SC asks Kerala govt to come out with exclusive law for administration of Sabarimala temple

The Supreme Court Wednesday asked the Kerala government to come out with an exclusive legislation regarding the administration of the historic Sabarimala temple.

A bench headed by Justice N V Ramana asked the state to place before it by third week of January next year the legislation, also covering the aspects of welfare of pilgrims visiting there.

The counsel appearing for the state said it has formulated amendments to the law that would deal with the temples and their administrations which are presently being governed by the Travancore Devaswom Board.

The draft law also proposes to give one-third representation to women in the temple advisory committee, the counsel said.

This aspect triggered a debate in the courtroom with regard to September 2018 apex court verdict allowing entry of girls and women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple.

The state government said that for the time being, it proposes to give representation in the temple advisory committee to only those women who are above 50 years of age.

One of the judges of the bench referred to the September 28, 2018 verdict and observed that the direction allowing girls and women of all ages holds the field.

The top court was hearing a plea filed in 2011 which has raised the issue of administration of Sabarimala temple.

In August this year, the state government had told the top court that it was considering enacting a "separate legislation" with regard to administration of the Sabarimala temple.

A 5-judge Constitution bench, headed by the then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, in a 3:2 majority verdict, had referred to a larger 7-judge bench the pleas seeking review of its historic 2018 judgement allowing women and girls of all ages to enter Kerala's Sabarimala temple, along with other contentious issues of alleged discrimination against Muslim and Parsi women.

The top court had not stayed the 2018 verdict that had allowed entry of girls and women of all ages into Sabarimala temple.

Source: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2019/top-stories/sc-asks-kerala-govt-to-come-out-with-exclusive-law-for-administration-of-sabarimala-temple.html

Justice Bobde takes oath as 47th CJI

Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde, who was part of the historic Ayodhya verdict earlier this month, was on Monday administered oath as the 47th Chief Justice of India by President Ram Nath Kovind and started holding court at 11:30 am.

Bobde, 63, succeeds Justice Ranjan Gogoi who demitted office on Sunday.

He took oath in English in the name of God at a brief ceremony held at the Durbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Justice Bobde will have a tenure of over 17 months as the CJI and is due to retire on April 23, 2021.
Soon after taking the oath, he sought the blessings of his mother by touching her feet. She was brought to the president house on a stretcher.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several senior ministers were present at the oath-taking ceremony. Former vice president Hamid Ansari and former prime minister Manmohan Singh were also there.

Several former chief justices of the Supreme Court, including R M Lodha, T S Thakur and J S Kehar, attended the ceremony.

Former CJI Gogoi walked up to Union ministers and senior political leaders at the gathering and shook hands with them.

In an unprecedented gesture, the newly-appointed CJI shared the dais in a packed courtroom with Chief Justice of Jamaica Justice Bryan Sykes and senior-most judge of the Bhutan Supreme Court Justice Kuenlay Tshering.

Justice Bobde was chosen following the rule of seniority and his name was recommended by Justice Gogoi in a letter to the Centre.

Hailing from a family of lawyers from Maharashtra, he is the son of eminent senior advocate Arvind Shriniwas Bobde.

Bobde was congratulated by senior advocate and Supreme Court Bar Association president Rakesh Khanna, among others, in the courtroom where the newly-appointed CJI's relatives and friends were also present.

In an interview to PTI after being appointed as CJI last month, Bobde had said people's reputation cannot be sacrificed just to satisfy the desire of citizens to know.

He had also said that he would prefer a conservative approach on the issue of disclosing the Collegium's entire deliberations on rejection of names for appointment in the higher judiciary.

On the issue of huge vacancies of judges in courts across the country and lack of judicial infrastructure, Justice Bobde had said that he wishes to take to the "logical end" the steps taken by his predecessor Gogoi.

Born on April 24, 1956 in Nagpur in Maharashtra, he was part of the five-judge Constitution bench that rendered a unanimous verdict to put the curtains down on the vexatious Ayodhya land dispute which was pending in courts since 1950.

