructure and energy for the Indo-Pacific region.

The NDAA bill also highlights establishing "secure fifth-generation (5G) wireless network technologies for the war fighter and provides funding to start this effort at two Air Force locations" while setting forth a "new strategy for securing a trusted supply chain of advanced microelectronics for the United States and US allies and partners.

The US House of Representatives will now take up the bill this month to sign into law.

The US Senate on Tuesday passed the National Defense Authorisation Act(NDAA) upgrading India to NATO ally-like status with the expansion of defence ties. The bill "expresses support for enhancing the major defence partnership with India".

The US Senate on Tuesday passed the National Defense Authorisation Act(NDAA) upgrading India to NATO ally-like status with the expansion of defence ties. The bill "expresses support for enhancing the major defence partnership with India". The US NDAA budget 2020 passed by the Senate aims to empower the Department of Defence to make investments to ensure "competitive distance between the United States and Russia and China". The draft of the bill which was prepared by Democrat Adam Smith was criticised by China earlier for its "negative content" which seeks to block the transfer of sensitive technology to China and prevents Chinese state companies from receiving US federal funds. According to the bill, it prioritises defence investments that restore US "comparative military advantage and deters aggression" by supporting an "army multi-domain task force for the Indo-Pacific region to develop capabilities and operational concepts to restore the US comparative military advantage in the region". It also seeks to increase "funding for posture site assessments in the Indo-Pacific region to accelerate the transition to smaller, dispersed, resilient and dynamic basing". In May, Vice President Mike Pence had said the US was building a "new and stronger bonds with countries like India to advance its vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific". Last year, the US had rechristened the Pacific Command to Indo-Pacific Command to signal India's importance. In a move to push the concept, in July last year, the US had announced $113 million in new regional investments focused on digital connectivity, infrastructure and energy for the Indo-Pacific region. The NDAA bill also highlights establishing "secure fifth-generation (5G) wireless network technologies for the war fighter and provides funding to start this effort at two Air Force locations" while setting forth a "new strategy for securing a trusted supply chain of advanced microelectronics for the United States and US allies and partners. The US House of Representatives will now take up the bill this month to sign into law.

US Senate passes National Defense Authorisation Act to give India Nato ally-like status

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/lagarde-temporarily-steps-down-as-imf-chief-american-economist-david-lipton-named-interim-leader-232570">Lagarde 'temporarily' steps down as IMF chief; American economist David Lipton named interim leader</a>

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde on Tuesday announced she would step down "temporarily" from the global crisis lender after being nominated to lead the European Central Bank.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/4th-july-celebrations-battle-tanks-arrive-in-washington-trump-promises-incredible-flyovers-biggest-ever-fireworks-232578">4th July celebrations: Battle tanks arrive in Washington; Trump promises 'incredible flyovers &amp; biggest ever fireworks'</a>

Battle tanks were seen on a train in Washington on Tuesday ahead of a July Fourth celebration highlighting US military might that Democrats say President Donald Trump may turn into a re-election campaign rally.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/rohit-sharma-presents-injured-fan-with-yellow-autographed-bat-after-sixer-ball-hit-her-232572">Rohit Sharma presents injured fan with yellow autographed hat after 'sixer ball' hit her</a>

India's opening batsman Rohit Sharma presented a young fan with an autographed hat after she was hit by one of the opener's sixes during his century on Tuesday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-submarine-fire-it-was-gas-explosion-claims-norway-as-moscow-denies-232574">Russia submarine fire: It was 'gas explosion' claims Norway as Moscow denies</a>

Norway's radiation authority said Tuesday that Moscow informed it there had been a gas explosion onboard a Russian sub on which a fire killed 14 crew -- a claim Moscow strongly denied.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/maharashtra-around-22-people-missing-as-dam-breached-in-ratnagiri-two-bodies-recovered-232585">Maharashtra: Around 22 people missing as dam breached in Ratnagiri; two bodies recovered</a>

As heavy rains lashed parts of Maharashtra, bodies of two people were recovered by civil administration after in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri after Tiware dam breached on Wednesday, causing a flood-like situation in seven downstream villages.

&nbsp;

Lagarde 'temporarily' steps down as IMF chief; American economist David Lipton named interim leader International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde on Tuesday announced she would step down "temporarily" from the global crisis lender after being nominated to lead the European Central Bank.

Lagarde 'temporarily' steps down as IMF chief; American economist David Lipton named interim leader International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde on Tuesday announced she would step down "temporarily" from the global crisis lender after being nominated to lead the European Central Bank. 4th July celebrations: Battle tanks arrive in Washington; Trump promises 'incredible flyovers & biggest ever fireworks' Battle tanks were seen on a train in Washington on Tuesday ahead of a July Fourth celebration highlighting US military might that Democrats say President Donald Trump may turn into a re-election campaign rally. Rohit Sharma presents injured fan with yellow autographed hat after 'sixer ball' hit her India's opening batsman Rohit Sharma presented a young fan with an autographed hat after she was hit by one of the opener's sixes during his century on Tuesday. Russia submarine fire: It was 'gas explosion' claims Norway as Moscow denies Norway's radiation authority said Tuesday that Moscow informed it there had been a gas explosion onboard a Russian sub on which a fire killed 14 crew -- a claim Moscow strongly denied. Maharashtra: Around 22 people missing as dam breached in Ratnagiri; two bodies recovered As heavy rains lashed parts of Maharashtra, bodies of two people were recovered by civil administration after in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri after Tiware dam breached on Wednesday, causing a flood-like situation in seven downstream villages.

News brief: Big stories of the day

Union Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik on Wednesday informed the Lok Sabha that the country's armed forces were in all readiness to deal with any challenges.

The minister, who was responding to questions in the Lok Sabha, said: "Based on threat assessment and security imperatives, the government constantly reviews the national security scenario and takes steps to induct appropriate defence."

"The equipment procurement is a continuous process. Highest priority is accorded to optimally equip the armed forces and keep them in a state of readiness," he said.

Naik was responding to questions asked by Members of Parliament Khagen Murmu and Dr Sukanta Majumdar.

They wanted to know if the US has approved the sale of armed drones to India and if the US has also offered integrated air and missile defence systems to India. They had also asked if a deal for the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS-II) with the US were also underway.

Union Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik on Wednesday informed the Lok Sabha that the country's armed forces were in all readiness to deal with any challenges.

Union Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik on Wednesday informed the Lok Sabha that the country's armed forces were in all readiness to deal with any challenges. The minister, who was responding to questions in the Lok Sabha, said: "Based on threat assessment and security imperatives, the government constantly reviews the national security scenario and takes steps to induct appropriate defence." "The equipment procurement is a continuous process. Highest priority is accorded to optimally equip the armed forces and keep them in a state of readiness," he said. Naik was responding to questions asked by Members of Parliament Khagen Murmu and Dr Sukanta Majumdar. They wanted to know if the US has approved the sale of armed drones to India and if the US has also offered integrated air and missile defence systems to India. They had also asked if a deal for the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS-II) with the US were also underway.

Facilitating armed forces' readiness is top priority of government: MoS for Defence Naik

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of US suspects that underworld don Dawood Ibrahim is currently in Pakistan after secretly recording his close aide and Karachi-based businessman Jabir Motiwala.

On Tuesday, the second day of Motiwala's extradition hearing to the United States, at the Westminster Magistrates' Court here, Barrister John Hardy, on behalf of the US government, said, "Motiwala was a high ranking member of the D-company, a criminal organisation run by Dawood Ibrahim."

Dawood Ibrahim is wanted in India to face the law of the land for carrying out serial blasts in Mumbai in 1993 in which scores of people were killed and injured.

Hardy also claimed that during his interaction with the FBI agents, the businessman disclosed activities of D-company in India, United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan, The News International has reported.

The FBI's three Pakistani agents, described as CS1, CS2, and CS3 to protect their identity, interacted with Motiwala extensively over the course of more than five years in Karachi and Atlantic City to set up deals for the smuggling of heroin into the US.

The Court was further informed that Motiwala was not aware that those dealing with him were working for the FBI, secretly recording him on audio, video and written form to create evidence against him for arrest and prosecution later on.

Meanwhile, Motiwala's legal team, led by barrister Edward Fitzgerald, claimed that the alleged offences date back many years and the "long delay" between 2014 and 2018. He also raised the issue of illegal methods being used to trap the businessman into committing acts of criminality.

In addition, a psychiatrist specialist told the court that Motiwala is highly likely to commit suicide if extradited to America. The doctor stressed that after reviewing Motiwala's past medical record, obtained independently from Pakistan, it was well established that the businessman has a long history of depression and he had attempted suicide on three occasions.

However, despite Motiwala's denial of allegations, the trial continues at the Westminster Magistrates' Court.

The 51-year-old Pakistani national was arrested in August last year from Hilton on Edgware Road by Scotland Yard's Extradition Unit on the request of the US government to face extradition to America after an FBI probe charged him with money laundering, extortion, and conspiracy to import unlawful substances such as heroin.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of US suspects that underworld don Dawood Ibrahim is currently in Pakistan after secretly recording his close aide and Karachi-based businessman Jabir Motiwala.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of US suspects that underworld don Dawood Ibrahim is currently in Pakistan after secretly recording his close aide and Karachi-based businessman Jabir Motiwala. On Tuesday, the second day of Motiwala's extradition hearing to the United States, at the Westminster Magistrates' Court here, Barrister John Hardy, on behalf of the US government, said, "Motiwala was a high ranking member of the D-company, a criminal organisation run by Dawood Ibrahim." Dawood Ibrahim is wanted in India to face the law of the land for carrying out serial blasts in Mumbai in 1993 in which scores of people were killed and injured. Hardy also claimed that during his interaction with the FBI agents, the businessman disclosed activities of D-company in India, United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan, The News International has reported. The FBI's three Pakistani agents, described as CS1, CS2, and CS3 to protect their identity, interacted with Motiwala extensively over the course of more than five years in Karachi and Atlantic City to set up deals for the smuggling of heroin into the US. The Court was further informed that Motiwala was not aware that those dealing with him were working for the FBI, secretly recording him on audio, video and written form to create evidence against him for arrest and prosecution later on. Meanwhile, Motiwala's legal team, led by barrister Edward Fitzgerald, claimed that the alleged offences date back many years and the "long delay" between 2014 and 2018. He also raised the issue of illegal methods being used to trap the businessman into committing acts of criminality. In addition, a psychiatrist specialist told the court that Motiwala is highly likely to commit suicide if extradited to America. The doctor stressed that after reviewing Motiwala's past medical record, obtained independently from Pakistan, it was well established that the businessman has a long history of depression and he had attempted suicide on three occasions. However, despite Motiwala's denial of allegations, the trial continues at the Westminster Magistrates' Court. The 51-year-old Pakistani national was arrested in August last year from Hilton on Edgware Road by Scotland Yard's Extradition Unit on the request of the US government to face extradition to America after an FBI probe charged him with money laundering, extortion, and conspiracy to import unlawful substances such as heroin.

