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Smriti Mandhana Applauds Indian Captains’ Title Wins

Smriti Mandhana feels the time post WPL 2023 failure to now winning the title in 2024 has been a huge learning curve for her, in terms of trusting herself and being calm during the match…reports Asian Lite News

After Royal Challengers Bangalore grabbed its first-ever trophy in franchise T20 cricket competitions in India via the WPL 2024 title, captain Smriti Mandhana feels the trend of Indian skippers leading their respective teams to title triumphs augurs well for Indian women’s cricket from a leadership perspective.

Last year, Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur became the inaugural WPL winning captain at the Brabourne Stadium. On Sunday, it was Smriti’s turn to etch herself as a WPL-winning skipper when RCB beat Delhi Capitals by eight wickets in front of 29,131 fans at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

“Last year when Mumbai Indians played Delhi Capitals in the final, even though I have many friends in Delhi. But somewhere deep down I wanted Harman to lift the trophy because in the first edition of the WPL, if an Indian captain had to win, if not me it had to be Harman.”

“So, I was really happy at that time for MI and whole team. Little did I know that I will be the second Indian captain to win WPL. I am really happy and that really shows the kind of depth Indian cricket has and this is just the start, we still have a long way to go in terms of Indian captains,” said a jubilant Smriti in the post-match press conference.

After Richa Ghosh hit the winning boundary by lofting Arundhati Reddy over mid-on, all RCB players ran onto the field. Smriti took time to emerge and shook hands with everyone before disappearing into the dressing room and then re-emerged on the ground ten minutes later, even as others were doing the ‘Naatu Naatu’ step under the choreography of an excited Shreyanka Patil.

“The first thing I did was I went to the dressing room and sat, that’s my way of celebration to do. It’s hard to celebrate the way others do. I don’t know, there’s some defect,” said Smriti, with the glittering WPL trophy alongside her.

She was also pleased with Richa hitting winning runs for RCB’s title, after she was left in tears last week when the side lost to DC by one run. “The game got dragged a bit more than what we would have liked for sure but I’m happy Richa got to finish it. She had a bit of unfinished business. I had spoken to her about this, and I’m very happy she got to score the winning run. That it came off her bat, not mine. I’m really happy about that.”

The left-handed opener then gave a big shout-out to the fans who watched WPL games live and to the RCB management, who were subjected to ridicule for almost 17 years whenever their prophecy of ‘Ee Saala Cup Namde’ (this time, the cup will be ours), fell flat in IPL, including in last year’s WPL, when the team finished at fourth place.

“More than anything, the way the fans have turned up in each and every match in Bangalore or Delhi and the management, they’ve gone through so much in the last 15 years being so close and all of that. They’ve just been amazing throughout. Even last year, when we were not doing well, the only conversation they had was ‘Are you okay?’ which meant a lot as a player.

“When the management shows that kind of thing (faith), there’s something you want to play for and win for. The first thought for me was, ‘Wow the fans of RCB as a franchise are going to be so happy. The management are all in tears’. I was really happy to see them and this whole group.”

“We’ve been through a lot in this tournament from the time when we didn’t know we’d make the Eliminator, to that crazy Eliminator and then this final. The whole group just stuck at it. One thing we did for sure was flight back. Even today, I think we fought back really well. Maybe it is difficult for me to individually express, but there’s a lot of gratitude for the fans and the franchise as a whole and this whole group,” she added.

Last year, Smriti couldn’t notch up a half-century and falling to off-spinners majorly. After WPL 2023 ended, Smriti wasn’t a part of WBBL 2023 in Australia and instead, spent time playing in the domestic cricket competitions in India, to get a better understanding of the domestic players, apart from Luke Williams replacing Ben Sawyer as RCB’s head coach.

She feels the time post WPL 2023 failure to now winning the title in 2024 has been a huge learning curve for her, in terms of trusting herself and being calm during the match. “The one thing I’ve learnt is to believe in myself. I thought that’s something that I lacked. Last year when it did go wrong, I doubted myself. That was a real conversation internally that I need to keep trusting myself. That was the biggest learning for me.”

