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Congress President Rahul Gandhi attacked the Bhartiya Janata Party on Monday over the Rafale aircraft deal between India and France.

While addressing a rally in Karnataka's Bidar district, Gandhi reiterated that the Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has lied to the nation about the deal.&nbsp;He further added that the French President has also denied her claims.

Gandhi said, "Nirmala Sitharaman Ji has lied to the youth of the nation. She said India and France have a secret pact and so they can't reveal the price of Rafale aircraft. I asked France President if this is true and he denied".

Gandhi further challenged the prime minister for debating with him over the Rafale deal.

Rahul said, "....Let a debate happen between me and Narendra Modi on Rafael deal... I will speak at length for hours," Gandhi said at "Jana Dwani" (people's voice) rally organised by the state Congress.

He also targetted the prime minister saying that PM Modi was not the prime minister of the country but of 15 "super-rich businessmen".

He said, "I challenge PM Modi from this stage. Karnataka government waived off loans of farmers. I challenge you (centre) to provide 50% of the farm loan waived in Karnataka. If you have 56-inch chest, I dare you to do this. But you won't do this".

India had inked an inter-governmental agreement with France in September last year for procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 58,000 crore.

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2 crore yuvaon ko rozgaar dene ki baat ki. Aur ab kehte hain, pakode banao, hum aapko gas nahi denge, gas bhi aapko naale mein se nikal kar cooker me daalni padegi: Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Bidar. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Karnataka?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Karnataka</a> <a href="https://t.co/k8GP8ZbYXv">pic.twitter.com/k8GP8ZbYXv</a>
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&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Gandhi said,'Nirmala Sitharaman Ji has lied to the youth of the nation. She said India and France have a secret pact and so they can't reveal the price of Rafale aircraft. I asked France President if this is true and he denied".

Congress President Rahul Gandhi attacked the Bhartiya Janata Party on Monday over the Rafale aircraft deal between India and France. While addressing a rally in Karnataka's Bidar district, Gandhi reiterated that the Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has lied to the nation about the deal. He further added that the French President has also denied her claims. Gandhi said, "Nirmala Sitharaman Ji has lied to the youth of the nation. She said India and France have a secret pact and so they can't reveal the price of Rafale aircraft. I asked France President if this is true and he denied". Gandhi further challenged the prime minister for debating with him over the Rafale deal. Rahul said, "....Let a debate happen between me and Narendra Modi on Rafael deal... I will speak at length for hours," Gandhi said at "Jana Dwani" (people's voice) rally organised by the state Congress. He also targetted the prime minister saying that PM Modi was not the prime minister of the country but of 15 "super-rich businessmen". He said, "I challenge PM Modi from this stage. Karnataka government waived off loans of farmers. I challenge you (centre) to provide 50% of the farm loan waived in Karnataka. If you have 56-inch chest, I dare you to do this. But you won't do this". India had inked an inter-governmental agreement with France in September last year for procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 58,000 crore. 2 crore yuvaon ko rozgaar dene ki baat ki. Aur ab kehte hain, pakode banao, hum aapko gas nahi denge, gas bhi aapko naale mein se nikal kar cooker me daalni padegi: Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Bidar. #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/k8GP8ZbYXv — ANI (@ANI) August 13, 2018 × (With inputs from agencies)

Rahul Gandhi dares PM Modi to debate on Rafale

Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar&nbsp;made it clear that although the BJD supported the NDA candidate in the election for the Rajya Sabha deputy chairman's post earlier this week, there is no alliance between the BJP and the regional party.

"BJD and many other political parties supported BJP during Rajya Sabha deputy chairman election, but there is no alliance and they are not part of the NDA," Javadekar told reporters in Bhubaneswar.

Ruling NDA candidate and JD(U) member Harivansh Narayan Singh was elected the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha on August 9, securing 125 votes as against 105 polled by opposition candidate B K Hariprasad.

The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was responding to questions on the issue of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supporting the NDA candidate in the recent election which has triggered a row with the Congress and others attacking the regional party.

The critics have flayed the BJD's action as it was against its claim about maintaining equal distance from both the BJP and the Congress.

Javadekar, who reached in Bhubaneswar on Sunday on a three-day visit to the state, is scheduled to attend a party meeting in Berhampur today.

Taking a swipe at the Congress for attacking the BJD for its role in the election, Javadekar said if one fails to get something, it is like sour grapes.

Meanwhile, BJP leader and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan&nbsp;sought to play "Odia card" to counter the allegations of the Congress on Rajya Sabha deputy chairman polls and tried to push the ball to the BJD's court.

In an oblique reference to the BJD, Pradhan said someone from Odisha could have been elected for the post and sought to know why none from the state was projected for the post.

He said those who are making noises now over the issue, should have taken the initiative in this regard.

The Union minister said that for the last 40 years, the Rajya Sabha deputy chairman post had been with the Congress and NDA was keen to get it.

Reacting sharply to Pradhan's remark, BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra said the BJP leader's comments are misleading as there was never any discussion on fielding a candidate from Odisha for the post.

He said such remarks from Pradhan is nothing but a sign of his disappointment and frustration.

On his part, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik took a dig at Pradhan and said while the petroleum minister attacks the BJD government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah speak to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik over the phone.&nbsp;

'BJD and many other political parties supported BJP during Rajya Sabha deputy chairman election, but there is no alliance and they are not part of the NDA,' Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters in Bhubaneswar.

Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar made it clear that although the BJD supported the NDA candidate in the election for the Rajya Sabha deputy chairman's post earlier this week, there is no alliance between the BJP and the regional party. "BJD and many other political parties supported BJP during Rajya Sabha deputy chairman election, but there is no alliance and they are not part of the NDA," Javadekar told reporters in Bhubaneswar. Ruling NDA candidate and JD(U) member Harivansh Narayan Singh was elected the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha on August 9, securing 125 votes as against 105 polled by opposition candidate B K Hariprasad. The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was responding to questions on the issue of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supporting the NDA candidate in the recent election which has triggered a row with the Congress and others attacking the regional party. The critics have flayed the BJD's action as it was against its claim about maintaining equal distance from both the BJP and the Congress. Javadekar, who reached in Bhubaneswar on Sunday on a three-day visit to the state, is scheduled to attend a party meeting in Berhampur today. Taking a swipe at the Congress for attacking the BJD for its role in the election, Javadekar said if one fails to get something, it is like sour grapes. Meanwhile, BJP leader and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan sought to play "Odia card" to counter the allegations of the Congress on Rajya Sabha deputy chairman polls and tried to push the ball to the BJD's court. In an oblique reference to the BJD, Pradhan said someone from Odisha could have been elected for the post and sought to know why none from the state was projected for the post. He said those who are making noises now over the issue, should have taken the initiative in this regard. The Union minister said that for the last 40 years, the Rajya Sabha deputy chairman post had been with the Congress and NDA was keen to get it. Reacting sharply to Pradhan's remark, BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra said the BJP leader's comments are misleading as there was never any discussion on fielding a candidate from Odisha for the post. He said such remarks from Pradhan is nothing but a sign of his disappointment and frustration. On his part, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik took a dig at Pradhan and said while the petroleum minister attacks the BJD government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah speak to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik over the phone.

No alliance between BJP and Odisha's regional party BJD: Prakash Javadekar

Ahead of the Independence Day celebrations, the Delhi Metro today put into service a six-coach special train, fully wrapped with photographs of freedom fighters and other Indian icons to spread the message of patriotism.

The train will run between Samaypur Badli and HUDA City Centre (Yellow Line) for the next two months carrying pictures of Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Subhash Chandra Bose, B R Ambedkar, Lata Mangeshkar, former president APJ Abdul Kalam, shahnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan, cricket icon Kapil Dev, an official said.

Union Minister of State for External Affairs General V K Singh paid tributes to the freedom fighters and martyrs by writing a message on the decorated train, he said.

The minister wrote: 'Happy Independence Day' in Hindi on a panel on the train at the Lok Kalyan Marg Metro Station and wished people on the occasion.

"The metro train is carrying a lot of inspiring messages to spread the idea of nationalism and unity among metro commuters," the official said.&nbsp

Union Minister of State for External Affairs General V K Singh paid tributes to the freedom fighters and martyrs by writing a message on the decorated train

Ahead of the Independence Day celebrations, the Delhi Metro today put into service a six-coach special train, fully wrapped with photographs of freedom fighters and other Indian icons to spread the message of patriotism. The train will run between Samaypur Badli and HUDA City Centre (Yellow Line) for the next two months carrying pictures of Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Subhash Chandra Bose, B R Ambedkar, Lata Mangeshkar, former president APJ Abdul Kalam, shahnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan, cricket icon Kapil Dev, an official said. Union Minister of State for External Affairs General V K Singh paid tributes to the freedom fighters and martyrs by writing a message on the decorated train, he said. The minister wrote: 'Happy Independence Day' in Hindi on a panel on the train at the Lok Kalyan Marg Metro Station and wished people on the occasion. "The metro train is carrying a lot of inspiring messages to spread the idea of nationalism and unity among metro commuters," the official said.

Ahead of Independence Day, special Delhi Metro train to spread message of patriotism

US President Donald Trump is expected to sign the National Defence Authorisation Act 2019 on Monday&nbsp;in a ceremony at a military facility in New York.

The bill will amend the Combating America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) under which any entity doing business with Russia's state, semi-state and private defence and intelligence sectors could face economic sanctions.

The sanctions seeks to punish Russia for its meddling in the 2016 US presidential elections. They also threaten sanctions against third-party countries who buy a significant portion of their military equipment from Russia.

Most significantly for India, Trump's signing of the National Defence Authorisation Act-2019 will enable India to buy the S-400 air defence missile system&nbsp;from Russia without the threat of US sanctions.&nbsp;

India wishes to buy five of the air defence systems.&nbsp;

The National Defence Authorisation Act also cuts US security aid to Pakistan to $150 million, down from the billions it received earlier for its counter-terror campaign and assistance in the Afghan war.&nbsp;

The National Defence Authorisation Act, 2019 also reduces security aid to Pakistan to $150 million, down from the billions it received earlier for its counter-terror campaign and assistance in the Afghan war.

US President Donald Trump is expected to sign the National Defence Authorisation Act 2019 on Monday in a ceremony at a military facility in New York. The bill will amend the Combating America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) under which any entity doing business with Russia's state, semi-state and private defence and intelligence sectors could face economic sanctions. The sanctions seeks to punish Russia for its meddling in the 2016 US presidential elections. They also threaten sanctions against third-party countries who buy a significant portion of their military equipment from Russia. Most significantly for India, Trump's signing of the National Defence Authorisation Act-2019 will enable India to buy the S-400 air defence missile system from Russia without the threat of US sanctions. India wishes to buy five of the air defence systems. The National Defence Authorisation Act also cuts US security aid to Pakistan to $150 million, down from the billions it received earlier for its counter-terror campaign and assistance in the Afghan war.

Trump to sign bill that will allow India to buy the S400 from Russia

With an eye on cutting costs and having on-demand launch, ISRO&nbsp;said it was preparing Small Satellite Launch Vehicle rockets to launch payloads in three days with the help of just three to six people.

"The interesting aspect of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) is that it can be readied on demand with a minimum launch infrastructure," ISRO chairman K Sivan said.

He said it takes about 300 to 400 people between 45 to 60 days to prepare major satellite vehicles.

But the SSLV would require only 72 hours and three to six people.

"We need to integrate the vehicle and launch it. It is innovative and provides an opportunity for commercial launches for other countries. Autonomy is more in this vehicle.

Already the vehicle is in the design phase... There is an opportunity for commercial launch," he said.

Sivan revealed ISRO's commercial plans during an interaction with reporters on the sidelines of a function to mark the 127th birth anniversary of Dr Vikram Sarabhai, the architect of India's space mission.

Sivan said the important demonstration flight of SSLV would be carried out sometime in May or June next year.

"The speciality of this mission is the cost of the vehicle, which is one-tenth of PSLV. The payload will be 500 to 700 KG and it will be launched in a lower orbit.

The length of the vehicle would be 34 metres, with a 2-metre diameter. It is an on-demand launch with a minimum launch infrastructure," said Sivan.

Commercial production of this vehicle will be taken up by Antrix the commercial arm of ISRO, once the design is complete and development was ready by mid 2019, he added.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

'The interesting aspect of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) is that it can be readied on demand with a minimum launch infrastructure,' ISRO chairman K Sivan said.

With an eye on cutting costs and having on-demand launch, ISRO said it was preparing Small Satellite Launch Vehicle rockets to launch payloads in three days with the help of just three to six people. "The interesting aspect of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) is that it can be readied on demand with a minimum launch infrastructure," ISRO chairman K Sivan said. He said it takes about 300 to 400 people between 45 to 60 days to prepare major satellite vehicles. But the SSLV would require only 72 hours and three to six people. "We need to integrate the vehicle and launch it. It is innovative and provides an opportunity for commercial launches for other countries. Autonomy is more in this vehicle. Already the vehicle is in the design phase... There is an opportunity for commercial launch," he said. Sivan revealed ISRO's commercial plans during an interaction with reporters on the sidelines of a function to mark the 127th birth anniversary of Dr Vikram Sarabhai, the architect of India's space mission. Sivan said the important demonstration flight of SSLV would be carried out sometime in May or June next year. "The speciality of this mission is the cost of the vehicle, which is one-tenth of PSLV. The payload will be 500 to 700 KG and it will be launched in a lower orbit. The length of the vehicle would be 34 metres, with a 2-metre diameter. It is an on-demand launch with a minimum launch infrastructure," said Sivan. Commercial production of this vehicle will be taken up by Antrix the commercial arm of ISRO, once the design is complete and development was ready by mid 2019, he added.

ISRO preparing on-demand SSLV rockets

The Supreme Court has told the Meerut Inspector General of Police to submit a report on the Hapur lynching and to ensure the protection of witnesses in the case. It said Monday that it would next hear the matter on August 28.&nbsp

The June 18 lynching had been caught on cellphone and had been widely circulated on social media.&nbsp

The videos had shown a mob thrashing 45-year-old meat trader Qasim Qureshi. Another man, Samiuddin, 60, had also been beaten, his beard pulled, and abuse hurled at him. The mob had accused both men of cow slaughter.&nbsp

Qasim had died soon after.&nbsp

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Hapur lynching case: Supreme Court asks Meerut Inspector General of police to submit a report with respect to the entire incident & to ensure protection to the witnesses in the case. Matter fixed for further hearing on August 28
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Samiuddin has since said he is a farmer, and has denied the allegations of cow slaughter. He has added that Qasim was a meat trader, but that he dealt in goats and buffaloes. Not cows.&nbsp

Police made four arrests in the case, including the main accused Rakesh Sisodia.&nbsp

Sisodia was let out on bail soon after but a TV news sting has since caught him on camera owning up to the crime.&nbsp 
&nbsp

The June 18 lynching had been caught on cellphones and had been widely circulated on social media.

The Supreme Court has told the Meerut Inspector General of Police to submit a report on the Hapur lynching and to ensure the protection of witnesses in the case. It said Monday that it would next hear the matter on August 28. The June 18 lynching had been caught on cellphone and had been widely circulated on social media. The videos had shown a mob thrashing 45-year-old meat trader Qasim Qureshi. Another man, Samiuddin, 60, had also been beaten, his beard pulled, and abuse hurled at him. The mob had accused both men of cow slaughter. Qasim had died soon after. Hapur lynching case: Supreme Court asks Meerut Inspector General of police to submit a report with respect to the entire incident & to ensure protection to the witnesses in the case. Matter fixed for further hearing on August 28 — ANI (@ANI) August 13, 2018 × Samiuddin has since said he is a farmer, and has denied the allegations of cow slaughter. He has added that Qasim was a meat trader, but that he dealt in goats and buffaloes. Not cows. Police made four arrests in the case, including the main accused Rakesh Sisodia. Sisodia was let out on bail soon after but a TV news sting has since caught him on camera owning up to the crime.

