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We might just to be able to see Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan together after proving that they look amazing together as a couple in several films.&nbsp;

Filmmaker Shashank Khaitan will next be working with Varun Dhawan in Rannbhoomi, the team behind Dulhania series of films -- Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (2014) and Badrinath Ki Dulhania (2017). In both, Varun Dhawan was paired opposite Alia Bhatt and their chemistry sizzled for all to see. <a href="http://wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-ranbir-kapoor-just-debuted-on-twitter-and-hinted-at-marrying-alia-bhatt-145294">Also read:&nbsp;Ranbir Kapoor just debuted on Twitter and hinted at marrying Alia Bhatt!</a>

In a report published in a tabloid, when Shashank was asked if Varun and Alia will be paired for this film too, he said, “We have not spoken about 'Rannbhoomi'&nbsp;because I’ve been busy with <a href="http://wionews.com/photos/'dhadak'-trailer-launch:-the-kapoor-family-comes-together-to-support-janhvi-for-her-debut-film-143822">'Dhadak'</a>. Once we are clearer about the script and sure of the casting ourselves, we will be in a position to reveal more. It’s a film we have dreamt of, so we won’t hide the leading lady."

About the film, he said, "As a child, while playing with He-man toys, I dreamt of making a warrior epic. I’m still in the research phase but happy that Varun is on board."

Also toying with the idea whether there will be a sequel to the Dulhania series, the filmmaker said, "Let’s see after 'Rannbhoomi'. I’d be excited to return to the Dulhania franchise which we built from scratch and are so proud of."

Varun and Alia have looked great together since their first film which happens to be their debut too -- Student Of The Year that came out in 2012 and featured Sidharth Malhotra too.&nbsp;

The pair will be seen in Abhishek Varman’s <a href="http://wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-karan-johars-kalank-goes-on-floors-varun-dhawan-sonakshi-sinha-aditya-roy-kapur-spotted-131320">Kalank</a> that also stars Madhuri Dixit, Sanjay Dutt, Sonakshi Sinha and Aditya Roy Kapur.

Director Shashank Khaitan is currently in the process of casting and hasn't confirmed the lead actress

We might just to be able to see Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan together after proving that they look amazing together as a couple in several films. Filmmaker Shashank Khaitan will next be working with Varun Dhawan in Rannbhoomi, the team behind Dulhania series of films -- Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (2014) and Badrinath Ki Dulhania (2017). In both, Varun Dhawan was paired opposite Alia Bhatt and their chemistry sizzled for all to see. Also read: Ranbir Kapoor just debuted on Twitter and hinted at marrying Alia Bhatt! In a report published in a tabloid, when Shashank was asked if Varun and Alia will be paired for this film too, he said, “We have not spoken about 'Rannbhoomi' because I’ve been busy with 'Dhadak'. Once we are clearer about the script and sure of the casting ourselves, we will be in a position to reveal more. It’s a film we have dreamt of, so we won’t hide the leading lady." About the film, he said, "As a child, while playing with He-man toys, I dreamt of making a warrior epic. I’m still in the research phase but happy that Varun is on board." Also toying with the idea whether there will be a sequel to the Dulhania series, the filmmaker said, "Let’s see after 'Rannbhoomi'. I’d be excited to return to the Dulhania franchise which we built from scratch and are so proud of." Varun and Alia have looked great together since their first film which happens to be their debut too -- Student Of The Year that came out in 2012 and featured Sidharth Malhotra too. The pair will be seen in Abhishek Varman’s Kalank that also stars Madhuri Dixit, Sanjay Dutt, Sonakshi Sinha and Aditya Roy Kapur.

'Rannbhoomi': Varun Dhawan to romance Alia Bhatt again?

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday refused to grant relief to controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, who is facing charges of inciting communal disharmony and committing unlawful activities, observing that he did not show any interest or desire to help the probe agencies.

A division bench of justices RM&nbsp;Savant and Revati Mohite Dere was hearing a petition filed by Naik seeking a direction to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to submit reports on the probe carried out by them against Naik.

In the petition, Naik also sought direction to the Ministry of External Affairs to cancel the revocation of his passport.

The court said it cannot pass any order pertaining to revocation of passport and asked Naik to file a separate petition for the same.

“Regarding the other reliefs sought in the petition...we do not see how this court can consider them when the petitioner has not even presented himself before the probe agencies. The petitioner is ensconced in Malaysia and is seeking a direction to the agencies to submit probe reports,” the court said in its order.

The offences registered against Naik are under section 153 (a) of IPC for promoting enmity among different religions and under sections 10, 13 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for being a member of an unlawful association, abetting an unlawful activity and criminal conspiracy.

“These are serious offences in which a person faces maximum punishment up to life imprisonment. The petitioner has been declared a proclaimed offender and extradition proceedings have been initiated with the authorities in Malaysia. Under such circumstances, this court cannot grant any relief to the petitioner,” Justice Savant said.

The court added that Naik should have ideally come back to India and presented himself before the investigating agencies. “Such long distance thing will not work. In the absentia of the petitioner, how can we entertain such pleas,” it said.

Naik is facing a probe by the NIA and the ED after his sermons on his Peace TV were cited as a reason by Bangladesh for an attack in Dhaka in 2016, which left 22 people dead.

Naik’s NGO – Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) – has also been declared unlawful since 2016 and is being probed by the ED over allegations of money laundering to the tune of more than Rs 18 crore.

In the petition, Naik also sought direction to the Ministry of External Affairs to cancel the revocation of his passport

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday refused to grant relief to controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, who is facing charges of inciting communal disharmony and committing unlawful activities, observing that he did not show any interest or desire to help the probe agencies. A division bench of justices RM Savant and Revati Mohite Dere was hearing a petition filed by Naik seeking a direction to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to submit reports on the probe carried out by them against Naik. In the petition, Naik also sought direction to the Ministry of External Affairs to cancel the revocation of his passport. The court said it cannot pass any order pertaining to revocation of passport and asked Naik to file a separate petition for the same. “Regarding the other reliefs sought in the petition...we do not see how this court can consider them when the petitioner has not even presented himself before the probe agencies. The petitioner is ensconced in Malaysia and is seeking a direction to the agencies to submit probe reports,” the court said in its order. The offences registered against Naik are under section 153 (a) of IPC for promoting enmity among different religions and under sections 10, 13 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for being a member of an unlawful association, abetting an unlawful activity and criminal conspiracy. “These are serious offences in which a person faces maximum punishment up to life imprisonment. The petitioner has been declared a proclaimed offender and extradition proceedings have been initiated with the authorities in Malaysia. Under such circumstances, this court cannot grant any relief to the petitioner,” Justice Savant said. The court added that Naik should have ideally come back to India and presented himself before the investigating agencies. “Such long distance thing will not work. In the absentia of the petitioner, how can we entertain such pleas,” it said. Naik is facing a probe by the NIA and the ED after his sermons on his Peace TV were cited as a reason by Bangladesh for an attack in Dhaka in 2016, which left 22 people dead. Naik’s NGO – Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) – has also been declared unlawful since 2016 and is being probed by the ED over allegations of money laundering to the tune of more than Rs 18 crore.

Bombay High Court refuses relief to Zakir Naik

Minister of state(MoS) for civil <a href="http://wionews.com/business-&-economy/india-open-to-listing-air-india-after-failed-divestment-government-source-144170">aviation Jayant Sinha said toda</a>y&nbspthat the government is committed to making Air India into a 'competitive airlines', asserting that it has legacy issues but it has begun to make operating profit.

"Currently the process to find buyers for Air India has been stopped, we are looking for an&nbspalternative mechanism as per market conditions," Sinha said.

Air India had decided to sell <a href="http://wionews.com/india-news/no-bids-received-for-air-india-stake-sale-says-government-141372">76 per cent to the highest bidder</a> as part of the strategic stake sale however the national carrier failed to attract any bidders. The potential buyers were reportedly were put off by Air India's demand to ensure the new buyer takes over Rs 24,000 crore debt and over Rs 8,000 crore liability.

Sinha informed that the government has received bids for Pawan Hans disinvestment process with the transaction advisor in the process of judging the eligibility of the bidders.

"In last the last four years we have cross double-digit growth in Indian aviation, today we have world-class airports," he said. The minister said in the 5 years over 1 lakh crore will be invested for airport capacity expansion.

The MoS said India's 100th airport will soon be built in Pakyong, Sikkim. Sinha said 10,000 complaints were raised by airlines and redressal was done in 96 per cent cases.

The Airport Authority has approved a 400 crore proposal to start a terminal at Agra, he said, adding,"we expect that groundbreaking ceremony to take place by September this year."

Sinha said Jewar Airport near Noida based in Delhi-NCR region will also come up with the groundbreaking ceremony due to take place in December.

"Soon we are going to add another 32 airports in UDAN, 100 aircraft Turboprop have been ordered by players to take advantage in UDAN scheme," he informed.&nbsp

The MoS said India's 100th airport will soon be built in Pakyong, Sikkim.

Minister of state(MoS) for civil aviation Jayant Sinha said today&nbspthat the government is committed to making Air India into a 'competitive airlines', asserting that it has legacy issues but it has begun to make operating profit. "Currently the process to find buyers for Air India has been stopped, we are looking for an&nbspalternative mechanism as per market conditions," Sinha said. Air India had decided to sell 76 per cent to the highest bidder as part of the strategic stake sale however the national carrier failed to attract any bidders. The potential buyers were reportedly were put off by Air India's demand to ensure the new buyer takes over Rs 24,000 crore debt and over Rs 8,000 crore liability. Sinha informed that the government has received bids for Pawan Hans disinvestment process with the transaction advisor in the process of judging the eligibility of the bidders. "In last the last four years we have cross double-digit growth in Indian aviation, today we have world-class airports," he said. The minister said in the 5 years over 1 lakh crore will be invested for airport capacity expansion. The MoS said India's 100th airport will soon be built in Pakyong, Sikkim. Sinha said 10,000 complaints were raised by airlines and redressal was done in 96 per cent cases. The Airport Authority has approved a 400 crore proposal to start a terminal at Agra, he said, adding,"we expect that groundbreaking ceremony to take place by September this year." Sinha said Jewar Airport near Noida based in Delhi-NCR region will also come up with the groundbreaking ceremony due to take place in December. "Soon we are going to add another 32 airports in UDAN, 100 aircraft Turboprop have been ordered by players to take advantage in UDAN scheme," he informed.

Process to find buyers for Air India stopped, looking for alternative mechanism: MoS Jayant Sinha

Seychelles President Danny Faure is coming on a state visit to India. Before the visit begins later this month, he speaks to WION's Amitabh Pashupati Revi as part of our Global Leadership Series on the history of ties between India and the island nation, the strategic position of Seychelles in the Indian Ocean and how the ties between the two nations will move forward.

Here is the full transcript of the interview:

WION: Seychellois President Danny Faure was sworn in in October 2016. He also holds the Defence, Public Administration and Legal Affairs portfolios. He’s been a minister since 1998, oversaw IMF reforms, served as Vice President and is now warmly hosting us in Victoria, Mahe - at the state house in Seychelles.

President Faure: Thank you.

WION: The ties between India and Seychelles go way back to time when the immigrants had come in. So much has changed, but so much is still the same. In Indira Gandhi’s time, Rajiv Gandhi’s time two coups were probably foiled and now we are still moving forward. Prime Minister Modi and you will be meeting for the third time this year.

President Faure: Yes, and it’s a sign of the relationship that we have an excellent relationship - the ties between our two people, two governments. So this is it is in this context.

WION: PM Modi, when he also started out on Indian Ocean region travels, Seychelles was one of the places where he came in 2015 and there were various agreements that were signed. You are going now on a historic your first state visit to New Delhi and we are looking forward to being a gracious host with you as well. Cooperation between India and Seychelles is so multifaceted. Trade, cultural, military, security, economy - it’s a very multifaceted relationship.

President Faure: Because it’s a partnership. The partnership is not only in one sphere of development and we have always had this, as I said, this excellent relationship with and friendship with India and the partnership that we have with India is one which is of mutual respect. It’s one based on trust and we share common aspirations in the world that we belong to. We both as nations stand for peace, we stand for development we also stand for the sustainable development of our people.

WION: The prime minister’s initiative was also called Sagar which in Hindi means sea but it’s again reflecting the same aspirations that you just mentioned - of partnership. It’s not of inequality, it’s of give and take, of realising each other's potential and working towards something better for the entire region while you are doing that individually and as countries as well.

President Faure: India, your population is over 1 billion, ours is less than 100,000.

WION: Just about reaching there soon.

President Faure: So basically it is no longer about the size of the country. It is fundamentally human development and human dignity and the aspirations of our people. So this is what the relationship is all about.

WION: Being a 153-island archipelago stretched over such vast areas of sea and your economic interest, anti-piracy, anti-drugs, that’s one area where India has been and can continue to really help Seychelles.

President Faure: Over the last 40 years since our independence, we realised that we have a vast Exclusive Economic Zone which is practically the size of South Africa and twice the size of Madagascar. We also realised that it was not possible for us to build the capacity or have the necessary assets. So India, as our neighbour, good friend and the partnership we have, has been helping Seychelles in good times and in bad times. We have received a technical cooperation in the defence and in the security and because of the support that we have received from India, we have been able to build our own defence forces over the years.

WION: When you are talking about the military cooperation, what has been talked about of late this year is the facility at the Assumption Island. Is it still stuck internally, politically?

President Faure: India and its Prime Minister understand the Seychelles position. And what I am happy about is that there hasn’t been any moment where the government of India has tried to influence our domestic politics. India is a democracy, ours we are an evolving democracy and we are building institutions. As President, I am the head of the executive but I do not have a majority in our Parliament, in our National Assembly and the difference between your system and our system is that a ratification has to go through Parliament. Although there has been an agreement, I have decided not to submit the agreement to National Assembly for ratification because I have received the signals that it won’t go (through). So, as we speak there is the agreement that won’t go before our National Assembly, but it doesn’t mean that the ambition of my government, my administration for us to have a coast guard facility on Assumption does not remain. We will continue to do that on our own as the government of Seychelles - to have a facility on that island, it is important because of what is happening around in our waters. We will continue to do that on our own.

WION: Again like you are saying the Indian government and the government of Seychelles is in a partnership and there has been nothing thrust on you or you are not trying to influence anything that’s happening here. Have you understood or can you explain to us why there is opposition? Is it only because of environmental concerns? Is it because of concerns that a foreign country is taking over a part of your country?

President Faure: I think basically the concerns are genuine and fundamentally it came out as a wrong communication and I would make a statement internationally, that India was about to set up a base and that was not the intention of the government of India. The intention of the government of India was to have a facility but this facility would have a joint operation. Secondly, there has been real concerns in the area of environment because Assumption is not far from Aldabra which is a UNESCO world heritage site so these were the concerns. But, the idea of having a small, I repeat, a small coast guard facility to protect our islands and in the area of security. Maritime security and defence remains part of the strategy of the defence of the Seychelles.

WION: President Faure, if I have understood you have worked in this office, in this state, it has been projected as bipartisan kind of leadership. You gave up the leadership of your own party for those reasons is how we see it. Is that moving forward in terms of getting the opposition especially in this particular project or do you think that the domestic politics, the domestic ambitions of political leaders in the opposition are also partly the reason for say opposition like this on this issue?