“Even in the match, six overs 60 (61 runs by DC in power-play) – we’d planned a few things which didn’t go our way. A few field sets didn’t go our way. But the only thing which stayed constant was the belief I had. I was not really panicked about it; I was really calm, which was a real learning for me, that was great.”

“I could have that clear conversation with the bowlers because the Indian batters were coming (to bat). So I spoke to them about bowling certain balls and seeing what they do. Eventually those wickets came. So, it was about being very clear (instead) when that panic button is pressed. Most importantly, it was about keeping faith in myself and my team.”

“It’s not like I haven’t played in this gear when I play for the India team when we’re chasing a low total. I do try and stay till whatever time I can on the field to take us home. There’s a fine balance in T20 cricket, especially when you’re batting first as an opener to understand what the conditions and the wicket is like.”

“You don’t want to be too defensive or too aggressive because you don’t know what’s a perfect total sometimes when you’re batting first. Going a bit easy on myself is definitely something to think about but, naturally, I like to try and play a few shots which, I think, will remain the same,” she concluded.

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Jumbotail Raises Rs 151 Crore led by Artal Asia

Heron Rock, Sabre Investment, Arkam Ventures, Jarvis Reserve Fund, Reaction Global, VII Ventures and others also participated in the round….reports Asian Lite News

B2B marketplace and new retail platform Jumbotail on Monday said it has raised Rs 151 crore equity capital led by Artal Asia.

Heron Rock, Sabre Investment, Arkam Ventures, Jarvis Reserve Fund, Reaction Global, VII Ventures and others also participated in the round.

Jumbotail said it plans to invest funds in scaling its suite of go-to-market (GTM) products and services for new and emerging brands to reach mass-market consumers via its kirana store network.

“Jumbotail is the fastest and capital efficient way for brands to access over 100 million urban middle-class consumers via the Kirana stores on its platform. We expect to be fully profitable on an operational basis across our entire network before the end of 2024,” said Ashish Jhina, Co-founder and COO, of Jumbotail.

Jumbotail is building AI-driven technologies to drive higher customer wallet share by leveraging its deep sourcing capabilities across FMCG and staples, along with its kirana supply chain.

With over 60 per cent market penetration of kiranas, Jumbotail said it has the highest wallet share and monthly purchase frequency of small and medium kirana stores in the industry.

“Since Artal’s first investment in Jumbotail in 2021, Jumbotail has continued to demonstrate its differentiation and market leadership in the digital enablement of the kirana ecosystem,” said Benjamin Felt, Board Member of Jumbotail and Managing Director of Invus, the global advisor of Artal.

An estimated 12 million kirana stores in the country control more than 95 per cent of the $600 billion food and grocery market.

Jumbotail said it has raised a total of $143 million in equity to date, and $14 million in venture debt from leading firms Alteria Capital and Innoven Capital.

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‘Govt Policies Fuel Trade Surplus’

Further, range-bound movement in oil prices (USD81-83/bbl) and Indian Rupee (Rs 82/USD) narrowed the import bill for India…reports Asian Lite News

The balance of trade has been favourable with the government’s impetus for exporting manufactured goods under the Production Linked Incentives (PLI) scheme, building infrastructural facilities amid easing of global commodity prices, besides revival of service receipts, said Amnish Aggarwal, Director of Research, Prabhudas Lilladher.

Further, range-bound movement in oil prices (USD81-83/bbl) and Indian Rupee (Rs 82/USD) narrowed the import bill for India.

India’s exports stood at USD 73.55 billion (14.20 per cent YoY) while imports stood at USD 75.50 billion (10.13 per cent YoY) in February 2024, narrowing the trade deficit to USD 1.95 billion in February 2024 vs USD 4.15 billion in February 2023, he said.

“Going forward, the Foreign Trade Policy 2023 aims to target exports worth USD 2 trillion by 2030. The same is likely to be helped by India’s focus on building alliances through preferential trade agreements with world economies besides global supply chain diversifying away from China,” he added.