Bobde was also part of a nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court that had held unanimously in August 2017 that the Right to Privacy was a constitutionally protected fundamental right in India. The CJI then was J S Khehar.

Justice Bobde was part of the three-judge bench which in 2015 clarified that no citizen of India without an Aadhaar card can be denied basic services and government services.

Recently, a two-judge bench headed by Justice Bobde directed the Committee of Administrators (CoA) headed by former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai, appointed by it for the purpose of running the BCCI administration, to demit office paving the way for elected members to run the affairs of the cricket board.

He also headed a three-member in-house committee which gave a clean chit to former CJI Gogoi on a sexual harassment complaint against him by a former apex court staffer. The committee also included justices Indira Banerjee and Indu Malhotra

Justice Bobde completed Bachelor of Arts and LLB degrees from Nagpur University. He was enrolled as an advocate of the Bar Council of Maharashtra in 1978.

He practised law at the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court with appearances at Bombay before the Principal Seat and before the Supreme Court for over 21 years.

Bobde was designated as senior advocate in 1998.

Justice Bobde was elevated to the Bombay High Court on March 29, 2000, as Additional Judge and sworn in as Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court on October 16, 2012.
He was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court on April 12, 2013.

Source: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2019/top-stories/justice-bobde-takes-oath-as-47th-cji.html

SC dismisses pleas seeking review of Rafale judgment

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the review petitions against its verdict in the Rafale deal on grounds that they lacked merit, reiterating its clean chit to the Modi government in the fighter jet agreement with French firm Dassault Aviation.

The apex court also rejected the contention that there was need to register an FIR in connection with the Rs 58,000 crore deal.

The pleas had sought re-examination of the apex court's December 14, 2018 verdict that there was no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets.

"We find the review petitions are without any merit," a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph said.

The rejection of review petitions is tantamount to the apex court giving a second clean chit to the Modi government.

Reading out the judgement, Justice Kaul said the judges had reached the conclusion that it is not appropriate to order a roving inquiry into the allegations.

Maintaining that the review petitions have sought a registration of an FIR in connection with Rafale fighter jets jet deal, the bench said, "We do not consider it to be a fair submission".

"We do not find it appropriate to consider passing order for registration of FIR," the bench said.
Justice Joseph, who wrote a separate judgement, said he agreed with the main verdict written by Justice Kaul subject to certain aspects on which he has given his own reasons.

In December last year, the apex court had dismissed the petitions seeking an investigation into alleged irregularities in the deal.

On May 10, the apex court reserved its decision on the pleas, including one filed by former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie and activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan, seeking a re-examination of its findings.

The review petitions were filed by the trio, lawyer Vineet Dhandha and Aam Aadmi Party lawmaker Sanjay Singh.

While reserving the judgement on the review petitions, the apex court asked the Centre searching questions on its deal with France to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets on issues like "waiver of sovereign guarantee" and the absence of technology transfer clause in the inter-governmental agreement (IGA).
The bench referred to an earlier judgement which said an FIR is a must when information revealed commission of cognizable offence.

Attorney General K K Venugopal had told the bench that "there has to be a prima facie case, otherwise they (agencies) cannot proceed. The information must disclose commission of cognizable offence".

Justice Joseph had referred to the earlier deal and asked the Centre why the IGA on Rafale with the French administration does not have the clause of transfer of technology.

"The court cannot decide such technical aspects," Venugopal said in response.

On the court's question of waiver of sovereign guarantee by France in the IGA and its replacement with a letter of comfort, Venugopal said it is not an "unprecedented practice".

"It is a question of national security. No other court in the world will examine a defence deal on these kinds of arguments," he said.

Bhushan, arguing his own case, had submitted that the December 2018 judgement did not deal with the prayer seeking a probe into the deal and decided the petition on the premise that it is seeking cancellation of IGA.