FBI suspects Dawood Ibrahim is in Pakistan

By Anshu Dubey

Pranav Desai, an Indian American IT Professional, showcased his much talked about creation- a mobile application for people with disabilities, at the United Nations recently. The app will help create mass awareness and inspire everyone including government officials, the business community, the youth and the specially abled themselves in efforts to ensure a life of dignity and equality. Desai himself is a polio-survivor and is the founder of the Voice of SAP (Specially Abled People). Desai spoke to WION with his team in an exclusive interview where he mentioned his mission and vision behind the campaign.

Desai is an adviser to the Department of Persons with Disabilities in India’s Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and was also appointed an adviser to the ‘Accessible India’ campaign aimed at making transport, public spaces and information and communication technology accessible to differently-abled people.

In this chat with us, Mr Desai and his colleague Manushri mentioned how important the aspect of accessibility of buildings are for people with disabilities and how helpful the campaign of Accessible India and the mobile app can prove to be for India and across the world.

The following excerpts are from the interview with the team:

What made you think about this App?

Pranav Desai: The basic need from our perspective is the accessibility. Because if the person has access to the school, he or she can do very well, which is why we made accessibility as our core theme at VoiceOfSAP. This is why we proposed Accessible Campaign to Govt Of India which was fortunately launched by Prime Minister Modi in 2015, 3rd International Disability Day. The key aspect of the campaign is creating the demand for accessibility, create the awareness and that is where the technical tool like VOSAP app is very very useful because we are empowering people to be advocates for the accessibility. The idea was to empower every individual who wants to help create accessibility. People can plan using the VOSAP app to track places of need like post offices, restaurants, etc. There is independent living. The whole idea was to provide information and empower volunteers to speak for them.

Manushri Desai: I was able to join Voice of Specially Abled People after Mr Pranav Desai had begun working on the application. My role in the application dealt mostly with expanding its community outreach to my secondary university based in California, the University of Southern California until I was able to work more closely to increase our outreach and community of disability rights activist. But I wasn't directly involved in the founding of the app.

How accurate is the app and did you get any feedback from the users as well?

Pranav Desai: For accuracy, we are using Google, Apple and various APIs so the mapping is driven by the latitude and longitude of the location which is captured by any smartphone. Of course, depending on various smartphones there could be some variations. However, we are very close in the precision of capturing the location which is what we are putting back on the Google map. It is very useful too, as there was never such an advocacy tool before. this kind of database is non-existent. As a matter of fact, more and more people like it and thousands of photographs are being taken, more and more communities are joining this movement and we have 8000 passionate volunteers. That's the success, in 3 years from zero to 8000 volunteers on the ground have been convinced to put their efforts to create a more inclusive society.

Manushri Desai: I think one of the very interesting parts of the application is the accessibility part of the app and that allows anybody in a respective community, any volunteer to take a picture of a building and rate its accessibility and then also be able to write specific comments about the accessibility of the building and take a picture of the building, that goes into a crowdsourcing database where people with disabilities in different areas of the world can access those photos and be able to use them to see which buildings are accessible to them. In that instance, I think it's been pretty accurate to which buildings do have accessibility and which buildings don't. The feedback that we get from the users is that they are able to navigate it well in the sense of the crowdsourcing aspect of the database and they are also able to locate buildings through the application very well from the point of view of persons with disabilities.

How does App work? Could you also elaborate on the methodology it uses?

Manushri Desai: There are three key features of the application. The first being it allows everyone to become a disability rights activist by taking the volunteering plunge. This is based on their role in the society which they can select in a drop-down menu. They use this basically to establish their individual social responsibility towards people with disabilities. It's really about committing to actions towards people with disabilities demonstrating empathy rather than sympathy. This way we want to create a mass movement worldwide. Anybody can join the group of the like-minded society of people that are willing to help disability rights advocacy.

The second key feature is to help contribute to the crowdsourcing community by raiding accessible buildings around the world. This allows us to crowdsource data where we get to know which buildings are accessible and which are not. If everyone takes some time out and navigate their neighbourhoods we can get hundreds of neighbourhoods around the world that people with disabilities can see if they can use those neighbourhoods.

The third major key feature is empowering our youth. Volunteers who can become change agents in the community. So these buildings which are rated by our volunteers, if they are not accessible in certain parts of the world then this key feature allows volunteers to email directly from the mobile app to the owner of the building and to reach out to them about changing the building to become more accessible for people with disabilities. It allows us to map our community locally also advocate the increase of accessible buildings around the world.

What is the status of your plea with the government of India?

Pranav Desai: We shared this proposal of Accessible India Campaign to Prime Minister Modi back in 2014, which is now a reality. So we believe on the ground we have created an impact. We have signed with 2 districts of Ahmedabad and Morbi in Gujarat, Our biggest suggestion or request to every District Magistrate to join with us and commit that their district would be mapped out completely for accessibility of the buildings. Our biggest request to the govt is every collector should promote and take action to map out their districts for all important buildings using VOSAP mobile app.

Manushri Desai: Right now the application has been helping the Accessible India Campaign. My colleague and I were able to attend the United Nations Conference very recently for the rights of persons with disabilities and the role of VoiceofSAP right now is working on the Accessible India campaign and basically using its crowdsourcing data to expand our community of accessibility of buildings in India and to be able to map that out.

How soon users will be able to use the app in India?

Manushri Desai: I think they can start using it right now. I joined VoiceOfSAP last year and I've become extremely accustomed to the application and I know many people I've been able to reach out to through my work. It's very user-friendly and it just requires a little role as taking a pledge, making sure you join the group of like- minded people to become a disability rights activist but to also be engaged in the community by taking pictures, rating accessibility of buildings and advocating for the accessibility. So especially in India, there has been a mass movement created by VoiceOfSAP and this application will be a trailblazer in establishing that mass movement.

How does it feel to bring a positive change in many people life?

Manushri Desai: It's very satisfying and I think it's not just because we interact with these people through this mobile app interface but it's knowing that there are 8000+ volunteers that are involved in this push towards this atmosphere creation around the world. Knowing that is not a feeling that can be explained by words. hence I feel privileged to be a part of this movement.

How do you see the app response?

Manushri Desai: The 8000+ volunteers are a testament to the fact that the app has started to create a mass movement and many of the people we spoke to at the UN Conference also spoke to a similar degree about how important the application is.

By Anshu Dubey Pranav Desai, an Indian American IT Professional, showcased his much talked about creation- a mobile application for people with disabilities, at the United Nations recently.

By Anshu Dubey Pranav Desai, an Indian American IT Professional, showcased his much talked about creation- a mobile application for people with disabilities, at the United Nations recently. The app will help create mass awareness and inspire everyone including government officials, the business community, the youth and the specially abled themselves in efforts to ensure a life of dignity and equality. Desai himself is a polio-survivor and is the founder of the Voice of SAP (Specially Abled People). Desai spoke to WION with his team in an exclusive interview where he mentioned his mission and vision behind the campaign. Desai is an adviser to the Department of Persons with Disabilities in India’s Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and was also appointed an adviser to the ‘Accessible India’ campaign aimed at making transport, public spaces and information and communication technology accessible to differently-abled people. In this chat with us, Mr Desai and his colleague Manushri mentioned how important the aspect of accessibility of buildings are for people with disabilities and how helpful the campaign of Accessible India and the mobile app can prove to be for India and across the world. The following excerpts are from the interview with the team: What made you think about this App? Pranav Desai: The basic need from our perspective is the accessibility. Because if the person has access to the school, he or she can do very well, which is why we made accessibility as our core theme at VoiceOfSAP. This is why we proposed Accessible Campaign to Govt Of India which was fortunately launched by Prime Minister Modi in 2015, 3rd International Disability Day. The key aspect of the campaign is creating the demand for accessibility, create the awareness and that is where the technical tool like VOSAP app is very very useful because we are empowering people to be advocates for the accessibility. The idea was to empower every individual who wants to help create accessibility. People can plan using the VOSAP app to track places of need like post offices, restaurants, etc. There is independent living. The whole idea was to provide information and empower volunteers to speak for them. Manushri Desai: I was able to join Voice of Specially Abled People after Mr Pranav Desai had begun working on the application. My role in the application dealt mostly with expanding its community outreach to my secondary university based in California, the University of Southern California until I was able to work more closely to increase our outreach and community of disability rights activist. But I wasn't directly involved in the founding of the app. How accurate is the app and did you get any feedback from the users as well? Pranav Desai: For accuracy, we are using Google, Apple and various APIs so the mapping is driven by the latitude and longitude of the location which is captured by any smartphone. Of course, depending on various smartphones there could be some variations. However, we are very close in the precision of capturing the location which is what we are putting back on the Google map. It is very useful too, as there was never such an advocacy tool before. this kind of database is non-existent. As a matter of fact, more and more people like it and thousands of photographs are being taken, more and more communities are joining this movement and we have 8000 passionate volunteers. That's the success, in 3 years from zero to 8000 volunteers on the ground have been convinced to put their efforts to create a more inclusive society. Manushri Desai: I think one of the very interesting parts of the application is the accessibility part of the app and that allows anybody in a respective community, any volunteer to take a picture of a building and rate its accessibility and then also be able to write specific comments about the accessibility of the building and take a picture of the building, that goes into a crowdsourcing database where people with disabilities in different areas of the world can access those photos and be able to use them to see which buildings are accessible to them. In that instance, I think it's been pretty accurate to which buildings do have accessibility and which buildings don't. The feedback that we get from the users is that they are able to navigate it well in the sense of the crowdsourcing aspect of the database and they are also able to locate buildings through the application very well from the point of view of persons with disabilities. How does App work? Could you also elaborate on the methodology it uses? Manushri Desai: There are three key features of the application. The first being it allows everyone to become a disability rights activist by taking the volunteering plunge. This is based on their role in the society which they can select in a drop-down menu. They use this basically to establish their individual social responsibility towards people with disabilities. It's really about committing to actions towards people with disabilities demonstrating empathy rather than sympathy. This way we want to create a mass movement worldwide. Anybody can join the group of the like-minded society of people that are willing to help disability rights advocacy. The second key feature is to help contribute to the crowdsourcing community by raiding accessible buildings around the world. This allows us to crowdsource data where we get to know which buildings are accessible and which are not. If everyone takes some time out and navigate their neighbourhoods we can get hundreds of neighbourhoods around the world that people with disabilities can see if they can use those neighbourhoods. The third major key feature is empowering our youth. Volunteers who can become change agents in the community. So these buildings which are rated by our volunteers, if they are not accessible in certain parts of the world then this key feature allows volunteers to email directly from the mobile app to the owner of the building and to reach out to them about changing the building to become more accessible for people with disabilities. It allows us to map our community locally also advocate the increase of accessible buildings around the world. What is the status of your plea with the government of India? Pranav Desai: We shared this proposal of Accessible India Campaign to Prime Minister Modi back in 2014, which is now a reality. So we believe on the ground we have created an impact. We have signed with 2 districts of Ahmedabad and Morbi in Gujarat, Our biggest suggestion or request to every District Magistrate to join with us and commit that their district would be mapped out completely for accessibility of the buildings. Our biggest request to the govt is every collector should promote and take action to map out their districts for all important buildings using VOSAP mobile app. Manushri Desai: Right now the application has been helping the Accessible India Campaign. My colleague and I were able to attend the United Nations Conference very recently for the rights of persons with disabilities and the role of VoiceofSAP right now is working on the Accessible India campaign and basically using its crowdsourcing data to expand our community of accessibility of buildings in India and to be able to map that out. How soon users will be able to use the app in India? Manushri Desai: I think they can start using it right now. I joined VoiceOfSAP last year and I've become extremely accustomed to the application and I know many people I've been able to reach out to through my work. It's very user-friendly and it just requires a little role as taking a pledge, making sure you join the group of like- minded people to become a disability rights activist but to also be engaged in the community by taking pictures, rating accessibility of buildings and advocating for the accessibility. So especially in India, there has been a mass movement created by VoiceOfSAP and this application will be a trailblazer in establishing that mass movement. How does it feel to bring a positive change in many people life? Manushri Desai: It's very satisfying and I think it's not just because we interact with these people through this mobile app interface but it's knowing that there are 8000+ volunteers that are involved in this push towards this atmosphere creation around the world. Knowing that is not a feeling that can be explained by words. hence I feel privileged to be a part of this movement. How do you see the app response? Manushri Desai: The 8000+ volunteers are a testament to the fact that the app has started to create a mass movement and many of the people we spoke to at the UN Conference also spoke to a similar degree about how important the application is.