Emkay Global Financial Services said in a note that while Q3FY24 CAD/GDP likely widened to 1.7 per cent, Q4 is likely to see a current account surplus of 0.5 per cent of GDP (for the first time since Q1FY22), largely due to better-than-expected performance for both goods and services exports. This has been an ongoing trend throughout the year, leading to regular downward revisions in CAD/GDP estimates. Net services exports are especially notable, with software exports holding up well and net non-software exports likely to surge by over 50 per cent YoY.

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Citroen Partners with BluSmart

As part of the initial phase, 125 Citroen e-C3 were flagged off from BluSmart’s EV charging superhub in Bengaluru….reports Asian Lite News

French carmaker Citroen on Monday joined hands with Indian EV company BluSmart Mobility to expand the homegrown firm’s all-electric fleet in the country.

The French company and BluSmart Mobility have signed an MoU that secures the supply of 4,000 Citroen e-C3, all-electric compact SUV units, over a period of 12 months.

As part of the initial phase, 125 Citroen e-C3 were flagged off from BluSmart’s EV charging superhub in Bengaluru.

The new Citroen compact SUV will augment BluSmart’s growing fleet of over 7,000 EVs, the companies said in a statement.

“This collaborative signifies a shared vision for a sustainable future in the realm of electric mobility, reaffirming our commitment to shaping a cleaner and greener transportation ecosystem,” said Shishir Mishra, Brand Director, Citroen India.

The Citroen e-C3 offers a range of 320 km and features fast-charging technology, capable of achieving full charge in less than an hour.

“Having a shared vision of achieving net-zero mobility, ‘with the mission to ‘Decarbonise Mobility at Scale’, we are dedicated to constructing a comprehensive EV mobility ecosystem in India,” said Anmol Jaggi, Co-founder and CEO, BluSmart.

BluSmart also owns and operates 4,400 EV chargers across its 36 superhubs spread across 1.5 million square feet in Delhi NCR and Bengaluru.

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NDA seals Bihar deal

BJP set to contest 17 seats and JD(U) 16. LJP (Ram Vilas) will contest five seats and Hindustani Awam Morcha and Rashtriya Lok Morcha will fight one seat each…reports Asian Lite News

The ruling National Democractic Alliance has reached seat-sharing agreement in Bihar for the Lok Sabha polls with the BJP set to contest 17 seats and JD-U 16.

The seat-sharing agreement was announced by BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde on Monday. He said LJP (Ram Vilas) will contest five seats and Hindustani Awam Morcha and Rashtriya Lok Morcha will fight one seat each.

“The NDA alliance will fight the polls collectively. We will put our full force on all 40 seats in the state. We will win on all the 40 seats. It is my belief,” he said.

The BJP has got one seat more than the JD-U, according to the seat arrangement.

He said the BJP will field candidates in Pashchim Champaran, Purvi Champaran, Aurangabad, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Maharajganj, Saran, Begusarai, Nawada, Patna Sahib, Patliputra, Aara, Buxar, and Sasaram.

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) will contest Vaishali, Hajipur, Samastipur, Khagaria and Jamui. Hindustani Awam Morcha and Rashtriya Lok Morcha on Gaya and Karakat seats respectively.

Bihar will see polling in seven phases. The first phase of polling will be held on April 19, the second phase on April 26, the third phase on May 7, the fourth phase on May 13, the fifth phase on May 20, the sixth phase on May 25, and the seventh phase on June 1.

The Election Commission on Saturday announced the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The polling will be conducted in seven phases across the nation from April 19 to June 1. Votes will be counted on June 4.

LJP chief thanks PM

LJP national president Chirag Paswan said on Monday that he would like to thank PM Narendra Modi for the way he gave respect to their party.

“I would like to thank PM Modi for the way he gave respect to our party. Thanks to all the friends in the NDA, the ease with which the seat-sharing has been done and the sacrifices every party has made to strengthen the alliance is commendable,” said Chirag Paswan.