He contended that the Centre misled the court by referring to a non-existent CAG report in November 2018 hearing when it is on record that the report came later in February this year.

Bhushan also alleged suppression of material facts from the court by the Centre and said as many eight critical clauses of the standard defence procurement procedure were dropped in the deal in the meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security in September 2016.

One clause dealt with the aspect that the government can cancel the deal if the information of any involvement of middleman comes to the light, he said.

Venugopal had vehemently opposed the submissions and sought dismissals of review petitions, saying the basic grounds of these pleas were the same as in the main case.

The government is under obligation to put defence material under cover, he said, adding that "when the security of the country is involved, you do not view it as a contract to build a highway or a dam".

source: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2019/top-stories/sc-dismisses-pleas-seeking-review-of-rafale-judgment.html

PM Modi hopes BRICS summit will boost economic, cultural links

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday hoped that the BRICS summit will enhance the economic and cultural linkages between the member nations as he arrived in the Brazilian capital to take part in the two-day meeting.

"Reached Brazil to take part in the BRICS Summit. Will also meet various world leaders during this visit," Modi tweeted after his arrival here.

On the sidelines of the 11th BRICS summit, Modi will meet Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to discuss ways to enhance the bilateral strategic partnership.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to hold separate bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday.

"I am sure the BRICS Summit will enhance cultural and economic linkages between BRICS nations," he said.

BRICS is the acronym coined for an association of five major emerging national economies -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. This year's event is being held under the theme BRICS: Economic Growth for an Innovative Future.

This will be the sixth time Modi is participating in the BRICS summit, his first being at Fortaleza, also in Brazil in 2014.

Describing his welcome as "as vibrant as BRICS itself", Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Raveesh Kumar tweeted, "PM @narendramodi arrives in Brasilia to participate in the 11th #BRICS Summit. This year's Summit under the theme “BRICS: Economic Growth for an Innovative Future” will further strengthen the traditional ties among the BRICS countries."

During the summit, the five major economies of the world will aim to significantly strengthen their cooperation in science, technology and innovation, Modi said in his departure statement.

The BRICS countries will also look to enhance cooperation on digital economy and build mechanisms for counter-terrorism cooperation within the BRICS framework, Modi said.

He would also attend the BRICS business forum closing ceremony and the 'closed' and plenary sessions of the summit.

In the closed session, the discussions are expected to be focused on challenges and opportunities for the exercise of national sovereignty in the contemporary world.

This will be followed by the BRICS Plenary Session, where the leaders will discuss the intra-BRICS cooperation for the economic development of BRICS societies.

A BRICS memorandum of understanding between trade and investment promotion agencies is expected to be signed. The participating leaders would also be issued on the conclusion of the summit, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

Source: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2019/top-stories/pm-modi-hopes-brics-summit-will-boost-economic--cultural-links.html

Recalling when and what went wrong during a certain period is necessary: Sitharaman

Recalling when and what went wrong during a certain period is absolutely necessary, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said, targeting former prime minister Manmohan Singh for accusing the NDA government of always trying to put the blame on its rivals.

Conceding that there were some
"weaknesses" in his regime, Singh had on Thursday said the Modi government should stop blaming the UPA for every economic crisis, as five years were sufficient time to come up with solutions.

"I respect Dr Manmohan Singh for telling me not to do the blame game. But recalling when and what went wrong during a certain period is absolutely necessary to put it in context, now that I'm being charged that there's no narrative at all about the economy," Sitharaman told a group of Indian reporters here on Thursday.

She was responding to a question on allegations by Singh that the government was always trying to put the blame on its opponents instead of finding solutions.

The senior Congress leader's comments at the press conference in Mumbai came after Sitharaman at an event at the Columbia University in New York held the Manmohan Singh-Raghuram Rajan combination responsible for subjecting public sector banks (PSBs) to their "worst phase".

