Categories
-Top News Defence

Lt General CP Mohanty Takes Charge As Vice Chief Of Army

Lieutenant General Chandi Prasad Mohanty took charge of Vice Chief of Indian Army on Monday. He took over the appointment of the Vice Chief of the Army Staff from Lt Gen S.K. Saini who superannuated on January 31, 2021 after completing four decades of illustrious career in the Army.

An alumnus of Rashtriya Indian Military College, Dehradun, National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, Lt Gen Mohanty was commissioned into the Rajput Regiment on June 12, 1982.

In a career spanning four decades, he served across a wide spectrum of conflicts and terrain profiles and tenanted a host of Command, Staff and Instructional appointments.

He commanded a battalion on the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir and later in the North East.

He has the unique distinction of commanding two brigades: first on the Line of Actual Control and later on, the multinational UN Brigade in Democratic Republic of Congo.

He later commanded the Rangiya based Division in a counter insurgency environment and the Sikkim-based Trishakti Corps immediately after the Doklam incident.

The officer also has a unique distinction of commanding two Administrative formations as well: the Jodhpur Sub Area as a Major General and Uttar Bharat Area as a Lieutenant General.

An alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College Wellington, Higher Defence Management Course Secunderabad and the National Defence College New Delhi, the officer’s staff and instructional assignments include an instructional tenure at NDA, Brigade Major of an Armoured Brigade, Military Advisor in Seychelles, Colonel Military Secretary (Selection) in the MS Branch, Brigadier General Staff (Operations) of a Corps in the Eastern Theatre and Director General, Operational Logistics and Strategic Movement.

Also Read-‘Procurement of crops to continue at the minimum support price’

Categories
-Top News Economy India News

FM hikes Capex by 34.5% in FY22

Accordingly, the FM proposed to increase the capital expenditure to Rs 5.54 lakh crore from Rs 4.12 lakh crore in BE FY21….reports Asian Lite News

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday proposed to increase the capital expenditure by 34 per cent in comparison to Budget Estimate (BE) of the previous fiscal.

Accordingly, the FM proposed to increase the capital expenditure to Rs 5.54 lakh crore from Rs 4.12 lakh crore in BE FY21.

Besides, more than Rs 2 lakh crore to states and their autonomous bodies.

Also read:Economic Survey calls for simplifying regulations

Categories
India News

Internet suspension extends for 2 days in Delhi

The government has suspended internet connectivity for two days at the Singhu and Tikri (Delhi-Haryana) border, and Ghazipur (Delhi-Uttar Pradesh) border for two more days at the request of Delhi Police, officials said on Monday.

According to the government order, in exercise of powers conferred under sub rule 1 of Rule 2 of the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety Rules 2017), and in the interest of maintaining public safety and averting public emergency, it is necessary and expedient to order the temporary suspension of Internet services in Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri and their adjoining areas in the National Capital Territory from 11 p.m. on January 31 to 11 p.m. on February 2.


On Monday, the police officials also fenced the Delhi border near Ghazipur with the barbed wires to stop the protesting farmers entering the national capital from the Uttar Pradesh.

The police also deployed heavy security at the Ghazipur protest site.

On Saturday, the government has decided to suspend the internet services for two days between January 29 to January 31.

The development comes against the backdrop of two recent incidents of violence within a week — mayhem during the January 26 farmers’ tractor rally, and the clash between protesting famers and local residents at Singhu border on Friday.

The police carried out a baton charge and fired teargas shells following the clash on Friday over the locals’ demand to clear the roads which have been closed for the last two months as the farmers are camping there to protest against the Centre’s new farm laws.

The farmers and the locals also pelted stones at each other.

On January 26, after the violent clashes in several parts of Delhi, the Internet services were temporarily suspended in several areas as a precautionary measure.

The Delhi Police has registered several cases in connection with the Republic Day violence.

Also Read-‘Procurement of crops to continue at the minimum support price’

Categories
-Top News Asia News

Israel extends lockdown

The lockdown, first imposed on December 27, 2020, is Israel’s third since the onset of the pandemic in February 2020…reports Asian Lite News

The Israeli cabinet has decided to extend an ongoing 36-day nationwide lockdown until Friday in an effort to curb the coronavirus outbreak.

Late Sunday night, the Ministers voted in favour of extending the measure at least until Friday, a government spokesman confirmed to Xinhua news agency on Monday.

The lockdown, first imposed on December 27, 2020, is Israel’s third since the onset of the pandemic in February 2020.