Hailing PM Modi, he said that his party will work together to achieve the vision of PM Modi to win all 40 seats in the state of Bihar.

He further said, “LJP will contest in Jamui, Hajipur, Khagaria, Samastipur and Vaishali.”

Remembering his late father Ram Vilas Paswan, he said, “When my father passed away, the responsibility was on my uncle (Pashupati Kumar Paras) to hold the party and family together, and my father wherever he is today must have been sad to see that the party and the symbol that he had chosen is still under the freeze.”

Meanwhile, Bihar deputy CM Samrat Choudhary says, “Everyone will contest the elections unitedly. We have finalised the seats, and now the list of candidates will also be declared soon.”

‘CAA not to be implemented in Bihar’

Deviating from the official line of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Janata Dal (United) leader Khalid Anwar said the law, guaranteeing permanent residency to members of persecuted religious minorities in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, will not be implemented in Bihar.

The remark assumes significance as the JD(U) partners with the BJP and other allies in the ruling NDA coalition in the state.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Anwar claimed that JD(U) chief and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ruled out the implementation of the CAA in Bihar.

“The CAA will not be implemented in Bihar. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has already made it clear that all 13 crore residents in the state are Biharis and there is no need for the CAA, NRC (National Register of Citizens) or NPR (National Population Register) here. As long as Nitish-ji remains in power, no one needs to worry about the CAA,” Anwar told reporters at a press conference in Motihari on Sunday.

Amid the Opposition furore over the notification of rules for the implementation of the CAA last week, the JD(U) leader sought to dispel fears of loss of citizenship, saying that the law merely intended to give permanent residentship to religious minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who are living in the country as refugees, and not take away anyone’s citizenship.

“Those instilling fear among people that their citizenship will be taken away are spreading falsehoods,” he added.

Supporting his argument that there was no need for the CAA to be rolled out in Bihar, the minority leader said the previous Nitish Kumar-led government passed a resolution in the Assembly that neither the NRC nor the NPR would be implemented in the state.

“I would like to reiterate that as long as Nitish Kumar is in power, no one from Bihar, irrespective of their religion, will be deprived of their citizenship. During the previous government, we passed a resolution in the Assembly that there is no need for NPR or NRC in Bihar and such laws will not be implemented here,” Anwar said. (ANI)

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ECI shakes up administrative posts

With this step, the Election Commission of India has shown its commitment to conducting free, fair, and transparent elections…reports Asian Lite News

In a decisive move towards upholding the principles of free, fair and transparent elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued orders for the removal of Home Secretaries in six states namely Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Additionally, the Secretary of the General Administrative Department in Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh have also been removed.

The commission has directed all the State Governments to transfer the officers connected with election-related work, who have completed three years or are in their home districts.

Maharashtra had not complied with the directions in respect of few Municipal Commissioners and some Additional / Deputy Municipal Commissioners in Maharashtra.

While conveying displeasure to the Chief Secretary, the Commission directed transfer of BMC and the additional / Deputy commissioners with the direction to report by 6pm.

The Chief Secretary was further directed to transfer all the similarly placed Municipal commissioners and Additional / Deputy Municipal Commissioners of other Corporations in Maharashtra.

This step comes as part of the Commission’s resolve and commitment to maintaining a level playing field and ensuring the integrity of the electoral process, which has been emphasised by CEC Rajiv Kumar time and again and recently during the Press Conference for announcement of Schedule for General Elections 2024.

The Commission meeting chaired by Shri Rajiv Kumar, comprising of Election Commissioners Shri Gyanesh Kumar and Shri Sukhbir Singh Sandhu was held on Monday at noon.

The officials who have been removed in these seven states were found to be holding dual charges in the office of Chief Minister in respective states which may potentially compromise or be seen to be compromising the impartiality and neutrality required during the electoral process, especially in matters relating to law and order, deployment of forces, etc.