"I have no reason to doubt that Rajan feels for every word of what he is saying. And I'm here today, giving him his due respect, but also placing the fact before you that Indian public sector banks did not have a worst phase than when the combination of Singh and Rajan, as prime minister and the RBI Governor, had. At that time, none of us knew about it," she had said.

Sitharaman told the group of Indian reporters on Thursday that her remarks in New York was an answer to a question.

The question was on parts taken out of the speech made by Rajan and it had three components to it, she said.

The quote referred to what the  former RBI governor had said about a centralised leadership and the absence of a coherent narrative of the economy, Sitharaman claimed.

"I also understand there's already in India lots of discussion about the finance minister being out of the country and how could she talk about issues that are essentially to be spoken within the country.

"These taken on board, I would still say that was an answer given to a question which read a quotation from the speech of the former Reserve Bank governor," she said.

"Then, if a political assessment has been made, nothing stops anyone from making it and it's suddenly the right and prerogative of whoever wants to make it," the Union finance minister said.

She said she doesn't feel she had crossed the line by giving a response, whether within or outside the country.

"If there is a charge against us that we have not given a cohesive narrative about the economy, I'm sorry, probably it has not even reached the narrative that we're given about the economy or the target with which we are working or the response with which we are answering those stress in different parts of the country, those industries which are under stress, those messages have probably not even reached people who have commented on us," the finance minister said.

She said that the government listens and responds. If it is to be stated as to why in some areas there are difficulties, the government of the day has to recall as to what went wrong, Sitharaman said.

The finance minister said while recalling what went wrong, it certainly pertains to a period in which Manmohan Singh was prime minister and Raghuram Rajan, the RBI Governor.

"I had to recall that. So, it's not so much with the sense of wanting to put the blame on somebody," Sitharaman said.

"I don't need to put the blame. It is more than apparent as to when the wrongdoings happened in banks and which is the government which is spending time to clear the clog from public sector banks and which is the government which is pursuing all those who have taken money during the UPA government and who've gone out to the country out of fear that action is being taken now under this government," she said.

Sitharaman said she respects Manmohan Singh for telling her not to do the blame game, but recalling when and what went wrong during a certain period is absolutely necessary to put it in context.

India under the present government will become a USD 5 trillion economy as transparent measures and policies are being implemented, she said.

This will be possible as loans cannot be taken from banks on phone, Sitharaman said, taking a dig at the previous UPA dispensation.

The government doesn't support crony capitalism and this is part of the narrative on the economy, she said.

"I would want to mix both my narrative together with stating what went wrong earlier. I wished the Congress had the courage of conviction to hear it," Sitharaman said.

"We never committed mistakes and corruption. We've not given any loans to cronies. We've never supported any wrongdoing and looked at the way when as prime minister, I would want to again recall the number of corruption cases which had happened during the UPA. Has there been anyone here (under NDA)?” she asked.

These are not lessons learned. These are the present government's convictions. Lessons have to be learned by people who should have learnt it even earlier, Sitharaman said.

Source: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2019/top-stories/recalling-when-and-what-went-wrong-during-a-certain-period-is-necessary--sitharaman.html

Air quality 'very poor' at many places in Delhi-NCR

Many areas in the Delhi-National Capital Region recorded air quality in the "very poor" category on Wednesday morning, with particulate matter less than 10 micrometers in diameter being the primary pollutant.

Delhi's overall Air Quality Index (299) also bordered "very poor" levels. On Tuesday, it stood at 270 at 4 pm.

Seventeen of the 37 air quality monitoring stations in the national capital recorded the overall AQI in the "very poor" category, according to data of the Central Pollution Control Board.

The AQI at Mundka, Dwarka Sector 8, Delhi Technological University, Anand Vihar, Wazirpur, Rohini, Bawana, Ashok Vihar, Nehru Nagar and Jahangirpuri was 368, 362, 355, 328, 323, 323, 320, 319, 319 and 318.