Need an accessible, inclusive society for specially-abled people: Pranav Desai to WION

This International Plastic Bag Free Day, a look at how waste plastic is turned into colourful tiles. #PlasticFreeDay #PlasticTiles #BeatPlasticPollution

Novel solution to fighting plastic pollution

P Rajagopal's story has it all: rags to riches, the visionary creator of a trailblazing Indian restaurant chain -- and having a romantic rival murdered after some fateful cosmic advice.

How lust and money led to spectacular fall of India’s ‘Dosa King’

The homoeopathy product market is expected to touch $17.4 Billion by 2024. In order to tap the potential, Hahnemann Scientific Laboratory India is carving a niche for themselves, garnering orders from outside the country, mainly SAARC countries.

Haslab as they are known in the homoeopathy market, they provide various forms of homoeopathic products like eye drops, homoeopathic complex tablets, tinctures, dilutions, ointments, gels and Biochemic combinations from 1- 48.

If we look at the latest trends, the burgeoning popularity of alternative medical systems, especially homoeopathy is accentuating the demand for HSL products outside of India too. A team member from HSL revealed that recently they have procured a good amount of orders from the SAARC countries.

"Homoeopathy products have gained immense popularity in recent years owing to the growing acceptance of such highly individualized remedy to address specific symptoms in patient populations, the world over. We are extremely glad that other countries are now also experiencing the benefits of our products. Hahnemann Scientific Laboratory provide many different types of products, however, if we look at the world homoeopathy market, dilutions tend to be the most lucrative segment of all", said Amit Rastogi from Haslab.

A recent study by 3EA, a management consulting firm that manages Haslab`s marketing presence, revealed that the dilutions market is expected to reach a worth of USD 6, 253.9 million by 2024.

We had a look at some more numbers, speaking about the global market, if we speak geographically, Europe is the front-runner. However, the Asian market is fast catching up the pace. The demand for homoeopathic products in the Asian market is expected to surge at a potentially attractive CAGR in the coming years.

So, what makes the market so beneficial for the homoeopathy product providers. The huge rise in disposable income has turned out to be a major force in this growth. Recently, a majority of the population has shown an inclination toward alternate medical systems for the treatment of chronic ailments.

Homoeopathy and especially Haslab has been at the crux of this development. This has turned out to be a crucial trend accentuating the demand for homoeopathic products.&nbsp;

The burgeoning demand is supported largely by the surge in people not considering homoeopathy as a placebo anymore.

Multiple developments in the field of medical science have also resulted in the efficacy of homoeopathy products and the growing disposable incomes, especially in emerging economies, which brings us to SAARC countries.&nbsp;

People in countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka are now open to place more faith in homoeopathy as compared to the past few years. The comparison scale between allopathic and homoeopathic product satisfaction is now narrowing down more than ever.

Well, the infeasibility of various small and medium scale manufacturers in the market spread across key regions to conform to good manufacturing practices might be making a minor dent, however, big market players like Haslab are leaving no stone unturned to keep the quality of products high and deliver effectively to the patients.

"The market is expected to witness huge gains from robust promotional and marketing activities in the coming years, especially in Asia. It is a positive sign for us that we are lapping up orders from the SAARC countries in addition to our extensive presence in India", added Rastogi, explaining about the future plans on tapping huge potential and the inclination of SAARC population towards using HSL products.

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article.&nbsp;

The homoeopathy product market is expected to touch $17.4 Billion by 2024. In order to tap the potential, Hahnemann Scientific Laboratory India is carving a niche for themselves, garnering orders from outside the country, mainly SAARC countries.

The homoeopathy product market is expected to touch $17.4 Billion by 2024. In order to tap the potential, Hahnemann Scientific Laboratory India is carving a niche for themselves, garnering orders from outside the country, mainly SAARC countries. Haslab as they are known in the homoeopathy market, they provide various forms of homoeopathic products like eye drops, homoeopathic complex tablets, tinctures, dilutions, ointments, gels and Biochemic combinations from 1- 48. If we look at the latest trends, the burgeoning popularity of alternative medical systems, especially homoeopathy is accentuating the demand for HSL products outside of India too. A team member from HSL revealed that recently they have procured a good amount of orders from the SAARC countries. "Homoeopathy products have gained immense popularity in recent years owing to the growing acceptance of such highly individualized remedy to address specific symptoms in patient populations, the world over. We are extremely glad that other countries are now also experiencing the benefits of our products. Hahnemann Scientific Laboratory provide many different types of products, however, if we look at the world homoeopathy market, dilutions tend to be the most lucrative segment of all", said Amit Rastogi from Haslab. A recent study by 3EA, a management consulting firm that manages Haslab`s marketing presence, revealed that the dilutions market is expected to reach a worth of USD 6, 253.9 million by 2024. We had a look at some more numbers, speaking about the global market, if we speak geographically, Europe is the front-runner. However, the Asian market is fast catching up the pace. The demand for homoeopathic products in the Asian market is expected to surge at a potentially attractive CAGR in the coming years. So, what makes the market so beneficial for the homoeopathy product providers. The huge rise in disposable income has turned out to be a major force in this growth. Recently, a majority of the population has shown an inclination toward alternate medical systems for the treatment of chronic ailments. Homoeopathy and especially Haslab has been at the crux of this development. This has turned out to be a crucial trend accentuating the demand for homoeopathic products. The burgeoning demand is supported largely by the surge in people not considering homoeopathy as a placebo anymore. Multiple developments in the field of medical science have also resulted in the efficacy of homoeopathy products and the growing disposable incomes, especially in emerging economies, which brings us to SAARC countries. People in countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka are now open to place more faith in homoeopathy as compared to the past few years. The comparison scale between allopathic and homoeopathic product satisfaction is now narrowing down more than ever. Well, the infeasibility of various small and medium scale manufacturers in the market spread across key regions to conform to good manufacturing practices might be making a minor dent, however, big market players like Haslab are leaving no stone unturned to keep the quality of products high and deliver effectively to the patients. "The market is expected to witness huge gains from robust promotional and marketing activities in the coming years, especially in Asia. It is a positive sign for us that we are lapping up orders from the SAARC countries in addition to our extensive presence in India", added Rastogi, explaining about the future plans on tapping huge potential and the inclination of SAARC population towards using HSL products. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article.

SAARC countries favour India-based Hahnemann Scientific Laboratory for Homoeopathic Medicines

The spy machinery of ISI, Pakistan army and officials of Pak government in Britain are making full-throttle efforts to prevent the extradition of Dawood Ibrahim's top aide Jabir Motiwala to the United States.

Motiwala is one of the trusted aides of Dawood Ibrahim. He was arrested in &nbsp;August 2018 on money laundering and drug trafficking charges, following a tip-off from the FBI.&nbsp;

He was detained by the London police from Hilton Hotel on August 19, 2018, after months of investigations on his financial links to 1993 Mumbai serial blasts mastermind Dawood Ibrahim and his family.

Hearing the extradition plea of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Monday at the Westminster Magistrates' Court, the D-Company's defence lawyer, backed by Pakistani diplomats, said that Motiwala was suffering from acute depression and cannot be flown to the US to face money laundering, drug trafficking and underworld crime charges, said the reports here.

On August 21, 2018, London's Westminster Magistrate’s Court had denied bail to Jabir.