Hapur lynching: SC tells police to protect witnesses, submit report

The Indian Commercial Pilots' Association has written to Air India reminding it that close to a fourth of the airline's fleet is currently grounded due to a lack of spares.&nbsp;

"It is disheartening to note the sorry state of the aircraft operated by Air India and the lack of maintenance for want of spares, planning, coordination and finance," the letter said. &nbsp;

"40%, yes 40%, of the Airbus A321 fleet is grounded at various stations for lack of spares... Such a high percentage of this aircraft type being grounded is criminal at the very least!" the letter, written on Sunday, added.&nbsp;

"Considering the high seating capacity, there is a significant loss of revenue happening on a daily basis," it said.&nbsp;

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Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) writes to Air India raising concerns over the lack of maintenance of aircraft operated by Air India <a href="https://t.co/a7fVP34aqg">pic.twitter.com/a7fVP34aqg</a>
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The letter goes on to say similar things about Air India's A 319, A 320 and 777 fleet.&nbsp;

wionews.com had recently asked <a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-&-economy/air-india-gets-default-notices-from-banks-aircraft-lessors-business-standard-155743">whether Air India was </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-&-economy/air-india-gets-default-notices-from-banks-aircraft-lessors-business-standard-155743">broke</a>, after three banks and two aircraft-leasing firms served default notices on the PSU.&nbsp;

"Overall, almost 23% of the Air India fleet is grounded for lack of spares. To put this into perspective aircraft worth approximately 3.6 billion USD or approximately 25,000 crores INR (at today's list price) are lying idle in the hangar," the letter from the pilots' association said. &nbsp;

"Since we are an airline and our primary business is to fly planes and since we have incurred huge debt to procure aircraft, which is impossible to pay interest, is there any reason why these aircraft continue to remain grounded? All of this is having a significant impact on the bottom line of Air India. Is our management unable to prioritize expenditure?" it added.&nbsp;

The letter did not say whether the lack of maintenance was having an impact on safety.&nbsp;

'Overall, almost 23% of the Air India fleet is grounded for lack of spares. To put this into perspective aircraft worth approximately 3.6 billion USD or approximately 25,000 crores INR (at today's list price) are lying idle in the hangar,' a letter from the Indian Commercial Pilots' Association to the PSU said.

The Indian Commercial Pilots' Association has written to Air India reminding it that close to a fourth of the airline's fleet is currently grounded due to a lack of spares. "It is disheartening to note the sorry state of the aircraft operated by Air India and the lack of maintenance for want of spares, planning, coordination and finance," the letter said. "40%, yes 40%, of the Airbus A321 fleet is grounded at various stations for lack of spares... Such a high percentage of this aircraft type being grounded is criminal at the very least!" the letter, written on Sunday, added. "Considering the high seating capacity, there is a significant loss of revenue happening on a daily basis," it said. Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) writes to Air India raising concerns over the lack of maintenance of aircraft operated by Air India pic.twitter.com/a7fVP34aqg — ANI (@ANI) August 13, 2018 × The letter goes on to say similar things about Air India's A 319, A 320 and 777 fleet. wionews.com had recently asked whether Air India was broke, after three banks and two aircraft-leasing firms served default notices on the PSU. "Overall, almost 23% of the Air India fleet is grounded for lack of spares. To put this into perspective aircraft worth approximately 3.6 billion USD or approximately 25,000 crores INR (at today's list price) are lying idle in the hangar," the letter from the pilots' association said. "Since we are an airline and our primary business is to fly planes and since we have incurred huge debt to procure aircraft, which is impossible to pay interest, is there any reason why these aircraft continue to remain grounded? All of this is having a significant impact on the bottom line of Air India. Is our management unable to prioritize expenditure?" it added. The letter did not say whether the lack of maintenance was having an impact on safety.

Close to a fourth of Air India's planes grounded: Pilots' Association

Prime Minister Modi paid tribute to the <a href="http://wionews.com/india-news/former-lok-sabha-speaker-somnath-chatterjee-dies-at-89-158789">former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee</a> who breathed his last on Monday morning.

PM Modi tweeted saying, "Former MP and Speaker Shri Somnath Chatterjee was a stalwart of Indian politics. He made our Parliamentary democracy richer and was a strong voice for the well-being of the poor and vulnerable. Anguished by his demise. My thoughts are with his family and supporters".

President of India, Ram Nath Kovind also expressed his grief over the death of the 89-year-old former speaker.

He tweeted, "Sorry to hear of the passing of Shri Somnath Chatterjee, former Speaker of the Lok Sabha and a veteran parliamentarian who had a forceful presence in the House. A loss for public life in Bengal and India. My condolences to his family and innumerable well-wishers #PresidentKovind".

Congress President Rahul Gandhi expressed grief by tweeting, "I mourn the passing away of Shri Somnath Chatterjee, 10 term MP and former Speaker of the Lok Sabha. He was an institution. Greatly respected and admired by all parliamentarians, across party lines. My condolences to his family at this time of grief".

Several other leaders including Vice President of India, Venkaiah Naidu, MEA&nbsp;Sushma Swaraj, Omar Abdullah also paid tribute to Chatterjee.&nbsp;

Saddened by the demise of former Lok Sabha Speaker, Shri Somnath Chatterjee. He was an outstanding Parliamentarian, who was elected to Lok Sabha 10 times. He was always affable and highlighted people’s problems. He firmly stood by the principles he believed in. #Parliament, Naidu tweeted.

I am sorry to know about the sad demise of Shri #SomnathChatterjee. In spite of our ideological differences, we cherished a very cordial relationship. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, Swaraj tweeted.

Chatterjee had been in a private hospital in Kolkata where was being treated for kidney problems. He had been undergoing dialysis.&nbsp;

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Former MP and Speaker Shri Somnath Chatterjee was a stalwart of Indian politics. He made our Parliamentary democracy richer and was a strong voice for the well-being of the poor and vulnerable. Anguished by his demise. My thoughts are with his family and supporters.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1028857384792408064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
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I mourn the passing away of Shri Somnath Chatterjee, 10 term MP and former Speaker of the Lok Sabha. He was an institution. Greatly respected and admired by all parliamentarians, across party lines. My condolences to his family at this time of grief. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SomnathChatterjee?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SomnathChatterjee</a>
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/1028850779145334789?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Sorry to hear of the passing of Shri Somnath Chatterjee, former Speaker of the Lok Sabha and a veteran parliamentarian who had a forceful presence in the House. A loss for public life in Bengal and India. My condolences to his family and innumerable well-wishers <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PresidentKovind?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PresidentKovind</a>
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) <a href="https://twitter.com/rashtrapatibhvn/status/1028855190970134534?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Saddened by the demise of former Lok Sabha Speaker, Shri Somnath Chatterjee. He was an outstanding Parliamentarian, who was elected to Lok Sabha 10 times. He was always affable and highlighted people’s problems. He firmly stood by the principles he believed in. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Parliament?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Parliament</a> <a href="https://t.co/0YLXQByrPH">pic.twitter.com/0YLXQByrPH</a>
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I am sorry to know about the sad demise of Shri <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SomnathChatterjee?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SomnathChatterjee</a>. In spite of our ideological differences, we cherished a very cordial relationship. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/1028855926609010690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Rest in peace now Somnath da. It was an honour to have known you & to have learnt from you. The Lok Sabha was much the poorer by your absence in recent years. India has lost a parliamentary giant today. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SomnathChatterjee?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SomnathChatterjee</a>
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) <a href="https://twitter.com/OmarAbdullah/status/1028853791054028800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Born in Tezpur, Assam, Chatterjee studied law in the&nbsp;UK and joined the CPI(M) in 1968 on returning to India.

Chatterjee was a 10-time Lok Sabha MP.&nbsp;He was elected to the house from 1971 all the way to 2009, with one break from 1984-89, when he was defeated by Mamata Banerjee from Jadavpur.

From 2004 to 2009, he was speaker of the house.

Chatterjee was also a central committee member of the CPI(M). He was expelled from the party in 2008 for refusing to resign as Speaker after his party withdrew support to the UPA-I government.

&nbsp;

(With inputs from PTI)

'He made our Parliamentary democracy richer and was a strong voice for the well-being of the poor and vulnerable,' said Modi. Congress President Rahul Gandhi said he was 'Greatly respected and admired by all parliamentarians, across party lines.'

Prime Minister Modi paid tribute to the former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee who breathed his last on Monday morning. PM Modi tweeted saying, "Former MP and Speaker Shri Somnath Chatterjee was a stalwart of Indian politics. He made our Parliamentary democracy richer and was a strong voice for the well-being of the poor and vulnerable. Anguished by his demise. My thoughts are with his family and supporters". President of India, Ram Nath Kovind also expressed his grief over the death of the 89-year-old former speaker. He tweeted, "Sorry to hear of the passing of Shri Somnath Chatterjee, former Speaker of the Lok Sabha and a veteran parliamentarian who had a forceful presence in the House. A loss for public life in Bengal and India. My condolences to his family and innumerable well-wishers #PresidentKovind". Congress President Rahul Gandhi expressed grief by tweeting, "I mourn the passing away of Shri Somnath Chatterjee, 10 term MP and former Speaker of the Lok Sabha. He was an institution. Greatly respected and admired by all parliamentarians, across party lines. My condolences to his family at this time of grief". Several other leaders including Vice President of India, Venkaiah Naidu, MEA Sushma Swaraj, Omar Abdullah also paid tribute to Chatterjee. Saddened by the demise of former Lok Sabha Speaker, Shri Somnath Chatterjee. He was an outstanding Parliamentarian, who was elected to Lok Sabha 10 times. He was always affable and highlighted people’s problems. He firmly stood by the principles he believed in. #Parliament, Naidu tweeted. I am sorry to know about the sad demise of Shri #SomnathChatterjee. In spite of our ideological differences, we cherished a very cordial relationship. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, Swaraj tweeted. Chatterjee had been in a private hospital in Kolkata where was being treated for kidney problems. He had been undergoing dialysis. Former MP and Speaker Shri Somnath Chatterjee was a stalwart of Indian politics. He made our Parliamentary democracy richer and was a strong voice for the well-being of the poor and vulnerable. Anguished by his demise. My thoughts are with his family and supporters. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 13, 2018 × I mourn the passing away of Shri Somnath Chatterjee, 10 term MP and former Speaker of the Lok Sabha. He was an institution. Greatly respected and admired by all parliamentarians, across party lines. My condolences to his family at this time of grief. #SomnathChatterjee — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 13, 2018 × Sorry to hear of the passing of Shri Somnath Chatterjee, former Speaker of the Lok Sabha and a veteran parliamentarian who had a forceful presence in the House. A loss for public life in Bengal and India. My condolences to his family and innumerable well-wishers #PresidentKovind — President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) August 13, 2018 × Saddened by the demise of former Lok Sabha Speaker, Shri Somnath Chatterjee. He was an outstanding Parliamentarian, who was elected to Lok Sabha 10 times. He was always affable and highlighted people’s problems. He firmly stood by the principles he believed in. #Parliament pic.twitter.com/0YLXQByrPH — VicePresidentOfIndia (@VPSecretariat) August 13, 2018 × I am sorry to know about the sad demise of Shri #SomnathChatterjee. In spite of our ideological differences, we cherished a very cordial relationship. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) August 13, 2018 × Rest in peace now Somnath da. It was an honour to have known you & to have learnt from you. The Lok Sabha was much the poorer by your absence in recent years. India has lost a parliamentary giant today. #SomnathChatterjee — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) August 13, 2018 × Born in Tezpur, Assam, Chatterjee studied law in the UK and joined the CPI(M) in 1968 on returning to India. Chatterjee was a 10-time Lok Sabha MP. He was elected to the house from 1971 all the way to 2009, with one break from 1984-89, when he was defeated by Mamata Banerjee from Jadavpur. From 2004 to 2009, he was speaker of the house. Chatterjee was also a central committee member of the CPI(M). He was expelled from the party in 2008 for refusing to resign as Speaker after his party withdrew support to the UPA-I government. (With inputs from PTI)

Somnath Chatterjee: 'Anguished by his demise,' says Modi, Rahul calls him an 'institution'

An outstanding parliamentarian, Somnath Chatterjee — who <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/former-lok-sabha-speaker-somnath-chatterjee-dies-at-89-158789">died early Monday morning</a> — was the first communist in the country to don the role of a Speaker.

Chatterjee, who had been associated with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for most part of his life, leaves behind an imprint as one of the most illustrious speakers of the Lok Sabha. His father N C Chatterjee was once president of the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha.

Chatterjee was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha in 2004 during the UPA-I government. A close associate of Marxist leader Jyoti Basu, Chatterjee was expelled by the CPI(M) in 2008 for "seriously compromising the position of the party" when he refused to step down as the Speaker, a position which he believed was independent and unbiased. After his party, then under the general secretaryship of Prakash Karat, withdrew support from the UPA government in July 2008, Chatterjee refused to step down from his position holding that the Speaker's post is above any party politics.

Describing July 23, 2008 as "one of the saddest days of my life," Chatterjee had said in a statement that, "The speaker of Lok Sabha, like the speakers of other elected assemblies, while acting as such does not and cannot represent any political party." It was on his initiative that proceedings of the Zero Hour were telecast live from July 5, 2004. A full-fledged 24 hour Lok Sabha television channel also came into being in July, 2006 during his tenure as speaker.

Chatterjee was elected to the Lok Sabha 10 times on party ticket beginning in 1971 when he was elected as a CPI(M)-backed independent candidate to a seat in an interim election necessitated due to the death of his father.He was defeated only once in 1984 by Mamata Banerjee, who incidentally came to limelight with this win. Chatterjee was the leader of the CPI(M) in Lok Sabha from 1989 to 2004.

He was born at Tezpur in Assam on July 25, 1929, to N C Chatterjee, who was once president of the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha, and Binapani Debi and was educated in Kolkata and the United Kingdom. A Barrister-at-Law from Middle Temple in UK, Chatterjee was a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for four decades from 1968 to 2008, till he was expelled in 2008. Conferred the "Outstanding Parliamentarian Award" in 1996, Chatterjee was known for his debating skills with extensive knowledge of national and international issues, delivered in his deep baritone voice, interspersed with wit and humour.

He adorned several parliamentary committees as chairman or as a member and was respected by leaders across the political arena. Chatterjee retired from active politics following the end of his tenure in 2009. He shared a close relation with CPI(M) stalwart Jyoti Basu who had also made him the chairman of West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC), trusting him with the responsibility to turn the state around in bringing in investments and starting new ventures.

The lawyer-turned politician had acknowledged Basu's role in guiding him, saying "he has always given me unstinted support and encouragement." He is survived by wife Renu, a son and two daughters.&nbsp;

Chatterjee will be remembered as one of the most illustrious speakers of the Lok Sabha. When his CPI(M) party withdrew support to the UPA government in 2008, Chatterjee refused to step down from his post. The Speaker is expected to be above party politics, he said.