Other areas that experienced very poor air quality included Alipur (314), Narela (312), Vivek Vihar (311), Sirifort (309), CRRI - Mathura Road (304), Okhla Phase 2 (303) and ITO (302).

The neighbouring areas of Ghaziabad (337), Loni Dehat (335), Noida (318) and Greater Noida (308) also recorded a spike in pollution levels.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe.

The Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) had on Tuesday noticed an 'increasing trend" in stubble burning incidents in neighbouring states and predicted that the share of crop residue burning in Delhi's PM2.5 concentration would be around 6 per cent on Wednesday.

The Delhi government had also shared pictures and data from NASA that showed large-scale stubble burning in areas surrounding Delhi.

On Tuesday, Delhi Environment Minister Kailash Gehlot also wrote to Union Minister for Earth Sciences Harsh Vardhan requesting access to SAFAR's data so that the administration could take immediate corrective measures to curb pollution.

Earlier, the Supreme Court-mandated Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority had said that local sources of pollution, including stack emissions, dust, and burning of plastic and rubber waste, were the primary reason for deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR.

Source: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2019/top-stories/air-quality--very-poor--at-many-places-in-delhi-ncr.html

IAF receives its first Rafale fighter jet from France

The Indian Air Force on Tuesday received its first Rafale fighter jet from a series of 36 aircraft purchased from France in presence of Defense Minister Rajnath Singh here.

Singh attended the handover ceremony of the first Rafale fighter jet acquired by the IAF along with his French counterpart Florence Parly at aircraft maker Dassault Aviation facility in Merignac, southwestern France.

"Rafale will boost India's air dominance exponentially," Singh said after receiving the aircraft.

Singh, who earlier held wide-ranging talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, said his visit was aimed at "expanding the strategic partnership" between India and France.

Arrangements have also been made for a traditional Indian Shastra Puja, or weapons' worship which forms part of Dussehra celebrations and this year also marks Air Force Day - IAF's 87th anniversary.

Singh is scheduled to fly a sortie in the Rafale jet following the Shastra Puja, which will conclude with the traditional breaking of a coconut before the new aircraft.

India had ordered 36 Rafale fighter jets from France in a deal worth Rs 59,000 crore in September 2016. The first batch of four Rafale jets will fly to their home base in India by May 2020.

All 36 jets are expected to arrive in India by September 2022, for which the IAF has been reportedly undertaking preparations, including readying required infrastructure and training of pilots.

The Rafale is a twin-jet fighter aircraft able to operate from both an aircraft carrier and a shore base. The manufacturers describe it as a fully versatile aircraft which can carry out all combat aviation missions to achieve air superiority and air defence, close air support, in-depth strikes, reconnaissance, anti-ship strikes and nuclear deterrence.

Source: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2019/top-stories/iaf-receives-its-first-rafale-fighter-jet-from-france.html

Loans to become cheaper after RBI cuts interest rate to a decade low

Home, auto and other loans are set to become cheaper after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday cut interest rates for a record fifth straight time to almost a decade low as it moved aggressively to revive economic growth languishing at six-year lows.

With all six members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voting in favour of a rate cut and for retaining the accommodative stance, the benchmark repurchase rate was cut by 25 basis points to 5.15 per cent. The previous lowest repo rate of 5 per cent was recorded in March 2010.

Following the rate cut, the reverse repo rate was reduced to 4.9 per cent.

The RBI revised downwards its estimate for GDP growth in the current fiscal to 6.1 per cent from 6.9 per cent it had previously estimated after lower-than-expected 5 per cent growth rate in April-June and no substantial uptick in the following quarter.

The repo rate cut is aimed at pushing consumption up during the ongoing festival season by reducing borrowing costs for home and auto loans, which are now directly linked to this benchmark.

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said as long as the growth momentum remains as it is now and growth revives, the MPC will continue with an accommodative stance while ensuring inflation remains within the target.