The spy machinery of ISI, Pakistan army and officials of Pak government in Britain are making full-throttle efforts to prevent the extradition of Dawood Ibrahim's top aide Jabir Motiwala to the United States.

The spy machinery of ISI, Pakistan army and officials of Pak government in Britain are making full-throttle efforts to prevent the extradition of Dawood Ibrahim's top aide Jabir Motiwala to the United States. Motiwala is one of the trusted aides of Dawood Ibrahim. He was arrested in August 2018 on money laundering and drug trafficking charges, following a tip-off from the FBI. He was detained by the London police from Hilton Hotel on August 19, 2018, after months of investigations on his financial links to 1993 Mumbai serial blasts mastermind Dawood Ibrahim and his family. Hearing the extradition plea of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Monday at the Westminster Magistrates' Court, the D-Company's defence lawyer, backed by Pakistani diplomats, said that Motiwala was suffering from acute depression and cannot be flown to the US to face money laundering, drug trafficking and underworld crime charges, said the reports here. On August 21, 2018, London's Westminster Magistrate’s Court had denied bail to Jabir.

Pakistan tries to thwart Dawood Ibrahim aide Jabir Motiwala's extradition to the US

A total of 800 terrorists were eliminated by the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir during 2014-18, the Central government informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

"The security forces are combating the terrorist activities both along the LoC by eliminating the infiltration bids and in the hinterland by carrying out counterterrorist operations and responding to terrorist initiated incidents," 
 
Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik said in reply to the question of BJP MP Nitesh Ganga Deb.&nbsp;

Giving details of the number of terrorists eliminated in different years, the minister said that 104 terrorists were killed in 2014, 97 in 2015, 140 in 2016, 210 in 2017, and 249 in 2018. 
 
"Sustained synergised operations conducted by security forces have resulted in the elimination of a large number of terrorists," he said. 
 
This year too, in the first six months, security forces have eliminated more than 100 terrorists in the hinterland.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

A total of 800 terrorists were eliminated by the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir during 2014-18, the Central government informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

A total of 800 terrorists were eliminated by the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir during 2014-18, the Central government informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. "The security forces are combating the terrorist activities both along the LoC by eliminating the infiltration bids and in the hinterland by carrying out counterterrorist operations and responding to terrorist initiated incidents," Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik said in reply to the question of BJP MP Nitesh Ganga Deb. Giving details of the number of terrorists eliminated in different years, the minister said that 104 terrorists were killed in 2014, 97 in 2015, 140 in 2016, 210 in 2017, and 249 in 2018. "Sustained synergised operations conducted by security forces have resulted in the elimination of a large number of terrorists," he said. This year too, in the first six months, security forces have eliminated more than 100 terrorists in the hinterland.

800 terrorists killed in last five years in J&K: Government

Shortly after asking the Congress to decide the new chief, Rahul Gandhi tweeted his resignation letter as party president.

"It is an honour for me to serve the Congress Party, whose values and ideals have served as the lifeblood of our beautiful nation. I owe the country and my organisation a debt of tremendous gratitude and love. Jai Hind," he said in his tweet which also has a copy of his resignation letter.

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It is an honour for me to serve the Congress Party, whose values and ideals have served as the lifeblood of our beautiful nation. 
 
I owe the country and my organisation a debt of tremendous gratitude and love. 
 
Jai Hind 🇮🇳 <a href="https://t.co/WWGYt5YG4V">pic.twitter.com/WWGYt5YG4V</a>
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/1146359704815194112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2019</a></blockquote>
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As president of the Congress party, I am responsible for the loss of the 2019 election, Rahul has said in his letter sent to the Congress Working Committee, the party's highest decision-making body. The Congress won just 52 of the 542 Lok Sabha seats in the April-May general elections.

Rahul also removed his designation as Congress president from his official Twitter handle.

Earlier on Wednesday, he had said that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/party-should-decide-on-the-new-congress-president-quickly-says-rahul-gandhi-232690">Congress should elect</a> a new president without any further delay.

"Party should decide on the new president quickly without further delay, I'm nowhere in this process. I have already submitted my resignation and I am no longer the party president. CWC should convene a meeting at the earliest and decide," he told reporters.

The crisis in Congress has been going on for week as Rahul has refused to listen to calls from party leaders to reconsider his decision to resign.

On Tuesday, party workers and leaders staged a sit-in outside Congress headquarters and urged an unrelenting Rahul Gandhi to withdraw his resignation.

Rahul Gandhi had offered to step down on May 25 at a meeting of the Congress Working Committee after party's debacle in the Lok Sabha elections.

However, his offer of resignation was unanimously rejected by the CWC.

Shortly after asking the Congress to decide the new chief, Rahul Gandhi tweeted his resignation letter as party president. "It is an honour for me to serve the Congress Party, whose values and ideals have served as the lifeblood of our beautiful nation.

Shortly after asking the Congress to decide the new chief, Rahul Gandhi tweeted his resignation letter as party president. "It is an honour for me to serve the Congress Party, whose values and ideals have served as the lifeblood of our beautiful nation. I owe the country and my organisation a debt of tremendous gratitude and love. Jai Hind," he said in his tweet which also has a copy of his resignation letter. It is an honour for me to serve the Congress Party, whose values and ideals have served as the lifeblood of our beautiful nation. I owe the country and my organisation a debt of tremendous gratitude and love. Jai Hind 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/WWGYt5YG4V — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 3, 2019 × As president of the Congress party, I am responsible for the loss of the 2019 election, Rahul has said in his letter sent to the Congress Working Committee, the party's highest decision-making body. The Congress won just 52 of the 542 Lok Sabha seats in the April-May general elections. Rahul also removed his designation as Congress president from his official Twitter handle. Earlier on Wednesday, he had said that Congress should elect a new president without any further delay. "Party should decide on the new president quickly without further delay, I'm nowhere in this process. I have already submitted my resignation and I am no longer the party president. CWC should convene a meeting at the earliest and decide," he told reporters. The crisis in Congress has been going on for week as Rahul has refused to listen to calls from party leaders to reconsider his decision to resign. On Tuesday, party workers and leaders staged a sit-in outside Congress headquarters and urged an unrelenting Rahul Gandhi to withdraw his resignation. Rahul Gandhi had offered to step down on May 25 at a meeting of the Congress Working Committee after party's debacle in the Lok Sabha elections. However, his offer of resignation was unanimously rejected by the CWC.

Honour for me to serve Congress party: Rahul Gandhi tweets his resignation letter

BJP MP from Hooghly Locket Chatterjee has accused TMC leaders in West Bengal of taking cut-money.

"Cut-money is taken by TMC leaders from birth till death. West Bengal Chief Minister has accepted that their leaders take it. TMC leaders from lower to upper level are taking it. Chief Minister had said to her party leaders to keep the 25 per cent amount and give 75 per cent to her," she said raising the issue in the Zero Hour of Lok Sabha.

Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court directed Bengal Food Minister Jyotipriya Mullick, his assistant, a councillor and the state to respond within four weeks to a complaint filed by two businessman brothers that they had been asked to pay Rs 30 lakh for permission to set up a nursing home.

Protests and demonstrations have rocked various parts of the state over people demanding that "cut money" allegedly taken by elected representatives of the ruling TMC from beneficiaries of government schemes be returned.

Cut money amounts to a percentage of money that is illegally charged by elected leaders to the grassroots functionaries at the panchayat and local bodies level from ordinary citizens in return for delivery of services.

Meanwhile, BJP &nbsp;said if voted to power it will seize properties of TMC leaders accused of taking such commissions and return the money to people. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

BJP MP from Hooghly Locket Chatterjee has accused TMC leaders in West Bengal of taking cut-money. "Cut-money is taken by TMC leaders from birth till death. West Bengal Chief Minister has accepted that their leaders take it.

BJP MP from Hooghly Locket Chatterjee has accused TMC leaders in West Bengal of taking cut-money. "Cut-money is taken by TMC leaders from birth till death. West Bengal Chief Minister has accepted that their leaders take it. TMC leaders from lower to upper level are taking it. Chief Minister had said to her party leaders to keep the 25 per cent amount and give 75 per cent to her," she said raising the issue in the Zero Hour of Lok Sabha. Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court directed Bengal Food Minister Jyotipriya Mullick, his assistant, a councillor and the state to respond within four weeks to a complaint filed by two businessman brothers that they had been asked to pay Rs 30 lakh for permission to set up a nursing home. Protests and demonstrations have rocked various parts of the state over people demanding that "cut money" allegedly taken by elected representatives of the ruling TMC from beneficiaries of government schemes be returned. Cut money amounts to a percentage of money that is illegally charged by elected leaders to the grassroots functionaries at the panchayat and local bodies level from ordinary citizens in return for delivery of services. Meanwhile, BJP said if voted to power it will seize properties of TMC leaders accused of taking such commissions and return the money to people. (With inputs from agencies)

BJP MP accuses TMC leaders of taking cut-money

The government is likely to stick to a modest rise in defence spending in the 2019/2020 budget due on Friday because of tight government finances, officials said, further delaying a long-planned military <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/industry-leaders-call-for-massive-infrastructure-investments-ahead-of-union-budget-fy20-232734">modernisation programme</a>.

Air force desperately needs hundreds of combat planes and helicopters to replace its Soviet-era aircraft while the navy has long planned for a dozen submarines to counter the expanding presence of the Chinese navy in the Indian Ocean.

The army, a large part of which is deployed on the border with traditional foe Pakistan, has been seeking everything from assault rifles to surveillance drones and body armour.

But these plans have been on hold for years because governments have not been able to set aside large sums and most of the defence expenditure goes on salaries and pensions for a 1.4 million standing military, the world's second largest after China.

In an interim budget announced in February before national elections, the government allocated 4.31 trillion rupees ($62.27 billion) for defence, a 6.6 per cent rise over the previous year, raising concern at the time it wouldn't be enough for modernisation.

But a finance ministry official told Reuters there was unlikely to be any change to that allocation when Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presents the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/union-budget-2019-monetary-policy-not-enough-232602">budget in parliament</a>.

"Defence is our major spending and we give it as much as the budget allows. But this year, a significant rise to what has already been allotted looks difficult," the official involved in the budget preparations said.

China, by contrast, in March announced defence spending of around $180 billion, a 7.5% increase over 2018 and faster than the economic growth target. While China doesn’t give many break-ups, it is largely assumed that a substantial portion of it goes towards modernisation, helped also by a cutback in maintenance costs.