An outstanding parliamentarian, Somnath Chatterjee — who died early Monday morning — was the first communist in the country to don the role of a Speaker. Chatterjee, who had been associated with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for most part of his life, leaves behind an imprint as one of the most illustrious speakers of the Lok Sabha. His father N C Chatterjee was once president of the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha. Chatterjee was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha in 2004 during the UPA-I government. A close associate of Marxist leader Jyoti Basu, Chatterjee was expelled by the CPI(M) in 2008 for "seriously compromising the position of the party" when he refused to step down as the Speaker, a position which he believed was independent and unbiased. After his party, then under the general secretaryship of Prakash Karat, withdrew support from the UPA government in July 2008, Chatterjee refused to step down from his position holding that the Speaker's post is above any party politics. Describing July 23, 2008 as "one of the saddest days of my life," Chatterjee had said in a statement that, "The speaker of Lok Sabha, like the speakers of other elected assemblies, while acting as such does not and cannot represent any political party." It was on his initiative that proceedings of the Zero Hour were telecast live from July 5, 2004. A full-fledged 24 hour Lok Sabha television channel also came into being in July, 2006 during his tenure as speaker. Chatterjee was elected to the Lok Sabha 10 times on party ticket beginning in 1971 when he was elected as a CPI(M)-backed independent candidate to a seat in an interim election necessitated due to the death of his father.He was defeated only once in 1984 by Mamata Banerjee, who incidentally came to limelight with this win. Chatterjee was the leader of the CPI(M) in Lok Sabha from 1989 to 2004. He was born at Tezpur in Assam on July 25, 1929, to N C Chatterjee, who was once president of the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha, and Binapani Debi and was educated in Kolkata and the United Kingdom. A Barrister-at-Law from Middle Temple in UK, Chatterjee was a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for four decades from 1968 to 2008, till he was expelled in 2008. Conferred the "Outstanding Parliamentarian Award" in 1996, Chatterjee was known for his debating skills with extensive knowledge of national and international issues, delivered in his deep baritone voice, interspersed with wit and humour. He adorned several parliamentary committees as chairman or as a member and was respected by leaders across the political arena. Chatterjee retired from active politics following the end of his tenure in 2009. He shared a close relation with CPI(M) stalwart Jyoti Basu who had also made him the chairman of West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC), trusting him with the responsibility to turn the state around in bringing in investments and starting new ventures. The lawyer-turned politician had acknowledged Basu's role in guiding him, saying "he has always given me unstinted support and encouragement." He is survived by wife Renu, a son and two daughters.

Somnath Chatterjee, 1929-2018: Rebel with a cause, reminder of how politics should be

Former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee died early Monday morning in Kolkata. He was 89.&nbsp;

Chatterjee had been in a private hospital in Kolkata where was being treated for kidney problems. He had been undergoing dialysis.&nbsp;

This was the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/former-lok-sabha-speaker-somanth-chatterjees-condition-critical-put-on-ventilator-support-158600">second time</a> in as many months that Chatterjee had been admitted to hospital.

Doctors said Chatterjee had had a mild heart attack on Sunday. He passed away early Monday morning.&nbsp;

Chatterjee had been admitted to hospital on Tuesday. A 12-member team of doctors was keeping a constant watch on him.&nbsp;

Born in Tezpur, Assam, Chatterjee studied law in the&nbsp;UK and joined the CPI(M) in 1968 on returning to India.

Chatterjee was a 10-time Lok Sabha MP.&nbsp;He was elected to the house from 1971 all the way to 2009, with one break from 1984-89, when he was defeated by Mamata Banerjee from Jadavpur.

From 2004 to 2009, he was speaker of the house.

Chatterjee was also a central committee member of the CPI(M). He was expelled from the party in 2008 for refusing to resign as Speaker after his party withdrew support to the UPA-I government.

(With inputs from PTI)

Chatterjee had had a mild heart attack on Sunday. He passed away early Monday morning.

Former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee died early Monday morning in Kolkata. He was 89. Chatterjee had been in a private hospital in Kolkata where was being treated for kidney problems. He had been undergoing dialysis. This was the second time in as many months that Chatterjee had been admitted to hospital. Doctors said Chatterjee had had a mild heart attack on Sunday. He passed away early Monday morning. Chatterjee had been admitted to hospital on Tuesday. A 12-member team of doctors was keeping a constant watch on him. Born in Tezpur, Assam, Chatterjee studied law in the UK and joined the CPI(M) in 1968 on returning to India. Chatterjee was a 10-time Lok Sabha MP. He was elected to the house from 1971 all the way to 2009, with one break from 1984-89, when he was defeated by Mamata Banerjee from Jadavpur. From 2004 to 2009, he was speaker of the house. Chatterjee was also a central committee member of the CPI(M). He was expelled from the party in 2008 for refusing to resign as Speaker after his party withdrew support to the UPA-I government. (With inputs from PTI)

Former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee dies at 89

Caught in a political storm over the Rafale fighter aircraft deal, billionaire <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-gave-rafale-contract-to-his-friend-rahul-gandhi-32416">Anil Ambani's Reliance Group</a> on Sunday denied receiving any contract from the Defence Ministry and said "unfounded and incorrect" allegations are being deliberately made to "mislead people and cloud the issue."

Answering questions ranging from lack of experience to state-owned HAL being overlooked for the deal, the group said Dassault, the French firm that is to supply 36 Rafale fighter jets, chose Reliance Defence Ltd to meet its 'offset' or export obligation in the contract and the Ministry of Defence has no role in the selection of Indian partners by the foreign vendors.

Reliance Defence Ltd CEO Rajesh Dhingra said the government-to-government deal requires all 36 aircraft to be delivered in a 'fly-away' condition which means "they are to be exported from France by Dassault" and "HAL or anyone else cannot be the production agency for the simple reason that no aircraft are to be produced in India."

He said HAL was a nominated production agency for the 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) program, which never reached the contract stage.

"Reliance Defence or any other Reliance group company has not received any contract from the MoD till date, related to 36 Rafale aircraft. This is absolutely unfounded and incorrect," he told PTI over phone.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-tweaked-rafale-deal-to-benefit-one-businessman-rahul-gandhi-24356">Opposition Congress</a> party last week demanded a JPC in the deal and its president Rahul Gandhi has been attacking the government for inking the deal at a much higher price than the one the previous UPA regime had negotiated. He has accused the government of changing the deal to benefit "one businessman".

On allegations of the firm getting the contract because of Ambani's reported proximity with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said: "As per Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP), the Ministry of Defence has no role in the selection of Indian partners by the foreign vendors. This has been the position right from 2005 when offsets were first introduced in the country."

In the more than 50 offset (export obligations) contracts signed in the country till date, the same process has been followed, he said. "Therefore, this is a deliberate attempt to mislead people and cloud the issue."

On the issue lack of experience in making fighter aircraft, Dhingra said no company in India, except HAL, has the experience of making fighter planes. "This would mean that we will never create any new capability beyond what exists and will continue to import more than 70 per cent of our defence hardware," he said.

Dhingra added that Reliance will be participating in the offset program through Dassault Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL) in which Dassault holds a 49 per cent stake bringing in its 90 years of aerospace manufacturing experience, making it the "most qualified vendor".

He termed as "absolutely wrong" allegation of Reliance benefiting with a Rs 30,000 crore contract, saying "Dassault's share of offsets is about 25 per cent, with the remaining offset obligations being shared by Thales, Safran, MBDA and others."

"Therefore, the basic premise of Dassault giving Rs 30,000 crore worth of offset contracts to Reliance is totally unfounded," he said, adding Dassault and its other Tier-I suppliers have already indicated more than 100 Indian companies which will participate in the offset contracts. This includes joint ventures with PSUs like HAL and BEL.

"We can also not lose sight of the fact that up to 30 per cent of total offsets can be discharged through transfer of technology to DRDO, as per DPP," he said.

Asked about Reliance Defence being incorporated days before the announcement of the Rafale deal, he said three companies were incorporated in December 2014 and Reliance Group's entry into defence sector was announced at Aero India in February 2015.

"Also there are reports in the media of as late as end-March 2015 where Dassault officials were on record to say that the MMRCA deal is 95 per cent done. If this is correct, what is the linkage with the date of incorporation of Reliance Defence?" he asked.

The deal to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets was signed when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited France in April 2015.

On the question of presence of Ambani at the time of announcement of the deal by the Prime Minister, Dhingra said Anil Ambani is part of the CEOs' Forum for France and also many other countries.

"He was in Paris because there was a meeting of the CEOs' Forum on the sidelines of the Prime Minister's visit. More than 25 other CEOs from the Indian companies were also present, including the Chairman of HAL," he said.

Offset obligations are to be discharged during September 2019 to September 2023, as per the contract.

Asked about allegations that Reliance actually got contracts worth Rs 1.3 lakh crore and not Rs 30,000 crore, he said the amount may be coming from projections of Rs 30,000 crore for offsets and another Rs 100,000 crore towards the lifecycle cost over 50 years.

"There cannot be anything further from truth... To the best of my knowledge, the government has not signed any lifecycle contract for 50 years with Dassault. Therefore, the very question of Reliance getting a contract does not arise," he said.

On the issue of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman denying knowledge of the contract, he said as per DPP 2016, the foreign vendor has a choice to submit the details of its offset partners at the time of claiming offset credits.

"In this case, offset obligations are due only after September 2019. It is, therefore, possible that the Ministry of Defence has no formal communication from Dassault Aviation about the choice of its partners for the offsets," he said.

Asked if it was correct that under DPP a joint secretary-level official is required to countersign the contract, he said: "The offset contract is signed between the MoD and the foreign vendor. MoD does not sign any contract with the Indian offset partners."&nbsp;

The government has been attacked relentlessly over the Rafale deal with the opposition saying it is a scam and an example of crony capitalism.

Caught in a political storm over the Rafale fighter aircraft deal, billionaire Anil Ambani's Reliance Group on Sunday denied receiving any contract from the Defence Ministry and said "unfounded and incorrect" allegations are being deliberately made to "mislead people and cloud the issue." Answering questions ranging from lack of experience to state-owned HAL being overlooked for the deal, the group said Dassault, the French firm that is to supply 36 Rafale fighter jets, chose Reliance Defence Ltd to meet its 'offset' or export obligation in the contract and the Ministry of Defence has no role in the selection of Indian partners by the foreign vendors. Reliance Defence Ltd CEO Rajesh Dhingra said the government-to-government deal requires all 36 aircraft to be delivered in a 'fly-away' condition which means "they are to be exported from France by Dassault" and "HAL or anyone else cannot be the production agency for the simple reason that no aircraft are to be produced in India." He said HAL was a nominated production agency for the 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) program, which never reached the contract stage. "Reliance Defence or any other Reliance group company has not received any contract from the MoD till date, related to 36 Rafale aircraft. This is absolutely unfounded and incorrect," he told PTI over phone. Opposition Congress party last week demanded a JPC in the deal and its president Rahul Gandhi has been attacking the government for inking the deal at a much higher price than the one the previous UPA regime had negotiated. He has accused the government of changing the deal to benefit "one businessman". On allegations of the firm getting the contract because of Ambani's reported proximity with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said: "As per Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP), the Ministry of Defence has no role in the selection of Indian partners by the foreign vendors. This has been the position right from 2005 when offsets were first introduced in the country." In the more than 50 offset (export obligations) contracts signed in the country till date, the same process has been followed, he said. "Therefore, this is a deliberate attempt to mislead people and cloud the issue." On the issue lack of experience in making fighter aircraft, Dhingra said no company in India, except HAL, has the experience of making fighter planes. "This would mean that we will never create any new capability beyond what exists and will continue to import more than 70 per cent of our defence hardware," he said. Dhingra added that Reliance will be participating in the offset program through Dassault Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL) in which Dassault holds a 49 per cent stake bringing in its 90 years of aerospace manufacturing experience, making it the "most qualified vendor". He termed as "absolutely wrong" allegation of Reliance benefiting with a Rs 30,000 crore contract, saying "Dassault's share of offsets is about 25 per cent, with the remaining offset obligations being shared by Thales, Safran, MBDA and others." "Therefore, the basic premise of Dassault giving Rs 30,000 crore worth of offset contracts to Reliance is totally unfounded," he said, adding Dassault and its other Tier-I suppliers have already indicated more than 100 Indian companies which will participate in the offset contracts. This includes joint ventures with PSUs like HAL and BEL. "We can also not lose sight of the fact that up to 30 per cent of total offsets can be discharged through transfer of technology to DRDO, as per DPP," he said. Asked about Reliance Defence being incorporated days before the announcement of the Rafale deal, he said three companies were incorporated in December 2014 and Reliance Group's entry into defence sector was announced at Aero India in February 2015. "Also there are reports in the media of as late as end-March 2015 where Dassault officials were on record to say that the MMRCA deal is 95 per cent done. If this is correct, what is the linkage with the date of incorporation of Reliance Defence?" he asked. The deal to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets was signed when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited France in April 2015. On the question of presence of Ambani at the time of announcement of the deal by the Prime Minister, Dhingra said Anil Ambani is part of the CEOs' Forum for France and also many other countries. "He was in Paris because there was a meeting of the CEOs' Forum on the sidelines of the Prime Minister's visit. More than 25 other CEOs from the Indian companies were also present, including the Chairman of HAL," he said. Offset obligations are to be discharged during September 2019 to September 2023, as per the contract. Asked about allegations that Reliance actually got contracts worth Rs 1.3 lakh crore and not Rs 30,000 crore, he said the amount may be coming from projections of Rs 30,000 crore for offsets and another Rs 100,000 crore towards the lifecycle cost over 50 years. "There cannot be anything further from truth... To the best of my knowledge, the government has not signed any lifecycle contract for 50 years with Dassault. Therefore, the very question of Reliance getting a contract does not arise," he said. On the issue of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman denying knowledge of the contract, he said as per DPP 2016, the foreign vendor has a choice to submit the details of its offset partners at the time of claiming offset credits. "In this case, offset obligations are due only after September 2019. It is, therefore, possible that the Ministry of Defence has no formal communication from Dassault Aviation about the choice of its partners for the offsets," he said. Asked if it was correct that under DPP a joint secretary-level official is required to countersign the contract, he said: "The offset contract is signed between the MoD and the foreign vendor. MoD does not sign any contract with the Indian offset partners."

Received Rafale contract from Dassault, not Defence Ministry: Anil Ambani's Reliance

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Saturday that "reservation is here to stay."&nbsp;

"Let there be no doubts about this," he added. Modi made his comments in a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/even-a-single-incident-is-one-too-many-modi-on-lynchings-crimes-against-women-158579">freewheeling interview</a> to ANI.&nbsp;

"The objectives of our Constitution and dreams of Dr&nbsp;Babasaheb are still incomplete. It is the responsibility of every one of us to fulfill his dream and reservations are an important tool to achieve this," ANI quoted Modi as saying.&nbsp;

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/read-full-text-of-the-modi-interview-158615">Full text of the Modi interview</a>

"The dreams of Babasaheb are the strength of this nation and we are committed to fulfilling them. Our Mantra is Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and to achieve this, it is most important to protect the rights of the poor, marginalised, downtrodden, Dalits, tribals and OBCs," said Modi.

Modi, in the interview, also attacked people with "vested interests", saying the people who politicise the reservation issue are also the ones who have always crushed Babasaheb dreams. &nbsp;

"Before any crucial election, there are vested interest groups who will raise a bogey that Bharatiya Janata Party will abolish reservations and sections of the media will amplify this," ANI quoted Modi as saying.

"They are trying to sow seeds of doubt and mistrust among the weaker sections of society. But, the people of India are wise and they will not believe this propaganda.&nbsp; 
Look across the length and breadth of India, maximum MPs and MLAs from SC, ST and OBC communities are from BJP," Modi said.

Interestingly, before the 2015 Bihar elections, it was RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat who had said he favours a review of the country's reservation policy. The BJP's loss in the elections was later blamed on Bhagwat's comment, despite the RSS chief's subsequent backtracking.