During the lockdown, people cannot go 1,000 metres far from their homes with exceptions for essential workers and those who are getting vaccinated or purchasing food.

The Ministry of Health reported 4,227 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, increasing the overall infection tally to 643,006.

The death toll stands at 4,796.

The number of people vaccinated against the disease in Israel has surpassed 3.05 million, or 32.8 per cent of its total population, since the vaccination campaign began on December 20, 2020.

Also read:Over 3mn vaccinated in Israel

Categories
-Top News Economy India News

‘Procurement of crops to continue at the minimum support price’

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said farmers are getting 1.5 times of the minimum support price (MSP) on procurement of foodgrains.

In her Budget speech, the Finance Minister said procurement of crops will continue at the minimum support price.

Presenting statistics on procurement of wheat and rice on MSP, she said that this year Rs 1,72,000 crore will be spent on procurement of rice and more than Rs 62,000 crore have already been spent on procurement of wheat.

One of the two main demands of the farmers protesting at Delhi’s borders for more than two months has been a legal guarantee on MSP by the government.

While the government has reiterated that the present system of procurement of crops at MSP will continue.

Punjab MPs wear black gowns on Budget day

Punjab Congress MPs Jasbir Singh Gill and Gurjit Singh Aujla wore black gowns to protest against the contentious farm laws on Budget day and held up posters proclaiming ‘I am also farmer’ as the farmers’ protests at the Delhi borders continued into February without any breakthrough.

The Congress has upped the ante on the issue of the farm laws with former party chief Rahul Gandhi demanding early solutions and warning that the protests may spread further. The Congress is demanding the repeal of the farm laws.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the all-party meeting on Saturday, had reiterated that the government’s proposal of suspending the laws still stands.

The Prime Minister assured that the government is approaching the farmers’ issue with an open mind.

Modi stressed that Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had said that he is just a phone call away for talks.

Modi referred to the violence in Delhi on January 26 and said that the law will take its own course.

In his first ‘Mann Ki Baat’ monthly radio programme of this year, the Prime Minister said the violence occurred days after when the country celebrated Lohri, Makar Sankranti, Pongal and Bihu festivals as well as the Indian cricket team’s victory against Australia and the celebration of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s 125th birth anniversary as ‘Parakram Divas’.

Chaos reigned in Delhi on the 72nd Republic Day as the tractor rally by the protesting farmers went off the designated route and rolled into the iconic Mughal-era Red Fort in the old city. A protester died on the way and over 300 security forces were injured in the violence. The farmers entered the forecourt of the Red Fort, climbed its ramparts, and hoisted a religious flag on a mast where the Prime Minister unfurls the tricolour every year on Independence Day.

Also Read-BUDGET 2021: Nirmala replaces ‘bahi khata’ with ‘Made in India’ tablet

Categories
-Top News Economy India News

BUDGET 2021: Nirmala replaces ‘bahi khata’ with ‘Made in India’ tablet

In a significant change amid digitalisation, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman this year unveiled a ‘Made in India’ tablet replacing the traditional briefcase before presenting Budget 2021.

With the move aimed at a paperless Budget, now ‘bahi khata’ (a ledger wrapped in a red cloth) has been completely removed from this year — a move to reinforce Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious ‘Digital India’ mission.

In 1947, India’s first Finance Minister R. K. Shanmukham Chetty carried a leather portfolio to present the first Budget.

In January, the Central government also launched ‘Union Budget Mobile App’ on the occasion of the Halwa ceremony to enable MPs and people to access Budget documents digitally.

It was launched as no budget papers will be printed this year in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sitharaman, who will present the Budget for the third time, is expected to lift and give an impetus to the Indian economy that has been battered due to the pandemic and subsequent lockdown.

The Budget comes at a time when India has been battling with the Covid-19 pandemic and the economy is reeling under the aftereffects of the lockdown.

Sitharaman will present the Budget at 11 a.m. in the Lok Sabha. This is in a series of three-four mini Budgets presented during last year considering the pandemic. This would be Sitharaman’s third Budget under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

At the beginning of the joint session of Parliament on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also said that the Finance Minister had already announced 3-4 mini Budgets and that the 2021-22 Budget would be historic.

It is expected that the Budget will help in the revival by various sectors like agriculture, infrastructure, healthcare, rural economy and MSMEs sectors that faced the worst impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown restrictions.

Also Read-Greece detects 1st case of SA Covid variant