Since Chinese President Xi Jinping took office in late 2012, he has made strengthening and modernising the military a very key part of his policy platform. Part of that has been a reduction in troops by about 300,000 and the money saved in this is invested in much more advanced equipment and research and development.

Bloated military&nbsp;

Military planners have also considered restructuring the forces for the last couple of years to reduce manpower costs, but have not moved fast enough. There are 2.4 million defence pensioners at the moment, with approximately 55,000 being added every year.

"We need a lot of funds but it is not very likely to come," a defence ministry official said.

Laxman Behera, a research fellow at the government-funded Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi, said the military's spending on pay, allowances and pensions had risen from 45 per cent&nbsp;to 56 per cent&nbsp;in the last four years.

Share of capital procurement had come down to 18 per cent&nbsp;from 21 per cent&nbsp;during the same period. "Pensions take away a major chunk of India's defence expenditure every year," he said.

The Modi government has also tied military modernisation to its Make-in-India drive to build a domestic industry which has been slow in taking off.

Global defence companies such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing are bidding for a contract to supply the air force 114 combat planes which will be made in India in a deal estimated to be over $15 billion.

There will be little movement on the jet contract and another on submarines if no new funds are announced, the defence ministry official said.

The government is likely to stick to a modest rise in defence spending in the 2019/2020 budget due on Friday because of tight government finances, officials said, further delaying a long-planned military modernisation programme.

The government is likely to stick to a modest rise in defence spending in the 2019/2020 budget due on Friday because of tight government finances, officials said, further delaying a long-planned military modernisation programme. Air force desperately needs hundreds of combat planes and helicopters to replace its Soviet-era aircraft while the navy has long planned for a dozen submarines to counter the expanding presence of the Chinese navy in the Indian Ocean. The army, a large part of which is deployed on the border with traditional foe Pakistan, has been seeking everything from assault rifles to surveillance drones and body armour. But these plans have been on hold for years because governments have not been able to set aside large sums and most of the defence expenditure goes on salaries and pensions for a 1.4 million standing military, the world's second largest after China. In an interim budget announced in February before national elections, the government allocated 4.31 trillion rupees ($62.27 billion) for defence, a 6.6 per cent rise over the previous year, raising concern at the time it wouldn't be enough for modernisation. But a finance ministry official told Reuters there was unlikely to be any change to that allocation when Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presents the budget in parliament. "Defence is our major spending and we give it as much as the budget allows. But this year, a significant rise to what has already been allotted looks difficult," the official involved in the budget preparations said. China, by contrast, in March announced defence spending of around $180 billion, a 7.5% increase over 2018 and faster than the economic growth target. While China doesn’t give many break-ups, it is largely assumed that a substantial portion of it goes towards modernisation, helped also by a cutback in maintenance costs. Since Chinese President Xi Jinping took office in late 2012, he has made strengthening and modernising the military a very key part of his policy platform. Part of that has been a reduction in troops by about 300,000 and the money saved in this is invested in much more advanced equipment and research and development. Bloated military Military planners have also considered restructuring the forces for the last couple of years to reduce manpower costs, but have not moved fast enough. There are 2.4 million defence pensioners at the moment, with approximately 55,000 being added every year. "We need a lot of funds but it is not very likely to come," a defence ministry official said. Laxman Behera, a research fellow at the government-funded Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi, said the military's spending on pay, allowances and pensions had risen from 45 per cent to 56 per cent in the last four years. Share of capital procurement had come down to 18 per cent from 21 per cent during the same period. "Pensions take away a major chunk of India's defence expenditure every year," he said. The Modi government has also tied military modernisation to its Make-in-India drive to build a domestic industry which has been slow in taking off. Global defence companies such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing are bidding for a contract to supply the air force 114 combat planes which will be made in India in a deal estimated to be over $15 billion. There will be little movement on the jet contract and another on submarines if no new funds are announced, the defence ministry official said.

Budget 2019: Modest rise in military spending likely, modernisation on hold

India is likely to stick to a modest rise in defence spending in the 2019/2020 budget due on Friday because of tight government finances, officials said, further delaying a long-planned military modernisation programme.

India's air force desperately needs hundreds of combat planes and helicopters to replace its Soviet-era aircraft while the navy has long planned for a dozen submarines to counter the expanding presence of the Chinese navy in the Indian Ocean.

The army, a large part of which is deployed on the border with traditional foe Pakistan, has been seeking everything from assault rifles to surveillance drones and body armour.

But these plans have been on hold for years because governments have not been able to set aside large sums and most of the defence expenditure goes on salaries and pensions for a 1.4 million standing military, the world's second largest after China.

In an interim budget announced in February before national elections, the government allocated 4.31 trillion rupees ($62.27 billion) for defence, a 6.6 per cent rise over the previous year, raising concern at the time it wouldn't be enough for modernisation.

But a finance ministry official told Reuters there was unlikely to be any change to that allocation when Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presents the budget in parliament.

"Defence is our major spending and we give it as much as the budget allows. But this year, a significant rise to what has already been allotted looks difficult," the official involved in the budget preparations said.

China, by contrast, in March announced defence spending of around $180 billion, a 7.5% increase over 2018 and faster than the economic growth target. While China doesn’t give many break-ups, it is largely assumed that a substantial portion of it goes towards modernisation, helped also by a cutback in maintenance costs.

Since Chinese President Xi Jinping took office in late 2012, he has made strengthening and modernising the military a very key part of his policy platform. Part of that has been a reduction in troops by about 300,000 and the money saved in this is invested in much more advanced equipment and research and development.

Bloated military&nbsp;

Indian military planners have also considered restructuring the forces for the last couple of years to reduce manpower costs, but have not moved fast enough. There are 2.4 million defence pensioners at the moment, with approximately 55,000 being added every year.

"We need a lot of funds but it is not very likely to come," a defence ministry official said.

Laxman Behera, a research fellow at the government-funded Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi, said the military's spending on pay, allowances and pensions had risen from 45 per cent&nbsp;to 56 per cent&nbsp;in the last four years.

Share of capital procurement had come down to 18 per cent&nbsp;from 21 per cent&nbsp;during the same period. "Pensions take away a major chunk of India's defence expenditure every year," he said.

The Modi government has also tied military modernisation to its Make-in-India drive to build a domestic industry which has been slow in taking off.

Global defence companies such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing are bidding for a contract to supply the air force 114 combat planes which will be made in India in a deal estimated to be over $15 billion.

There will be little movement on the jet contract and another on submarines if no new funds are announced, the defence ministry official said.

India is likely to stick to a modest rise in defence spending in the 2019/2020 budget due on Friday because of tight government finances, officials said, further delaying a long-planned military modernisation programme.

India is likely to stick to a modest rise in defence spending in the 2019/2020 budget due on Friday because of tight government finances, officials said, further delaying a long-planned military modernisation programme. India's air force desperately needs hundreds of combat planes and helicopters to replace its Soviet-era aircraft while the navy has long planned for a dozen submarines to counter the expanding presence of the Chinese navy in the Indian Ocean. The army, a large part of which is deployed on the border with traditional foe Pakistan, has been seeking everything from assault rifles to surveillance drones and body armour. But these plans have been on hold for years because governments have not been able to set aside large sums and most of the defence expenditure goes on salaries and pensions for a 1.4 million standing military, the world's second largest after China. In an interim budget announced in February before national elections, the government allocated 4.31 trillion rupees ($62.27 billion) for defence, a 6.6 per cent rise over the previous year, raising concern at the time it wouldn't be enough for modernisation. But a finance ministry official told Reuters there was unlikely to be any change to that allocation when Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presents the budget in parliament. "Defence is our major spending and we give it as much as the budget allows. But this year, a significant rise to what has already been allotted looks difficult," the official involved in the budget preparations said. China, by contrast, in March announced defence spending of around $180 billion, a 7.5% increase over 2018 and faster than the economic growth target. While China doesn’t give many break-ups, it is largely assumed that a substantial portion of it goes towards modernisation, helped also by a cutback in maintenance costs. Since Chinese President Xi Jinping took office in late 2012, he has made strengthening and modernising the military a very key part of his policy platform. Part of that has been a reduction in troops by about 300,000 and the money saved in this is invested in much more advanced equipment and research and development. Bloated military Indian military planners have also considered restructuring the forces for the last couple of years to reduce manpower costs, but have not moved fast enough. There are 2.4 million defence pensioners at the moment, with approximately 55,000 being added every year. "We need a lot of funds but it is not very likely to come," a defence ministry official said. Laxman Behera, a research fellow at the government-funded Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi, said the military's spending on pay, allowances and pensions had risen from 45 per cent to 56 per cent in the last four years. Share of capital procurement had come down to 18 per cent from 21 per cent during the same period. "Pensions take away a major chunk of India's defence expenditure every year," he said. The Modi government has also tied military modernisation to its Make-in-India drive to build a domestic industry which has been slow in taking off. Global defence companies such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing are bidding for a contract to supply the air force 114 combat planes which will be made in India in a deal estimated to be over $15 billion. There will be little movement on the jet contract and another on submarines if no new funds are announced, the defence ministry official said.

Modest rise in Indian military spending likely, modernisation on hold

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/congress-rashtriya-janata-dal-will-push-21st-century-india-into-darkness-pm-modi-in-bihar-218694">Rashtriya Janata Dal</a> (RJD) on Wednesday protested at the Legislative Assembly against Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey and demanded his resignation following the outbreak of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/acute-encephalitis-syndrome-death-toll-climbs-to-136-in-bihars-muzaffarpur-district-231824">Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) </a>which has claimed lives of over 100 children in the state.

RJD leaders and workers raised slogans against Pandey, expressing objection over the affidavit about the medical facilities provided in the hospital submitted in the Supreme Court by the Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led government on Tuesday.

"The way children are dying in Muzaffarpur shows the incapability and failure of the Bihar government. Pandey has failed to handle his Ministry well. There are no nurses, doctors and even lab technicians in the state hospitals. They are bringing doctors from outside the state. Now, they have submitted an affidavit in the court, in which they are trying to justify the deaths of Bihar children," a female protestor said.&nbsp;

On June 24, the Supreme Court had expressed "serious concerns" over the rising number of deaths due to the disease. The apex court had reprimanded the Bihar government over the deaths of children across the state due to AES.