(With inputs from ANI)

'The objectives of our Constitution and dreams of Dr Babasaheb are still incomplete. It is the responsibility of every one of us to fulfill his dream and reservations are an important tool to achieve this,' Modi said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Saturday that "reservation is here to stay." "Let there be no doubts about this," he added. Modi made his comments in a freewheeling interview to ANI. "The objectives of our Constitution and dreams of Dr Babasaheb are still incomplete. It is the responsibility of every one of us to fulfill his dream and reservations are an important tool to achieve this," ANI quoted Modi as saying. Also read: Full text of the Modi interview "The dreams of Babasaheb are the strength of this nation and we are committed to fulfilling them. Our Mantra is Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and to achieve this, it is most important to protect the rights of the poor, marginalised, downtrodden, Dalits, tribals and OBCs," said Modi. Modi, in the interview, also attacked people with "vested interests", saying the people who politicise the reservation issue are also the ones who have always crushed Babasaheb dreams. "Before any crucial election, there are vested interest groups who will raise a bogey that Bharatiya Janata Party will abolish reservations and sections of the media will amplify this," ANI quoted Modi as saying. "They are trying to sow seeds of doubt and mistrust among the weaker sections of society. But, the people of India are wise and they will not believe this propaganda. Look across the length and breadth of India, maximum MPs and MLAs from SC, ST and OBC communities are from BJP," Modi said. Interestingly, before the 2015 Bihar elections, it was RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat who had said he favours a review of the country's reservation policy. The BJP's loss in the elections was later blamed on Bhagwat's comment, despite the RSS chief's subsequent backtracking. (With inputs from ANI)

Reservation is here to stay. Let there be no doubts: PM Modi

"Even a single incident is one too many and deeply unfortunate," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday, finally breaking his silence on the spate of lynchings and rapes in recent times. He and his party have been pilloried for them.&nbsp;

"My party and I have spoken in clear words, on multiple occasions against such actions and such a mindset. It is all on record," Modi said. "Everyone should rise above politics to ensure peace and unity in our society," Modi added.&nbsp;

Modi made his freewheeling comments — other than the lynchings and rapes, he spoke on a number of issues including Assam's NRC, jobs, the Goods and Services Tax, Rahul Gandhi and his hug, and the mahagatbandhan that is ranging up against him — in an interview to ANI.&nbsp;

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/read-full-text-of-the-modi-interview-158615">Full text of the Modi interview</a>

On the NRC, he said, "I want to assure the people that no citizen of India will have to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/nrc-row-pm-modi-slams-mamatas-bloodbath-comment-says-no-citizen-of-india-will-have-to-leave-the-country-158551">leave the country</a>".&nbsp;

He said that more than 1 crore jobs have been created in the past year alone. "Thus," he added, "the campaign that jobs have not been created must come to a halt."&nbsp;

He said that "<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/reservation-is-here-to-stay-let-there-be-no-doubts-pm-modi-158590">reservation is here to stay</a>. Let there be no doubts about it", when he was asked whether there had been any thinking on doing away with caste-based reservations.&nbsp;

He explained why the BJP had walked out of its alliance with the PDP in Kashmir:&nbsp;

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After the sad demise of Mufti Sahab, there were hurdles in fulfilling those (people’s) expectations, that is why without casting any aspersions we opted out of power: PM Narendra Modi on PDP-BJP coalition in J&K <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PMtoANI?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PMtoANI</a> <a href="https://t.co/y9qExMw8qb">pic.twitter.com/y9qExMw8qb</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1028341170999504896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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And he said "We hope that Pakistan would work for a safe, secure, stable and prosperous region, free from terror and violence."

Like he tends to, he made special mention of Congress President Rahul Gandhi.&nbsp;

"The Congress President tried his best to provoke people against GST during Gujarat elections, why did the people reject him?" Modi asked. (Rahul had nicknamed the Goods and Services Tax as the "Gabbar Singh Tax".)&nbsp;

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Why was there opposition to GST under UPA Govt? The ‘Know It All’ Finance Minister refused to listen to concerns of various state govts & adopted a ‘my way or the highway’ approach: PM on claims that he made a U-turn on GST from his opposition as Gujarat CM. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PMtoANI?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PMtoANI</a> (file pics) <a href="https://t.co/ufZxia1p1o">pic.twitter.com/ufZxia1p1o</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1028353749482463232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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And on Rahul famously hugging Modi in Parliament during the no-confidence motion, he said, "It is for you to judge whether it was a childish act or not."&nbsp;

But he said fairly clearly what he thought the answer was, saying, "And if you are unable to decide, watch the wink and you will get the answer." &nbsp;

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I am a humble Kaamdaar. I am nothing compared to the Naamdaars of this country, who have their own unique style of conducting themselves. They decide whom to hate, when to hate and whom to ‘love’ and how to make a show of it. In all this, what can a Kamdaar like me say?: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PMtoANI?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PMtoANI</a> <a href="https://t.co/t8guzMu71g">https://t.co/t8guzMu71g</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1028340446513127424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Modi also pointed to the recent no-confidence motion against his government, and the election of the deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha. (The government sailed through the motion and in the election, the NDA's Harivansh Narayan Singh beat the Congress's BK Hariprasad.)&nbsp;

"Outcome of these events should indicate which coalition is intact and which is falling apart," said Modi.&nbsp;

"The Mahagathbandhan is about dynasties, not about development. The only question is whether they will break up before the election or after!" he added. &nbsp;

"In fact,we got support even from those parties which are not our allies. BJP has consistently expanded base over recent years among people and welcomed more allies to NDA," Modi said when he was asked about the BJP's smaller allies losing faith in the government.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Modi made his comments in a freewheeling interview to ANI. Other than the lynchings and rapes, he spoke on a number of issues including Assam's NRC, jobs, the Goods and Services Tax, Rahul Gandhi and his hug, and the mahagatbandhan that is ranging up against him.

"Even a single incident is one too many and deeply unfortunate," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday, finally breaking his silence on the spate of lynchings and rapes in recent times. He and his party have been pilloried for them. "My party and I have spoken in clear words, on multiple occasions against such actions and such a mindset. It is all on record," Modi said. "Everyone should rise above politics to ensure peace and unity in our society," Modi added. Modi made his freewheeling comments — other than the lynchings and rapes, he spoke on a number of issues including Assam's NRC, jobs, the Goods and Services Tax, Rahul Gandhi and his hug, and the mahagatbandhan that is ranging up against him — in an interview to ANI. Also read: Full text of the Modi interview On the NRC, he said, "I want to assure the people that no citizen of India will have to leave the country". He said that more than 1 crore jobs have been created in the past year alone. "Thus," he added, "the campaign that jobs have not been created must come to a halt." He said that "reservation is here to stay. Let there be no doubts about it", when he was asked whether there had been any thinking on doing away with caste-based reservations. He explained why the BJP had walked out of its alliance with the PDP in Kashmir: After the sad demise of Mufti Sahab, there were hurdles in fulfilling those (people’s) expectations, that is why without casting any aspersions we opted out of power: PM Narendra Modi on PDP-BJP coalition in J&K #PMtoANI pic.twitter.com/y9qExMw8qb — ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2018 × And he said "We hope that Pakistan would work for a safe, secure, stable and prosperous region, free from terror and violence." Like he tends to, he made special mention of Congress President Rahul Gandhi. "The Congress President tried his best to provoke people against GST during Gujarat elections, why did the people reject him?" Modi asked. (Rahul had nicknamed the Goods and Services Tax as the "Gabbar Singh Tax".) Why was there opposition to GST under UPA Govt? The ‘Know It All’ Finance Minister refused to listen to concerns of various state govts & adopted a ‘my way or the highway’ approach: PM on claims that he made a U-turn on GST from his opposition as Gujarat CM. #PMtoANI (file pics) pic.twitter.com/ufZxia1p1o — ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2018 × And on Rahul famously hugging Modi in Parliament during the no-confidence motion, he said, "It is for you to judge whether it was a childish act or not." But he said fairly clearly what he thought the answer was, saying, "And if you are unable to decide, watch the wink and you will get the answer." I am a humble Kaamdaar. I am nothing compared to the Naamdaars of this country, who have their own unique style of conducting themselves. They decide whom to hate, when to hate and whom to ‘love’ and how to make a show of it. In all this, what can a Kamdaar like me say?: #PMtoANI https://t.co/t8guzMu71g — ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2018 × Modi also pointed to the recent no-confidence motion against his government, and the election of the deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha. (The government sailed through the motion and in the election, the NDA's Harivansh Narayan Singh beat the Congress's BK Hariprasad.) "Outcome of these events should indicate which coalition is intact and which is falling apart," said Modi. "The Mahagathbandhan is about dynasties, not about development. The only question is whether they will break up before the election or after!" he added. "In fact,we got support even from those parties which are not our allies. BJP has consistently expanded base over recent years among people and welcomed more allies to NDA," Modi said when he was asked about the BJP's smaller allies losing faith in the government.

Even a single incident is one too many: Modi on lynchings, rapes

A 29-year-old "suicidal" airport worker who <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/airline-worker-steals-empty-plane-in-seattle-sparking-security-scare-158548">commandeered an empty plane</a> from Seattle's main airport and took it on an hour-long flight chased by F-15 fighter jets before crashing into a small island did not commit any security violations, officials said Saturday.

Horizon Air employee Richard Russell told an air traffic controller he was "just a broken man" minutes before dying late Friday in the Bombardier Q400 twin-engine turboprop plane, appearing to apologize for his actions. Law enforcement officials identified him to US media.

Authorities ruled out any link to terror. Russell "had access legitimately" to the plane, said Mike Ehl, director of aviation operations at the airport in the northwestern US state of Washington, adding that "no security violations were committed."

Video taken by a bystander showed the 76-seat plane making a big, slow loop-the-loop as US Air Force F-15 jets gave chase, then flying low over Puget Sound before crashing into sparsely populated Ketron Island, setting trees on fire.

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Horizon Air <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Q400?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Q400</a> crashes near <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Seattle?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Seattle</a> after a mechanic steals the plane and takes off without clearance !! He was chased by two F15 fighters to intercept him <a href="https://t.co/fEVQyOjI3k">pic.twitter.com/fEVQyOjI3k</a>
— Aviationdaily✈️الطيران يوميآ (@Aviationdailyy) <a href="https://twitter.com/Aviationdailyy/status/1028168232606334976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<img alt="000_18B3V2.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="1963" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/000_18B3V2.jpg" width="2048" />

(Horizon Air employee Richard Russel.&nbsp;Image source: AFP)

"To our knowledge, he didn't have a pilot's license," Gary Beck, CEO of Alaska Airlines affiliate Horizon, told reporters.

"Commercial aircraft are complex machines... No idea how he achieved that experience."

But Russell's role at Horizon, where he had worked since 2015, involved towing aircraft as part of a two person team, in addition to loading and unloading cargo and luggage and cleaning the aircraft, according to Beck.

"At this time, we believe he was the only one in the aircraft but of course, we haven't confirmed that at the crash site," said Jay Tabb, chief of the FBI's Seattle division.

Joyrider or suicidal? 
Ruling out a terror link, Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor noted that "most terrorists don't do loops over the water... This might have been a joyride gone terribly wrong."

Ed Troyer, of the sheriff's office, described Russell as "suicidal."

Russell lived locally and had acted alone. Initial information had said he was an airline mechanic.

Recently retired airline operational supervisor Rick Christenson said he and Russell's other former colleagues were "stunned."

"He was a quiet guy. It seemed like he was well liked by the other workers," Christenson told The Seattle Times. "I feel really bad for Richard and for his family. I hope they can make it through this."

The plane was stolen around 8:00 pm (0300 GMT Saturday) and crashed 90 minutes later, officials said.

The sheriff's office said the F-15s arrived minutes after the plane was stolen and kept the aircraft "out of harm's way and people on the ground safe."

The fighter jets flew at supersonic speed, triggering a boom first taken to be an explosion, as they raced to intercept the plane.

President Donald Trump was briefed and the White House praised authorities' quick response to the crisis.

'Broken guy' 
John Waldron, who captured the plane's loop-the-loop on video, told CNN he was out for an evening stroll and initially thought the aircraft were practicing for an air show.

He estimated that the plane, at its lowest point, was no more than 100 feet (30 meters) above the water.

As Russell nosedived toward the water, "We were all screaming, 'Oh my god, oh my god!' and I was yelling, 'Pull up, pull up!'" Christenson said.

In a conversation with the control tower, the pilot came across as excitable, confused and even apologetic.

"Congratulations, you did it," the control tower tells him, according to an audio feed aired on CNN.&nbsp;

"Let's turn around the air and land it and not hurt anybody on the ground."

"I don't know, man," the pilot answers. "I don't want to. I was kind of hoping that was going to be it, you know."

During the conversation, the man says he had put some fuel in the plane "to go check out the Olympics" -- the Olympic Mountains that lie about 100 miles (160 kilometers) away.

But he later worried he was running low, saying the fuel had burned "quite a bit faster than I expected."

The control tower then urged him to land at a nearby military base.

"I wouldn't want to do that. They probably have anti-aircraft," he responds.

"This is probably jail time for life, huh?" he later says, according to a recording published by The Seattle Times.

"I've got a lot of people that care about me. It's going to disappoint them to hear that I did this," he said.

"I would like to apologize to each and every one of them. Just a broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess. Never really knew it until now."

Officials identified the man as Horizon Air employee Richard Russel. Russel told an air traffic controller he was 'just a broken man' minutes before crashing the Bombardier Q400 twin-engine turboprop he had stolen from Seattle's main airport.

A 29-year-old "suicidal" airport worker who commandeered an empty plane from Seattle's main airport and took it on an hour-long flight chased by F-15 fighter jets before crashing into a small island did not commit any security violations, officials said Saturday. Horizon Air employee Richard Russell told an air traffic controller he was "just a broken man" minutes before dying late Friday in the Bombardier Q400 twin-engine turboprop plane, appearing to apologize for his actions. Law enforcement officials identified him to US media. Authorities ruled out any link to terror. Russell "had access legitimately" to the plane, said Mike Ehl, director of aviation operations at the airport in the northwestern US state of Washington, adding that "no security violations were committed." Video taken by a bystander showed the 76-seat plane making a big, slow loop-the-loop as US Air Force F-15 jets gave chase, then flying low over Puget Sound before crashing into sparsely populated Ketron Island, setting trees on fire. Horizon Air #Q400 crashes near #Seattle after a mechanic steals the plane and takes off without clearance !! He was chased by two F15 fighters to intercept him pic.twitter.com/fEVQyOjI3k — Aviationdaily✈️الطيران يوميآ (@Aviationdailyy) August 11, 2018 × (Horizon Air employee Richard Russel. Image source: AFP) "To our knowledge, he didn't have a pilot's license," Gary Beck, CEO of Alaska Airlines affiliate Horizon, told reporters. "Commercial aircraft are complex machines... No idea how he achieved that experience." But Russell's role at Horizon, where he had worked since 2015, involved towing aircraft as part of a two person team, in addition to loading and unloading cargo and luggage and cleaning the aircraft, according to Beck. "At this time, we believe he was the only one in the aircraft but of course, we haven't confirmed that at the crash site," said Jay Tabb, chief of the FBI's Seattle division. Joyrider or suicidal? Ruling out a terror link, Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor noted that "most terrorists don't do loops over the water... This might have been a joyride gone terribly wrong." Ed Troyer, of the sheriff's office, described Russell as "suicidal." Russell lived locally and had acted alone. Initial information had said he was an airline mechanic. Recently retired airline operational supervisor Rick Christenson said he and Russell's other former colleagues were "stunned." "He was a quiet guy. It seemed like he was well liked by the other workers," Christenson told The Seattle Times. "I feel really bad for Richard and for his family. I hope they can make it through this." The plane was stolen around 8:00 pm (0300 GMT Saturday) and crashed 90 minutes later, officials said. The sheriff's office said the F-15s arrived minutes after the plane was stolen and kept the aircraft "out of harm's way and people on the ground safe." The fighter jets flew at supersonic speed, triggering a boom first taken to be an explosion, as they raced to intercept the plane. President Donald Trump was briefed and the White House praised authorities' quick response to the crisis. 'Broken guy' John Waldron, who captured the plane's loop-the-loop on video, told CNN he was out for an evening stroll and initially thought the aircraft were practicing for an air show. He estimated that the plane, at its lowest point, was no more than 100 feet (30 meters) above the water. As Russell nosedived toward the water, "We were all screaming, 'Oh my god, oh my god!' and I was yelling, 'Pull up, pull up!'" Christenson said. In a conversation with the control tower, the pilot came across as excitable, confused and even apologetic. "Congratulations, you did it," the control tower tells him, according to an audio feed aired on CNN. "Let's turn around the air and land it and not hurt anybody on the ground." "I don't know, man," the pilot answers. "I don't want to. I was kind of hoping that was going to be it, you know." During the conversation, the man says he had put some fuel in the plane "to go check out the Olympics" -- the Olympic Mountains that lie about 100 miles (160 kilometers) away. But he later worried he was running low, saying the fuel had burned "quite a bit faster than I expected." The control tower then urged him to land at a nearby military base. "I wouldn't want to do that. They probably have anti-aircraft," he responds. "This is probably jail time for life, huh?" he later says, according to a recording published by The Seattle Times. "I've got a lot of people that care about me. It's going to disappoint them to hear that I did this," he said. "I would like to apologize to each and every one of them. Just a broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess. Never really knew it until now."