"RBI will continue accommodative stance as long as it is necessary and growth revives," he said.
In the four previous rate cuts since February, the RBI had cut interest rates by 110 basis points whose transmission to borrowers in form of lower lending rate has "remained staggered and incomplete", the central bank said in a statement.

As against the cumulative policy repo rate reduction of 110 bps during February-August 2019, the weighted average lending rate (WALR) on fresh rupee loans of commercial banks declined by 29 bps. However, the WALR on outstanding rupee loans increased by 7 bps during the same period.

Central banks around the world are loosening monetary policy to offset a global slowdown, worsened by US-China trade tensions.

The rate cut by the RBI follows a series of fiscal steps taken by the government over the last six weeks to spur growth, including steepest ever cut in tax paid by companies, cost the exchequer Rs 1.45 lakh crore.

Asked if the corporate rate cut would impact fiscal deficit target of 3.3 per cent of the GDP, Das said the government has stated that it will maintain fiscal deficit target and "we have no reason to doubt that".

He said the impact of the 135 bps rate cut will "take time" to filter in.

"While the recent measures announced by the government are likely to help strengthen private consumption and spur private investment activity, the continuing slowdown warrants intensified efforts to restore the growth momentum," the RBI said.

On the mounting problems in the banking system that potentially could hurt lending, Das reiterated that the banking system "remains sound and stable" and there is no reason for "unnecessary panic".

The central bank raised its near-term inflation forecast slightly to 3.4 per cent for the second quarter of the fiscal started in April, while projecting it would stay below its medium-term target of 4 per cent.

All six MPC members voted in favour of a rate cut and for retaining the accommodative stance. While five members voted for a 25 bps cut, Ravindra Dholakia voting for a 0.40 per cent reduction.

On inflation, which is the key mandate of the RBI with the target of 4 per cent in the medium term, the MPC moved up the September quarter expectations "slightly upwards" to 3.6 per cent, but retained its projection for the second half of this fiscal at 3.5-3.7 per cent.

The half-yearly Monetary Policy Report presented along with the policy review suggested that inflation will remain within the target levels till the early part of FY21.

On reviving growth, the MPC welcomed the recent moves by the government as the ones in the right direction, but the resolution did not have any reference to the fiscal deficit or fiscal management, which is generally deemed to have an inflationary impact.

Risks on the 6.1 per cent GDP growth estimate are "evenly balanced", it said.

On the farm sector, the MPC resolution said, "prospects of agriculture have brightened considerably, positioning it favourably for regenerating employment and income, and the revival of domestic demand".

Given the concerns on growth and inflation remaining within the target levels, a majority of analysts were expecting the RBI to cut rates at the review.

Despite the surge in the onion prices, the headline inflation for August had come at 3.8 per cent leading to expectations of a rate cut. Das had also recently said the prospect of benign inflation during the remainder of FY20 gives it the room to cut rates.

As the RBI has compelled banks to align all their retail loans to external benchmarks, and a majority of lenders have adopted the repo rate as the benchmark, the cut will likely bring cheer to borrowers.

On the regulation and supervision front, the RBI decided to increase the household limits for micro-lenders' borrowers, and also raise the cap to Rs 1.25 lakh per eligible borrower from the previous Rs 1 lakh.

Source: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2019/business/loans-to-become-cheaper-after-rbi-cuts-interest-rate-to-a-decade-low.html

Death toll reaches 25 in Bihar IMD predicts more rain on Monday

After being pounded by heavy rain over the weekend, most parts of the Bihar capital remained submerged even as the state-wide death toll mounted to 25.

In Patna, there has been a let up in rainfall since morning though the sky is overcast and the IMD has predicted showers later in the day.

According to the state disaster management department, six casualties have been reported from Gaya district where five persons were buried alive in a wall collapse while another person was drowned in a river which was in spate because of incessant rains.