Furthermore, the Election Commission has also taken the necessary action to remove the Director General of Police (DGP) of West Bengal. This decision was taken due to DGP being removed from any active election management related duty earlier, during 2016 Assembly Election in the state and in 2019 Lok Sabha Elections.

With this step, the Election Commission of India has shown its commitment to conducting free, fair, and transparent elections.

Through these measures, the Commission ensures that all stakeholders uphold the highest standards of integrity and impartiality, thereby safeguarding the level playing field in the entire electoral process. (ANI)

Mamata hits out over Bengal DGP’s removal  

West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar on Monday welcomed the removal of West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar by the ECI, saying that Kumar’s removal was inevitable due to his compromised position and inability to conduct a fair election.

Majumdar also claimed that Mamata Banerjee has many such ‘Rajeev Kumars’ throughout West Bengal on her payroll.

“Rajeev Kumar was supposed to be removed. He is the same Rajeev Kumar against whom the CBI registered an FIR and had gone to arrest him when he was a Commissioner of Police (CP) and had disappeared. Mamata Banerjee had protested against his arrest, so such a person is more like a cadre of the party (TMC) than a DGP. In 2014, he was also removed from the position of CP because the commission felt that he was compromised and could not conduct a fair election. But not just one Rajeev Kumar, Mamata Banerjee has kept many small Rajeev Kumars on her payroll throughout West Bengal,” he said.

Ahead of the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday issued orders for the removal of West Bengal’s Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner Iqbal Chahal, along with some other senior officials from various states.

The DGP had been in the spotlight after the BJP and other opposition parties criticised the Bengal police for alleged inaction in giving justice to the victims of Sandeshkhali.

The Sandeshkhali area had been witnessing unrest after women protestors sought justice against alleged atrocities committed by Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sheikh Shahjahan and his aides.

Meanwhile, the Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Kolkata, Vivek Sahay, was appointed as the DGP of West Bengal on Monday, following the removal of the previous DGP, Rajeev Kumar, by the Election Commission.

“The Governor is pleased to appoint Shri Vivek Sahay, IPS, Director General and Commandant General, Home Guards, West Bengal, to the post of Director General and Inspector of Police, West Bengal, with immediate effect until further order. This appointment is made in the interest of public service,” the chief secretary of West Bengal wrote in a notice. (ANI)

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Cong finalises pact with Stalin

MDMK, IUML and KMDK (DMK Symbol) have been given one seat each while VCK, CPM, CPI get two seats each in the Lok Sabha polls…reports Asian Lite News

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has finalised the seat-sharing taks with the alliance ahead of the 2024 general election. Congress is set to contest nine seats in Tamil Nadu and one in Puducherry while the ruling DMK will contest on 21 seats.

In one or two days DMK is likely to release the candidates list also.

The seats on which Congress will fight in Tamil Nadu are Thiruvallur, Krishnagiri, Karur, Cuddalore, Myladuthurai, Sivagangai, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari.

MDMK, IUML and KMDK (DMK Symbol) have been given one seat each while VCK, CPM, CPI get two seats each in the Lok Sabha polls.

Earlier, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said “The Congress will contest elections for nine seats in Tamil Nadu and one seat in Puducherry. On the remaining seats, we will support the candidates of the DMK and alliance parties. We will win all seats in Tamil Nadu.”

“The Congress and the DMK will not get separated,” he emphasised.

On Sunday the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK Chief MK Stalin attended the closing day of the Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra in Mumbai. Stalin applauded former Congress President Rahul Gandhi for the Yatra and plegded his support to the INDIA bloc.

“My dear brother Rahul Gandhi has completed the Bharat Jodo Yatra and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, traversing the length and breadth of India to unite us all. With a heart filled with compassion and a vision for justice, he stands as a guiding light, countering divisive forces with the strength of unity and inclusivity” the Tamil Nadu CM posted on X.