Video: US man who stole, crashed passenger plane 'had access legitimately' to it

On India-Pakistan relations, Prime Minister hoped that under the new government, Pakistan would work for a safe, secure, stable and prosperous region, free from terror and violence.

Countering the picture projected by Opposition of a gloomy economic situation and claims of rising unemployment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that more than one crore jobs have been created in the last one year, hence, the campaign of lack of jobs needs to stop now. In an exclusive interview to ANI, Prime Minister also touched upon various other important issues including the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Goods and Services Tax (GST), women empowerment and India-Pakistan relations. He allayed concerns that the NRC will exclude Indian citizens and assured all opportunities will be given to people to get their concerns addressed. The Prime Minister also talked about Mahagathbandhan. On India-Pakistan relations, Prime Minister hoped that under the new government, Pakistan would work for a safe, secure, stable and prosperous region, free from terror and violence. Here is the full transcript of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interview with ANI ANI: You have mentioned in previous interviews that the methodology of computing job numbers is outdated and the true reflection is contrary to the present data available. What in your opinion is the present employment scenario in India and how will you increase employment opportunities? Prime Minister: I have already given a detailed reply in the Lok Sabha during the debate on No Confidence Motion. In short, the point which needs to be understood is that: When economy is growing at a faster pace, in fact fastest among the major economies, how will the jobs market not expand? When investment into and the pace of execution of infrastructure projects like making roads, laying down rail lines, setting up power generation including solar parks and transmission lines is at all-time high, how come the jobs will not be created. Similarly, if there is significant growth in sales of commercial vehicles and passenger vehicles, does it not mean that jobs are being created? When FDI inflows are at an all-time high, will it not translate into manufacturing and job creation? From just 2 mobile manufacturing units in 2014 we have grown to 120. When such development in electronic manufacturing is taking place, will it not create jobs? Today, India has emerged as one of the top hubs of start-ups. Are they not creating jobs? App-based aggregators are flourishing in India across food, logistics, e-commerce, mobility solutions and many more such sectors. Are they not creating jobs? &nbspWe all know the potential tourism has in creating jobs. Foreign tourist arrivals in India grew by 14% last year. Domestic tourism has also grown. Will this not result in job creation? Today, India is seeing a historic boom in the aviation sector. Last year, over 10 crore people took a flight. Through UDAN scheme, we have put many places, particularly Tier-II and III cities on the aviation map. Will this not create jobs and opportunities across the board? More than 13 crore MUDRA loans have been given to our hardworking entrepreneurs. I have been told that over 3.5 crore of these loans have been given to first time entrepreneurs. Does every loan not create additional employment opportunities? These are only a few examples. Employment generation is also evident from 45 lakh new Subscribers in the Employee Provident Fund and 5.68 lakh people joining the New Pension Scheme in the last nine months. All this has led to creation of more than one crore jobs only in the last year. Thus, the campaign that jobs have not been created must come to a halt now. People are not going to buy it any more. ANI: Your critics claim that you made a U-Turn on GST from your opposition as the CM. The Opposition calls GST a Gabbar Singh Tax while you call it the Good Simple Tax. 1 year down the line, can you please explain what benefits have GST brought? Prime Minister: I would urge you to do some research on the U-Turn claims. Why was there opposition to GST under the UPA Government? The ‘Know It All’ Finance Minister refused to listen to the concerns of the various state governments and adopted a ‘my way or the highway’ approach. Not only Gujarat, but most states did not trust the UPA Government to be fair with them. They had not paid the GST compensation to the states which were promised. They were also unwilling to provide GST compensation to the states if they suffered losses in the first 5 years. It is only when the NDA Government discharged the liability of the past GST Compensation and agreed to pay compensation in the event of loss for the first 5 years that the GST was possible. Our GST model was acceptable to the states, because we were sensitive to their concerns. But why let facts come in the way of a good ‘U-Turn narrative’&nbspOpposition to GST is not from all the Opposition Parties. Only a few who have been continuously rejected by the masses are making baseless points. They not only want to misguide but also indulge in opposing for the sake of opposing. Whether it is Yoga, Ayushman Bharat, Swachh Bharat, NRC, surgical strikes, their conduct is for everyone to see. As for Gabbar Singh Tax, people who have seen only dacoits around them will naturally think of dacoits only! Have they ever thought why people accepted GST wholeheartedly? The Congress President spoke about Surat in Parliament. He tried his best to provoke people against GST during Gujarat elections, why did the people reject him? It must not be forgotten that people of this country particularly, the business community have supported GST and adopted it wholeheartedly. They deserve all compliments. Being a sensitive Government, we are also taking into account the feedback which comes from people and we are doing corrections wherever required. That is why GST has acquired full faith of people and has made life easier for many of us. People have responded positively as it brings lot of benefits to them and to the economy. The number of enterprises registered from Independence until now was 66 lakh. In just one year after the introduction of GST, the number of new enterprises registered is 48 lakh. Around 350 crore invoices were processed and 11 crore returns were filed in 1 year. Doesn’t this show wide-spread public acceptance? ANI: &nbspThe recent implementation of the Supreme Court mandated NRC has created controversy, with Mamata Banerjee saying it could lead to “civil war”. What are your thoughts on this? Prime Minister: Only those who have lost faith in themselves, fear loss of popular support and lack faith in our Institutions can use words like ‘civil war’, ‘blood bath’ and ‘Desh Ke Tukde Tukde.’ Evidently, they are disconnected from the pulse of the nation. As far as Mamata ji’s stand is concerned, she should remember what she said on the floor of the Parliament in 2005. Was that Mamata ji correct or is this Mamata ji correct? The Congress is also playing politics over the NRC. The roots of the NRC go back three decades when Mr. Rajiv Gandhi had to bow to public pressure and sign the Assam Accord. Since then Assam voted Congress several times but the party did nothing about it and kept misleading the people. &nbspCongress knew a problem exists but allowed it to fester for decades because they were guided by vote bank politics. I want to assure the people that no citizen of India will have to leave the country. As per the due process, all possible opportunities will be given to get their concerns addressed. The NRC was a promise of ours, which we are fulfilling under the guidance of the Honourable Supreme Court. It is not about politics but about people. If someone is making it about Rajaneeti, it is extremely unfortunate. Our job in the political class is to work according to the will of the people and do what they have given us the mandate for. ANI: The Opposition has raked up the issue of crime against women and incidents of lynching. Your critics say you have not spoken about them. Your comments? Prime Minister: It would be a great travesty to reduce these incidents to mere statistics and then indulge in politics over them. That shows a kind of perverse mindset that looks at violence and criminality as something to be milked, instead of unitedly opposing. Even a single incident is one too many and deeply unfortunate. Everyone should rise above politics to ensure peace and unity in our society. My party and I have spoken in clear words, on multiple occasions against such actions and such a mindset. It is all on record. Also, we are people who go beyond just words. Look at the actions of our Home Ministry to see how we have acted against violence. Soon after I assumed office, I had said from the ramparts of the Red Fort that it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure the dignity of women, whether Government, Society, Family or Individual. At the level of Government, we have gone to the extent of making provisions of capital punishment in certain category of crimes against women. You might have noted that results in terms of quick disposal of such cases leading to even capital punishment have started coming in. Let there be no doubts about the will of my Government to implement the Rule of Law in its true letter and spirit. ANI: Is women empowerment only a slogan or has there been any real progress? Prime Minister: No country can progress if its women are not equal partners in the development process. Going a step ahead of women development, we are working towards women-led development. ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’, was among the first programmes that this Government launched aimed at addressing the issue of declining Child Sex Ratio and educating the girl child. ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ has led to significant improvement in the Child Sex Ratio in various parts of India. It has taken the shape of a vibrant mass movement that is changing mindsets all over. This is the first time in the history of independent India that we have two women in the Cabinet Committee on Security -- the Minister of External Affairs and the Minister for Defence. Women have, for the first time, been inducted as fighter pilots in combat roles in the Indian Air Force. Construction of toilets in millions under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan both in rural and semi-urban areas augments women safety and security. Separate toilets for girls constructed in all government schools in mission mode will help reduce dropout of girl students. The newly amended Maternity Benefit Act statutorily increases maternity leave to 26 weeks and makes it mandatory for every establishment that has more than 50 employees (whether male or female) to offer creche facilities. This will ensure that working women are not compelled to drop out of the workforce. Mission Indradhanush and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana is ensuring the good health of the mother and the child. Under the Ujjwala Scheme, free LPG connections have revolutionized the lives of poor women. It heralds freedom from smoky chulhas and persistent coughs. More than 5 crore LPG connections have been released to poor women so far. There is a sizeable and rapid growth in financial inclusion of women, which paves the way for irreversible and institutional progress. Through the Jan Dhan Yojana, more than 16 crore accounts of women have been opened. We have not only focussed on financial inclusion but also financial empowerment of women. Thanks to the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) over 13 crore loans have been given of which more than 70% have been given to women. Under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission, there is a massive increase in access to credit by women SHGs. You would be glad to know that the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana gives preference to allotment in the name of the women in the family. This is a major step in furthering the dignity and empowerment of women. This Government has never shied away from tough measures to ensure gender justice. The Triple Talaq bill is in response to a long standing injustice done to Muslim women in India. The Anti-trafficking Bill, that has just been passed by the Lok Sabha, attempts to address one of the most pervasive crimes affecting women and children, especially the most vulnerable. According to the new Haj policy, for the first time, women above the age of 45 years can go for the pilgrimage without a `mehram’, or a male escort. This also is a harbinger of substantial change. I think all the points mentioned give a glimpse of this Government’s consistent commitment to women empowerment. You can judge whether this is just a slogan or there is concrete action. ANI: &nbspWhat is your stand on caste-based reservations? Is it true that your Government is waiting for the right time to abolish reservations? Prime Minister: The objectives of our Constitution and dreams of Dr. Babasaheb are still incomplete. &nbspIt is the responsibility of every one of us to fulfil his dream and reservations are an important tool to achieve this. Reservation is here to stay. Let there be no doubts about this. The dreams of Babasaheb are the strength of this nation and we are committed to fulfilling them. Our Mantra is Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and to achieve this, it is most important to protect the rights of the poor, marginalized, downtrodden, Dalits, Tribals and OBCs. Before any crucial election, there are vested interest groups who will raise a bogey that BJP will abolish reservations and sections of the media will amplify this. Those who are constantly spreading canards on the issue and politicizing it are the same people who have always crushed Babasaheb’s dreams. They are trying to sow seeds of doubt and mistrust among the weaker sections of society. But, the people of India are wise and they will not believe this propaganda. Look across the length and breadth of India, maximum MPs from SC, ST and OBC communities are from BJP. Maximum MLAs from SC, ST and OBC communities are from BJP. I would request you all to see the kind of things our former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi said about the Mandal Commission. On the floor of the Parliament he opposed it tooth and nail. The situation in his party is no different today. ANI: Why are the smaller allies of the BJP losing faith in the coalition? Some have quit, some say they will not fight alongside your party in 2019, instead of adding to your kitty due to the stunning victory of 2014, you are seen as a party that is a difficult magnet to attract allies. Prime Minister: Two events of the recent past will answer your question- the No- Confidence Motion in the Lok Sabha and the election for the Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha. The outcome of both these events should indicate which coalition is intact and which is falling apart. In fact, we got support even from those parties which are not our allies. BJP has consistently expanded its base over the recent years among the people and welcomed more allies to the NDA family. ANI: &nbspThe political impasse in Jammu and Kashmir continues to be unresolved with the coalition collapsing and Governor’s rule seemingly being continuous. Do you think your party made a mistake in forming govt with the PDP? Would you do it again if there is a hung verdict again? Prime Minister: The people’s mandate during the State Assembly elections was towards formation of Government jointly by BJP and PDP. Also, in that situation, there was no other alternative. That is why, to fulfil the people’s expectations, we formed the Coalition Government. However, after the sad demise of Mufti Sahab, there were hurdles in fulfilling those expectations. For BJP, people’s interest is above political interests and that is why without casting any aspersions, we opted out of power. BJP is always with the people of J&K and is ready to fulfil their dreams. This importantly includes deepening the roots of Democracy in the State right down to the Panchayat and Village level. We made efforts to strengthen local self-government at the village level but in that coalition Government it was becoming increasingly tough to do so. Central Government is committed to holistic development of Jammu and Kashmir across the regions of Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir Valley. ANI: &nbspDuring No confidence motion in this session, we saw some unusual scenes? Rahul Gandhi walks up to you and hugs you...What went through mind when this played out? Congress claimed victory while others say it was a childish act by Rahul Gandhi? What is your conclusion? Prime Minister: It is for you to judge whether it was a childish act or not. And if you are unable to decide, watch the wink and you will get the answer. I am a humble Kaamdaar. I am nothing compared to the Naamdaars of this country, who have their own unique style of conducting themselves. They decide whom to hate, when to hate and whom to ‘love’ and how to make a show of it. In all this, what can a Kamdaar like me say… ANI: Are you and your party concerned with Modi vs all syndrome? How are you planning to combat this `Mahagathbandhan’ in 2019? Prime Minister: The Opposition parties are so convinced about our Government’s popularity that they have no faith in their ability to fight us individually. These parties had lots of time to prove their worth to the people. But they indulged in corruption, nepotism and mis-governance. Now they know that their electoral arithmetic based on caste, class, &nbspcommunity and religion cannot withstand the chemistry of development. This happened because of people’s unflinching trust in BJP’s politics of development and their validation of the work the government is doing. &nbspElection after election and in state after state, people are repeatedly choosing the BJP to fulfill their aspirations. People have witnessed firsthand the change in their lives through the efforts of the Central Government. They have also seen that our Government is incorruptible and hard-working. People have clearly recognized the difference between these parties and the BJP and hence the opposition has no option but to make it an ‘All versus One’ fight to even think about winning. Today, those who resisted the Emergency are standing with those who imposed it. Those who went about trying to fight corruption are with the party that has institutionalized corruption at all levels. Parties with a visceral hatred towards the Left ideology and parties espousing Left ideology are sharing stage. Parties whose very existence depended on fighting each other are now friends. Let us understand the true character of the Mahagathbandhan. The Mahagathbandhan is for personal survival, not for ideological support. The Mahagathbandhan is for personal ambitions, not for people’s aspirations. The Mahagathbandhan is purely about power politics, not about people’s mandate. The Mahagathbandhan is about dynasties, not about development. The Mahagathbandhan is not about any union of minds or ideas, but about rank opportunism. The only question is whether they will break up before the election or after! ANI: &nbspImran Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaaf party will be assuming office in Pakistan soon, you spoke to Imran Khan and congratulated him. In his first speech he offered to hold talks with India...are you open for dialogue with the new dispensation of Pakistan? Is there any hope for India participating in SAARC? Prime Minister: I have always said that we wish to have good neighbourly relations. We have also taken various initiatives in this regard. I recently congratulated Mr. Imran Khan on his victory in the elections. We hope that Pakistan would work for a safe, secure, stable and prosperous region, free from terror and violence.