The top court had also asked the state government to file an affidavit on the concerns raised regarding the nutrition, hygiene and adequacy in the hospitals.&nbsp;

During the Monsoon session on June 28, Pandey had dismissed the criticism against the government on the issue.

&nbsp;"Till June 28, 720 were admitted, 586 were cured and 154 children died. The death rate has been brought down to 21 per cent. As compared to the data from 2011-19, the death rate due to AES has come down over the past few years," he had said. As many as 137 children have died in Muzaffarpur due to the outbreak of encephalitis.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Wednesday protested at the Legislative Assembly against Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey and demanded his resignation following the outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) which has claimed lives of over 100 children in the state.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Wednesday protested at the Legislative Assembly against Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey and demanded his resignation following the outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) which has claimed lives of over 100 children in the state. RJD leaders and workers raised slogans against Pandey, expressing objection over the affidavit about the medical facilities provided in the hospital submitted in the Supreme Court by the Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led government on Tuesday. "The way children are dying in Muzaffarpur shows the incapability and failure of the Bihar government. Pandey has failed to handle his Ministry well. There are no nurses, doctors and even lab technicians in the state hospitals. They are bringing doctors from outside the state. Now, they have submitted an affidavit in the court, in which they are trying to justify the deaths of Bihar children," a female protestor said. On June 24, the Supreme Court had expressed "serious concerns" over the rising number of deaths due to the disease. The apex court had reprimanded the Bihar government over the deaths of children across the state due to AES. The top court had also asked the state government to file an affidavit on the concerns raised regarding the nutrition, hygiene and adequacy in the hospitals. During the Monsoon session on June 28, Pandey had dismissed the criticism against the government on the issue. "Till June 28, 720 were admitted, 586 were cured and 154 children died. The death rate has been brought down to 21 per cent. As compared to the data from 2011-19, the death rate due to AES has come down over the past few years," he had said. As many as 137 children have died in Muzaffarpur due to the outbreak of encephalitis.

Acute Encephalitis Syndrome outbreak: Rashtriya Janata Dal protests against Mangal Pandey, demands resignation

Acting strictly on the policy of 'zero tolerance', the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/angoor-khatte-hai-yogi-hits-back-at-priyanka-gandhi-over-tweet-on-rising-crime-in-uttar-pradesh-231686">Yogi Adityanath government</a> on Wednesday warned over 400 corrupt officials of severe punishment and decided to give early retirement to around 200 employees.

According to government officials, the state government has asked 200 officials to take voluntary retirement as they were found guilty in corruption cases.

&nbsp;At the same time, more than 400 corrupt officers and employees have been warned of severe punishments.

&nbsp;On June 20, Adityanath had reviewed the work of Secretariat Administration department at Lok Bhawan and said that there was no place for corrupt officers and staff in the Government.&nbsp;

He had said that corrupt officers could be shown the door by giving them compulsory retirement. The Chief Minister had directed the officials to prepare a list of corrupt officers and advised firm action against them.

Acting strictly on the policy of 'zero tolerance', the Yogi Adityanath government on Wednesday warned over 400 corrupt officials of severe punishment and decided to give early retirement to around 200 employees.

Acting strictly on the policy of 'zero tolerance', the Yogi Adityanath government on Wednesday warned over 400 corrupt officials of severe punishment and decided to give early retirement to around 200 employees. According to government officials, the state government has asked 200 officials to take voluntary retirement as they were found guilty in corruption cases. At the same time, more than 400 corrupt officers and employees have been warned of severe punishments. On June 20, Adityanath had reviewed the work of Secretariat Administration department at Lok Bhawan and said that there was no place for corrupt officers and staff in the Government. He had said that corrupt officers could be shown the door by giving them compulsory retirement. The Chief Minister had directed the officials to prepare a list of corrupt officers and advised firm action against them.

Uttar Pradesh government initiates action against 600 corrupt officers

Another <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/fir-registered-against-azam-khan-10-others-for-making-derogatory-remarks-against-jaya-prada-232243">FIR has been registered against Samajwadi Party</a> (SP) leader Azam Khan for allegedly making derogatory remarks against BJP leader <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/azam-khan-fighting-polls-to-legalise-his-acts-jaya-prada-208710">Jaya Prada</a>.

On Monday, an FIR was filed against the SP leader by Akash Saxena, a supporter of Jaya Prada, at Civil Line police station. In the complaint, Saxena alleged that Azam Khan made derogatory remarks about Jaya Prada at a ceremony of a local cricket tournament on June 29.

The FIR was registered under Section 294 (obscene acts) and 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 66 in the Information Technology Act.&nbsp;

Besides Azam Khan, 10 other people were also named in the FIR. The second complaint was registered against Khan at the Civil Line police station on Tuesday by Mustafa Hussain.

Sharing details regarding the second FIR, Vidya Kishore, Circle Officer, Rampur said, "At an event on June 30, he (Azam Khan) made some remarks against Jaya Prada. Mustafa Hussain filed a complaint against around seven people including Azam Khan and ST Hasan."

"Case registered under Sections 294 (obscene acts and songs) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), and 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The second FIR has been registered over an event which took place in Moradabad on June 30.

While addressing the event, Azam Khan allegedly used foul language against Jaya Prada.

During the Lok Sabha elections too, Khan was banned from campaigning for 72 hours by the Election Commission for his remarks against Jaya Prada.

Azam Khan won from Rampur Lok Sabha seat in the recently held polls. He defeated BJP` Jaya Prada from the seat.

Another FIR has been registered against Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan for allegedly making derogatory remarks against BJP leader Jaya Prada. On Monday, an FIR was filed against the SP leader by Akash Saxena, a supporter of Jaya Prada, at Civil Line police station.

Another FIR has been registered against Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan for allegedly making derogatory remarks against BJP leader Jaya Prada. On Monday, an FIR was filed against the SP leader by Akash Saxena, a supporter of Jaya Prada, at Civil Line police station. In the complaint, Saxena alleged that Azam Khan made derogatory remarks about Jaya Prada at a ceremony of a local cricket tournament on June 29. The FIR was registered under Section 294 (obscene acts) and 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 66 in the Information Technology Act. Besides Azam Khan, 10 other people were also named in the FIR. The second complaint was registered against Khan at the Civil Line police station on Tuesday by Mustafa Hussain. Sharing details regarding the second FIR, Vidya Kishore, Circle Officer, Rampur said, "At an event on June 30, he (Azam Khan) made some remarks against Jaya Prada. Mustafa Hussain filed a complaint against around seven people including Azam Khan and ST Hasan." "Case registered under Sections 294 (obscene acts and songs) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), and 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The second FIR has been registered over an event which took place in Moradabad on June 30. While addressing the event, Azam Khan allegedly used foul language against Jaya Prada. During the Lok Sabha elections too, Khan was banned from campaigning for 72 hours by the Election Commission for his remarks against Jaya Prada. Azam Khan won from Rampur Lok Sabha seat in the recently held polls. He defeated BJP` Jaya Prada from the seat.

Second FIR against Azam Khan for derogatory remarks on Jaya Prada

In the small village of Bangarampettai, 20 miles from country's manufacturing capital Chennai, about 150 people last month "captured" a water tanker, breaking its windscreen and deflating its tyres before handing it over to a nearby police station.

People living on the outskirts of Chennai&nbsp;are blocking roads and laying siege to tanker lorries because they fear their water reserves are being sacrificed so city dwellers, businesses and luxury hotels don't run out.

"Private tankers have fitted more than eight bore wells in our village and are indiscriminately extracting thousands of litres of water every day," the Bangarampettai villagers wrote in a letter to a government official in the region a day after they stopped the tanker.&nbsp;

Bad water management and a lack of rainfall mean that all four reservoirs that supply Chennai&nbsp;have run virtually dry this summer. That has forced some schools to shut, companies to ask employees to work from home and hotels to ration water for guests.

Other&nbsp;cities, including the capital New Delhi and technology hub Bengaluru, are also grappling with serious water shortages.

But the problem is most acute in Chennai, where local tensions have been inflamed by the Tamil Nadu state government tapping wells normally used for agriculture and villagers'&nbsp;daily needs.

In their letter, the Bangarampettai residents said they had petitioned government officials, including the district's top administrator, several times, but the tankers keep returning. "We don't have water in one of the two water tanks in the village now because the private tankers have been extracting water day and night," said S Arul, a local signboard painter.

Groundwater levels in Chennai's neighbouring districts, Thiruvallur and Kancheepuram, fell at a faster rate in May than the state average in districts excluding Chennai, data from the state's public works department showed. Data for Chennai district has not been made public.&nbsp;

The Kancheepuram district to the southeast of the city, which includes the factories of many foreign automakers, saw groundwater levels deplete more than 6 ft (1.88 metres), or three times the state average, to about 20 ft during the year ended May 2019, the data showed.

There is no sign yet that the factories are having to reduce production because of the shortage.&nbsp;

Dry lakes

M Jeeva, 27, who runs a hardware store near Bangarampettai, said he followed trucks taking the village's water back into the city and found they mostly supply hotels and companies.

Two of the biggest lakes in Thiruninravur, the nearest town to Bangarampettai, are dry. When Reuters visited, a fishing boat could be seen grounded and abandoned while children played cricket in the middle of the dry lakebed.

In Poochi Athipedu, another village on the city's outskirts, a local landowner S Ramesh allowed private tankers to sink bore wells and extract water, leading to protests by the local community.

Ramesh said he was paid up to 500 rupees ($7.20) to fill a 12,000-litre water tanker, but stopped selling water after the protests.

Officials, though, say there is no reason to be worried. "Water is being extracted only from regions within the district where there is sufficient water," said Mageswari Ravikumar, Thiruvalluvar's&nbsp;top administrative official, adding that the district administration had stopped some water tankers that were extracting water illegally.

Two state government officials said residents in at least three other villages in the district - where much of the population relies on cultivating rice and sugar cane - blocked roads in protest over worries about falling groundwater levels.&nbsp;

And N Nijalingam, president of the South Chennai Private Water Tankers Association, confirmed some tankers have been chased away, while others have had confrontations with angry crowds on the city`s outskirts.

More than 5,000 water tankers have been travelling within a 35-mile (55-km) radius of the city to pick up water for Chennai, he said.