President Faure: Well I think they have expressed themselves openly in Parliament and out of Parliament and in my meeting with them they have expressed themselves clearly. So I understand the position and I think the relationship between India and Seychelles will go beyond our time as politicians it is a relationship between two people.

WION: You are visualising the facility in the long term. Analysts who looks at this region - the Indian Ocean region - see it also as game between big regional part India China. India looks at China in some senses as trying to encircle it with the string of pearls. Is China involved in any aspect in Seychelles itself because we all know they are all the way up to Djibouti?

President Faure: Yeah, historical contexts you know. We have had Portuguese, Spanish, European who have traveled the oceans. It is only, I would say, the last 15 years that China is developing, trying to deal with poverty and underdevelopment. India is also developing so both nations are catching up, but they are doing the right things for their own people. India is dealing with abject poverty and there is growth, in fact, you have achieved average growth over the last decade of around 4 to 6% so has China and the volume of trade in the Indian Ocean has increased tremendously, and Africa as a continent has also been developing. We leaders in Africa we are no longer stuck into the problems that we had 25 years ago fighting amongst one another, we are now trying to deal with the problems of poverty, diseases, industrialisation so we are looking at the welfare of our countries we want to develop. So as a country the more we develop... we have been able to do that on our own but we have received assistance from all partners. China has been present in Africa and it has also been present in Seychelles. China has helped Seychelles in its socio-economic development and India has also helped Seychelles in our social-economic development. So we have looked towards India and China with the same friendship, this is a place where we have welcomed all partners and at no time have we found ourselves under any pressure from the Chinese government, not at all.

WION: Or either side. It’s not as if smaller countries try to play off the bigger countries to gain the most for themselves.

President Faure: No no, I can say that sincerely not from China, not from India.

WION: Again if you look at the ways that India and China have been developing over the years and developing the outreach, well they seem to be a different kind of model in India. It is more a partnership mould, whether its cultural ties that have been there through decades, it seems to many that China imposed some kind of chequebook diplomacy which lands counties into debt. We have seen things happening in Sri Lanka, we have seen the Maldives as well. Is that something you are keenly aware of or is that something that doesn’t worry you at all?

President Faure: No, in Seychelles our relationship has been very very different. I think the relation is based on respect and I have found that from my interaction with Prime Minister Modi and the leaders of India. I have seen that from the relationship that I have with the Chinese government. Big countries, size of your country, size of the population, but genuine respect for a small country like Seychelles. Our relationship has never been one of being dictated by big country or a small country and I think it is in this context that I believe that Seychelles' relationship will grow with both India and China.

WION: Again you said that the relationship between the two countries will outlive both leaders and parties that are currently in power indicating, of course, we get what you are indicating that India’s military and security cooperation with Seychelles has been immense. If my figures are right 50% of military and naval assets were given. A Dornier has been given, another one will be. About 70% of your military has been trained so there has been a close interlinkage but it's not as has been portrayed a military base being set up. We have had over the last two years eight Indian naval ships, which do turn around, last year it was 11 so that is continuing.

President Faure: It will continue, more will come so it is a genuine relationship. It is a partnership. The main source of the capacity and capabilities we have is India and here I can also state that we will continue with our Indian military cooperation because it has been one based on mutual respect and trust and our military personnel have benefited a lot over the last 40 years through a lot of training. We have thousands of Seychellois who have received high tech training in India. We don't talk about it but I should be talking about it and I think it is important that we thank the Indian government for that. In a lot of our development, we could not have been in a position where we are today without the Indian skilled labourers who have come to Seychelles. They came many years ago and they keep coming and we respect them. Our trade also in terms of retail sector development has grown - so it is in this context of relationship that I believe that people need to appreciate the warmth that we have between our two people.

WION: And that warmth seems to be increasing also in terms of tourism. If you look at figures again I think it is increasing 20% annually. Indian tourists coming into Seychelles. Would I be right in saying initially to preserve the ecosystem something like Bhutan's model Seychelles encouraged high end and high paying tourist, not tourists in large numbers who could destroy the ecosystem and is that model changing in any manner to get more tourists to come in?

President Faure: There is always going to be a pressure. But our policy has one centre on one sustainable development. Seychelles is a small country, very small and has a fragile ecosystem. We want to tap high-end tourism but we need space for other tourists to come to Seychelles, but at the same time we need to be mindful of the fragility of our country in terms of its ecosystem and the long term development. From the point of view of sustainable development we just need to have this balance between environment and tourism and the amount of tourists at any one time point in the country. Last year we had over 300 and 50 thousand and I think there is a question that we need to manage it, but I as a President I also look at the yield that needs to come from tourism and also to ensure that there is what I called value chain in development that the tourism becomes the main revenue main source of income but what we derive from tourism should also help other sectors of the economy.

WION: The Seychelles and your policies are known for green economics that the blue economics that the Seychelles follows in terms of sustainable development in global warming. How the world is dealing with it? Where does the Seychelles and where do you stand with how the US is walking out of deals with where financial aid would have been given to smaller countries to bypass the normal root. How worried are you?

President Faure: We signed the Paris agreement and we still believe that that's the root for humanity, not for our country individually, that's the root for humanity. I think that over time those who have questioned that will come back but I think the majority of the citizens of this world will continue to realise that their leaders took the right decision and it is our responsibility now to show them the responsibility for generations to come and not to vacillitate - not to change positions as we go forward.

WION: President, how worried are you because when you come in from the air and you see beautiful islands you are also acutely aware of how a slight rise in sea levels can wipe out so much of humanity and everything else the species around human habitation.

President Faure: Our battle cry is to get all the people around the world to understand what is happening. It is no longer a question that you are comfortable in your own country and you believe that you can continue to make progress while others should regress, go back into abject poverty or remain marginalised. I think the question of our time today is climate change and it’s for low-income countries, middle-income countries and high income countries. In the recent Davos meeting the world leaders read a report that the number one threat to development is climate change. And, it’s very clear. It is climate change. It is a fact, it is reality. We from small countries say that and I am happy that the country like India has embarked upon a very ambitious program on renewable energy. You have taken the lead with France building the solar alliance, giving other countries the opportunity to participate. These are the things that will continue to inspire others and this is a type of leadership.

WION: President, in a nutshell, where will you describe Indian and Seychelles currently are and where would you see us going?

President Faure: I would say that we have a bright future together. India is developing, in fact very fast and we are not so far from India. We will benefit from trade, from tourism, from technology, from the research that you are doing. So we will continue to have this partnership. My administration will build on this partnership and as I said it is a partnership that is there to stay and that’s the future of the relationship that we have with India.

WION: President Faure, a partnership to stay. Thank you on that note, but I have a couple of questions with you to show to our viewers all over the world now, a few personal questions about your life outside the state house. You were talking about continuity and change in Seychelles. Continuity in terms of your past, immigrants, colonial past and yet you’re moving into the modern age and this state house perhaps exemplifies that a lot in term of heritage but, you’re trying to move ahead into a modern era.

President Faure: Exactly.

WION: A little bit of history on the state house? Now, of course the Presidents don’t live here anymore.

President Faure: No, No. Our first founding President Mancham, in the colonial times, the Governors did. President Rene, Michel, none of them and I don’t live here.

WION: You have 5 children, 4 grandchildren.

President Faure: Yeah I’ve got 5 children, 4 grandchildren.

WION: After you took over, you made a speech in the Assembly saying the Seychelles, the country is the main focus, priority.

President Faure: Yes. I concentrate all my heart, my time, my passion.

WION: Does your family complain, like other families - that the grandfather doesn’t have time for them?

President Faure: I see them during the weekend. Sundays is when I spend time with them.

WION: Thank You President Faure, for being such a gracious host and we hope we will do the same for you in another month.

President Faure: Thank You.

This is a full transcript of WION's interview with Seychelles President Danny Faure. Faure was interviewed by WION's Amitabh Revi

Seychelles President Danny Faure is coming on a state visit to India. Before the visit begins later this month, he speaks to WION's Amitabh Pashupati Revi as part of our Global Leadership Series on the history of ties between India and the island nation, the strategic position of Seychelles in the Indian Ocean and how the ties between the two nations will move forward. Here is the full transcript of the interview: WION: Seychellois President Danny Faure was sworn in in October 2016. He also holds the Defence, Public Administration and Legal Affairs portfolios. He’s been a minister since 1998, oversaw IMF reforms, served as Vice President and is now warmly hosting us in Victoria, Mahe - at the state house in Seychelles. President Faure: Thank you. WION: The ties between India and Seychelles go way back to time when the immigrants had come in. So much has changed, but so much is still the same. In Indira Gandhi’s time, Rajiv Gandhi’s time two coups were probably foiled and now we are still moving forward. Prime Minister Modi and you will be meeting for the third time this year. President Faure: Yes, and it’s a sign of the relationship that we have an excellent relationship - the ties between our two people, two governments. So this is it is in this context. WION: PM Modi, when he also started out on Indian Ocean region travels, Seychelles was one of the places where he came in 2015 and there were various agreements that were signed. You are going now on a historic your first state visit to New Delhi and we are looking forward to being a gracious host with you as well. Cooperation between India and Seychelles is so multifaceted. Trade, cultural, military, security, economy - it’s a very multifaceted relationship. President Faure: Because it’s a partnership. The partnership is not only in one sphere of development and we have always had this, as I said, this excellent relationship with and friendship with India and the partnership that we have with India is one which is of mutual respect. It’s one based on trust and we share common aspirations in the world that we belong to. We both as nations stand for peace, we stand for development we also stand for the sustainable development of our people. WION: The prime minister’s initiative was also called Sagar which in Hindi means sea but it’s again reflecting the same aspirations that you just mentioned - of partnership. It’s not of inequality, it’s of give and take, of realising each other's potential and working towards something better for the entire region while you are doing that individually and as countries as well. President Faure: India, your population is over 1 billion, ours is less than 100,000. WION: Just about reaching there soon. President Faure: So basically it is no longer about the size of the country. It is fundamentally human development and human dignity and the aspirations of our people. So this is what the relationship is all about. WION: Being a 153-island archipelago stretched over such vast areas of sea and your economic interest, anti-piracy, anti-drugs, that’s one area where India has been and can continue to really help Seychelles. President Faure: Over the last 40 years since our independence, we realised that we have a vast Exclusive Economic Zone which is practically the size of South Africa and twice the size of Madagascar. We also realised that it was not possible for us to build the capacity or have the necessary assets. So India, as our neighbour, good friend and the partnership we have, has been helping Seychelles in good times and in bad times. We have received a technical cooperation in the defence and in the security and because of the support that we have received from India, we have been able to build our own defence forces over the years. WION: When you are talking about the military cooperation, what has been talked about of late this year is the facility at the Assumption Island. Is it still stuck internally, politically? President Faure: India and its Prime Minister understand the Seychelles position. And what I am happy about is that there hasn’t been any moment where the government of India has tried to influence our domestic politics. India is a democracy, ours we are an evolving democracy and we are building institutions. As President, I am the head of the executive but I do not have a majority in our Parliament, in our National Assembly and the difference between your system and our system is that a ratification has to go through Parliament. Although there has been an agreement, I have decided not to submit the agreement to National Assembly for ratification because I have received the signals that it won’t go (through). So, as we speak there is the agreement that won’t go before our National Assembly, but it doesn’t mean that the ambition of my government, my administration for us to have a coast guard facility on Assumption does not remain. We will continue to do that on our own as the government of Seychelles - to have a facility on that island, it is important because of what is happening around in our waters. We will continue to do that on our own. WION: Again like you are saying the Indian government and the government of Seychelles is in a partnership and there has been nothing thrust on you or you are not trying to influence anything that’s happening here. Have you understood or can you explain to us why there is opposition? Is it only because of environmental concerns? Is it because of concerns that a foreign country is taking over a part of your country? President Faure: I think basically the concerns are genuine and fundamentally it came out as a wrong communication and I would make a statement internationally, that India was about to set up a base and that was not the intention of the government of India. The intention of the government of India was to have a facility but this facility would have a joint operation. Secondly, there has been real concerns in the area of environment because Assumption is not far from Aldabra which is a UNESCO world heritage site so these were the concerns. But, the idea of having a small, I repeat, a small coast guard facility to protect our islands and in the area of security. Maritime security and defence remains part of the strategy of the defence of the Seychelles. WION: President Faure, if I have understood you have worked in this office, in this state, it has been projected as bipartisan kind of leadership. You gave up the leadership of your own party for those reasons is how we see it. Is that moving forward in terms of getting the opposition especially in this particular project or do you think that the domestic politics, the domestic ambitions of political leaders in the opposition are also partly the reason for say opposition like this on this issue? President Faure: Well I think they have expressed themselves openly in Parliament and out of Parliament and in my meeting with them they have expressed themselves clearly. So I understand the position and I think the relationship between India and Seychelles will go beyond our time as politicians it is a relationship between two people. WION: You are visualising the facility in the long term. Analysts who looks at this region - the Indian Ocean region - see it also as game between big regional part India China. India looks at China in some senses as trying to encircle it with the string of pearls. Is China involved in any aspect in Seychelles itself because we all know they are all the way up to Djibouti? President Faure: Yeah, historical contexts you know. We have had Portuguese, Spanish, European who have traveled the oceans. It is only, I would say, the last 15 years that China is developing, trying to deal with poverty and underdevelopment. India is also developing so both nations are catching up, but they are doing the right things for their own people. India is dealing with abject poverty and there is growth, in fact, you have achieved average growth over the last decade of around 4 to 6% so has China and the volume of trade in the Indian Ocean has increased tremendously, and Africa as a continent has also been developing. We leaders in Africa we are no longer stuck into the problems that we had 25 years ago fighting amongst one another, we are now trying to deal with the problems of poverty, diseases, industrialisation so we are looking at the welfare of our countries we want to develop. So as a country the more we develop... we have been able to do that on our own but we have received assistance from all partners. China has been present in Africa and it has also been present in Seychelles. China has helped Seychelles in its socio-economic development and India has also helped Seychelles in our social-economic development. So we have looked towards India and China with the same friendship, this is a place where we have welcomed all partners and at no time have we found ourselves under any pressure from the Chinese government, not at all. WION: Or either side. It’s not as if smaller countries try to play off the bigger countries to gain the most for themselves. President Faure: No no, I can say that sincerely not from China, not from India. WION: Again if you look at the ways that India and China have been developing over the years and developing the outreach, well they seem to be a different kind of model in India. It is more a partnership mould, whether its cultural ties that have been there through decades, it seems to many that China imposed some kind of chequebook diplomacy which lands counties into debt. We have seen things happening in Sri Lanka, we have seen the Maldives as well. Is that something you are keenly aware of or is that something that doesn’t worry you at all? President Faure: No, in Seychelles our relationship has been very very different. I think the relation is based on respect and I have found that from my interaction with Prime Minister Modi and the leaders of India. I have seen that from the relationship that I have with the Chinese government. Big countries, size of your country, size of the population, but genuine respect for a small country like Seychelles. Our relationship has never been one of being dictated by big country or a small country and I think it is in this context that I believe that Seychelles' relationship will grow with both India and China. WION: Again you said that the relationship between the two countries will outlive both leaders and parties that are currently in power indicating, of course, we get what you are indicating that India’s military and security cooperation with Seychelles has been immense. If my figures are right 50% of military and naval assets were given. A Dornier has been given, another one will be. About 70% of your military has been trained so there has been a close interlinkage but it's not as has been portrayed a military base being set up. We have had over the last two years eight Indian naval ships, which do turn around, last year it was 11 so that is continuing. President Faure: It will continue, more will come so it is a genuine relationship. It is a partnership. The main source of the capacity and capabilities we have is India and here I can also state that we will continue with our Indian military cooperation because it has been one based on mutual respect and trust and our military personnel have benefited a lot over the last 40 years through a lot of training. We have thousands of Seychellois who have received high tech training in India. We don't talk about it but I should be talking about it and I think it is important that we thank the Indian government for that. In a lot of our development, we could not have been in a position where we are today without the Indian skilled labourers who have come to Seychelles. They came many years ago and they keep coming and we respect them. Our trade also in terms of retail sector development has grown - so it is in this context of relationship that I believe that people need to appreciate the warmth that we have between our two people. WION: And that warmth seems to be increasing also in terms of tourism. If you look at figures again I think it is increasing 20% annually. Indian tourists coming into Seychelles. Would I be right in saying initially to preserve the ecosystem something like Bhutan's model Seychelles encouraged high end and high paying tourist, not tourists in large numbers who could destroy the ecosystem and is that model changing in any manner to get more tourists to come in? President Faure: There is always going to be a pressure. But our policy has one centre on one sustainable development. Seychelles is a small country, very small and has a fragile ecosystem. We want to tap high-end tourism but we need space for other tourists to come to Seychelles, but at the same time we need to be mindful of the fragility of our country in terms of its ecosystem and the long term development. From the point of view of sustainable development we just need to have this balance between environment and tourism and the amount of tourists at any one time point in the country. Last year we had over 300 and 50 thousand and I think there is a question that we need to manage it, but I as a President I also look at the yield that needs to come from tourism and also to ensure that there is what I called value chain in development that the tourism becomes the main revenue main source of income but what we derive from tourism should also help other sectors of the economy. WION: The Seychelles and your policies are known for green economics that the blue economics that the Seychelles follows in terms of sustainable development in global warming. How the world is dealing with it? Where does the Seychelles and where do you stand with how the US is walking out of deals with where financial aid would have been given to smaller countries to bypass the normal root. How worried are you? President Faure: We signed the Paris agreement and we still believe that that's the root for humanity, not for our country individually, that's the root for humanity. I think that over time those who have questioned that will come back but I think the majority of the citizens of this world will continue to realise that their leaders took the right decision and it is our responsibility now to show them the responsibility for generations to come and not to vacillitate - not to change positions as we go forward. WION: President, how worried are you because when you come in from the air and you see beautiful islands you are also acutely aware of how a slight rise in sea levels can wipe out so much of humanity and everything else the species around human habitation. President Faure: Our battle cry is to get all the people around the world to understand what is happening. It is no longer a question that you are comfortable in your own country and you believe that you can continue to make progress while others should regress, go back into abject poverty or remain marginalised. I think the question of our time today is climate change and it’s for low-income countries, middle-income countries and high income countries. In the recent Davos meeting the world leaders read a report that the number one threat to development is climate change. And, it’s very clear. It is climate change. It is a fact, it is reality. We from small countries say that and I am happy that the country like India has embarked upon a very ambitious program on renewable energy. You have taken the lead with France building the solar alliance, giving other countries the opportunity to participate. These are the things that will continue to inspire others and this is a type of leadership. WION: President, in a nutshell, where will you describe Indian and Seychelles currently are and where would you see us going? President Faure: I would say that we have a bright future together. India is developing, in fact very fast and we are not so far from India. We will benefit from trade, from tourism, from technology, from the research that you are doing. So we will continue to have this partnership. My administration will build on this partnership and as I said it is a partnership that is there to stay and that’s the future of the relationship that we have with India. WION: President Faure, a partnership to stay. Thank you on that note, but I have a couple of questions with you to show to our viewers all over the world now, a few personal questions about your life outside the state house. You were talking about continuity and change in Seychelles. Continuity in terms of your past, immigrants, colonial past and yet you’re moving into the modern age and this state house perhaps exemplifies that a lot in term of heritage but, you’re trying to move ahead into a modern era. President Faure: Exactly. WION: A little bit of history on the state house? Now, of course the Presidents don’t live here anymore. President Faure: No, No. Our first founding President Mancham, in the colonial times, the Governors did. President Rene, Michel, none of them and I don’t live here. WION: You have 5 children, 4 grandchildren. President Faure: Yeah I’ve got 5 children, 4 grandchildren. WION: After you took over, you made a speech in the Assembly saying the Seychelles, the country is the main focus, priority. President Faure: Yes. I concentrate all my heart, my time, my passion. WION: Does your family complain, like other families - that the grandfather doesn’t have time for them? President Faure: I see them during the weekend. Sundays is when I spend time with them. WION: Thank You President Faure, for being such a gracious host and we hope we will do the same for you in another month. President Faure: Thank You.