Earlier in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the DMK-led alliance secured a landslide victory by bagging 38 out of 39 seats. The Congress, which was also a part of the alliance, bagged 8 seats out of the nine contested. The DMK had a vote share of 33.2 percent while the Congress’ vote share was 12.9 percent.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on the other hand, won only one seat.

Makkal Needhi Maiam president and actor Kamal Hassan has also announced his decision to support DMK led alliance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. (ANI)

PMK joins hands with BJP

The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) on Monday entered an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tamil Nadu, and will be a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

For the past several days, PMK, which has a significant influence in northern Tamil Nadu, has been oscillating between the AIADMK and the BJP.

PMK founder and party leader S. Ramadoss, and its former state unit president, G.K. Mani were in favour of an alliance with the AIADMK. However, the party’s Tamil Nadu unit president and son of S. Ramadoss – Anbumani Ramadoss, wished for an alliance with the BJP.

The BJP, according to sources, is likely to offer a Cabinet berth to Anbumani Ramadoss in the next government. Anbumani Ramadoss is also a former Union Health minister.

Political analysts believe that the BJP, by stitching an alliance with the PMK, can gain tremendously in several districts of Tamil Nadu, and that could be a setback for the AIADMK in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

A senior leader of the PMK said, “We don’t know why Anbumani is preferring a BJP alliance. In the long term game, it is the tie-up with the AIADMK that would benefit the PMK and not an alliance with the BJP. Without a Dravidian majority, survival in Tamil Nadu politics is almost zero. PMK has to take several factors into consideration before jumping into a conclusion and in a couple of days a decision will be taken.”

He also said that in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the 2021 Assembly elections, BJP and PMK were together in the NDA alliance led by the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu.

The PMK has considerable influence in several northern districts of Tamil Nadu and the decision of electoral tie-up could lead to even a split in the strongholds of the party.

Political analyst, Dr. Krishnan Mahesh said, ”Dr. Ramadoss being a shrewd politician is weighing the pros and cons. He is the one who brought prosperity to the Vanniyar people by getting reservations in education and jobs and standing up to the rights of the community. He is highly respected and has a major say in the party and Anbumani will fall in line to the decision of Dr. Ramadoss.“

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Rahul Gandhi calls for ‘combined consciousness’

Making a call of empathy for each other, the Congress leader said that there is no ‘combined consciousness’ in the people of the country…reports Asian Lite News

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi made a call for ‘combined consciousness’ while addressing Nyay Sankalp Sabha in Mumbai after the conclusion of his 63-day long Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

While addressing the Nyay Sankalp Sabha in Mumbai on Sunday, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said, “If India is a country of ‘Mohabbat’ then why is hatred being spread? We say that the BJP spreads hatred, but there has to be a basis for this hatred. The reason for hatred is injustice. In this country, every day injustice is being done against the poor, farmers, Dalits, women, & youth.”

“Papers are being leaked, farmers are not getting MSPs, labourers are not getting minimum wage, and small workers are crushed with GST. At every step, people came to me and spoke about the injustice happening to them,” the Congress leader said, recollecting his journey at the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

Making a call of empathy for each other, the Congress leader said that there is no ‘combined consciousness’ in the people of the country.

“People are able to see the injustice happening to them, but they neglect the injustice happening to the fellow citizens. Unless you see the injustice happening to your fellow countrymen, no movement can be started,” he said.

“There are a maximum of 5 per cent of people who get justice. For them, the courts, government, and all other institutions work for them. But if we look at the other 90 per cent of the population, they have been suffering due to injustice,” he added.

“In the Bharat Jodo Yatra, I was not alone, lakhs of people were walking with me. The strength of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra was not Rahul Gandhi, but all of the other people that stood by me. All of us need to fight together,” the Congress MP stated.

The Congress leader characterised the clash between two ideologies by asserting, “The BJP adheres to centralised political control. According to the BJP and RSS perspectives, only one individual possesses wisdom, while farmers, labourers, and the youth are deemed lacking in knowledge. However, I believe that a farmer in our nation is just as knowledgeable as a scientist.”