Read: Full text of the Modi interview

Former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has claimed that the initiative to update the NRC was his "baby" and the BJP has failed to "nurse" it properly due to which a defective draft was published with names of over 40 lakh people missing.&nbsp

The three-time chief minister alleged that the BJP was not interested in solving the problem of infiltration, but to use it as a poll agenda in the next Lok Sabha and state elections.

"The BJP has always played politics with the foreigners issue on communal lines and is just not interested in solving the problem," Gogoi told.

The infiltration issue always crops up before elections, then subsides to emerge again before the next polls. The BJP does not want to solve it as is evident from their introduction of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 which is primarily aimed at bringing in more foreigners, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi "will not drive out the foreigners, but is interested in bringing in more. The BJP wants to keep the issue alive and so does its alliance partner AGP," Gogoi, who occupied the office for 15 years from 2001 to 2016, said.

The importance of a correct and updated NRC cannot be denied as in the future, the people detected as foreigners can be declared stateless or second-grade citizens who will be denied land rights and for whom the taxation rates will be high, he said.

"The whole idea was conceived and given birth during my term in office. After I demitted office, the BJP failed to nurse my baby properly and as a result, a defective NRC draft was published with the names of over 40 lakh people missing," Gogoi said commenting on publication of NRC by the BJP government in Assam on July 30.

The BJP will use the NRC and infiltration as a poll issue. They have already started doing it in the northern part of the country and will repeat it in the rest of the nation.&nbsp

"We will have to tell the people that this is the BJP's poll strategy to divert attention from their all-round failure," Gogoi said.

"The BJP always blamed the Congress for giving protection to the Bangladeshis, but the initiative to detect foreigners by updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) was taken by me with the core objective to determine genuine Indian citizens," he said.

The BJP has always tried to divide the country on communal lines and they are doing the same in the case of identifying foreigners, he added.

"We do not play politics with such a sensitive issue. For the Congress, detection of foreigners is the primary objective and the persons religion does not come into the picture at all," he said.

The introduction of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was done with the aim of bringing in foreigners of a particular religion from Bangladesh and exclude those belonging to another faith, the former chief minister said.

"The Bill, if passed, will be like giving a red carpet welcome to foreigners of a particular religion and nullify the objective of NRC with the whole exercise being a complete waste of money, energy and resources," he said.

Gogoi asked why the issue of deportation of the foreigners was not being taken up with Bangladesh and "this too points out that the BJP and AGP want to keep the issue alive for their political gain".

The ongoing NRC in Assam will be the second one in the country after 1951.

He pointed out that the NRC was being prepared under the Assam Accord clause of including people who have entered the country before March 25, 1971 and this was the only way it could be done.

"I am also demanding that the names of those in the 2014 voters list must also be added so that objections can be raised against those people who may be suspected as foreigners but have found a place in the voters list," the veteran Congress leader said.

"Objections cannot be raised in voters list but it can be done in the NRC and if this is included, the detection of more foreigners may be possible," he said.

"The authorities now must concentrate on preparing an error-free NRC as directed by the Supreme Court and ensure that genuine Indian citizens whose names are missing from the draft are not harassed further," he said.

The Congress will always stand by genuine Indian citizens and provide help legally and politically, he added.

Gogoi alleged that the number of cases sent to the Foreigners Tribunal during the BJP government's rule had been much less than that of the Congress rule.

"During my tenure as chief minister, the work of border fencing, border lighting and patrolling by riverine police was stepped up considerably to restrict entry of illegal foreigner," he said.&nbsp

The three-time chief minister alleged that the BJP was not interested in solving the problem of infiltration, but to use it as a poll agenda in the next Lok Sabha and state elections.

Former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has claimed that the initiative to update the NRC was his "baby" and the BJP has failed to "nurse" it properly due to which a defective draft was published with names of over 40 lakh people missing. The three-time chief minister alleged that the BJP was not interested in solving the problem of infiltration, but to use it as a poll agenda in the next Lok Sabha and state elections. "The BJP has always played politics with the foreigners issue on communal lines and is just not interested in solving the problem," Gogoi told. The infiltration issue always crops up before elections, then subsides to emerge again before the next polls. The BJP does not want to solve it as is evident from their introduction of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 which is primarily aimed at bringing in more foreigners, he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi "will not drive out the foreigners, but is interested in bringing in more. The BJP wants to keep the issue alive and so does its alliance partner AGP," Gogoi, who occupied the office for 15 years from 2001 to 2016, said. The importance of a correct and updated NRC cannot be denied as in the future, the people detected as foreigners can be declared stateless or second-grade citizens who will be denied land rights and for whom the taxation rates will be high, he said. "The whole idea was conceived and given birth during my term in office. After I demitted office, the BJP failed to nurse my baby properly and as a result, a defective NRC draft was published with the names of over 40 lakh people missing," Gogoi said commenting on publication of NRC by the BJP government in Assam on July 30. The BJP will use the NRC and infiltration as a poll issue. They have already started doing it in the northern part of the country and will repeat it in the rest of the nation. "We will have to tell the people that this is the BJP's poll strategy to divert attention from their all-round failure," Gogoi said. "The BJP always blamed the Congress for giving protection to the Bangladeshis, but the initiative to detect foreigners by updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) was taken by me with the core objective to determine genuine Indian citizens," he said. The BJP has always tried to divide the country on communal lines and they are doing the same in the case of identifying foreigners, he added. "We do not play politics with such a sensitive issue. For the Congress, detection of foreigners is the primary objective and the persons religion does not come into the picture at all," he said. The introduction of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was done with the aim of bringing in foreigners of a particular religion from Bangladesh and exclude those belonging to another faith, the former chief minister said. "The Bill, if passed, will be like giving a red carpet welcome to foreigners of a particular religion and nullify the objective of NRC with the whole exercise being a complete waste of money, energy and resources," he said. Gogoi asked why the issue of deportation of the foreigners was not being taken up with Bangladesh and "this too points out that the BJP and AGP want to keep the issue alive for their political gain". The ongoing NRC in Assam will be the second one in the country after 1951. He pointed out that the NRC was being prepared under the Assam Accord clause of including people who have entered the country before March 25, 1971 and this was the only way it could be done. "I am also demanding that the names of those in the 2014 voters list must also be added so that objections can be raised against those people who may be suspected as foreigners but have found a place in the voters list," the veteran Congress leader said. "Objections cannot be raised in voters list but it can be done in the NRC and if this is included, the detection of more foreigners may be possible," he said. "The authorities now must concentrate on preparing an error-free NRC as directed by the Supreme Court and ensure that genuine Indian citizens whose names are missing from the draft are not harassed further," he said. The Congress will always stand by genuine Indian citizens and provide help legally and politically, he added. Gogoi alleged that the number of cases sent to the Foreigners Tribunal during the BJP government's rule had been much less than that of the Congress rule. "During my tenure as chief minister, the work of border fencing, border lighting and patrolling by riverine police was stepped up considerably to restrict entry of illegal foreigner," he said.

Tarun Gogoi claims updating NRC his 'baby', BJP failed to 'nurse' it

Raising the heat on the Modi government over the Rafale jet deal, the Congress on Sunday accused it of promoting crony capitalism and its own “self interests” and ignoring national interests.&nbsp

Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government is not answering why Rs 41,205 crore more out of the public money was paid for the Rafale fighters and accused the prime minister of violating the ‘defence procurement procedure’.

The opposition party alleged that Reliance Defence was chosen as the local partner for offset contracts worth crores, as per the 2016 annual report of Dassault Aviation and a press statement of Reliance Defence. Reliance Defence and Aerospace, in a statement, said that it or any other Reliance group company has not received any contract from the Defence Ministry till date, relating to the 36 Rafale aircraft. “This is absolutely unfounded and incorrect,” the company said.

It also claimed that there is no violation of any rule or preferential treatment to Dassault Reliance Aviation Ltd (DRAL), the joint venture company formed to fulfil the offset contracts in the Rafale deal. The Congress leader, however, accused the prime minister of making the announcement of “off-the-shelf” purchase of 36 fighter jets in Paris at a much higher rate than that negotiated by the UPA government.

“Rafale is a scam and the government is in the scam. Indians feel deprived while the BJP ensured that crony capitalism thrived. Instead of protecting India’s interest we have the Modi government protecting its self-interests,” Chaturvedi said in a statement. “The prime minister announced the off-the-shelf purchase of 36 Rafale aircraft in Paris on April 10, 2015 for euro 7.5 billion (Rs. 1670.70 crore per aircraft which is Rs. 60,145 crore for 36 aircraft,” Chaturvedi said.

India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France in 2015 for 36 Rafale fighter jets in ‘fly-away’ condition. The president of the ruling BJP, Amit Shah, on Friday rejected allegations of corruption in the Rafale deal, saying credence should be given to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s statement instead of others. Shah said Sitharaman has said the base price of Rafale fighters negotiated by the government is less than what was finalised by the previous UPA dispensation.

But the Congress leader said when the international bid opened on December 12, 2012 for Rafale jets, the price negotiated by the UPA government was Rs. 526.10 crore per aircraft for 126 aircraft. As per the UPA deal, the price of 36 aircraft would have been Rs. 18,940 crore. Chaturvedi demanded an explanation on why an extra amount of Rs. 41,205 crore of the public money is being paid for the jets.

She asked why the prime minister and the defence minister were averse to placing the details of the commercial purchase price before Parliament. The government has said that a secrecy clause in the 2008 pact between India and France prohibits it from disclosing the pricing details in the purchase of the Rafale fighter jets. Experts describe the Rafale as a twin-engine “air-dominance” aircraft. In French, “Rafale” means a gust of wind.

"Rafale is a scam and the government is in the scam. Indians feel deprived while the BJP ensured that crony capitalism thrived. Instead of protecting India's interest we have the Modi government protecting its self-interests," Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said.

Raising the heat on the Modi government over the Rafale jet deal, the Congress on Sunday accused it of promoting crony capitalism and its own “self interests” and ignoring national interests. Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government is not answering why Rs 41,205 crore more out of the public money was paid for the Rafale fighters and accused the prime minister of violating the ‘defence procurement procedure’. The opposition party alleged that Reliance Defence was chosen as the local partner for offset contracts worth crores, as per the 2016 annual report of Dassault Aviation and a press statement of Reliance Defence. Reliance Defence and Aerospace, in a statement, said that it or any other Reliance group company has not received any contract from the Defence Ministry till date, relating to the 36 Rafale aircraft. “This is absolutely unfounded and incorrect,” the company said. It also claimed that there is no violation of any rule or preferential treatment to Dassault Reliance Aviation Ltd (DRAL), the joint venture company formed to fulfil the offset contracts in the Rafale deal. The Congress leader, however, accused the prime minister of making the announcement of “off-the-shelf” purchase of 36 fighter jets in Paris at a much higher rate than that negotiated by the UPA government. “Rafale is a scam and the government is in the scam. Indians feel deprived while the BJP ensured that crony capitalism thrived. Instead of protecting India’s interest we have the Modi government protecting its self-interests,” Chaturvedi said in a statement. “The prime minister announced the off-the-shelf purchase of 36 Rafale aircraft in Paris on April 10, 2015 for euro 7.5 billion (Rs. 1670.70 crore per aircraft which is Rs. 60,145 crore for 36 aircraft,” Chaturvedi said. India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France in 2015 for 36 Rafale fighter jets in ‘fly-away’ condition. The president of the ruling BJP, Amit Shah, on Friday rejected allegations of corruption in the Rafale deal, saying credence should be given to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s statement instead of others. Shah said Sitharaman has said the base price of Rafale fighters negotiated by the government is less than what was finalised by the previous UPA dispensation. But the Congress leader said when the international bid opened on December 12, 2012 for Rafale jets, the price negotiated by the UPA government was Rs. 526.10 crore per aircraft for 126 aircraft. As per the UPA deal, the price of 36 aircraft would have been Rs. 18,940 crore. Chaturvedi demanded an explanation on why an extra amount of Rs. 41,205 crore of the public money is being paid for the jets. She asked why the prime minister and the defence minister were averse to placing the details of the commercial purchase price before Parliament. The government has said that a secrecy clause in the 2008 pact between India and France prohibits it from disclosing the pricing details in the purchase of the Rafale fighter jets. Experts describe the Rafale as a twin-engine “air-dominance” aircraft. In French, “Rafale” means a gust of wind.

Congress on Rafale deal: Modi govt promoting crony capitalism, ignoring national interests

India’s second moon mission Chandrayaan-2 will now be launched in the January-March window in 2019 instead of later this year as the design was changed to enable it to land on the lunar surface, a top ISRO official said on Sunday. “We have planned to launch Chandrayaan mission in January 
3. We are fixing with that (date) and targeting that. But that is an open window. We can go up to March also. As we are coming closer (the date), we may miss the target,” he said.

The reason for postponing the mission was that there were certain important changes made in the design so that it could easily land on the lunar surface, he said. He was speaking on the sidelines of a function, where the bust of Dr Vikram Sarabhai, the architect of the Indian space mission, was unveiled.

Asked why the weight of Chandrayaan-2 was increased by 600 kg, he said ISRO noticed during experiments that after the moon lander was ejected, the satellite would shake. So they decided that the design modification was required for landing and mass has to be increased. “We also realised that the orbiter required more phases, which required more fuel,” he told reporters.

On the space agency’s future missions, Sivan said ISRO also plans to launch 50 satellites in the next three years. The space agency would launch 22 satellites in 2019, the maximum in any year in the history of ISRO, he said. “Next year from February to December we plan to have 22 missions with almost two missions per month, which is a very important activity. This tight schedule of programmes we are doing for the first time. We have set a target. We may not be able to achieve but we are targeting it. So many missions in a year is a huge target for the first time in the history of ISRO,” Sivan said.

The remaining months of 2018 would also be very hectic for ISRO as it plans to launch at least two missions every month, he said. “Our next mission is PSLV C42, which will launch NOVASAT and S1-4. These two satellites are commercial satellites from the UK. It is a commercial mission and is planned in September. Subsequently, we have two missions each month,” the ISRO chief said.

In October this year, ISRO would launch GSAT29 for the Digital India programme and hyper spectrum imaging satellites along with 30 commercial satellites, Sivan said. The following month GSAT-7A will be launched, while in December there would be two missions, GSLV-F11 launching AMISAT 
and GSAT-31, a replacement for INSAT 4CR, whose life will get over by January, he said.

ISRO would have two missions Chandrayan-2 by GSLV Mark 3 and the PSLV P45 launching RA-SAT 2B next year. The focus area of these launches was to enhance the communication so that rural India gets high bandwidth data connectivity, somewhere between 80 GBPS to 100 GBPS, he said.

Asked about GSAT 6A, with which communication had been lost after its launch in March 31 this year, he said ISRO has not given up hope and was still trying to establish radar contact with the satellite. “We have not given up hope. We will wait till a year,” he said when asked how much time ISRO would take to announce that the GSAT 6A was a failed mission.

The reason for postponing the mission was that there were certain important changes made in the design so that it could easily land on the lunar surface, an ISRO official said.