India has been with Seychelles in good times and bad: President Danny Faure to WION

According to reports, Goa airport suspended flight operations due to bad weather and poor visibility today at 1.30pm. As many as 16 flights have been diverted so far, ANI reported.&nbsp;

Last week, Chandigarh airport resumed full services after two days of partial shut down owing to dust pollution causing low visibility. All domestic and international air services were restored on Saturday.

Low visibility following dust storms had disrupted most of the flight operations at Chandigarh International Airport.

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Flight operations suspended due to bad weather/poor visibility at Goa airport since 130 pm, 16 flights diverted so far.
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1009393525044195328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Most of the national and international flights operating to and from Chandigarh were suspended.

(With inputs from agencies)

Last week, Chandigarh airport resumed full services after two days of partial shut down owing to dust pollution causing low visibility

According to reports, Goa airport suspended flight operations due to bad weather and poor visibility today at 1.30pm. As many as 16 flights have been diverted so far, ANI reported. Last week, Chandigarh airport resumed full services after two days of partial shut down owing to dust pollution causing low visibility. All domestic and international air services were restored on Saturday. Low visibility following dust storms had disrupted most of the flight operations at Chandigarh International Airport. Flight operations suspended due to bad weather/poor visibility at Goa airport since 130 pm, 16 flights diverted so far. — ANI (@ANI) June 20, 2018 × Most of the national and international flights operating to and from Chandigarh were suspended. (With inputs from agencies)

Goa airport suspends flight operations due to bad weather, poor visibility

By Tim Schellberg*

Forensic DNA is by far the most impactful tool ever utilised in the criminal justice system. In the late 1980s, it was first used as a method to determine if the DNA from known suspects matched with the samples found at crime scenes. While the growth of forensic technology has been prolific in most countries, India is woefully behind. Not only does India not have a criminal DNA database program, it has not even fully embraced basic DNA casework - collecting, testing, and comparing samples from crime scene with that of suspects.

India has been aware of the power of DNA since the early days. Nevertheless, India completes DNA analysis on less than 10,000 cases annually. This is a very small number for the size of India and its crime rate. By comparison, the United Kingdom completes DNA testing on an estimated 70,000 cases per year. India can even learn from other middle-income countries like Thailand and South Africa. While We estimate the Royal Thai Police collects and tests DNA from over 10,000 crime scenes annually despite being 12 times smaller than India, South Africa has been quick to develop infrastructure for an aggressive DNA case program which is showing results.

India is adequately aware of the power of DNA. In the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape trial, the prosecution built an airtight case based on the DNA of the accused found at the crime scene. However, contrary to popular belief such tests are usually carried out only in high profile cases. That is not enough. Every case of sexual violence should trigger an aggressive DNA response. In such cases, samples should be collected, tested and compared to known suspects immediately. Without an aggressive DNA program, violent criminals and sexual predators will continue to escape punishment conviction rates will remain low and justice will elude victims.

Groups in India that focus on protecting women & children from sexual violence should demand DNA collection from crime scenes and insist on timely testing. Only then will India be able to take full advantage of this technology to lock away the guilty.

Many reasons are given for why India has such a small number of cases that get tested for DNA. Lack of training, funding, and judicial acceptance are common reasons heard. But it is time for India to make DNA forensics a priority. Leaders in the national and state governments should advocate for laws, policies, training and funding that makes DNA testing routine for heinous crimes. The recent announcement by the Union Women and Child Development Ministry to augment the DNA testing capacity at the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) Chandigarh is a step in the right direction.

Like many countries, India has a violent crime and sexual assault problem. India should respond by implementing the best-known crime fighting tool - an aggressive forensic DNA program.

*(The author is Founder & President of US-based law form Gordon Thomas Honeywell)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Groups in India that focus on protecting women & children from sexual violence should demand DNA collection from crime scenes.

By Tim Schellberg* Forensic DNA is by far the most impactful tool ever utilised in the criminal justice system. In the late 1980s, it was first used as a method to determine if the DNA from known suspects matched with the samples found at crime scenes. While the growth of forensic technology has been prolific in most countries, India is woefully behind. Not only does India not have a criminal DNA database program, it has not even fully embraced basic DNA casework - collecting, testing, and comparing samples from crime scene with that of suspects. India has been aware of the power of DNA since the early days. Nevertheless, India completes DNA analysis on less than 10,000 cases annually. This is a very small number for the size of India and its crime rate. By comparison, the United Kingdom completes DNA testing on an estimated 70,000 cases per year. India can even learn from other middle-income countries like Thailand and South Africa. While We estimate the Royal Thai Police collects and tests DNA from over 10,000 crime scenes annually despite being 12 times smaller than India, South Africa has been quick to develop infrastructure for an aggressive DNA case program which is showing results. India is adequately aware of the power of DNA. In the 2012 Nirbhaya gangrape trial, the prosecution built an airtight case based on the DNA of the accused found at the crime scene. However, contrary to popular belief such tests are usually carried out only in high profile cases. That is not enough. Every case of sexual violence should trigger an aggressive DNA response. In such cases, samples should be collected, tested and compared to known suspects immediately. Without an aggressive DNA program, violent criminals and sexual predators will continue to escape punishment conviction rates will remain low and justice will elude victims. Groups in India that focus on protecting women & children from sexual violence should demand DNA collection from crime scenes and insist on timely testing. Only then will India be able to take full advantage of this technology to lock away the guilty. Many reasons are given for why India has such a small number of cases that get tested for DNA. Lack of training, funding, and judicial acceptance are common reasons heard. But it is time for India to make DNA forensics a priority. Leaders in the national and state governments should advocate for laws, policies, training and funding that makes DNA testing routine for heinous crimes. The recent announcement by the Union Women and Child Development Ministry to augment the DNA testing capacity at the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) Chandigarh is a step in the right direction. Like many countries, India has a violent crime and sexual assault problem. India should respond by implementing the best-known crime fighting tool - an aggressive forensic DNA program. *(The author is Founder & President of US-based law form Gordon Thomas Honeywell) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: India should make forensic DNA a priority in sexual assault cases

Roadies star Raghu Ram is set to tie the knot for the second time after he divorced his decade-long partner Sugandha Garg -- as both parted ways on mutually agreed on terms and shared a common message for their friends and followers on social media profiles.&nbsp;

Coming to the good news, Raghu Ram will now get married to Natalie Di Luccio in Goa after they get engaged in Italy. If reports are to be believed, the wedding will take place in December and the couple will exchange rings in July in Italy.&nbsp;

The couple, reportedly, has no plans of keeping the wedding a private affair as they will tie the knot in a traditional setup in Goa. They will either turn their wedding into a show or a web series, if reports are true.&nbsp;

The wedding news was confirmed by Raghu’s twin brother, Rajiv. Without divulging any details, Rajiv confirmed the news and said, "I can't talk much right now."

See their photos together:&nbsp;

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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BgyMLveH0Ln/" style=" color:#000 font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px font-style:normal font-weight:normal line-height:17px text-decoration:none word-wrap:break-word" target="_blank">@nataliediluccio you once told me that you needed to believe in Magic. Well, here’s your proof. You walked into my life a year ago today... and impossibly, everything inside me changed! I feel Love. I feel Happiness. I feel Hope. I feel. Again. All because of you! It has been a beautiful year of Love, Laughter & Adventure. Happy anniversary, baby! Keep believing in Magic. And that Happily Ever After is now. I love you.</a>

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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bjg8pbCnxtr/" style=" color:#000 font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px font-style:normal font-weight:normal line-height:17px text-decoration:none word-wrap:break-word" target="_blank">Ninja mode selfie! Trust me, I’m smiling for the pic ?</a>

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Raghu and Natalie are currently outside India, planning out the minute details of their grand wedding. The two met on the sets of a music album Aankhon Hi Aankhon Mein, where Raghu played a lover boy for the first time. Natalie was previously in a relationship with TV actor Eijaz Khan.

Earlier, Raghu Ram and longtime partner Sugandha Garg got divorced amicably

Roadies star Raghu Ram is set to tie the knot for the second time after he divorced his decade-long partner Sugandha Garg -- as both parted ways on mutually agreed on terms and shared a common message for their friends and followers on social media profiles. Coming to the good news, Raghu Ram will now get married to Natalie Di Luccio in Goa after they get engaged in Italy. If reports are to be believed, the wedding will take place in December and the couple will exchange rings in July in Italy. The couple, reportedly, has no plans of keeping the wedding a private affair as they will tie the knot in a traditional setup in Goa. They will either turn their wedding into a show or a web series, if reports are true. The wedding news was confirmed by Raghu’s twin brother, Rajiv. Without divulging any details, Rajiv confirmed the news and said, "I can't talk much right now." See their photos together: @nataliediluccio you once told me that you needed to believe in Magic. Well, here’s your proof. You walked into my life a year ago today... and impossibly, everything inside me changed! I feel Love. I feel Happiness. I feel Hope. I feel. Again. All because of you! It has been a beautiful year of Love, Laughter & Adventure. Happy anniversary, baby! Keep believing in Magic. And that Happily Ever After is now. I love you. A post shared by Raghu Ram (@instaraghu) on Mar 26, 2018 at 4:09am PDT × Ninja mode selfie! Trust me, I’m smiling for the pic ? A post shared by Raghu Ram (@instaraghu) on Jun 2, 2018 at 1:00am PDT × @nataliediluccio you post 1 cheesy pic of ours, I post 2!! Haha! Love this goofball side of you ? A post shared by Raghu Ram (@instaraghu) on May 2, 2018 at 5:46am PDT × Traveled for more than 24 hours straight to get to Mumbai. Tired? Nah!! Getting ready to bring in the #TwinBirthday with this lovely lady! #Party ?? A post shared by Raghu Ram (@instaraghu) on Apr 14, 2018 at 9:44am PDT × Raghu and Natalie are currently outside India, planning out the minute details of their grand wedding. The two met on the sets of a music album Aankhon Hi Aankhon Mein, where Raghu played a lover boy for the first time. Natalie was previously in a relationship with TV actor Eijaz Khan.

In photos: Roadies' Raghu Ram to get married to girlfriend in Goa, get engaged in Italy

A day after the Modi <a href="http://wionews.com/india-news/bjp-pdp-alliance-set-fire-to-jk-destroyed-years-of-upas-hard-work-rahul-gandhi-145600">government at the Centre disassociated </a>itself from the PDP in J&K, India's army chief Bipin Rawat said the armed force won't face "any political interference" while tackling terrorists in the state.