Day after concluding the 63-day long Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, days ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, along with the party’s general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and actor Swara Bhaskar, held the ‘Jan Nyay Padyatra’ from Mani Bhavan Sangrahalaya to August Kranti Maidan in Mumbai, on Sunday. (ANI)

CWC to meet on March 19 to give nod to manifesto

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) will discuss the party’s manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections at its meeting on March 19 and give the final shape to it.

The Congress’ central election committee (CEC) chaired by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge is also likely to meet on March 19 to 20 to finalise the remaining candidates of the party for the seven-phase polls beginning April 19.

AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that the CWC, its top decision-making body, would meet on March 19 and give its nod to the draft manifesto which carries the five ‘guarantees’ for justice.

He said the party will fight the elections on the issue of ‘five nyay’ (justice) — ‘Bhagidari Nyay’, ‘Kisan Nyay’, ‘Nari Nyay’, ‘Shramik Nyay’ and ‘Yuva Nyay’ — with 25 guarantees, five for each nyay, which have already been announced by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former president Rahul Gandhi.

“These are the guarantees by the Congress party and not by a single person,” he remarked in an obvious jibe at the prime minister who has been claiming to provide “Modi ki guarantee”.

Sources said the party’s CEC would also discuss and finalise the party candidates. The Congress has so far announced a total of 82 candidates in two separate lists — first list of 39 candidates and the second of 43.

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BJP got Rs 6,986.5 crore through poll bonds

The latest dataset released by the EC included scanned copies of the disclosures made by the political parties, running into hundreds of pages…reports Asian Lite News

Top purchaser of electoral bonds Future Gaming and Hotel Services donated Rs 509 crore to Tamil Nadu’s ruling party DMK through the now-scrapped payment mode, the Election Commission’s (EC) data showed on Sunday.

The donations given by Future Gaming, whose owner, “lottery king” Santiago Martin, has been under the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) scanner, accounted for more than 77 per cent of the total receipts from electoral bonds of Rs 656.5 crore disclosed by the DMK.

Since most political parties have not disclosed the names of the donors, it was not known who were the beneficiaries of the balance Rs 859 crore worth bonds purchased by Future Gaming.

The disclosure is part of the data dump pertaining to a total of 523 recognised and non-recognised political parties made public by the EC on the Supreme Court’s orders. This was followed by another dataset published by the EC last week based on the information submitted by the State Bank of India (SBI), the sole bank authorised to sell and redeem electoral bonds.

The latest dataset released by the EC included scanned copies of the disclosures made by the political parties, running into hundreds of pages.

While initially the data submitted by the SBI pertained to a period from April 12, 2019 till the scrapping of the bonds by the apex court last month, the latest disclosure is based on the declarations given by various political parties in November last year on the bonds redeemed by them since the scheme was launched in early 2018 and exclude the last few tranches.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre received the maximum funds through these bonds at Rs 6,986.5 crore since they were introduced in 2018, followed by West Bengal’s ruling party Trinamool Congress (Rs 1,397 crore), Congress (Rs 1,334 crore) and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (Rs 1,322 crore), according to the latest data shared by the EC.

Odisha’s ruling party Biju Janata Dal (BJD) was the fourth-largest recipient at Rs 944.5 crore, followed by the DMK at Rs 656.5 crore and Andhra Pradesh’s ruling party YSR Congress at nearly Rs 442.8 crore.

According to an earlier report compiled by NGO Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), electoral bonds worth Rs 16,518 crore were sold from March 2018 to January 2024.

Collating the two datasets, the BJP is estimated to have received a total amount of Rs 7,700 crore during the entire duration of the scheme.

According to the data released on Sunday, the Janata Dal (Secular) received bonds worth Rs 89.75 crore, including Rs 50 crore from Megha Engineering, the second-largest purchaser of electoral bonds.

Future Gaming was the biggest purchaser of electoral bonds at Rs 1,368 crore, of which nearly 37 per cent went to the DMK.