Haphazard development

Like many Indian cities, Chennai`s growth over the past 20 years has been rapid and haphazard. Its population will have likely more than doubled to 10.7 million by 2020, from 4.6 million in 2011, according to the United Nations.

The Chennai municipality provides more than half of the city`s water through piped supplies and tankers hired by the authorities, with the rest handled by private firms, according to Sekhar Raghavan, director of the Chennai-based Rain Centre.

Across the city's poorer suburbs, there are many signs of the shortage. In Shanmugapuram, a suburb in the Thiruvallur district located right beside one of Chennai's biggest water sources, women of all ages holding blue and green plastic pots shouted slogans demanding water last week outside a government office.&nbsp;

At a water distribution point in North Chennai, people crowded around taps, with some arriving on the three-wheeler auto-rickshaws loaded with as many pots and buckets as they could carry.

The state government last decade made it mandatory to install rainwater harvesting structures in new buildings, but locals say it hasn`t been properly adopted.

Harsha Koda, Coordinator of FOMRAA, a residents association in the city, said people in his locality were paying up to 70 per cent more to buy water from private water tankers.

Residents in Chennai say the waiting period for city corporation-run water tankers, which deliver water at a lower price, is as long as 25 days.

"I paid 1,700 rupees for a 12,000-litre water tanker two days ago because the tanker had to travel 50 km more to fetch water," Koda said, adding that he previously paid 1,000 rupees for a tanker.

In the small village of Bangarampettai, 20 miles from country's manufacturing capital Chennai, about 150 people last month "captured" a water tanker, breaking its windscreen and deflating its tyres before handing it over to a nearby police station.

In the small village of Bangarampettai, 20 miles from country's manufacturing capital Chennai, about 150 people last month "captured" a water tanker, breaking its windscreen and deflating its tyres before handing it over to a nearby police station. People living on the outskirts of Chennai are blocking roads and laying siege to tanker lorries because they fear their water reserves are being sacrificed so city dwellers, businesses and luxury hotels don't run out. "Private tankers have fitted more than eight bore wells in our village and are indiscriminately extracting thousands of litres of water every day," the Bangarampettai villagers wrote in a letter to a government official in the region a day after they stopped the tanker. Bad water management and a lack of rainfall mean that all four reservoirs that supply Chennai have run virtually dry this summer. That has forced some schools to shut, companies to ask employees to work from home and hotels to ration water for guests. Other cities, including the capital New Delhi and technology hub Bengaluru, are also grappling with serious water shortages. But the problem is most acute in Chennai, where local tensions have been inflamed by the Tamil Nadu state government tapping wells normally used for agriculture and villagers' daily needs. In their letter, the Bangarampettai residents said they had petitioned government officials, including the district's top administrator, several times, but the tankers keep returning. "We don't have water in one of the two water tanks in the village now because the private tankers have been extracting water day and night," said S Arul, a local signboard painter. Groundwater levels in Chennai's neighbouring districts, Thiruvallur and Kancheepuram, fell at a faster rate in May than the state average in districts excluding Chennai, data from the state's public works department showed. Data for Chennai district has not been made public. The Kancheepuram district to the southeast of the city, which includes the factories of many foreign automakers, saw groundwater levels deplete more than 6 ft (1.88 metres), or three times the state average, to about 20 ft during the year ended May 2019, the data showed. There is no sign yet that the factories are having to reduce production because of the shortage. Dry lakes M Jeeva, 27, who runs a hardware store near Bangarampettai, said he followed trucks taking the village's water back into the city and found they mostly supply hotels and companies. Two of the biggest lakes in Thiruninravur, the nearest town to Bangarampettai, are dry. When Reuters visited, a fishing boat could be seen grounded and abandoned while children played cricket in the middle of the dry lakebed. In Poochi Athipedu, another village on the city's outskirts, a local landowner S Ramesh allowed private tankers to sink bore wells and extract water, leading to protests by the local community. Ramesh said he was paid up to 500 rupees ($7.20) to fill a 12,000-litre water tanker, but stopped selling water after the protests. Officials, though, say there is no reason to be worried. "Water is being extracted only from regions within the district where there is sufficient water," said Mageswari Ravikumar, Thiruvalluvar's top administrative official, adding that the district administration had stopped some water tankers that were extracting water illegally. Two state government officials said residents in at least three other villages in the district - where much of the population relies on cultivating rice and sugar cane - blocked roads in protest over worries about falling groundwater levels. And N Nijalingam, president of the South Chennai Private Water Tankers Association, confirmed some tankers have been chased away, while others have had confrontations with angry crowds on the city`s outskirts. More than 5,000 water tankers have been travelling within a 35-mile (55-km) radius of the city to pick up water for Chennai, he said. Haphazard development Like many Indian cities, Chennai`s growth over the past 20 years has been rapid and haphazard. Its population will have likely more than doubled to 10.7 million by 2020, from 4.6 million in 2011, according to the United Nations. The Chennai municipality provides more than half of the city`s water through piped supplies and tankers hired by the authorities, with the rest handled by private firms, according to Sekhar Raghavan, director of the Chennai-based Rain Centre. Across the city's poorer suburbs, there are many signs of the shortage. In Shanmugapuram, a suburb in the Thiruvallur district located right beside one of Chennai's biggest water sources, women of all ages holding blue and green plastic pots shouted slogans demanding water last week outside a government office. At a water distribution point in North Chennai, people crowded around taps, with some arriving on the three-wheeler auto-rickshaws loaded with as many pots and buckets as they could carry. The state government last decade made it mandatory to install rainwater harvesting structures in new buildings, but locals say it hasn`t been properly adopted. Harsha Koda, Coordinator of FOMRAA, a residents association in the city, said people in his locality were paying up to 70 per cent more to buy water from private water tankers. Residents in Chennai say the waiting period for city corporation-run water tankers, which deliver water at a lower price, is as long as 25 days. "I paid 1,700 rupees for a 12,000-litre water tanker two days ago because the tanker had to travel 50 km more to fetch water," Koda said, adding that he previously paid 1,000 rupees for a tanker.

Tamil Nadu: Villagers accuse authorities of seizing water as drought parches Chennai

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/what-is-in-store-for-ndas-alliance-in-modi-20-cabinet-222843">Shiromani Akali Dal</a> (SAD) president <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/sukhbir-singh-badal-sunny-deol-among-new-members-administered-oath-on-second-day-in-lok-sabha-228231">Sukhbir Singh Badal </a>has said Pakistan is creating obstacles one at a time with regards to the proposed Kartarpur corridor and urged the neighbouring country to take a "proactive stand" to remove these obstacles.

Speaking to ANI on Tuesday, Badal said, "The work of Kartarpur corridor on the Indian side is going as per plan. The Indian government is monitoring project on a weekly basis. We are ready for our pilgrims to go to Pakistan by October 30. The problem is coming from Pakistan`s side as they are not completing their part. The work on their side is very slow."

"Pakistan is creating obstacles. They are ready to build a bridge instead of a crossway. They are now saying people can visit the holy place only in festivals they need visas and would need to pay fees," he added.

The next meeting of India-Pakistan on Kartarpur corridor is slated to be held on July 14.

Meanwhile, Badal downplayed the controversy that erupted after Gurdaspur MP Sunny Deol appointed his personal assistant to represent his office in his constituency.

When asked about Deol's decision, Badal said "He (PA) is not a Member of Parliament. If somebody appoints his PA to go to offices, does not mean that he became an MP."

Earlier this week, Deol had announced that Gurpreet Singh Palheri will be his representative who will attend meetings and follow important matters pertaining to Gurdaspur, a decision which he faced severe backlash for.

Deol dubbed the controversy over the appointment of his personal assistant as "unfortunate" and said the move was solely aimed at ensuring "smooth flow of work" when he is out of the constituency.

"It is extremely unfortunate to see a controversy being created out of nothing at all. I have appointed my PA (Personal Assistant) to represent my office in Gurdaspur. This appointment has been made to ensure smooth flow of work whenever I am out of Gurdaspur to attend the parliament or travelling for work," the actor-turned-politician said in a statement posted on Twitter on Tuesday.

He also said the appointment was made to ensure that no work is disrupted or delayed due to any reason whatsoever.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal has said Pakistan is creating obstacles one at a time with regards to the proposed Kartarpur corridor and urged the neighbouring country to take a "proactive stand" to remove these obstacles.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal has said Pakistan is creating obstacles one at a time with regards to the proposed Kartarpur corridor and urged the neighbouring country to take a "proactive stand" to remove these obstacles. Speaking to ANI on Tuesday, Badal said, "The work of Kartarpur corridor on the Indian side is going as per plan. The Indian government is monitoring project on a weekly basis. We are ready for our pilgrims to go to Pakistan by October 30. The problem is coming from Pakistan`s side as they are not completing their part. The work on their side is very slow." "Pakistan is creating obstacles. They are ready to build a bridge instead of a crossway. They are now saying people can visit the holy place only in festivals they need visas and would need to pay fees," he added. The next meeting of India-Pakistan on Kartarpur corridor is slated to be held on July 14. Meanwhile, Badal downplayed the controversy that erupted after Gurdaspur MP Sunny Deol appointed his personal assistant to represent his office in his constituency. When asked about Deol's decision, Badal said "He (PA) is not a Member of Parliament. If somebody appoints his PA to go to offices, does not mean that he became an MP." Earlier this week, Deol had announced that Gurpreet Singh Palheri will be his representative who will attend meetings and follow important matters pertaining to Gurdaspur, a decision which he faced severe backlash for. Deol dubbed the controversy over the appointment of his personal assistant as "unfortunate" and said the move was solely aimed at ensuring "smooth flow of work" when he is out of the constituency. "It is extremely unfortunate to see a controversy being created out of nothing at all. I have appointed my PA (Personal Assistant) to represent my office in Gurdaspur. This appointment has been made to ensure smooth flow of work whenever I am out of Gurdaspur to attend the parliament or travelling for work," the actor-turned-politician said in a statement posted on Twitter on Tuesday. He also said the appointment was made to ensure that no work is disrupted or delayed due to any reason whatsoever.

Kartarpur corridor: Pakistan creating 'obstacles', says Sukhbir Badal

To curb the menace of rash driving on roads, Gujarat police has equipped its traffic unit with high-tech laser guns for detection of overspeeding by vehicles in the city.&nbsp;

The riders will be fined Rs 400 for exceeding the speed limit of 40 km/hr. The gun uses laser technology to detect the speed of a vehicle plying on road.