"The imposition of Governor's rule in J&K will not affect our operations," the Army chief said.&nbsp;

The government on Tuesday broke away from the PDP citing the worsening of law and order in the state. Last month the Centre had declared a state of ceasefire over Ramzan which was agreed to by the ex-chief minister Mehbooba Mufti.

"We only stopped our operations during Ramzan," the army chief said, adding,"But, we saw what happened."

"Our operations will go on like they used to," Bipin Rawat said.

As the coalition split after 3 years, the PDP blamed the Centre for betraying the agenda of the alliance insisting it was focussed on boosting reconciliation through the alliance. Mehbooba Mufti said the alliance failed because the policy of peace and reconciliation did not find support with the government asserting that it had a bigger motive - unilateral ceasefire, PM's visit to Pakistan, withdrawal of cases against 11,000 youth.

BJP's general secretary Ram Madhav described "terrorism, violence and radicalisation" as the main reasons for the pullout.&nbsp;

<iframe allow="autoplay encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DEuZpJk3DWI" width="560"></iframe>

As the coalition split after 3 years, the PDP blamed the Centre for betraying the agenda of the alliance insisting it was focussed on boosting reconciliation through the alliance.

A day after the Modi government at the Centre disassociated itself from the PDP in J&K, India's army chief Bipin Rawat said the armed force won't face "any political interference" while tackling terrorists in the state. "The imposition of Governor's rule in J&K will not affect our operations," the Army chief said. The government on Tuesday broke away from the PDP citing the worsening of law and order in the state. Last month the Centre had declared a state of ceasefire over Ramzan which was agreed to by the ex-chief minister Mehbooba Mufti. "We only stopped our operations during Ramzan," the army chief said, adding,"But, we saw what happened." "Our operations will go on like they used to," Bipin Rawat said. As the coalition split after 3 years, the PDP blamed the Centre for betraying the agenda of the alliance insisting it was focussed on boosting reconciliation through the alliance. Mehbooba Mufti said the alliance failed because the policy of peace and reconciliation did not find support with the government asserting that it had a bigger motive - unilateral ceasefire, PM's visit to Pakistan, withdrawal of cases against 11,000 youth. BJP's general secretary Ram Madhav described "terrorism, violence and radicalisation" as the main reasons for the pullout.

'We only stopped operations during Ramzan in J&K, but saw what happened,' says Army chief Bipin Rawat

Union Minister Dr&nbsp;Harsh Vardhan has said there has been an unprecedented and inclusive development across his parliamentary constituency of Chandni Chowk.

Giving an account of the developmental works and welfare measures initiated by him in Chandni Chowk in the four years of the NDA government, he listed the Rani Jhansi Flyover, the construction of 1675 multi-story flats for slum dwellers, the multilevel 2400-vehicle modern parking at Gandhi Maidan, Chandni Chowk, the state-of-the-art Power Grid station at Piragarhi as some of the major projects completed under his watch.

He claimed that he had also been instrumental in setting up about 50 open gyms in parks, construction and modernisation of school buildings, installation of high-mast LED lights, providing passenger amenities in five railway stations, setting up multiple skill development centres, construction of community halls and development of three urban villages under SansadAdarsh Gram Yojana.

"I have obtained sanction for another 237 projects, including 80 more open gyms, development of parks, high mast lights, repairing of roads, installation of tubewells, etc." said Dr Harsh Vardhan.

He said that the Rani Jhansi Flyover project had been held up a decade and that it was only after a regular follow up with the Union Ministry of Urban Development and local bodies, that work on it had been revived and it is now expected to be commissioned by August end.

The 1.6 km flyover from Filmistan Cinema to St. Stephens Hospital is critical to decongest important stretches in Old and Central Delhi - it will connect Central-East-West and North Delhi, bypassing the heavily congested Azad Market area.

Parking is a major problem in the national capital. Considering that there are several congested commercial areas in the constituency, the issue was taken up with the local authorities and now 13 Stack level parking stations and 7 Multilevel Parking stations on PPP Mode have been sanctioned.

Stack Level

1. LNJP Hospital 
2. Salimgarh Fort, Hanuman Sethu 
3. Fatehpur 
4. Pratapnagar Metro Station 
5. Mukherjee Nagar 
6. NaniwalaBagh 
7. BQ Block, Shalimar Bagh 
8. BW Block Shalimar Bagh 
9. BN Block Shalimar Bagh 
10. NigambodhGhat

Multilevel Parking 
1. Shiva Market, Pitampura 
2. Gandhi Maidan, Near Red Fort 
3. Sant Nagar (Rani Bagh) 
4. Idgah Road 
5. U&V Block, Shalimar Bagh 
6. AC Block, Shalimar Bagh 
7. Madipur Metro Station

Passenger facilities at Railway Stations

There are five railway stations in Chandni Chowk Parliamentary Constituency - New Delhi, Old Delhi, Sarai Rohilla, Sadar Bazar and Shakur Basti. Several passenger amenities were implemented as a result of regular interactions with the Ministry of Railways -

New Delhi

(i) Renovation of waiting room at an expenditure of Rs. 9.0 crores 
(ii) Construction of a new waiting room 
(iii) Installation of 16 new escalators 
(iv) WiFi facility at New Delhi station 
(v) Installation of 16 water coolers 
(vi) Installation of 6 automatic ticket vending machine 
(vii) Set up a control room and 11 KV Electric Station for uninterrupted power supply

Old Delhi Railway Station 
(i) Construction of facilitation counters, ticket booths, Waiting Hall on Hamilton Road, Kashmiri Gate side. 
(ii) Installation of six escalators is in progress 
(iii) Renovation of three Dormitories at a cost of Rs. 35 lakhs 
(iv) Reconstruction of Platform No. 16 at a cost of Rs. 1.7 crores 
(v) Setting up of automatic ticket vending machines, 
(vi) The station has been made Divyang-friendly

Sarai Rohilla Station 
(i) Resurfacing of Platforms 
(ii) Steel benches at Waiting Hall 
(iii) Renovation of foot-overbridge 
(iv) Development of approach road from New Rohtak Road 
(v) Installation of lift 
(vi) Installation of Escalator (Under progress)

Sabzi Mandi Station

Development of main entrance to the station and parking facilities

Shakur Basti Railway Station

Redevelopment of Shakur Basti Railway Station is complete

Construction of additional blocks/renovation in schools

As many as 18 school buildings were either renovated/or additional blocks constructed. Some of these projects are still in progress. These include:

1.&nbsp;Gujaranwala Town Primary School 
2. Model Town-2 Primary School 
3. Municipal Corporation Primary School, Lalitha Block, Shastri Nagar 
4. Jhandewalan Kadam Sharif School 
5. PaschimVihar Block A-5 Pratibha Vidyalaya 
6. Ashok Vihar Phase-3 Municipal Corporation Primary School 
7. Pitampura CP Block Primary School 
8. Azadpur, Bhadola Village Primary School 
9. Multan Nagar, PaschimVihar Municipal Corporation Primary School 
10. Shalimar Bagh C&D Block School (In progress) 
11. Foundation Stone for Hyderpur Municipal Corporation Girls Primary School 
12. Inauguration of new Municipal Corporation Primary School at Block C-7, Keshavpuram 
13. Inauguration of new building of Municipal Corporation Primary School at Prem Nagar, SadarPaharGanj Zone 
14. Inauguration of new building of Municipal Corporation Primary School at Amarpuri, SadarPaharGanj Zone 
15. Inauguration of new Municipal Corporation Primary School at A-4, PaschimVihar 
16. Foundation Stone for Municipal Corporation Primary School at HU Block Pitampura 
17. Foundation Stone for Municipal Corporation Primary School at AC Block, Shalimar Bagh 
18. Inauguration of new block and swimming pool at Municipal Corporation Primary School, SP Block, Pitampura

Library & Recreational Facilities

The Minister has also been instrumental in the construction of a new building for Delhi Public Library's Ashok Vihar branch and he provided assistance for interior decoration. He has also sanctioned Rs. 15 lakh from MPLADS fund for a mobile library to be stationed outside Old Delhi Railway Station. Besides, a recreational centre for senior citizens was set up in CU Block of Pitampura.

Community Centres

As many as 12 community centres were constructed in the constituency:

1. MajnuKaTila 
2. Azadpur MCD Colony 
3. Idgah 
4. Sahipur, Shalimar Bagh 
5.&nbsp;VardhamanVatika, Trinagar 
6. C-Block Shakurpur (Anandvas) 
7. Ramgarh, Jahangirpuri 
8. CD Block Shalimar Bagh (Under construction) 
9. Captain Satish Marg, Rishi Nagar 
10. BG-6 Block, PaschimVihar 
11. Qutab Road 
12. A-5 Block PaschimVihar

Major Road Connectivity projects 
(1) East-West Corridor

The proposal is for construction of a corridor from AnandVihar to Peeragarhi. It is being considered to connect from the intersection of Nizambuddin Bridge to Peeragarhi through Ring Road, ITO, DeenDayalUpadhyay Marg, New Delhi Railway Station, Ajmeri Gate, Deshbandhu Gupta Road, Old Rohtak Road, Anand Parbat Industrial Area, Zakira and Peeragarh (approximately 30 Kms).

The proposal is to construct an elevated corridor connecting NH 24 to NH 10.

(2) Consultant appointed for study of highway connecting Haiderpur Water Works to Premwadi Bridge. 
(3) Centre has allocated Rs. 34,100 crores for a third ring road, of which Rs. 6,000 crores will be utilised for the development of NH-24.

Development of Heritage Sites

Two main heritage spots in the constituency are being developed in close coordination with the Heritage and Tourism Department of Delhi Government. These are Naini Lake in Model Town and Roshanara Park.Ministry of Culture has approved a proposal for development of RoshanaraBagh at an expense of Rs. 12 crores.

A decision has also been taken for re-development of the Town Hall in Chandni Chowk into a heritage museum.

Repair and refurbishing of KashmereDarwaza at Kashmere Gate and renovation of Archaeological Park at Sarai Pipal Thala, were the other works done to preserve heritage sites in the constituency.

Apart from these, several projects were implemented for face-lift of historical sites like Jama Masjid, QudsiaBagh and Shahjahanabad.

Delhi Metro Development

Dr Harsh Vardhan said, his efforts to speed up early implementation of Delhi Metro's Majlis Park-DurgabhaiDeshmukh South Campus Pink Line and ITO-Kashmere Gate section has paid off. Both the sections have since been opened for public.

Peeragarhi Power Grid

A state of the art technology 220 KV substation was set up with the help of Ministry of Power in Peeragarhi. It will be a landmark in strengthening the power transmission system in the North West Delhi.

Adoption of Urban Villages

Under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, the minister had adopted Dhirpur Village during the first two years, where a comprehensive development plan was implemented, the highlights of which are as under:

1. Redevelopment of AmbedkarChaupal 
2. Development of Coronation Park 
3. Renovation of Municipal Corporation School at a cost of Rs. 1 crore 
4. Development of cremation ground at a cost of Rs. 92.5 lakhs

The second village he had adopted was Ghoga Village, where several development works were carried out using funds from MPLADs and with the help of Municipal Corporation of Delhi and DDA. 
1. Distribution of 87 benches at main public places in the village 
2. Redevelopment of parks at a cost of Rs. 53.35 lakhs 
3. Ordered development of rainwater storage tank in the village. 
4. Installation of semi-High Mast LED lamps

Currently, the minister said that he has adopted Singhola Village near Narela, where several development works are in progress. The proposals under consideration are, construction of a community centre, setting up of a school, beautification of the village pond and repair of roads.

Redevelopment of Parks

Dr Harsh Vardhan said he has been instrumental in redeveloping as many as 67 parks across the constituency. Apart from these, three new parks are being developed at the following places:

1. Birla Mill Green Zone 
2. Model Town 
3. Redevelopment of DeendayalUpadhyay Park and NakshatraVatika (Completed)

Open Gyms

At the behest of Dr Harsh Vardhan, 44 Open Gyms were set up in parks throughout Chandni Chowk constituency. Apart from this, around 75 Gyms are planned to be set up during this year.

1. Indira Nagar Mahila Park 
2. Sanjay Enclave, Adarsh Nagar 
3. Rampura, Behind SDM Office 
4. Kohat Enclave Park, Pitampura 
5. Haidarpur Village 
6. Beriwala Park, Ashok Vihar Phase 2 
7. AB Block Park, LokVihar 
8. Rose Garden Park, Trinagar 
9. Sahib Singh Verma Park, Keshavpuram 
10. AsokVihar Phase I, Behind E-67 Block 
11. Ashok Vihar Phase I, Behind A-61 Block 
12. Kamla Nagar D Block Park 
13. Sandesh Vihar, Pitampura 
14. Ismail Khan Park, GT Road 
15. District Park, Shastri Nagar (56 Bhiga Park) 
16. Bandarwala Park, Gulabibagh 
17. SainikVihar, Pitampura 
18. PaschimVihar District Park 
19. Shalimar Bagh, Sheeshmahal Park 
20. BrijVihar District Park, Pitampura 
21. Shalimar Bagh, Motawala Park 
22. AE Block, Shalimar Bagh 
23. Sanjay Van, Pitampura 
24. Ashok Park 
25. Shakti Vihar, AnandVihar Park, Pitampura 
26. ChandiwalaBagh, Ashok Vihar 
27. Ashok Vihar, D-90, Phase I 
28. BG-6 Park, PaschimVihar 
29. Rajiv Gandhi Park, PaschimVihar 
30. DDA Park, PaschimVihar (Behind B-3 Block) 
31. Fountain Park in front of Crescent School, Pitampura 
32. Maharaja Agrasen Park, ISBT 
33. Keshavpura, Hathoda Ram Park 
34. Keshavpuram B-2/B-3 Park 
35. Kanhaiya Nagar, Narang Colony Park 
36. A-Block Park, Ashok Vihar 
37. D-Block Park, Kamla Nagar 
38. AB Block, SaraswatiVihar 
39. D-Block, Sharda Niketan 
40. Kapil Vihar Park, Pitampura 
41. Laxmibhai College, Ashok Vihar 
42. Sushil Mohan Mahila Park, Opp. Old Delhi Railway Station 
43. Picnic Hut, Savan Park 
44. HU Block, DDA Park, Pitampura

Medical Camps

Dr Harsh Vardhan said he has been organising many free medical camps in his constituency for poor and underprivileged. Free check-up for sight and hearing were carried out and lenses or hearing aids distributed free of cost at these camps.

Besides, persons requiring cataract surgeries were referred to hospitals for free procedures. So far over 21,000 beneficiaries were examined and about 19,000 people were given free medicines. Free glasses were distributed to more than 12,000 persons, free hearing aids to over 900 people and cataract surgeriesarranged for 660 people. So far, 31 such free camps have been organised.

Apart from these, seven camps were organised in association with Union Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. At these camps, aids like Tricycles, Wheel Chairs, Crutches, Hearing Machines, Folding Sticks, Braille Kits, MSID Kits etc worth Rs. 2.78 crore were distributed. In addition, motorized tricycles worth Rs. 16.48 lakhs were also distributed to needy.

Skill Development Programme

Five skill development centres were set up in Chandni Chowk constituency to train youth in different trades.