Other major donors of the DMK included Megha Engineering (Rs 105 crore), India Cements (Rs 14 crore) and Sun TV (Rs 100 crore).

The TMC received Rs 1,397 crore through electoral bonds, making it the second-largest recipient after the BJP.

The DMK is among the few political parties that have disclosed the identity of the donors, while major parties such as the BJP, Congress, TMC and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have not revealed these details to the EC, which has now made public those filings pursuant to a Supreme Court order.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) redeemed bonds worth Rs 181.35 crore, Shiv Sena Rs 60.4 crore, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Rs 56 crore, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Rs 50.51 crore, Sikkim Krantikari Morcha Rs 15.5 crore, Samajwadi Party (SP) Rs 14.05 crore, Akali Dal Rs 7.26 crore, AIADMK Rs 6.05 crore, National Conference (NC) Rs 50 lakh from the Bharti Group and Sikkim Democratic Front Rs 50 lakh.

While the AAP did not give a cumulative figure of its donations, the SBI’s data showed it had received Rs 65.45 crore, while it is estimated to have received another Rs 3.55 crore after its filing with the EC, taking its total to Rs 69 crore.

Among the major parties that have disclosed the identity of their donors, the AIADMK got most of its donations from India Cements-owned IPL cricket team Chennai Super Kings, while the contributors to the JD(S) included the Aditya Birla Group, Infosys, the JSW Group and the Embassy Group.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has declared that it will not receive funds through electoral bonds, while the filings made by the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) showed nil receipts. After the disclosures, the opposition parties have dubbed the electoral bonds as legalised corruption, while the BJP has said scrapping of the bonds could lead to the return of black money in politics

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Decline in Chinese Labour Force Across Africa

Earlier in 2015, 263,696 workers were recorded on the continent, which drastically declined to 88,371 in 2022….reports Asian Lite News

The number of Chinese workers across Africa has dropped significantly to its lowest level in more than a decade, Voice of America reported, citing data from China’s National Bureau of Statistics.

Earlier in 2015, 263,696 workers were recorded on the continent, which drastically declined to 88,371 in 2022.

The China Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University analysed data from 2009 to 2022 and attributed the drop in numbers partially to the pandemic, as Chinese workers left during that period and the country only reopened in early 2023, VOA reported.

However, the drop in numbers is also due to a variety of other factors, according to the experts, including oil prices and the downscaling of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s global Belt and Road Initiative, which initially saw thousands of Chinese sent out across the continent to work on large infrastructure projects.

When asked whether the numbers could have rebounded last year and might continue to do so, Deborah Brautigam, director at the China Africa Research Initiative, said, “We have no data for 2023, but anecdotally, we hear that more postponed projects are resuming. Yet we are unlikely to see the high numbers of the past.”

Yunnan Chen, a researcher at ODI Global, a UK-based research group, said, “It might be that some construction has restarted since 2022, but we know the number of overall Chinese-financed projects has been in decline for a number of years, and the last few years have put a damper on any new project deals. So I wouldn’t expect any dramatic increases in these numbers anytime soon.”

According to the statistics, the five countries with the most Chinese workers in 2022 were Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, reported VOA.

While still leading in the number of workers, Algeria and Angola also saw the biggest drops.

Algeria had more than 91,000 Chinese workers in 2016, while Angola had a peak of 50,000. However, by 2022, only about 7,000 workers remained in each country.

The director of the China Africa Research Initiative further said that the huge drops “are explained by the price of oil. They’re both highly reliant on oil exports and they use this oil to pay for nearly all government spending.”

Moreover, China has been criticised for failing to aid job creation in Africa or equip local residents with new skills, despite its massive projects, as reported by VOA.

While large numbers of local workers have indeed been employed, it’s often been in the most basic of roles, whereas more senior jobs have been reserved for Chinese.

“Generally, Chinese projects do hire local labourers,” said Chen.

Even though China sends fewer of its people to Africa, hiring Africans for higher-paid, skilled jobs by Chinese companies may not happen immediately, Brautigam added. (ANI)

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