It has the capability to record the speed of three vehicles simultaneously in a second, even if the vehicles are a kilometre away.

Speaking to ANI, ACP (Traffic) Amita Vanani said, "We have formed a team who will be monitoring over speeding by using laser-equipped speed guns.

These high technology speed guns will capture the vehicle number, speed and the picture of the drivers.

The challan is issued with complete evidence."She added that this step was taken to curb traffic violations that were peaking in the past few days.&nbsp;

To curb the menace of rash driving on roads, Gujarat police has equipped its traffic unit with high-tech laser guns for detection of overspeeding by vehicles in the city.

To curb the menace of rash driving on roads, Gujarat police has equipped its traffic unit with high-tech laser guns for detection of overspeeding by vehicles in the city. The riders will be fined Rs 400 for exceeding the speed limit of 40 km/hr. The gun uses laser technology to detect the speed of a vehicle plying on road. It has the capability to record the speed of three vehicles simultaneously in a second, even if the vehicles are a kilometre away. Speaking to ANI, ACP (Traffic) Amita Vanani said, "We have formed a team who will be monitoring over speeding by using laser-equipped speed guns. These high technology speed guns will capture the vehicle number, speed and the picture of the drivers. The challan is issued with complete evidence."She added that this step was taken to curb traffic violations that were peaking in the past few days.

Gujarat: In a first, laser guns used to detect overspeeding in Vadodara

Preparations are underway in full swing for <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/aam-aadmi-party-has-become-a-laughing-stock-jp-nadda-231468">JP Nadda</a>`s first visit to Lucknow on Friday as BJP`s working president.

Nadda was named the Working President of the party on June 17 after BJP chief Amit Shah was appointed as the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/lok-sabha-election-result-2019-bjp-leaders-react-to-landslide-win-of-pm-narendra-modi-220885">Union Home Minister</a>.

Since this is Nadda's maiden visit to the city, BJP leader Vidyasagar Sonkar has made a road map for his welcome in a meeting held here.

Nadda is visiting Lucknow to review preparations for the bypolls in 12 Assembly seats in the state.

He is also speculated to discuss the extension of the State Cabinet and the new BJP Chief in the state after Mahendra Nath Pandey was elevated to the post of Union Minister.

Nadda will also review preparations ahead of the membership drive which will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 6 from the latter's parliamentary constituency Varanasi.

While addressing the meeting, Sonkar stated that the BJP got historic success in the Lok Sabha elections despite big promises made by the grand alliance of SP and BSP.

"Nadda is coming to Lucknow for the first time since becoming the working president. All the party workers need to take responsibility now onwards," he added.&nbsp;

Preparations are underway in full swing for JP Nadda`s first visit to Lucknow on Friday as BJP`s working president. Nadda was named the Working President of the party on June 17 after BJP chief Amit Shah was appointed as the Union Home Minister.

Preparations are underway in full swing for JP Nadda`s first visit to Lucknow on Friday as BJP`s working president. Nadda was named the Working President of the party on June 17 after BJP chief Amit Shah was appointed as the Union Home Minister. Since this is Nadda's maiden visit to the city, BJP leader Vidyasagar Sonkar has made a road map for his welcome in a meeting held here. Nadda is visiting Lucknow to review preparations for the bypolls in 12 Assembly seats in the state. He is also speculated to discuss the extension of the State Cabinet and the new BJP Chief in the state after Mahendra Nath Pandey was elevated to the post of Union Minister. Nadda will also review preparations ahead of the membership drive which will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 6 from the latter's parliamentary constituency Varanasi. While addressing the meeting, Sonkar stated that the BJP got historic success in the Lok Sabha elections despite big promises made by the grand alliance of SP and BSP. "Nadda is coming to Lucknow for the first time since becoming the working president. All the party workers need to take responsibility now onwards," he added.

Lucknow: Stage set for JP Nadda's maiden visit as Bharatiya Janata Party working president

The fuel tank of an indigenous LCA Tejas combat aircraft fell during a training sortie by the Indian Air Force near Sulur air base in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday morning.

The incident took place while the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) was airborne.

"Today morning at around 0840h, one fuel drop tank fell off from a Tejas aircraft on a routine sortie from Sulur Air Base near Coimbatore. The aircraft landed back safely after the incident. No damage was reported on the ground. The cause of the incident is being investigated," the IAF said in a statement.

This is the probably the first reported incident involving an LCA Tejas aircraft ever since it was inducted into the Indian Air Force.

This is the second incident in the last one week where an IAF fighter plane has had to jettison its fuel tank.

Last week, a Jaguar had to drop its external stores including fuel tanks and practice bombs after a bird hit resulted in engine flame right before take off from Ambala airbase.

The Tejas LCA is a supersonic, single-seat, single-engine multirole light fighter jet that has been under development since 1983 by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

On July 1, 2016, the LCA Tejas was inducted into the 'Flying Daggers'&nbsp;45 Squadron of the IAF and has been placed to replace the MiG-21 aircraft.&nbsp;

The fuel tank of an indigenous LCA Tejas combat aircraft fell during a training sortie by the Indian Air Force near Sulur air base in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday morning.

The fuel tank of an indigenous LCA Tejas combat aircraft fell during a training sortie by the Indian Air Force near Sulur air base in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday morning. The incident took place while the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) was airborne. "Today morning at around 0840h, one fuel drop tank fell off from a Tejas aircraft on a routine sortie from Sulur Air Base near Coimbatore. The aircraft landed back safely after the incident. No damage was reported on the ground. The cause of the incident is being investigated," the IAF said in a statement. This is the probably the first reported incident involving an LCA Tejas aircraft ever since it was inducted into the Indian Air Force. This is the second incident in the last one week where an IAF fighter plane has had to jettison its fuel tank. Last week, a Jaguar had to drop its external stores including fuel tanks and practice bombs after a bird hit resulted in engine flame right before take off from Ambala airbase. The Tejas LCA is a supersonic, single-seat, single-engine multirole light fighter jet that has been under development since 1983 by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). On July 1, 2016, the LCA Tejas was inducted into the 'Flying Daggers' 45 Squadron of the IAF and has been placed to replace the MiG-21 aircraft.

Tejas fuel tank falls in field near Sulur air base in Tamil Nadu; IAF to probe

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-general-elections-2019/narendra-modi-takes-oath-as-prime-minister-for-second-time-222847">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</a> on Monday constituted a high-powered committee of chief ministers for the transformation of agriculture and raising farmers` income.

The nine-member committee, headed by Maharashtra Chief Minister <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/maharashtra-chief-minister-devendra-fadnavis-to-discuss-state-cabinet-expansion-with-uddhav-thackeray-227250">Devendra Fadnavis</a>, will suggest policy measures, attract investments and raise growth in food processing.

Chief Ministers of Karnataka, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Union Agriculture, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand will be the members of the committee.&nbsp;

The committee will discuss the measures for the transformation of agriculture and raising farmers' income. Modalities for adoption and time-bound implementation of agriculture sector reforms will be suggested by the committee. The committee will submit its report in two months.&nbsp;

The panel will examine various provisions of the Essential Commodity Act (ECA), to attract private investments in agricultural marketing and infrastructure.

It will also suggest a mechanism for linking of market reforms with e-NAM, GRAM and other relevant Centrally Sponsored Schemes.&nbsp;

The committee will further suggest policy measures to boost agricultural export, raise growth in food processing and attract investments in modern market infrastructure, value chains and logistics, besides making other key suggestions.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday constituted a high-powered committee of chief ministers for the transformation of agriculture and raising farmers` income.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday constituted a high-powered committee of chief ministers for the transformation of agriculture and raising farmers` income. The nine-member committee, headed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, will suggest policy measures, attract investments and raise growth in food processing. Chief Ministers of Karnataka, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Union Agriculture, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand will be the members of the committee. The committee will discuss the measures for the transformation of agriculture and raising farmers' income. Modalities for adoption and time-bound implementation of agriculture sector reforms will be suggested by the committee. The committee will submit its report in two months. The panel will examine various provisions of the Essential Commodity Act (ECA), to attract private investments in agricultural marketing and infrastructure. It will also suggest a mechanism for linking of market reforms with e-NAM, GRAM and other relevant Centrally Sponsored Schemes. The committee will further suggest policy measures to boost agricultural export, raise growth in food processing and attract investments in modern market infrastructure, value chains and logistics, besides making other key suggestions.

Government sets up high-powered committee of chief ministers to 'transform Indian agriculture'

An FIR was registered against Samajwadi Party (SP) lawmaker Azam Khan on Monday for allegedly making derogatory remarks against BJP leader Jaya Prada.

Ten other SP leaders were also named in the FIR.

On June 30, Azam Khan, while addressing the electorate for the first time since his win in the Lok Sabha elections, kicked up another row by using foul language against Jaya Prada.

The FIR has been registered under Section 294 (obscene acts) and 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 66 in the Information Technology Act.

During the Lok Sabha elections, too, Khan was banned from campaigning for 72 hours by the Election Commission for his derogatory remarks against Jaya Prada.

Azam Khan won from Rampur Lok Sabha seat in the recently held polls. He defeated BJP's&nbsp;Jaya Prada from the seat.&nbsp;

An FIR was registered against Samajwadi Party (SP) lawmaker Azam Khan on Monday for allegedly making derogatory remarks against BJP leader Jaya Prada. Ten other SP leaders were also named in the FIR.

An FIR was registered against Samajwadi Party (SP) lawmaker Azam Khan on Monday for allegedly making derogatory remarks against BJP leader Jaya Prada. Ten other SP leaders were also named in the FIR. On June 30, Azam Khan, while addressing the electorate for the first time since his win in the Lok Sabha elections, kicked up another row by using foul language against Jaya Prada. The FIR has been registered under Section 294 (obscene acts) and 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 66 in the Information Technology Act. During the Lok Sabha elections, too, Khan was banned from campaigning for 72 hours by the Election Commission for his derogatory remarks against Jaya Prada. Azam Khan won from Rampur Lok Sabha seat in the recently held polls. He defeated BJP's Jaya Prada from the seat.

FIR registered against Azam Khan, 10 others for making derogatory remarks against Jaya Prada

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