1. Jama Masjid 
2. Anand Parbat 
3. Rani Bagh 
4. Paharganj 
5. Netaji Subhash Place

Clean India

Under Prime Minister's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, a number of modern public amenities were constructed, in close coordination with Municipal Corporation and other agencies.

1. Nabi Karim, Paharganj 
2. Sangam Park 
3. Lal Bagh 
4. Outside Old Delhi Railway Station 
5. MajnuKaTila 
6. A-5 Block Market, PaschimVihar 
7. Kishan Lal Sharma Park, North PaschimVihar 
8. RUSU Block Pitampura 
9. Rampura (near Mother Diary) 
10. Ramnagar, Ashok Basti 
11. 56 Bigha Park, Shastri Nagar 
12. Yamuna Bazar, Hanuman Mandir (Marghatwale) 
13. AngooriKhatta (near RamlilaMaidan)

UjjwalaYojana

Held camps at Wazirpur JJ Colony and Keshavapuramand distributed free cooking gas connections under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship programme "UjjwalaYojana". 
Jahan Jhuggi, WahanPakkaMakan

Construction of 1675 multi-story flats is underway for relocation of people living in slum colonies. These include JailorwalaBagh and Ashok Vihar, where amenities like anganwadi, health centre, creche, community hall, PDS shop, etc. would also be provided.

Surya Jyoti

Solar lights developed by a research facility, with support from Department of Science & Technology have been installed in Lalbagh clusters in Azadpur area. These are low cost and environment-friendly solar lighting device, which would prove to be a boon for the urban and rural households in the country that do not have reliable access to electricity. NitiAyog has now approved Surya Jyoti for installation all over India.

GST

After the introduction of GST by the government, traders and businessmen had a number of concerns/doubts. Dr Harsh Vardhanheld several interactions with them and taken up their concerns directly with Prime Minister and Finance Minister andas a result, 90% of their concerns were redressed.

Post Offices

Two post offices were set up in Rani Bagh and Rajdhani Enclave in North West Delhi.

Waste Process Plant

Set up a plant, using unique technology, for reprocessing of flower waste at NigambodhGhat into compost and other useful products.

Other development/Welfare activities done during the last four years in a nutshell are-

1. Forwarded 8,247 applications for old age pension/financial assistance to Social Welfare Department of the Delhi Government. 
2. Facilitated assistance from Prime Minister's Relief Fund to 185 families for treatment or serious ailments.

Dr&nbsp;Harsh Vardhan said, the mobile application launched by him acts as an interface with people in his constituency. He said, a large number of requests were received through the mobile application, which were taken up with various agencies for resolution.

Giving an account of the developmental works and welfare measures initiated by him in Chandni Chowk in the four years of the NDA government

Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has said there has been an unprecedented and inclusive development across his parliamentary constituency of Chandni Chowk. Giving an account of the developmental works and welfare measures initiated by him in Chandni Chowk in the four years of the NDA government, he listed the Rani Jhansi Flyover, the construction of 1675 multi-story flats for slum dwellers, the multilevel 2400-vehicle modern parking at Gandhi Maidan, Chandni Chowk, the state-of-the-art Power Grid station at Piragarhi as some of the major projects completed under his watch. He claimed that he had also been instrumental in setting up about 50 open gyms in parks, construction and modernisation of school buildings, installation of high-mast LED lights, providing passenger amenities in five railway stations, setting up multiple skill development centres, construction of community halls and development of three urban villages under SansadAdarsh Gram Yojana. "I have obtained sanction for another 237 projects, including 80 more open gyms, development of parks, high mast lights, repairing of roads, installation of tubewells, etc." said Dr Harsh Vardhan. He said that the Rani Jhansi Flyover project had been held up a decade and that it was only after a regular follow up with the Union Ministry of Urban Development and local bodies, that work on it had been revived and it is now expected to be commissioned by August end. The 1.6 km flyover from Filmistan Cinema to St. Stephens Hospital is critical to decongest important stretches in Old and Central Delhi - it will connect Central-East-West and North Delhi, bypassing the heavily congested Azad Market area. Parking is a major problem in the national capital. Considering that there are several congested commercial areas in the constituency, the issue was taken up with the local authorities and now 13 Stack level parking stations and 7 Multilevel Parking stations on PPP Mode have been sanctioned. Stack Level 1. LNJP Hospital 2. Salimgarh Fort, Hanuman Sethu 3. Fatehpur 4. Pratapnagar Metro Station 5. Mukherjee Nagar 6. NaniwalaBagh 7. BQ Block, Shalimar Bagh 8. BW Block Shalimar Bagh 9. BN Block Shalimar Bagh 10. NigambodhGhat Multilevel Parking 1. Shiva Market, Pitampura 2. Gandhi Maidan, Near Red Fort 3. Sant Nagar (Rani Bagh) 4. Idgah Road 5. U&V Block, Shalimar Bagh 6. AC Block, Shalimar Bagh 7. Madipur Metro Station Passenger facilities at Railway Stations There are five railway stations in Chandni Chowk Parliamentary Constituency - New Delhi, Old Delhi, Sarai Rohilla, Sadar Bazar and Shakur Basti. Several passenger amenities were implemented as a result of regular interactions with the Ministry of Railways - New Delhi (i) Renovation of waiting room at an expenditure of Rs. 9.0 crores (ii) Construction of a new waiting room (iii) Installation of 16 new escalators (iv) WiFi facility at New Delhi station (v) Installation of 16 water coolers (vi) Installation of 6 automatic ticket vending machine (vii) Set up a control room and 11 KV Electric Station for uninterrupted power supply Old Delhi Railway Station (i) Construction of facilitation counters, ticket booths, Waiting Hall on Hamilton Road, Kashmiri Gate side. (ii) Installation of six escalators is in progress (iii) Renovation of three Dormitories at a cost of Rs. 35 lakhs (iv) Reconstruction of Platform No. 16 at a cost of Rs. 1.7 crores (v) Setting up of automatic ticket vending machines, (vi) The station has been made Divyang-friendly Sarai Rohilla Station (i) Resurfacing of Platforms (ii) Steel benches at Waiting Hall (iii) Renovation of foot-overbridge (iv) Development of approach road from New Rohtak Road (v) Installation of lift (vi) Installation of Escalator (Under progress) Sabzi Mandi Station Development of main entrance to the station and parking facilities Shakur Basti Railway Station Redevelopment of Shakur Basti Railway Station is complete Construction of additional blocks/renovation in schools As many as 18 school buildings were either renovated/or additional blocks constructed. Some of these projects are still in progress. These include: 1. Gujaranwala Town Primary School 2. Model Town-2 Primary School 3. Municipal Corporation Primary School, Lalitha Block, Shastri Nagar 4. Jhandewalan Kadam Sharif School 5. PaschimVihar Block A-5 Pratibha Vidyalaya 6. Ashok Vihar Phase-3 Municipal Corporation Primary School 7. Pitampura CP Block Primary School 8. Azadpur, Bhadola Village Primary School 9. Multan Nagar, PaschimVihar Municipal Corporation Primary School 10. Shalimar Bagh C&D Block School (In progress) 11. Foundation Stone for Hyderpur Municipal Corporation Girls Primary School 12. Inauguration of new Municipal Corporation Primary School at Block C-7, Keshavpuram 13. Inauguration of new building of Municipal Corporation Primary School at Prem Nagar, SadarPaharGanj Zone 14. Inauguration of new building of Municipal Corporation Primary School at Amarpuri, SadarPaharGanj Zone 15. Inauguration of new Municipal Corporation Primary School at A-4, PaschimVihar 16. Foundation Stone for Municipal Corporation Primary School at HU Block Pitampura 17. Foundation Stone for Municipal Corporation Primary School at AC Block, Shalimar Bagh 18. Inauguration of new block and swimming pool at Municipal Corporation Primary School, SP Block, Pitampura Library & Recreational Facilities The Minister has also been instrumental in the construction of a new building for Delhi Public Library's Ashok Vihar branch and he provided assistance for interior decoration. He has also sanctioned Rs. 15 lakh from MPLADS fund for a mobile library to be stationed outside Old Delhi Railway Station. Besides, a recreational centre for senior citizens was set up in CU Block of Pitampura. Community Centres As many as 12 community centres were constructed in the constituency: 1. MajnuKaTila 2. Azadpur MCD Colony 3. Idgah 4. Sahipur, Shalimar Bagh 5. VardhamanVatika, Trinagar 6. C-Block Shakurpur (Anandvas) 7. Ramgarh, Jahangirpuri 8. CD Block Shalimar Bagh (Under construction) 9. Captain Satish Marg, Rishi Nagar 10. BG-6 Block, PaschimVihar 11. Qutab Road 12. A-5 Block PaschimVihar Major Road Connectivity projects (1) East-West Corridor The proposal is for construction of a corridor from AnandVihar to Peeragarhi. It is being considered to connect from the intersection of Nizambuddin Bridge to Peeragarhi through Ring Road, ITO, DeenDayalUpadhyay Marg, New Delhi Railway Station, Ajmeri Gate, Deshbandhu Gupta Road, Old Rohtak Road, Anand Parbat Industrial Area, Zakira and Peeragarh (approximately 30 Kms). The proposal is to construct an elevated corridor connecting NH 24 to NH 10. (2) Consultant appointed for study of highway connecting Haiderpur Water Works to Premwadi Bridge. (3) Centre has allocated Rs. 34,100 crores for a third ring road, of which Rs. 6,000 crores will be utilised for the development of NH-24. Development of Heritage Sites Two main heritage spots in the constituency are being developed in close coordination with the Heritage and Tourism Department of Delhi Government. These are Naini Lake in Model Town and Roshanara Park.Ministry of Culture has approved a proposal for development of RoshanaraBagh at an expense of Rs. 12 crores. A decision has also been taken for re-development of the Town Hall in Chandni Chowk into a heritage museum. Repair and refurbishing of KashmereDarwaza at Kashmere Gate and renovation of Archaeological Park at Sarai Pipal Thala, were the other works done to preserve heritage sites in the constituency. Apart from these, several projects were implemented for face-lift of historical sites like Jama Masjid, QudsiaBagh and Shahjahanabad. Delhi Metro Development Dr Harsh Vardhan said, his efforts to speed up early implementation of Delhi Metro's Majlis Park-DurgabhaiDeshmukh South Campus Pink Line and ITO-Kashmere Gate section has paid off. Both the sections have since been opened for public. Peeragarhi Power Grid A state of the art technology 220 KV substation was set up with the help of Ministry of Power in Peeragarhi. It will be a landmark in strengthening the power transmission system in the North West Delhi. Adoption of Urban Villages Under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, the minister had adopted Dhirpur Village during the first two years, where a comprehensive development plan was implemented, the highlights of which are as under: 1. Redevelopment of AmbedkarChaupal 2. Development of Coronation Park 3. Renovation of Municipal Corporation School at a cost of Rs. 1 crore 4. Development of cremation ground at a cost of Rs. 92.5 lakhs The second village he had adopted was Ghoga Village, where several development works were carried out using funds from MPLADs and with the help of Municipal Corporation of Delhi and DDA. 1. Distribution of 87 benches at main public places in the village 2. Redevelopment of parks at a cost of Rs. 53.35 lakhs 3. Ordered development of rainwater storage tank in the village. 4. Installation of semi-High Mast LED lamps Currently, the minister said that he has adopted Singhola Village near Narela, where several development works are in progress. The proposals under consideration are, construction of a community centre, setting up of a school, beautification of the village pond and repair of roads. Redevelopment of Parks Dr Harsh Vardhan said he has been instrumental in redeveloping as many as 67 parks across the constituency. Apart from these, three new parks are being developed at the following places: 1. Birla Mill Green Zone 2. Model Town 3. Redevelopment of DeendayalUpadhyay Park and NakshatraVatika (Completed) Open Gyms At the behest of Dr Harsh Vardhan, 44 Open Gyms were set up in parks throughout Chandni Chowk constituency. Apart from this, around 75 Gyms are planned to be set up during this year. 1. Indira Nagar Mahila Park 2. Sanjay Enclave, Adarsh Nagar 3. Rampura, Behind SDM Office 4. Kohat Enclave Park, Pitampura 5. Haidarpur Village 6. Beriwala Park, Ashok Vihar Phase 2 7. AB Block Park, LokVihar 8. Rose Garden Park, Trinagar 9. Sahib Singh Verma Park, Keshavpuram 10. AsokVihar Phase I, Behind E-67 Block 11. Ashok Vihar Phase I, Behind A-61 Block 12. Kamla Nagar D Block Park 13. Sandesh Vihar, Pitampura 14. Ismail Khan Park, GT Road 15. District Park, Shastri Nagar (56 Bhiga Park) 16. Bandarwala Park, Gulabibagh 17. SainikVihar, Pitampura 18. PaschimVihar District Park 19. Shalimar Bagh, Sheeshmahal Park 20. BrijVihar District Park, Pitampura 21. Shalimar Bagh, Motawala Park 22. AE Block, Shalimar Bagh 23. Sanjay Van, Pitampura 24. Ashok Park 25. Shakti Vihar, AnandVihar Park, Pitampura 26. ChandiwalaBagh, Ashok Vihar 27. Ashok Vihar, D-90, Phase I 28. BG-6 Park, PaschimVihar 29. Rajiv Gandhi Park, PaschimVihar 30. DDA Park, PaschimVihar (Behind B-3 Block) 31. Fountain Park in front of Crescent School, Pitampura 32. Maharaja Agrasen Park, ISBT 33. Keshavpura, Hathoda Ram Park 34. Keshavpuram B-2/B-3 Park 35. Kanhaiya Nagar, Narang Colony Park 36. A-Block Park, Ashok Vihar 37. D-Block Park, Kamla Nagar 38. AB Block, SaraswatiVihar 39. D-Block, Sharda Niketan 40. Kapil Vihar Park, Pitampura 41. Laxmibhai College, Ashok Vihar 42. Sushil Mohan Mahila Park, Opp. Old Delhi Railway Station 43. Picnic Hut, Savan Park 44. HU Block, DDA Park, Pitampura Medical Camps Dr Harsh Vardhan said he has been organising many free medical camps in his constituency for poor and underprivileged. Free check-up for sight and hearing were carried out and lenses or hearing aids distributed free of cost at these camps. Besides, persons requiring cataract surgeries were referred to hospitals for free procedures. So far over 21,000 beneficiaries were examined and about 19,000 people were given free medicines. Free glasses were distributed to more than 12,000 persons, free hearing aids to over 900 people and cataract surgeriesarranged for 660 people. So far, 31 such free camps have been organised. Apart from these, seven camps were organised in association with Union Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. At these camps, aids like Tricycles, Wheel Chairs, Crutches, Hearing Machines, Folding Sticks, Braille Kits, MSID Kits etc worth Rs. 2.78 crore were distributed. In addition, motorized tricycles worth Rs. 16.48 lakhs were also distributed to needy. Skill Development Programme Five skill development centres were set up in Chandni Chowk constituency to train youth in different trades. 1. Jama Masjid 2. Anand Parbat 3. Rani Bagh 4. Paharganj 5. Netaji Subhash Place Clean India Under Prime Minister's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, a number of modern public amenities were constructed, in close coordination with Municipal Corporation and other agencies. 1. Nabi Karim, Paharganj 2. Sangam Park 3. Lal Bagh 4. Outside Old Delhi Railway Station 5. MajnuKaTila 6. A-5 Block Market, PaschimVihar 7. Kishan Lal Sharma Park, North PaschimVihar 8. RUSU Block Pitampura 9. Rampura (near Mother Diary) 10. Ramnagar, Ashok Basti 11. 56 Bigha Park, Shastri Nagar 12. Yamuna Bazar, Hanuman Mandir (Marghatwale) 13. AngooriKhatta (near RamlilaMaidan) UjjwalaYojana Held camps at Wazirpur JJ Colony and Keshavapuramand distributed free cooking gas connections under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship programme "UjjwalaYojana". Jahan Jhuggi, WahanPakkaMakan Construction of 1675 multi-story flats is underway for relocation of people living in slum colonies. These include JailorwalaBagh and Ashok Vihar, where amenities like anganwadi, health centre, creche, community hall, PDS shop, etc. would also be provided. Surya Jyoti Solar lights developed by a research facility, with support from Department of Science & Technology have been installed in Lalbagh clusters in Azadpur area. These are low cost and environment-friendly solar lighting device, which would prove to be a boon for the urban and rural households in the country that do not have reliable access to electricity. NitiAyog has now approved Surya Jyoti for installation all over India. GST After the introduction of GST by the government, traders and businessmen had a number of concerns/doubts. Dr Harsh Vardhanheld several interactions with them and taken up their concerns directly with Prime Minister and Finance Minister andas a result, 90% of their concerns were redressed. Post Offices Two post offices were set up in Rani Bagh and Rajdhani Enclave in North West Delhi. Waste Process Plant Set up a plant, using unique technology, for reprocessing of flower waste at NigambodhGhat into compost and other useful products. Other development/Welfare activities done during the last four years in a nutshell are- 1. Forwarded 8,247 applications for old age pension/financial assistance to Social Welfare Department of the Delhi Government. 2. Facilitated assistance from Prime Minister's Relief Fund to 185 families for treatment or serious ailments. Dr Harsh Vardhan said, the mobile application launched by him acts as an interface with people in his constituency. He said, a large number of requests were received through the mobile application, which were taken up with various agencies for resolution.