India’s second moon mission Chandrayaan-2 will now be launched in the January-March window in 2019 instead of later this year as the design was changed to enable it to land on the lunar surface, a top ISRO official said on Sunday. “We have planned to launch Chandrayaan mission in January 3. We are fixing with that (date) and targeting that. But that is an open window. We can go up to March also. As we are coming closer (the date), we may miss the target,” he said. The reason for postponing the mission was that there were certain important changes made in the design so that it could easily land on the lunar surface, he said. He was speaking on the sidelines of a function, where the bust of Dr Vikram Sarabhai, the architect of the Indian space mission, was unveiled. Asked why the weight of Chandrayaan-2 was increased by 600 kg, he said ISRO noticed during experiments that after the moon lander was ejected, the satellite would shake. So they decided that the design modification was required for landing and mass has to be increased. “We also realised that the orbiter required more phases, which required more fuel,” he told reporters. On the space agency’s future missions, Sivan said ISRO also plans to launch 50 satellites in the next three years. The space agency would launch 22 satellites in 2019, the maximum in any year in the history of ISRO, he said. “Next year from February to December we plan to have 22 missions with almost two missions per month, which is a very important activity. This tight schedule of programmes we are doing for the first time. We have set a target. We may not be able to achieve but we are targeting it. So many missions in a year is a huge target for the first time in the history of ISRO,” Sivan said. The remaining months of 2018 would also be very hectic for ISRO as it plans to launch at least two missions every month, he said. “Our next mission is PSLV C42, which will launch NOVASAT and S1-4. These two satellites are commercial satellites from the UK. It is a commercial mission and is planned in September. Subsequently, we have two missions each month,” the ISRO chief said. In October this year, ISRO would launch GSAT29 for the Digital India programme and hyper spectrum imaging satellites along with 30 commercial satellites, Sivan said. The following month GSAT-7A will be launched, while in December there would be two missions, GSLV-F11 launching AMISAT and GSAT-31, a replacement for INSAT 4CR, whose life will get over by January, he said. ISRO would have two missions Chandrayan-2 by GSLV Mark 3 and the PSLV P45 launching RA-SAT 2B next year. The focus area of these launches was to enhance the communication so that rural India gets high bandwidth data connectivity, somewhere between 80 GBPS to 100 GBPS, he said. Asked about GSAT 6A, with which communication had been lost after its launch in March 31 this year, he said ISRO has not given up hope and was still trying to establish radar contact with the satellite. “We have not given up hope. We will wait till a year,” he said when asked how much time ISRO would take to announce that the GSAT 6A was a failed mission.

Chandrayaan-2 to be launched in January-March window in 2019, says ISRO

BJP chief Amit Shah on Sunday asserted that illegal Bangladeshi settlers would not be allowed to stay in the country. Shah, who was in the city to address a meeting of party workers, expressed confidence that the BJP will emerge victorious in the next general elections even if the opposition parties cobble up an alliance.

We will not allow illegal Bangladeshi “intruders” to stay in the country even though we will make efforts to ensure that refugees who come seeking shelter are given citizenship, Shah is learnt to have told party workers. While mediapersons were not allowed in the meeting, senior BJP leader Bhupendra Yadav and the party’s UP unit chief Mehendra Nath Pandey gave details of Shah’s address to party workers.

According to the two leaders, Shah emphasised that the BJP was concerned about the well being of Hindus as well as Muslims living in the country. Shah urged party workers to spread awareness about the developmental work carried out by the Modi and Yogi governments at the grassroots level adding if this was done the saffron party’s triumph in the next general elections was a foregone conclusion.

The BJP chief said the party would contest the next elections on developmental agenda with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the centre of the campaign. He set a target of ’73-plus’ for BJP in Uttar Pradesh in the next Lok Sabha elections. Uttar Pradesh has 80 Lok Sabha seats and BJP and its allies had won 73 of these in the 2014 polls.

People ask what would happen if SP-BSP come together but I want to say we have defeated such alliances in Uttar Pradesh in the past, Shah said according to the two BJP leaders. Referring to Congress president Rahul Gandhi and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Shah said in 2017 two “boys (ladke)” joined hands but the BJP secured over 300 seats in the Assembly.

This time if all the three (SP, BSP and Congress) join, we will win at least 74 seats, Shah said, according to the two BJP leaders. In the meeting, a resolution was presented which lauded the work done by the Yogi Adityanath government in UP.

Earlier in the day, BJP leader Vijay Bahadur Pathak told reporters that the party had prepared its roadmap for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. He said the party would work at all the 60,000 booths in the state in this regard.

We will not allow illegal Bangladeshi "intruders" to stay in the country even though we will make efforts to ensure that refugees who come seeking shelter are given citizenship, BJP chief Amit Shah is learnt to have told party workers.

BJP chief Amit Shah on Sunday asserted that illegal Bangladeshi settlers would not be allowed to stay in the country. Shah, who was in the city to address a meeting of party workers, expressed confidence that the BJP will emerge victorious in the next general elections even if the opposition parties cobble up an alliance. We will not allow illegal Bangladeshi “intruders” to stay in the country even though we will make efforts to ensure that refugees who come seeking shelter are given citizenship, Shah is learnt to have told party workers. While mediapersons were not allowed in the meeting, senior BJP leader Bhupendra Yadav and the party’s UP unit chief Mehendra Nath Pandey gave details of Shah’s address to party workers. According to the two leaders, Shah emphasised that the BJP was concerned about the well being of Hindus as well as Muslims living in the country. Shah urged party workers to spread awareness about the developmental work carried out by the Modi and Yogi governments at the grassroots level adding if this was done the saffron party’s triumph in the next general elections was a foregone conclusion. The BJP chief said the party would contest the next elections on developmental agenda with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the centre of the campaign. He set a target of ’73-plus’ for BJP in Uttar Pradesh in the next Lok Sabha elections. Uttar Pradesh has 80 Lok Sabha seats and BJP and its allies had won 73 of these in the 2014 polls. People ask what would happen if SP-BSP come together but I want to say we have defeated such alliances in Uttar Pradesh in the past, Shah said according to the two BJP leaders. Referring to Congress president Rahul Gandhi and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Shah said in 2017 two “boys (ladke)” joined hands but the BJP secured over 300 seats in the Assembly. This time if all the three (SP, BSP and Congress) join, we will win at least 74 seats, Shah said, according to the two BJP leaders. In the meeting, a resolution was presented which lauded the work done by the Yogi Adityanath government in UP. Earlier in the day, BJP leader Vijay Bahadur Pathak told reporters that the party had prepared its roadmap for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. He said the party would work at all the 60,000 booths in the state in this regard.

Amit Shah: Illegal Bangladeshis will not be allowed to stay in the country

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee's condition is critical and he has been put on ventilator support.&nbsp;

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Kolkata: Former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee's condition is critical and he is on ventilator support. Chatterjee was re admitted to hospital on August 10 following kidney ailments. (file pic) <a href="https://t.co/mebDd7C5UL">pic.twitter.com/mebDd7C5UL</a>
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Chatterjee was admitted to hospital on Friday following kidney- and age-related complications.

This is the second time he has been admitted to hospital in two months.&nbsp;Chatterjee is 89.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Chatterjee is suffering from kidney and age-related complications. He was on Friday admitted to hospital for the second time in two months.

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee's condition is critical and he has been put on ventilator support. Kolkata: Former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee's condition is critical and he is on ventilator support. Chatterjee was re admitted to hospital on August 10 following kidney ailments. (file pic) pic.twitter.com/mebDd7C5UL — ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2018 × Chatterjee was admitted to hospital on Friday following kidney- and age-related complications. This is the second time he has been admitted to hospital in two months. Chatterjee is 89.

Former Lok Sabha speaker Somanth Chatterjee's condition critical, put on ventilator support

The Indian government has said in past that nobody should preach India on the issue of immigrants and Rohingya as the country has absorbed the maximum number of refugees in the world.

The pro-Khalistan referendum 2020 rally has drawn the ire of the Indian government, which has called it a 'separatist activity, which impinges on India’s territorial integrity.'

In an exclusive interview to WION, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said that Rohingya infiltrators and other illegal immigrants are getting support from fringe elements within the country.&nbsp;

“India belongs to Indians and NRC is an exercise to ensure that the country does not get swamped by the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh,” Rijiju said.

Here are the excerpts from the interview.

WION: How seriously is the government taking the 2020 referendum in London?

Kiren Rijiju: One has to understand India’s traditional position on such issues. India is a democratic country and we do not get into affairs of other countries. The cases which affect India’s security or image, certain steps kick into action. Such events do not have any bearing on India’s sovereignty, security and interests. During my bi-lateral meetings in the UK, I had raised issues which are connected to the protests. 
&nbsp; 
WION: Of late there has been a fillip in pro-Khalistan activities in the UK and Canada. Your comments?

Kiren Rijiju: During my London visit, I had raised the issue. I told my counterpart that India has no issue with democratic protests but the funds which are flowing in from Canada to the UK must be checked and anti-India activities must not be allowed to take place on their soil. I communicated this to the UK authority very clearly. 
&nbsp; 
WION: What do you have to say on the arrests which have been made by ATS Maharashtra in which the role of the fringe has become very evident?

Kiren Rijiju: Anybody from any organization should not breach the law of the land. I don’t want to add any colour to the action taken by the state agencies. Whether it is a fringe element or mainstream element, illegal is illegal, irrespective of religion.

Maharashtra government must have taken steps based on law. Law enforcement agencies are given free hand to act and they are capable of dealing with such situations. I was a union minister, should not get into what should be done and what should not be done. Law and Order is a state subject and must be left to the state governments. 
&nbsp; 
WION: What will be the end result of the NRC exercise?

Kiren Rijiju: NRC is absolutely necessary for the state of Assam. It should have been done a&nbsp;long time back. The Assam Accord was signed in 1985 but the Congress government did not do anything. Now under the supervision of the Supreme Court, efforts are being made to complete NRC exercise. Now it is a draft publication. Those who are left out will have the option to apply.

Our stand is that it is a commitment from the government of India to the people of Assam. The agitation in the 1980s led to the Assam Accord. It was disturbing to see Congress leaders making a claim that there are no illegal immigrants. What can be more tragic can this? They wanted to make a mockery of the Assam Accord. But Congress did not act on Accord. NRC process has to be completed. India belongs to Indians. Those who are not Indians need to be recorded and subsequently removed from NRC. 
&nbsp; 
WION: What will you do with illegals?

Kiren Rijiju: I do not want to get into numbers. There could be genuine Indians on the list as well. Let us finish the task in our hands and let us not get bogged down by as to what will happen in the future. 
&nbsp; 
WION: How badly is the demography of Assam affected?

Kiren Rijiju: It has changed to a large extent and many people thought that it is irreversible. But by the NRC process, we will be able to check as to where it stands today. The damage has been done. 
&nbsp; 
WION: Lot of political parties feel that this may lead to a witch hunt?

Kiren Rijiju:&nbsp;The Opposition will take a political angle to this issue as it would affect their vote banks. Vote bank politics does not exist for BJP. Nation's interest is supreme for BJP. For Congress and TMC, illegal immigrants are their vote banks. That is why Congress is confused today. 
&nbsp; 
WION: What steps have your government taken? Rohingya camps still exist in Delhi and Jammu region?

Kiren Rijiju: Earlier, Congress used to get benefits from illegal immigrants. Their leaders in Assam have realized that it cannot do it anymore. Rohingyas have made ways to Jammu, Hyderabad, Haryana, Jaipur and many parts of Uttar Pradesh. They have also entered Manipur. 
&nbsp; 
WION: You are in the government. How is this happening?

Kiren Rijiju: The illegal immigrants are coming to India through agents. There are elements in our country that are supporting and protecting them.

WION: Who are these elements?

Kiren Rijiju: We need to zero in on these elements who are facilitating the illegal immigrants. This needs to stop. It is a racket and elements in the Indian territory are abetting this. It is shameful. We are already committed to helping out the Bangladeshi government on Rohingya refugees. We have been soft on the issue of immigration but it should not be misused against us. We have allowed illegal immigrants to come to India. Our national resources are not for the illegal immigrants. Our national resources are for the Indians. 
&nbsp; 
WION: Should there be NRC in states like West Bengal and Bihar?

Kiren Rijiju: These are the issues which will be taken up at a due time but the job at hand needs to be finished first. 
&nbsp; 
WION: What has your government done to finish the fencing?

Kiren Rijiju: We have border fencing with both Pakistan and Bangladesh. We will be able to finish the border fencing on the Bangladesh border by end of this year. Yes, there are areas which cannot be fenced because of the topography. Rest will be fenced by the end of this year. We are using technologies in areas where physical fencing is not possible. Crossing over to India illegally would not be easy. 
&nbsp; 
WION: What happened to the Naga Accord?

Kiren Rijiju: Lot of progress has been made but I cannot give a timeline. There are related issues in this complex issues and all need to be addressed simultaneously through discussions. The government is serious about this issue. 
&nbsp; 
WION: Is situation in control in Kashmir?

Kiren Rijiju: We are absolutely under control. This government was criticized for national interest. 
&nbsp; 
WION: Many people would say that you sacrificed the government because you were receiving brickbats in north India?

Kiren Rijiju: Whatever be the perception, national interest is supreme and the situation is under control. There are incidents because the situation is challenging but under control. 
&nbsp; 
WION: What about anti-terrorist operations in Kashmir? Have they received the desired results?

Kiren Rijiju: Definitely. This is a strong government. You will see the results.

'India belongs to Indians and NRC is an exercise to ensure that the country does not get swamped by the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh,' Rijiju said.

The Indian government has said in past that nobody should preach India on the issue of immigrants and Rohingya as the country has absorbed the maximum number of refugees in the world. The pro-Khalistan referendum 2020 rally has drawn the ire of the Indian government, which has called it a 'separatist activity, which impinges on India’s territorial integrity.' In an exclusive interview to WION, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said that Rohingya infiltrators and other illegal immigrants are getting support from fringe elements within the country. “India belongs to Indians and NRC is an exercise to ensure that the country does not get swamped by the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh,” Rijiju said. Here are the excerpts from the interview. WION: How seriously is the government taking the 2020 referendum in London? Kiren Rijiju: One has to understand India’s traditional position on such issues. India is a democratic country and we do not get into affairs of other countries. The cases which affect India’s security or image, certain steps kick into action. Such events do not have any bearing on India’s sovereignty, security and interests. During my bi-lateral meetings in the UK, I had raised issues which are connected to the protests. WION: Of late there has been a fillip in pro-Khalistan activities in the UK and Canada. Your comments? Kiren Rijiju: During my London visit, I had raised the issue. I told my counterpart that India has no issue with democratic protests but the funds which are flowing in from Canada to the UK must be checked and anti-India activities must not be allowed to take place on their soil. I communicated this to the UK authority very clearly. WION: What do you have to say on the arrests which have been made by ATS Maharashtra in which the role of the fringe has become very evident? Kiren Rijiju: Anybody from any organization should not breach the law of the land. I don’t want to add any colour to the action taken by the state agencies. Whether it is a fringe element or mainstream element, illegal is illegal, irrespective of religion. Maharashtra government must have taken steps based on law. Law enforcement agencies are given free hand to act and they are capable of dealing with such situations. I was a union minister, should not get into what should be done and what should not be done. Law and Order is a state subject and must be left to the state governments. WION: What will be the end result of the NRC exercise? Kiren Rijiju: NRC is absolutely necessary for the state of Assam. It should have been done a long time back. The Assam Accord was signed in 1985 but the Congress government did not do anything. Now under the supervision of the Supreme Court, efforts are being made to complete NRC exercise. Now it is a draft publication. Those who are left out will have the option to apply. Our stand is that it is a commitment from the government of India to the people of Assam. The agitation in the 1980s led to the Assam Accord. It was disturbing to see Congress leaders making a claim that there are no illegal immigrants. What can be more tragic can this? They wanted to make a mockery of the Assam Accord. But Congress did not act on Accord. NRC process has to be completed. India belongs to Indians. Those who are not Indians need to be recorded and subsequently removed from NRC. WION: What will you do with illegals? Kiren Rijiju: I do not want to get into numbers. There could be genuine Indians on the list as well. Let us finish the task in our hands and let us not get bogged down by as to what will happen in the future. WION: How badly is the demography of Assam affected? Kiren Rijiju: It has changed to a large extent and many people thought that it is irreversible. But by the NRC process, we will be able to check as to where it stands today. The damage has been done. WION: Lot of political parties feel that this may lead to a witch hunt? Kiren Rijiju: The Opposition will take a political angle to this issue as it would affect their vote banks. Vote bank politics does not exist for BJP. Nation's interest is supreme for BJP. For Congress and TMC, illegal immigrants are their vote banks. That is why Congress is confused today. WION: What steps have your government taken? Rohingya camps still exist in Delhi and Jammu region? Kiren Rijiju: Earlier, Congress used to get benefits from illegal immigrants. Their leaders in Assam have realized that it cannot do it anymore. Rohingyas have made ways to Jammu, Hyderabad, Haryana, Jaipur and many parts of Uttar Pradesh. They have also entered Manipur. WION: You are in the government. How is this happening? Kiren Rijiju: The illegal immigrants are coming to India through agents. There are elements in our country that are supporting and protecting them. WION: Who are these elements? Kiren Rijiju: We need to zero in on these elements who are facilitating the illegal immigrants. This needs to stop. It is a racket and elements in the Indian territory are abetting this. It is shameful. We are already committed to helping out the Bangladeshi government on Rohingya refugees. We have been soft on the issue of immigration but it should not be misused against us. We have allowed illegal immigrants to come to India. Our national resources are not for the illegal immigrants. Our national resources are for the Indians. WION: Should there be NRC in states like West Bengal and Bihar? Kiren Rijiju: These are the issues which will be taken up at a due time but the job at hand needs to be finished first. WION: What has your government done to finish the fencing? Kiren Rijiju: We have border fencing with both Pakistan and Bangladesh. We will be able to finish the border fencing on the Bangladesh border by end of this year. Yes, there are areas which cannot be fenced because of the topography. Rest will be fenced by the end of this year. We are using technologies in areas where physical fencing is not possible. Crossing over to India illegally would not be easy. WION: What happened to the Naga Accord? Kiren Rijiju: Lot of progress has been made but I cannot give a timeline. There are related issues in this complex issues and all need to be addressed simultaneously through discussions. The government is serious about this issue. WION: Is situation in control in Kashmir? Kiren Rijiju: We are absolutely under control. This government was criticized for national interest. WION: Many people would say that you sacrificed the government because you were receiving brickbats in north India? Kiren Rijiju: Whatever be the perception, national interest is supreme and the situation is under control. There are incidents because the situation is challenging but under control. WION: What about anti-terrorist operations in Kashmir? Have they received the desired results? Kiren Rijiju: Definitely. This is a strong government. You will see the results.