Development has seen a major upswing in last 4 years: Dr Harsh Vardhan

After receiving a nod from President Ram Nath Kovind on imposing Governor's rule in Jammu and Kashmir, NN Vohra will hold a significant meeting in Srinagar on Wednesday.

The officials belonging to the three areas like Security, Administration and Governance will attend the meeting headed by Governor Vohra will take place around noon at Raj Bhavan.

As accessed by ANI, the list of senior officials who will be present during the meet are -

- Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, Northern Army Commander 
- BB Vyas, Chief Secretary 
- Lt Gen AK Bhat, GoC 15 Corps 
- SP Vaid, DGP 
- Umang Narula, PS to the Governor 
- Rajkumar Goel, PS to Government, Home Department 
- Munir Ahmad Khan, ADGP, Home Guards and Security 
- AG Mir, ADGP CID 
- Rahul Rasgotra, JD IB 
- Zulifiquar Hasan, IGP Operations, CRPF 
- Ravideep Singh Sahi, IG CRPF 
- Shyam Prakash Pani, IGP Kashmir 
- Nitin Jeet Singh, Addl Commissioner, Special Bureau, Srinagar

The Governor's Rule in the state came into effect after Mehbooba Mufti resigned as Jammu and Kashmir's Chief Minister following the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) exit from its alliance with the People's Democratic Party (PDP).

Earlier in the day, President Kovind approved the imposition of Governor's rule in Jammu and Kashmir, with an immediate effect.

Yesterday, Governor Vohra forwarded his report to the President of India for the imposition of Governor's Rule under Section 92 of the Constitution.

The officials belonging to the three areas like Security, Administration and Governance will attend the meeting headed by Governor Vohra will take place at Raj Bhavan

After receiving a nod from President Ram Nath Kovind on imposing Governor's rule in Jammu and Kashmir, NN Vohra will hold a significant meeting in Srinagar on Wednesday. The officials belonging to the three areas like Security, Administration and Governance will attend the meeting headed by Governor Vohra will take place around noon at Raj Bhavan. As accessed by ANI, the list of senior officials who will be present during the meet are - - Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, Northern Army Commander - BB Vyas, Chief Secretary - Lt Gen AK Bhat, GoC 15 Corps - SP Vaid, DGP - Umang Narula, PS to the Governor - Rajkumar Goel, PS to Government, Home Department - Munir Ahmad Khan, ADGP, Home Guards and Security - AG Mir, ADGP CID - Rahul Rasgotra, JD IB - Zulifiquar Hasan, IGP Operations, CRPF - Ravideep Singh Sahi, IG CRPF - Shyam Prakash Pani, IGP Kashmir - Nitin Jeet Singh, Addl Commissioner, Special Bureau, Srinagar The Governor's Rule in the state came into effect after Mehbooba Mufti resigned as Jammu and Kashmir's Chief Minister following the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) exit from its alliance with the People's Democratic Party (PDP). Earlier in the day, President Kovind approved the imposition of Governor's rule in Jammu and Kashmir, with an immediate effect. Yesterday, Governor Vohra forwarded his report to the President of India for the imposition of Governor's Rule under Section 92 of the Constitution.

Governor Vohra to hold key meeting with security functionaries today

India will soon review a plan to sell a stake in Air India, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said, weeks after the government found no takers for the beleaguered flag carrier.

The government is committed that Air India remains an independent, globally-competitive and a highly-successful airline, junior civil aviation minister Jayant Sinha told a news conference&nbsp;on Wednesday.

The government announced a plan in March to divest a 76-percent stake in Air India and offload about $5.1 billion of its debt, but prospective buyers stayed away, with some citing onerous terms as a reason for their lack of interest.

India will soon review a plan to sell a stake in Air India, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said

India will soon review a plan to sell a stake in Air India, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said, weeks after the government found no takers for the beleaguered flag carrier. The government is committed that Air India remains an independent, globally-competitive and a highly-successful airline, junior civil aviation minister Jayant Sinha told a news conference on Wednesday. The government announced a plan in March to divest a 76-percent stake in Air India and offload about $5.1 billion of its debt, but prospective buyers stayed away, with some citing onerous terms as a reason for their lack of interest.

Aviation minister to review Air India stake sale plan soon

Representatives of the&nbsp;Vedanta Group-owned&nbsp;Sterlite&nbsp;Copper plant on Wednesday approached the&nbsp;Madras High Court, appealing for the provision of the minimum manpower and electricity to maintain the factory.

Their plea stated that they needed a power supply and authorised personnel to rectify the leakage of sulfuric acid in the plant, the process for which had begun on June 18.

Earlier,&nbsp;Thoothukudi&nbsp;District Collector Sandeep Nanduri had informed the media that all the necessary security protocols were being followed to ensure the safety of locals.

Last month, the people of&nbsp;Thoothukudi&nbsp;protested against&nbsp;Sterlite&nbsp;industries, demanding a ban on the plant alleging that it was polluting groundwater, and was hazardous for the environment.

The protests took a violent turn on May 22 when police opened fire on the protesters, which killed 13 people and left at least 102 injured.

Their plea stated that they needed a power supply and authorised personnel to rectify the leakage of sulfuric acid in the plant

Representatives of the Vedanta Group-owned Sterlite Copper plant on Wednesday approached the Madras High Court, appealing for the provision of the minimum manpower and electricity to maintain the factory. Their plea stated that they needed a power supply and authorised personnel to rectify the leakage of sulfuric acid in the plant, the process for which had begun on June 18. Earlier, Thoothukudi District Collector Sandeep Nanduri had informed the media that all the necessary security protocols were being followed to ensure the safety of locals. Last month, the people of Thoothukudi protested against Sterlite industries, demanding a ban on the plant alleging that it was polluting groundwater, and was hazardous for the environment. The protests took a violent turn on May 22 when police opened fire on the protesters, which killed 13 people and left at least 102 injured.

Sterlite urges Madras High Court to provide manpower, electricity

The <a href="http://wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-deepika-padukone-priyanka-chopra--neck-to-neck-on-instagram-142267">tussle </a>between Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone continues as the two actresses are now said to be sharing the same amount of money paid for their respective films. If rumours are to be believed, Priyanka will be paid the sum equivalent to what Deepika earned in her last film, Padmaavat.&nbsp;

Reportedly, Deepika bagged Rs 12 crore for her role in the film, more than her male counterparts, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh. She agreed on a television show that she was paid more than Ranveer and Shahid.&nbsp;

Now, as Priyanka has been roped to play Salman Khan’s lead heroine in her next Bollywood film, Bharat -- reports suggest that she is paid Rs 12 crore for the film. It is said that Priyanka’s team had demanded a remuneration of Rs 14 crores for the film, but the makers have settled for Rs 12 crore.&nbsp;

Salman Khan’s <a href="http://wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-quintessential-bollywood-film-quips-priyanka-chopra-on-doing-bharat-with-salman-khan-133293">Bharat</a> is a remake of Korean film Ode To My Father. The film will go on <a href="http://wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-priyanka-chopra-to-start-shooting-for-bharat-with-salman-khan-from-july-139625">floors this July</a> and is slated to release on Eid next year. It will also star <a href="http://wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-disha-patani-to-join-salman-khans-bharat-alongwith-priyanka-chopra--137630">Disha Patani </a>along with Salman and Priyanka.&nbsp;

In another news, Priyanka is recently in news for her<a href="http://wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-priyanka-chopra-nick-jonas-head-out-for-dinner-date-after-meeting-his-family-at-wedding---144250"> alleged affair </a>with American singer Nick Jonas. She has been spotted partying and dining out with the young singer on several occasions. <a href="http://wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-nick-jonas-ex-girlfriend-heartbroken-on-news-of-priyanka-chopra-and-his-alleged-affair--145567">Also read:&nbsp;Nick Jonas' ex-girlfriend 'heartbroken' on news of Priyanka Chopra and his alleged affair</a>

Priyanka was recently in news for her alleged affair with American singer Nick Jonas

The tussle between Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone continues as the two actresses are now said to be sharing the same amount of money paid for their respective films. If rumours are to be believed, Priyanka will be paid the sum equivalent to what Deepika earned in her last film, Padmaavat. Reportedly, Deepika bagged Rs 12 crore for her role in the film, more than her male counterparts, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh. She agreed on a television show that she was paid more than Ranveer and Shahid. Now, as Priyanka has been roped to play Salman Khan’s lead heroine in her next Bollywood film, Bharat -- reports suggest that she is paid Rs 12 crore for the film. It is said that Priyanka’s team had demanded a remuneration of Rs 14 crores for the film, but the makers have settled for Rs 12 crore. Salman Khan’s Bharat is a remake of Korean film Ode To My Father. The film will go on floors this July and is slated to release on Eid next year. It will also star Disha Patani along with Salman and Priyanka. In another news, Priyanka is recently in news for her alleged affair with American singer Nick Jonas. She has been spotted partying and dining out with the young singer on several occasions. Also read: Nick Jonas' ex-girlfriend 'heartbroken' on news of Priyanka Chopra and his alleged affair

Priyanka Chopra to be paid equal to Deepika Padukone in 'Padmaavat'?

The flood situation in Assam deteriorated as the flood-related incidents claimed six more lives in the state, taking the death toll to 20.

The devastating floods, heavy rains and landslides have created havoc in several north-eastern states in the past week, claiming many lives in Assam, Tripura and Manipur.

According to an official release by the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), the flood in Assam's Hailakandi district has affected 58,208 people.

The power supply has been also affected in many areas. Educational institutes and government offices also remained closed in many districts.

Overall 4.5 lakh people have been affected at 6 districts in the current wave of floods in Assam.

Some of the worst-hit areas in the district are Wangoi, Lamphel, Iroishemba, Lamsang, Patsoi and Konthoujam.

In lieu of excessive flooding, over one lakh displaced people have taken shelter at temporary relief camps.

State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have also been deployed in the affected areas.

The devastating floods, heavy rains and landslides have created havoc in several north-eastern states in the past week

The flood situation in Assam deteriorated as the flood-related incidents claimed six more lives in the state, taking the death toll to 20. The devastating floods, heavy rains and landslides have created havoc in several north-eastern states in the past week, claiming many lives in Assam, Tripura and Manipur. According to an official release by the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), the flood in Assam's Hailakandi district has affected 58,208 people. The power supply has been also affected in many areas. Educational institutes and government offices also remained closed in many districts. Overall 4.5 lakh people have been affected at 6 districts in the current wave of floods in Assam. Some of the worst-hit areas in the district are Wangoi, Lamphel, Iroishemba, Lamsang, Patsoi and Konthoujam. In lieu of excessive flooding, over one lakh displaced people have taken shelter at temporary relief camps. State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have also been deployed in the affected areas.

Assam floods: Situation worsens, death toll reaches 20

Internet use by adults is among the lowest in India, according to a recent Pew Research Centre study.&nbsp

The Pew study said that only one in four adults in India use the internet. In South Korea on the other hand, 96% of adults said they used the internet.&nbsp

The Pew study was carried out in 39 countries, with a median of 75% of adults across the 39 countries saying they either used the internet occasionally or owned a smartphone (the Pew definition of using the internet).&nbsp

The Pew study said that in many advanced economies, nine out of 10 or more adults used the internet. South Korea led the list at 96%.&nbsp

Greece was the only advanced economy surveyed where fewer than seven in 10 (66%) reported using the internet.&nbsp

Conversely, internet use was below seven in 10 in 13 of the 22 emerging and developing economies surveyed. Among those countries, it was lowest in India and Tanzania, at a quarter of the adult population.

 
&nbsp

The Pew study said only 1 in 4 India adults use the internet. In South Korea on the other hand, 96% of adults said they used the internet

Internet use by adults is among the lowest in India, according to a recent Pew Research Centre study. The Pew study said that only one in four adults in India use the internet. In South Korea on the other hand, 96% of adults said they used the internet. The Pew study was carried out in 39 countries, with a median of 75% of adults across the 39 countries saying they either used the internet occasionally or owned a smartphone (the Pew definition of using the internet). The Pew study said that in many advanced economies, nine out of 10 or more adults used the internet. South Korea led the list at 96%. Greece was the only advanced economy surveyed where fewer than seven in 10 (66%) reported using the internet. Conversely, internet use was below seven in 10 in 13 of the 22 emerging and developing economies surveyed. Among those countries, it was lowest in India and Tanzania, at a quarter of the adult population.

Internet use by adults among lowest in India: Pew study

India's Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian has resigned.&nbsp;

The resignation was announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Facebook.&nbsp;

"Few days ago Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian met me over video conferencing," Jaitley wrote. &nbsp;

"He (Subramanian) informed me that he would like to go back to the United States on account of pressing family commitments. His reasons were personal but extremely important for him. He left me with no option but to agree with him," Jaitley added.&nbsp;

Subramanian was appointed CEA to the finance ministry on October 16, 2014 for a period of three years. In 2017 his term was extended for a year.

Jaitley said that on expiry of Subramanian's three-year term in October last year, he had requested him to continue for some more time.

"Even at that stage he told me that he was torn between family commitment and his current job which he considered the best and most fulfilling he has ever done," the minister said.

Jaitley, who was Finance Minister before undergoing a kidney transplant surgery in mid-May, also thanked Subramanian for his contribution to the&nbsp;macro-economic management of the Indian economy.