India belongs to Indians, not to illegal immigrants: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday released Brajesh Thakur's son, Rahul Anand, after questioning. He was detained on Saturday in connection with Muzaffarpur shelter home case in which his father Brajesh Thakur is the prime accused. &nbsp;

Anand is the publisher and editor of Hindi daily "Pratah Kamal", the office of which is situated within the same premises as the residence and the shelter home which have since been sealed.

Thakur, who is in jail, heads the NGO Seva Sankalp Evam Vika Samiti, which ran the state-funded shelter home where sexual abuse of more than 30 inmates has been confirmed in medical tests.

The Bihar government had cancelled the registration of the NGO earlier this week.

Sexual exploitation of girls at the shelter home first came to light in the report of a social audit conducted by Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, which was submitted to the state social welfare department in April.

The FIR in the case was registered on May 31 against 11 people, including Thakur. On July 26, the Bihar government recommended a CBI inquiry in the matter.

Bihar social welfare department minister Manju Verma had to resign after links of her husband with the key accused Brajesh Thakur surfaced.

Anand is the publisher and editor of Hindi daily "Pratah Kamal", the office of which is situated within the same premises as the residence and the shelter home which have since been sealed.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday released Brajesh Thakur's son, Rahul Anand, after questioning. He was detained on Saturday in connection with Muzaffarpur shelter home case in which his father Brajesh Thakur is the prime accused. Anand is the publisher and editor of Hindi daily "Pratah Kamal", the office of which is situated within the same premises as the residence and the shelter home which have since been sealed. Thakur, who is in jail, heads the NGO Seva Sankalp Evam Vika Samiti, which ran the state-funded shelter home where sexual abuse of more than 30 inmates has been confirmed in medical tests. The Bihar government had cancelled the registration of the NGO earlier this week. Sexual exploitation of girls at the shelter home first came to light in the report of a social audit conducted by Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, which was submitted to the state social welfare department in April. The FIR in the case was registered on May 31 against 11 people, including Thakur. On July 26, the Bihar government recommended a CBI inquiry in the matter. Bihar social welfare department minister Manju Verma had to resign after links of her husband with the key accused Brajesh Thakur surfaced.

Muzaffarpur shelter home case: CBI releases main accused Brajesh Thakur's son

Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday announced an immediate relief of Rs.100 crores to flood-hit Kerala.

<a href="http://wionews.com/india-news/resources-will-be-provided-from-central-government-to-fight-this-flood-situation-rajnath-singh-158671">Also read:&nbsp;Resources will be provided </a><a href="http://wionews.com/india-news/resources-will-be-provided-from-central-government-to-fight-this-flood-situation-rajnath-singh-158671">from</a><a href="http://wionews.com/india-news/resources-will-be-provided-from-central-government-to-fight-this-flood-situation-rajnath-singh-158671"> </a><a href="http://wionews.com/india-news/resources-will-be-provided-from-central-government-to-fight-this-flood-situation-rajnath-singh-158671">central</a><a href="http://wionews.com/india-news/resources-will-be-provided-from-central-government-to-fight-this-flood-situation-rajnath-singh-158671"> government to fight this flood situation: Rajnath Singh</a>

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I understand the suffering of the people of Kerala due to this unprecedented crisis. Since assessment of damages will take some time, I hereby announce immediate relief of additional Rs 100 crores, tweets Home Minister Rajnath Singh <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KeralaFloods?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KeralaFloods</a> (file pic) <a href="https://t.co/fwxiQ91JQe">pic.twitter.com/fwxiQ91JQe</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1028628849456607232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
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''Centre is extremely sensitive to the needs of the Kerala state at this critical juncture. The first installment of Rs 80.25 Crore of the Central share of SDRF for 2018-19 was released last month only,'' tweets Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

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Centre is extremely sensitive to the needs of the Kerala state at this critical juncture. The first installment of Rs 80.25 Crore of the Central share of SDRF for 2018-19 was released last month only, tweets Home Minister Rajnath Singh <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KeralaFloods?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KeralaFloods</a> (file pic) <a href="https://t.co/fQAhOe4GaP">pic.twitter.com/fQAhOe4GaP</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1028627681330360321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
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''In order to supplement the efforts of the state government, just before leaving for Kerala I have approved the release the second installment of Rs 80.25 crore in advance for the SDRF,'' tweet&nbsp;further read.

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In order to supplement the efforts of the state government, just before leaving for Kerala I have approved the release the second installment of Rs 80.25 crore in advance for the SDRF, tweets Home Minister Rajnath Singh <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KeralaFloods?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KeralaFloods</a> (file pic) <a href="https://t.co/xbyXQuMxdH">pic.twitter.com/xbyXQuMxdH</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1028627933353586691?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<a href="http://wionews.com/india-news/33-dead-6-missing-in-kerala-floods-cm-pinarayi-vijayan-158643">As per latest information, 33 people were dead and six were missing</a>&nbsp;in rain-related incidents in the state. Vijayan confirmed the death of 33 people and six missing. "Such destruction has never before been witnessed in the state. The entire state has come together in these circumstances, and we are ready to do whatever is necessary," said Vijayan.

Over 1000 people including elderly women and children have been rescued in areas where the Indian Army's ten columns comprising more than 40 composite teams are working round the clock to ensure that the last person stranded in the floods is rescued.

Flash floods due to incessant rains have wreaked havoc in several districts of the state. From past few days, normal life in many parts has been disrupted. The areas which were worst hit are Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Idukki, and Mallapuram districts.

As per latest information, 33 people were dead and six were missing in rain-related incidents in the state.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday announced an immediate relief of Rs.100 crores to flood-hit Kerala. Also read: Resources will be provided from central government to fight this flood situation: Rajnath Singh I understand the suffering of the people of Kerala due to this unprecedented crisis. Since assessment of damages will take some time, I hereby announce immediate relief of additional Rs 100 crores, tweets Home Minister Rajnath Singh #KeralaFloods (file pic) pic.twitter.com/fwxiQ91JQe — ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2018 × ''Centre is extremely sensitive to the needs of the Kerala state at this critical juncture. The first installment of Rs 80.25 Crore of the Central share of SDRF for 2018-19 was released last month only,'' tweets Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Centre is extremely sensitive to the needs of the Kerala state at this critical juncture. The first installment of Rs 80.25 Crore of the Central share of SDRF for 2018-19 was released last month only, tweets Home Minister Rajnath Singh #KeralaFloods (file pic) pic.twitter.com/fQAhOe4GaP — ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2018 × ''In order to supplement the efforts of the state government, just before leaving for Kerala I have approved the release the second installment of Rs 80.25 crore in advance for the SDRF,'' tweet further read. In order to supplement the efforts of the state government, just before leaving for Kerala I have approved the release the second installment of Rs 80.25 crore in advance for the SDRF, tweets Home Minister Rajnath Singh #KeralaFloods (file pic) pic.twitter.com/xbyXQuMxdH — ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2018 × As per latest information, 33 people were dead and six were missing in rain-related incidents in the state. Vijayan confirmed the death of 33 people and six missing. "Such destruction has never before been witnessed in the state. The entire state has come together in these circumstances, and we are ready to do whatever is necessary," said Vijayan. Over 1000 people including elderly women and children have been rescued in areas where the Indian Army's ten columns comprising more than 40 composite teams are working round the clock to ensure that the last person stranded in the floods is rescued. Flash floods due to incessant rains have wreaked havoc in several districts of the state. From past few days, normal life in many parts has been disrupted. The areas which were worst hit are Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Idukki, and Mallapuram districts.

Kerala floods: ‘Unprecedented disaster,' says Rajnath, announces relief of Rs 100 cr

Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal announced a 50 per cent reservation for women in the upcoming recruitment of 9500-10000 jawans for the Railway Protection Force (RPF), in a bid to create more employment opportunities for women.

Goyal informed that the process for the filling 13,000 job vacancies in Railways will begin soon and the recruitment will be done through a computer-based test.

"In upcoming recruitment of 9500-10000 RPF jawans, there will be a 50 per cent reservation for women and 13,00,00 jobs are also coming up in Railways in which there will be a computer-based test, no interviews," Goyal said while addressing an event here on Sunday.

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In upcoming recruitment of 9500-10000 RPF jawans, there will be a 50% reservation for women & 13,00,00 jobs are also coming up in Railways in which there will be a computer-based test, no interviews: Union Minister Piyush Goyal in Patna <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bihar?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bihar</a> <a href="https://t.co/HyZkxhkw8d">pic.twitter.com/HyZkxhkw8d</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1028601795445022720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
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RPF, which was introduced for the first time in the central act of 1957, has as many as 70,000 people working with it, making it one of the biggest workforces in the country.&nbsp

Goyal informed that the process for the filling 13,000 job vacancies in Railways will begin soon and the recruitment will be done through a computer-based test.

Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal announced a 50 per cent reservation for women in the upcoming recruitment of 9500-10000 jawans for the Railway Protection Force (RPF), in a bid to create more employment opportunities for women. Goyal informed that the process for the filling 13,000 job vacancies in Railways will begin soon and the recruitment will be done through a computer-based test. "In upcoming recruitment of 9500-10000 RPF jawans, there will be a 50 per cent reservation for women and 13,00,00 jobs are also coming up in Railways in which there will be a computer-based test, no interviews," Goyal said while addressing an event here on Sunday. In upcoming recruitment of 9500-10000 RPF jawans, there will be a 50% reservation for women & 13,00,00 jobs are also coming up in Railways in which there will be a computer-based test, no interviews: Union Minister Piyush Goyal in Patna #Bihar pic.twitter.com/HyZkxhkw8d — ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2018 × RPF, which was introduced for the first time in the central act of 1957, has as many as 70,000 people working with it, making it one of the biggest workforces in the country.

50% reservation announced for women in RPF jawans recruitment

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today announced that passports damaged in floods in Kerala will be replaced free of cost by the government.

"There are unprecedented floods in Kerala causing huge damage. We have decided that as the situation becomes normal, passports damaged on account (of) floods shall be replaced free of charge. Please contact the concerned Passport Kendras," Swaraj tweeted.

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There are unprecedented floods in Kerala causing huge damage. We've decided that as the situation becomes normal,passports damaged on account of floods shall be replaced free of charge.Please contact the concerned Passport Kendras, tweets EAM Sushma Swaraj <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KeralaFlood?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KeralaFlood</a> (File pic) <a href="https://t.co/2bBdr0drhZ">pic.twitter.com/2bBdr0drhZ</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1028618828576477184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday announced an immediate relief of Rs 100 crores to flood-hit Kerala.

Flash floods due to incessant rains have wreaked havoc in several districts of the state. From past few days, normal life in many parts has been disrupted. The areas which were worst hit are Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Idukki, and Mallapuram districts.

'There are unprecedented floods in Kerala causing huge damage. We have decided that as the situation becomes normal, passports damaged on account (of) floods shall be replaced free of charge,' Swaraj tweeted.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today announced that passports damaged in floods in Kerala will be replaced free of cost by the government. "There are unprecedented floods in Kerala causing huge damage. We have decided that as the situation becomes normal, passports damaged on account (of) floods shall be replaced free of charge. Please contact the concerned Passport Kendras," Swaraj tweeted. There are unprecedented floods in Kerala causing huge damage. We've decided that as the situation becomes normal,passports damaged on account of floods shall be replaced free of charge.Please contact the concerned Passport Kendras, tweets EAM Sushma Swaraj #KeralaFlood (File pic) pic.twitter.com/2bBdr0drhZ — ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2018 × Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday announced an immediate relief of Rs 100 crores to flood-hit Kerala. Flash floods due to incessant rains have wreaked havoc in several districts of the state. From past few days, normal life in many parts has been disrupted. The areas which were worst hit are Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Idukki, and Mallapuram districts.

Passports damaged in Kerala floods to be replaced free of cost: Sushma Swaraj

Tamil film actor Vikram's son Dhruv was arrested after his car allegedly rammed on a parked autorickshaw in Chennai on Sunday.

He has been booked under section 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the IPC.&nbsp

He has also been granted bail but investigations are underway.

The star kid was apparently travelling with two other friends in the car when the accident happened, said reports.&nbsp

The incident took place on the TTK Road&nbspin Alwarpet&nbspat around 3.50 am.

Auto driver&nbsphad been admitted to the Government Royapettah Hospital, city Traffic Police said.

The autoricksaw had been damaged severely, a police official said. When asked how the accident occurred, Police said further investigations were on.

Actor Vikram has issued a statement suggesting that Dhruv was not driving under the influence of alcohol.&nbsp

“While returning from a friend’s house on early Sunday morning, Dhruv’s car crashed into autorickshaws. One person was injured in the accident and he was immediately rushed to the hospital. He was treated for his injuries and later discharged. We would like to clarify that the accident happened only due to lack of attention behind the wheels and no other reason,” read the statement.

(With inputs from Agencies)

Actor Vikram has issued a statement suggesting that Dhruv was not driving under the influence of alcohol.

Tamil film actor Vikram's son Dhruv was arrested after his car allegedly rammed on a parked autorickshaw in Chennai on Sunday. He has been booked under section 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the IPC. He has also been granted bail but investigations are underway. The star kid was apparently travelling with two other friends in the car when the accident happened, said reports. The incident took place on the TTK Road&nbspin Alwarpet&nbspat around 3.50 am. Auto driver&nbsphad been admitted to the Government Royapettah Hospital, city Traffic Police said. The autoricksaw had been damaged severely, a police official said. When asked how the accident occurred, Police said further investigations were on. Actor Vikram has issued a statement suggesting that Dhruv was not driving under the influence of alcohol. “While returning from a friend’s house on early Sunday morning, Dhruv’s car crashed into autorickshaws. One person was injured in the accident and he was immediately rushed to the hospital. He was treated for his injuries and later discharged. We would like to clarify that the accident happened only due to lack of attention behind the wheels and no other reason,” read the statement. (With inputs from Agencies)

Tamil actor Vikram's son Dhruv arrested for alleged hit-and-run case in Chennai

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