"Personally I will miss his dynamism, energy, intellectual ability and ideas. He would walk into my room — at times several times a day, addressing me as 'Minister' to give either the good news or otherwise. Needless to say his departure will be missed by me. But I know that his heart is very much here. I am sure he will keep sending advice and analysis wherever he is," Jaitley wrote.&nbsp;

(With inputs from PTI)

Read the full text of Jaitley's Facebook post announcing Arvind Subramanian's resignation:&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Thank You Arvind

Few days ago Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian &nbsp;met me over video conferencing. He informed me that he would like to go back to the United States on account of pressing family commitments. His reasons were personal but extremely important for him. He left me with no option but to agree with him.

Arvind had joined us as the Chief Economic Advisor on 16th October, 2014 for a period of three years. On the expiry of the three year I had requested him to continue for some more time. Even at that stage he told me that he was torn between family commitment and his current job which he considered the best and most fulfilling he has ever done.&nbsp;

Arvind’s interaction with the Government in the Ministry of Finance, Prime Minister’s Office and with other Departments was both formal and informal. His instantaneous communications with his interlocutors had increased his effectiveness. The Chief Economic Advisor’s job had multi-facets to it. He is not a spokesman of the Government. He is an Advisor who has to analyse and thinks several steps ahead. It is a unique responsibility with freedom to the work that he enjoys. Arvind functioned within these parameters and concentrated on the challenges to the economy. His early diagnosis of the twin balance-sheet had led us to adopt the macro-economic strategy of higher public investment in the Budget of 2015-16. He conceptualised JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhar, Mobile) as a data base for availing public benefits. He contributed to the debate of federalism by conceptualising that the Indian federalism has not merely to be cooperative but also competitive. He came out with newer ideas, policy reforms in the sectors of clothing, fertilizers, kerosene, power and pulses. His report on the Revenue Neutral Rate was of great use in forging a consensus which led to the constitution amendment enabling the GST. He participated in every meeting of GST, gave his independent views and was heard in rapt attention by almost every Finance Minister.&nbsp;

He elevated the quality of the analysis and the presentation of ideas for public deliberation in his four “Economic Surveys”. His documents for four years was treated by several independent critics as one of the best ever produced. The latest survey had about 15 million visitors from 117 countries. The Economic Survey today is a basic teaching material all over India. He thought ahead and, therefore, came out with futuristic ideas on rationalisation of removal of “subsidies for the rich”, universal basic income, climate change, from “socialism without entry and capitalism without exit” and the four C’s that he had historically paralysed decision making. He conducted the first online course on Indian economy for the benefits of students and teachers across the country. He launched the Government’s online education platform “Swayam”, which became one of the most followed courses in India. He travelled across the country and spoke on public platforms on economic issues to elevate the quality of public discourse. He built up a strong team of both “insiders” and “outsiders” in the Economic Division of the Ministry.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Personally I will miss his dynamism, energy, intellectual ability and ideas. He would walk into my room – at times several times a day, addressing me as “Minister” to give either the good news or otherwise. Needless to say his departure will be missed by me. &nbsp;But I know that his heart is very much here. I am sure he will keep sending advice and analysis wherever he is.&nbsp; 
I wish Arvind Subramanian and his family all the very best.&nbsp;

Thank you Arvind.&nbsp;

The resignation was announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Facebook. 'Thank you Arvind,' Jaitley said

India's Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian has resigned. The resignation was announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Facebook. "Few days ago Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian met me over video conferencing," Jaitley wrote. "He (Subramanian) informed me that he would like to go back to the United States on account of pressing family commitments. His reasons were personal but extremely important for him. He left me with no option but to agree with him," Jaitley added. Subramanian was appointed CEA to the finance ministry on October 16, 2014 for a period of three years. In 2017 his term was extended for a year. Jaitley said that on expiry of Subramanian's three-year term in October last year, he had requested him to continue for some more time. "Even at that stage he told me that he was torn between family commitment and his current job which he considered the best and most fulfilling he has ever done," the minister said. Jaitley, who was Finance Minister before undergoing a kidney transplant surgery in mid-May, also thanked Subramanian for his contribution to the macro-economic management of the Indian economy. "Personally I will miss his dynamism, energy, intellectual ability and ideas. He would walk into my room — at times several times a day, addressing me as 'Minister' to give either the good news or otherwise. Needless to say his departure will be missed by me. But I know that his heart is very much here. I am sure he will keep sending advice and analysis wherever he is," Jaitley wrote. (With inputs from PTI) Read the full text of Jaitley's Facebook post announcing Arvind Subramanian's resignation: Thank You Arvind Few days ago Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian met me over video conferencing. He informed me that he would like to go back to the United States on account of pressing family commitments. His reasons were personal but extremely important for him. He left me with no option but to agree with him. Arvind had joined us as the Chief Economic Advisor on 16th October, 2014 for a period of three years. On the expiry of the three year I had requested him to continue for some more time. Even at that stage he told me that he was torn between family commitment and his current job which he considered the best and most fulfilling he has ever done. Arvind’s interaction with the Government in the Ministry of Finance, Prime Minister’s Office and with other Departments was both formal and informal. His instantaneous communications with his interlocutors had increased his effectiveness. The Chief Economic Advisor’s job had multi-facets to it. He is not a spokesman of the Government. He is an Advisor who has to analyse and thinks several steps ahead. It is a unique responsibility with freedom to the work that he enjoys. Arvind functioned within these parameters and concentrated on the challenges to the economy. His early diagnosis of the twin balance-sheet had led us to adopt the macro-economic strategy of higher public investment in the Budget of 2015-16. He conceptualised JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhar, Mobile) as a data base for availing public benefits. He contributed to the debate of federalism by conceptualising that the Indian federalism has not merely to be cooperative but also competitive. He came out with newer ideas, policy reforms in the sectors of clothing, fertilizers, kerosene, power and pulses. His report on the Revenue Neutral Rate was of great use in forging a consensus which led to the constitution amendment enabling the GST. He participated in every meeting of GST, gave his independent views and was heard in rapt attention by almost every Finance Minister. He elevated the quality of the analysis and the presentation of ideas for public deliberation in his four “Economic Surveys”. His documents for four years was treated by several independent critics as one of the best ever produced. The latest survey had about 15 million visitors from 117 countries. The Economic Survey today is a basic teaching material all over India. He thought ahead and, therefore, came out with futuristic ideas on rationalisation of removal of “subsidies for the rich”, universal basic income, climate change, from “socialism without entry and capitalism without exit” and the four C’s that he had historically paralysed decision making. He conducted the first online course on Indian economy for the benefits of students and teachers across the country. He launched the Government’s online education platform “Swayam”, which became one of the most followed courses in India. He travelled across the country and spoke on public platforms on economic issues to elevate the quality of public discourse. He built up a strong team of both “insiders” and “outsiders” in the Economic Division of the Ministry. Personally I will miss his dynamism, energy, intellectual ability and ideas. He would walk into my room – at times several times a day, addressing me as “Minister” to give either the good news or otherwise. Needless to say his departure will be missed by me. But I know that his heart is very much here. I am sure he will keep sending advice and analysis wherever he is. I wish Arvind Subramanian and his family all the very best. Thank you Arvind.

Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian resigns

Yoga is a kriya that needs perfection to get the required results. Below are different asanas and ways to practise yoga

In pictures: On International Yoga Day, learn the ancient Indian art

The first song of Shashank Khaitan's highly anticipated film Dhadak was released on Wednesday. Featuring the film's lead, Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter, the title song is a soft, romantic ballad that celebrates first love.&nbsp; 
 
Sung by Ajay Gogavale and Shreya Ghoshal and composed by Ajay-Atul, the song has the lead pair romancing each other in the picturesque locations of Udaipur. The chemistry between the two is clearly the high-point of the melodious song.

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The film is a remake of Marathi film Sairat and has been produced by Karan Johar. It marks&nbsp;Janhvi Kapoor's debut in Bollywood. The film releases on July 20th.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The song is a soft, romantic ballad which sets the mood for the film.

The first song of Shashank Khaitan's highly anticipated film Dhadak was released on Wednesday. Featuring the film's lead, Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter, the title song is a soft, romantic ballad that celebrates first love. Sung by Ajay Gogavale and Shreya Ghoshal and composed by Ajay-Atul, the song has the lead pair romancing each other in the picturesque locations of Udaipur. The chemistry between the two is clearly the high-point of the melodious song. × The film is a remake of Marathi film Sairat and has been produced by Karan Johar. It marks Janhvi Kapoor's debut in Bollywood. The film releases on July 20th.

'Dhadak' title track featuring Janhvi and Ishaan will remind you of your first love

Ahead of the annual Amarnath yatra, security forces have been asked to maintain "highest level of alertness" and "synergy," police said today.

The two-month long pilgrimage to the 3,880 metre high cave shrine of Amarnath will commence on June 28.&nbsp

All border police stations, posts and check-points have also been directed to be strengthened and activated to neutralize any attempt of infiltration by terrorists from across the International Border (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC), a police spokesman said.

He said the directions were passed at a high level meeting chaired by Inspector General of Police, Jammu, S D Singh Jamwal here last evening and attended among others by senior police, Army, paramilitary forces and state and central intelligence agencies.?

The meeting was convened to discuss and review security arrangements for the pilgrimage.

"All officers have been directed to maintain highest level of alertness and synergy among themselves and also to share intelligence on real time basis so that nefarious designs of anti-national elements and their mentors can be thwarted," the spokesman said.

He said a detailed briefing was given by officers of Intelligence agencies and Army and police with regard to security arrangements to ensure smooth and peaceful conduct of the pilgrimage.?

Addressing the meeting, the IGP stressed upon the need to organise night patrolling on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway regularly and maintain close cooperation with all forces deployed in their area of jurisdiction.?

Singh asked senior superintendents of police to ensure adequate security in their respective districts particularly at base camp Bhagwati Nagar here, the spokesman said.

The Jammu police chief stressed upon officers of border districts to lay joint check points and ensure patrolling on all probable infiltration routes.?

He also directed that all border police stations, posts and check-points should be strengthened and activated so as to neutralize any attempt of infiltration by terrorists from across the IB and the LoC.&nbsp

The two-month long pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre high Amarnath cave shrine will begin on June 28

Ahead of the annual Amarnath yatra, security forces have been asked to maintain "highest level of alertness" and "synergy," police said today. The two-month long pilgrimage to the 3,880 metre high cave shrine of Amarnath will commence on June 28. All border police stations, posts and check-points have also been directed to be strengthened and activated to neutralize any attempt of infiltration by terrorists from across the International Border (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC), a police spokesman said. He said the directions were passed at a high level meeting chaired by Inspector General of Police, Jammu, S D Singh Jamwal here last evening and attended among others by senior police, Army, paramilitary forces and state and central intelligence agencies.? The meeting was convened to discuss and review security arrangements for the pilgrimage. "All officers have been directed to maintain highest level of alertness and synergy among themselves and also to share intelligence on real time basis so that nefarious designs of anti-national elements and their mentors can be thwarted," the spokesman said. He said a detailed briefing was given by officers of Intelligence agencies and Army and police with regard to security arrangements to ensure smooth and peaceful conduct of the pilgrimage.? Addressing the meeting, the IGP stressed upon the need to organise night patrolling on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway regularly and maintain close cooperation with all forces deployed in their area of jurisdiction.? Singh asked senior superintendents of police to ensure adequate security in their respective districts particularly at base camp Bhagwati Nagar here, the spokesman said. The Jammu police chief stressed upon officers of border districts to lay joint check points and ensure patrolling on all probable infiltration routes.? He also directed that all border police stations, posts and check-points should be strengthened and activated so as to neutralize any attempt of infiltration by terrorists from across the IB and the LoC.

J&K: Ahead of Amarnath yatra, security forces told to maintain 'highest level of alertness'

Madhya Pradesh Cabinet Minister Swami Akhileshwaranand on Wednesday urged the state government to constitute a cow ministry.&nbsp;

"I request the Madhya Pradesh government to constitute a cow ministry. The chief minister&nbsp;Shivraj Singh Chouhan himself is a farmer and people like me will help him in this," he told news agency ANI.

Akhileshwaranand claimed that he has the public backing for his proposal. &nbsp;

Last week, Madhya Pradesh government elevated state Cow Protection Board chairman Akhileshwaranand to the cabinet rank, after he expressed displeasure on being appointed to a Narmada conservation panel along with some "controversial" religious figures, in April.

He said nothing much should be read into the government granting him the cabinet rank as he deserved it by virtue of being the chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Cow Protection Board (MPCPB).&nbsp;

However, Akhileshwaranand acknowledged that he was not comfortable when he was appointed to the Narmada conservation panel.

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I request the Madhya Pradesh govt to constitute a cow ministry. The CM himself is a farmer & people like me will help him in this. I am getting full support from the public: Akhileshwaranand, MP Cabinet Minister <a href="https://t.co/NKwmV6ZOIy">pic.twitter.com/NKwmV6ZOIy</a>
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&nbsp;

He further claimed that he is getting full support from the public

Madhya Pradesh Cabinet Minister Swami Akhileshwaranand on Wednesday urged the state government to constitute a cow ministry. "I request the Madhya Pradesh government to constitute a cow ministry. The chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan himself is a farmer and people like me will help him in this," he told news agency ANI. Akhileshwaranand claimed that he has the public backing for his proposal. Last week, Madhya Pradesh government elevated state Cow Protection Board chairman Akhileshwaranand to the cabinet rank, after he expressed displeasure on being appointed to a Narmada conservation panel along with some "controversial" religious figures, in April. He said nothing much should be read into the government granting him the cabinet rank as he deserved it by virtue of being the chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Cow Protection Board (MPCPB). However, Akhileshwaranand acknowledged that he was not comfortable when he was appointed to the Narmada conservation panel. I request the Madhya Pradesh govt to constitute a cow ministry. The CM himself is a farmer & people like me will help him in this. I am getting full support from the public: Akhileshwaranand, MP Cabinet Minister pic.twitter.com/NKwmV6ZOIy — ANI (@ANI) June 20, 2018 ×

Madhya Pradesh cabinet minister urges state government to constitute cow ministry

Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev opined that self-styled godmen or 'Babas' involved in illegal activities should be hanged to death for violating the limits of their work. 
 
"Whoever violates those limits should not only be sent to jail, but should be hanged till death. There should not be any compromise on this," Baba Ramdev told media here. 
 
The Yoga guru further stated that donning saffron-coloured clothes is not the only criteria for being a religious leader. 
 
"Every profession has its own limitation. There is a protocol for every job same is with the&nbsp;babas.&nbsp; Just by donning saffron clothes, one cannot be called a&nbsp;baba.&nbsp;It is all about character," he added. 
 
Baba Ramdev's reaction came after another case of rape and fraud surfaced against a self-styled godman.

Daati Maharaj, a self-styled godman, has been accused of raping a disciple inside Shani Dham two years ago.&nbsp;&nbsp;A woman, in her complaint filed last Sunday in south Delhi, alleges that Daati Maharaj repeatedly raped her at his ashrams in Delhi and Rajasthan two years ago.

Daati Maharaj denied these allegations against him,&nbsp;police said. A senior police officer said that he has been asked to appear again for questioning on Friday.

The woman has told the police that she had been a disciple of Daati Maharaj for a decade but after she was raped by him, she returned to her home in Rajasthan.

Baba Ramdev's reaction came after another case of rape and fraud surfaced against a self-styled godman, Daati Maharaj

Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev opined that self-styled godmen or 'Babas' involved in illegal activities should be hanged to death for violating the limits of their work. "Whoever violates those limits should not only be sent to jail, but should be hanged till death. There should not be any compromise on this," Baba Ramdev told media here. The Yoga guru further stated that donning saffron-coloured clothes is not the only criteria for being a religious leader. "Every profession has its own limitation. There is a protocol for every job same is with the babas. Just by donning saffron clothes, one cannot be called a baba. It is all about character," he added. Baba Ramdev's reaction came after another case of rape and fraud surfaced against a self-styled godman. Daati Maharaj, a self-styled godman, has been accused of raping a disciple inside Shani Dham two years ago. A woman, in her complaint filed last Sunday in south Delhi, alleges that Daati Maharaj repeatedly raped her at his ashrams in Delhi and Rajasthan two years ago. Daati Maharaj denied these allegations against him, police said. A senior police officer said that he has been asked to appear again for questioning on Friday. The woman has told the police that she had been a disciple of Daati Maharaj for a decade but after she was raped by him, she returned to her home in Rajasthan.

Godmen involved in illegal activities should be hanged to death: Ramdev

News of Akshay Kumar signing a Yash Raj film has been doing the rounds for some time. Reports suggest that Kumar will be featuring in big-budget period drama that will be produced by Aditya Chopra.&nbsp;DNA now reports that Kumar indeed will be a part of the period drama that is being mounted on a large scale by YRF.&nbsp; 
 
Akshay will be seen playing the role of Prithviraj Chauhan in the period film. A source close to the production house told DNA that art director Chandraprakash Dwivedi will be directing the film. "Chandraprakash has been planning to make a movie on Prithviraj Chauhan for the last two-and-a-half years now. Akshay has been his only choice for the role. Aditya loved his storytelling and decided to back the project," said the source.&nbsp; 
 
The film will highlight the Rajput king's love story with Samyukhta and also him as a ruler and a warrior.&nbsp; 
 
"The project will roll out around mid-next year after Akshay finishes 'Hera Pheri 3'. Right now, the filmmaker and his team is busy with research and pre-production,” added the source. Incidentally, Akshay and YRF will be working together after a gap of 11 years. &nbsp;His last release was Tashan in 2008.&nbsp;

Aditya Chopra is in fact backing two big period ventures consecutively — this one and Ranbir Kapoor’s Shamshera that goes on floors by the end of this year.&nbsp;

Akshay Kumar and YRF are teaming up after 11 long years.

News of Akshay Kumar signing a Yash Raj film has been doing the rounds for some time. Reports suggest that Kumar will be featuring in big-budget period drama that will be produced by Aditya Chopra. DNA now reports that Kumar indeed will be a part of the period drama that is being mounted on a large scale by YRF. Akshay will be seen playing the role of Prithviraj Chauhan in the period film. A source close to the production house told DNA that art director Chandraprakash Dwivedi will be directing the film. "Chandraprakash has been planning to make a movie on Prithviraj Chauhan for the last two-and-a-half years now. Akshay has been his only choice for the role. Aditya loved his storytelling and decided to back the project," said the source. The film will highlight the Rajput king's love story with Samyukhta and also him as a ruler and a warrior. "The project will roll out around mid-next year after Akshay finishes 'Hera Pheri 3'. Right now, the filmmaker and his team is busy with research and pre-production,” added the source. Incidentally, Akshay and YRF will be working together after a gap of 11 years. His last release was Tashan in 2008. Aditya Chopra is in fact backing two big period ventures consecutively — this one and Ranbir Kapoor’s Shamshera that goes on floors by the end of this year.

Akshay Kumar to play Prithviraj Chauhan in YRF's next?

Rancho, Farhan and Raju of 3 Idiots&nbsp;are soon to get a reboot as filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani just confirmed that the blockbuster hit 3 Idiots will soon get a sequel.&nbsp;

After a gap of nine years when all film lovers had no indication of 3 Idiots making a comeback, Hirani in an interview with a tabloid revealed that he started writing the script for 3 Idiots part 2 a few days ago.

He said, “I definitely want to make a sequel to 3 Idiots. In fact, Abhijat [Joshi, writer] and I started writing something a few days ago. But it’s still in the initial stage and we will take a fair amount of time to develop the script.”

The lead star of the film, Aamir Khan had also expressed his interest in taking the story of the three friends further.&nbsp;

We just hope the part 2 comes soon and that it features the same faces as friends -- Aamir Khan, R Madhavan and Sharman Joshi. The film will, however, take some time before it’s ready as Hirani will return to the third instalment of the Munna Bhai series after Sanju hits theatres. Reportedly, the script for the same has been finalised and he is eager to start working on it with Sanjay Dutt.

'3 Idiots' featuring Aamir Khan, R Madhavan and Sharman Joshi as three best friends was a blockbuster hit

Rancho, Farhan and Raju of 3 Idiots are soon to get a reboot as filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani just confirmed that the blockbuster hit 3 Idiots will soon get a sequel. After a gap of nine years when all film lovers had no indication of 3 Idiots making a comeback, Hirani in an interview with a tabloid revealed that he started writing the script for 3 Idiots part 2 a few days ago. He said, “I definitely want to make a sequel to 3 Idiots. In fact, Abhijat [Joshi, writer] and I started writing something a few days ago. But it’s still in the initial stage and we will take a fair amount of time to develop the script.” The lead star of the film, Aamir Khan had also expressed his interest in taking the story of the three friends further. We just hope the part 2 comes soon and that it features the same faces as friends -- Aamir Khan, R Madhavan and Sharman Joshi. The film will, however, take some time before it’s ready as Hirani will return to the third instalment of the Munna Bhai series after Sanju hits theatres. Reportedly, the script for the same has been finalised and he is eager to start working on it with Sanjay Dutt.

Yes! Rajkumar Hirani confirms a sequel to Aamir Khan starrer '3 Idiots'

When Virat Kohli shared a video of his wife Anushka Sharma scolding a man for littering the streets, the internet had a mixed response to it. While many lauded the couple for telling the man the right thing, there were others who felt the couple should not have uploaded a video or at least blurred the man's face.&nbsp;

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Saw these people throwing garbage on the road & pulled them up rightfully. Travelling in a luxury car and brains gone for a toss. These people will keep our country clean? Yeah right! If you see something wrong happening like this, do the same & spread awareness. <a href="https://twitter.com/AnushkaSharma?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AnushkaSharma</a> <a href="https://t.co/p8flrmcnba">pic.twitter.com/p8flrmcnba</a>
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Some even stated that the couple shared the video for publicity. Their supporters, however, jumped to their defence stating that the two were celebrities in their own right and would not want unnecessary attention on themselves. Union Minister Kirren Rijiju also praised Kohli and Sharma and said, "C'mon, Virat & Anushka need publicity!! They would rather crave for privacy!! Our conduct reflects our mentality. Civic sense is social ethics and ethical behaviour doesn't come with wealth & education. Let's keep India clean.(sic)"

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C'mon, Virat & Anushka need publicity!! They would rather crave for privacy!! Our conduct reflects our mentality. Civic sense is social ethics and ethical behaviour doesn't come with wealth & education. Let's keep India clean. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SwachhBharat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SwachhBharat</a>
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) <a href="https://twitter.com/KirenRijiju/status/1008641842727063553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Other celebrities who lauded Anushka were Karan Johar and Ranveer Singh.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-mumbai-man-who-was-scolded-by-anushka-sharma-for-littering-is-a-familiar-face-from-the-1990s-145209">Also see:&nbsp;Mumbai man who was scolded by Anushka Sharma for littering is a familiar face from the 1990s</a> 
 
A day after Kohli posted the video, the man in question, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/after-getting-yelled-at-by-anushka-sharma-for-littering-man-slams-her-on-social-media--144934">Arhhan Singh lashed out at the actress for 'ranting and yelling like a roadside person”. </a>Singh's mother also wrote a scathing post and stated that she now feared for her son's safety.&nbsp;

Rijiju spoke after the couple were accused of sharing the littering video for publicity

When Virat Kohli shared a video of his wife Anushka Sharma scolding a man for littering the streets, the internet had a mixed response to it. While many lauded the couple for telling the man the right thing, there were others who felt the couple should not have uploaded a video or at least blurred the man's face. Saw these people throwing garbage on the road & pulled them up rightfully. Travelling in a luxury car and brains gone for a toss. These people will keep our country clean? Yeah right! If you see something wrong happening like this, do the same & spread awareness. @AnushkaSharma pic.twitter.com/p8flrmcnba — Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) June 16, 2018 × Some even stated that the couple shared the video for publicity. Their supporters, however, jumped to their defence stating that the two were celebrities in their own right and would not want unnecessary attention on themselves. Union Minister Kirren Rijiju also praised Kohli and Sharma and said, "C'mon, Virat & Anushka need publicity!! They would rather crave for privacy!! Our conduct reflects our mentality. Civic sense is social ethics and ethical behaviour doesn't come with wealth & education. Let's keep India clean.(sic)" C'mon, Virat & Anushka need publicity!! They would rather crave for privacy!! Our conduct reflects our mentality. Civic sense is social ethics and ethical behaviour doesn't come with wealth & education. Let's keep India clean. #SwachhBharat — Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) June 18, 2018 × Other celebrities who lauded Anushka were Karan Johar and Ranveer Singh. Also see: Mumbai man who was scolded by Anushka Sharma for littering is a familiar face from the 1990s A day after Kohli posted the video, the man in question, Arhhan Singh lashed out at the actress for 'ranting and yelling like a roadside person”. Singh's mother also wrote a scathing post and stated that she now feared for her son's safety.

Kiren Rijiju bats for Virat Kohli & Anushka Sharma, says they need privacy, not publicity

Senior state minister D&nbsp;Jayakumar on Tuesday slammed HD Kumaraswamy, saying that his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "a waste of time."&nbsp;

"There is clear direction from SC on Cauvery row. HD Kumaraswamy meeting PM was a waste of time. Whether it is Kumaraswamy, Narayanasamy or some other Swamy, we have Cauvery management board and it is the ultimate Swami" ANI quoted him as saying.&nbsp;

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Monday said that he has sought an appointment to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, to discuss the recently formed the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CMA).

He said that the state plans on sending names of its nominees in the Cauvery Water Management Board (CMB) and the Regulation Authority but it will have to address certain issues first.

He informed that they will have to go as per the Supreme Courts Judgement in the case related to sharing waters with Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.&nbsp;

However, the Chief Minister’s office in Karnataka released a letter in Bengaluru urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to operate the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and its regulation committee till the issues related to cropping pattern were addressed.

On February 16, the Supreme Court had&nbsp;directed the government to form the CMA&nbsp;within six weeks, in a verdict that marginally increased Karnataka's share of Cauvery water, reduced the allocation for Tamil Nadu and sought to settle the protracted water dispute between the two states. 
 
In a gazette notification, the Ministry of Water Resources said it has framed a scheme constituting the CMA and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) to give effect to the decision of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal as modified by the Supreme Court order. 
 
Tamil Nadu government, which welcomed the gazette notification, has last week named its representatives of the CMA and the CWRC.

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said that he has sought an appointment to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, to discuss the recently formed the Cauvery Water Management Authority

Senior state minister D Jayakumar on Tuesday slammed HD Kumaraswamy, saying that his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "a waste of time." "There is clear direction from SC on Cauvery row. HD Kumaraswamy meeting PM was a waste of time. Whether it is Kumaraswamy, Narayanasamy or some other Swamy, we have Cauvery management board and it is the ultimate Swami" ANI quoted him as saying. Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Monday said that he has sought an appointment to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, to discuss the recently formed the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CMA). He said that the state plans on sending names of its nominees in the Cauvery Water Management Board (CMB) and the Regulation Authority but it will have to address certain issues first. He informed that they will have to go as per the Supreme Courts Judgement in the case related to sharing waters with Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. However, the Chief Minister’s office in Karnataka released a letter in Bengaluru urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to operate the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and its regulation committee till the issues related to cropping pattern were addressed. On February 16, the Supreme Court had directed the government to form the CMA within six weeks, in a verdict that marginally increased Karnataka's share of Cauvery water, reduced the allocation for Tamil Nadu and sought to settle the protracted water dispute between the two states. In a gazette notification, the Ministry of Water Resources said it has framed a scheme constituting the CMA and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) to give effect to the decision of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal as modified by the Supreme Court order. Tamil Nadu government, which welcomed the gazette notification, has last week named its representatives of the CMA and the CWRC.

Cauvery row: HD Kumaraswamy meeting PM a waste of time, says D Jayakumar

The Karnataka high court on Monday sought a report from two additional chief metropolitan magistrates of Bengaluru city&nbsp;to ascertain if judicial procedures were followed&nbsp;after the four accused in the Gauri Lankesh claimed that they had been tortured in police custody.&nbsp;

The court asked the first and third Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Courts to submit a report into the allegations that they had not followed procedure as per the law after some of the accused persons.&nbsp;

Advocate NP Amrutesh had filed an affidavit which mentioned that the magistrates did not comply with procedures mandatory by the apex court regarding persons in custody. Amrutesh is representing the four accused — Sujith Kumar, Amol Kale, Amit Ramachandra Degvekar and Manohar Edave — picked by the SIT probing the murder.

After Justice K N Phaneendra said that the allegations were serious, he asked the magistrates to file a report within 10 days from the date of receiving the order, reports said.&nbsp;

Amrutesh also said that the four men had informed the magistrates that they had gone through third-degree interrogation by the police adding that when Kale had been taken to court he had bruises on his cheek.&nbsp;

In his affidavit, Amrutesh made allegations that the magistrate had not ordered medical examination of the accused when the torture allegedly given to him by police was brought to his notice on June 14, as the Magistrate of 3rd ACMM was not available. The magistrate only recorded the injury marks on Kale’s body, he alleged.

Advocate NP Amrutesh had filed an affidavit which mentioned that the magistrates did not comply with procedures mandatory by the apex court regarding persons in custody

The Karnataka high court on Monday sought a report from two additional chief metropolitan magistrates of Bengaluru city to ascertain if judicial procedures were followed after the four accused in the Gauri Lankesh claimed that they had been tortured in police custody. The court asked the first and third Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Courts to submit a report into the allegations that they had not followed procedure as per the law after some of the accused persons. Advocate NP Amrutesh had filed an affidavit which mentioned that the magistrates did not comply with procedures mandatory by the apex court regarding persons in custody. Amrutesh is representing the four accused — Sujith Kumar, Amol Kale, Amit Ramachandra Degvekar and Manohar Edave — picked by the SIT probing the murder. After Justice K N Phaneendra said that the allegations were serious, he asked the magistrates to file a report within 10 days from the date of receiving the order, reports said. Amrutesh also said that the four men had informed the magistrates that they had gone through third-degree interrogation by the police adding that when Kale had been taken to court he had bruises on his cheek. In his affidavit, Amrutesh made allegations that the magistrate had not ordered medical examination of the accused when the torture allegedly given to him by police was brought to his notice on June 14, as the Magistrate of 3rd ACMM was not available. The magistrate only recorded the injury marks on Kale’s body, he alleged.

Gauri Lankesh murder case: Karnataka HC seeks report on lapses by magistrates

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