In addition, police in the adjoining district of Jehanabad confirmed the death of a three-year-old girl who was crushed to death when the wall of an old house, adjacent to a street where she was playing, caved in.

On Sunday, 18 deaths were reported from across the state in mishaps attributed to the torrential rainfall.

Unconfirmed reports, however, put the death toll at more than 30.

The disaster management department said that the state government has urged the Indian Air Force to send a helicopter for air-dropping of food packets and other relief material in marooned areas.

Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi, whose own residence was affected by the deluge, was seen doing the rounds of the city clad in a T-shirt and shorts, and issuing instructions to officials.

The district administration has ordered closure of all schools till October 1 as a preventive measure and warned of strict punishment to those who violated the direction and "put the lives of teachers and students at risk".

District Magistrate Kumar Ravi has said that sump houses were working round theclock to flush out water from inundated streets and pointed out that "a not too high" water level in the Ganga meant that there would be no problem of reverse flow.

Motorcyclists were seen driving through knee-deep waters after covering the silencers of their two-wheelers with plastic bottles and pipes inserted to allow emission of fumes without water entering the exhaust pipes.

At some places, people living in houses situated on either side of a street helped each other with items of daily use which were rolled down on unfurled 'gamchas' (a thin towel), corners of which were held by people standing atop boundary walls.

Patna Nagar Nigam personnel, donning yellow raincoats, could be seen at various spots trying to unclog the manholes that have been choked by polythene and debris  a common sight in the city which has witnessed unregulated construction  which has contributed to the water-logging.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had spoken to P K Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, on September 21 urging him to take steps to check the water level in the Ganges here which had then risen to alarming levels.

More than a million cusecs of water were subsequently released through the Farakka barrage downstream.

Social media has been abuzz with the heart-rending image of a rickshaw-puller who broke down upon being caught in chest-deep water, unable to pull out the vehicle on which he depended for a living.

In the video, a couple  apparently living on the upper story of an adjacent house  can be heard asking the hapless man to rush to a safer spot, assuring him that they will keep a watch on his cycle rickshaw until the water subsided and he was able to take it back.

source: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2019/top-stories/death-toll-reaches-25-in-bihar--imd-predicts-more-rain-on-monday.html

PM Modi calls Trump special person who left lasting impact everywhere

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday introduced US President Donald Trump to the Indian-Americans at the mega 'Howdy, Modi' event here as a very "special person" who has left a deep and lasting impact everywhere.

Addressing over 50,000 Indian-Americans at the NRG stadium, Modi said it was honour and privilege for him to welcome Trump in this magnificent stadium and magnificent gathering.

"Greetings to my fellow Indians in India and around the world. Friends, this morning, we have a very special person with us," Prime Minister Modi said.

"He (Trump) was a household name even before he went to hold the highest seat in he US," Modi said while greeting the US president.

"His name is familiar to every person on the planet. His name comes up almost every conversation in the world on global politics," he said.

"From CEO to Commander in Chief, from boardrooms to the oval office, from studios to the global stage, from politics to the economy and to security, he has left a deep and lasting impact everywhere," Modi said.

Modi said he met Trump a few times and every time he has been warm, friendly, accessibly, energetic and full of wit.

"And I can say I had a chance to meet him often and every time I found the friendliness, the warmth and the energy," he said.

"President this morning in Houston, you can hear the heartbeat of this great partnership in this celebration of the world's two largest democracies," Modi said.

"You can feel the strength and depth of the bonds between our two nations," Modi said.

The prime minister said "the people are at the heart of all relationships. From Houston to Hyderabad, from Boston to Bengaluru, from Chicago to Shimla, from Los Angeles to Ludhiana."

Trump has already made the American economy strong again, Modi said.

"He has achieved much for the US and for the world," Modi said.

"We in India have connected well to him," he said, adding "Abki baar Trump aarkar".

Source: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2019/top-stories/pm-modi-calls-trump-special-person-who-left-lasting-impact-everywhere.html

Modi performs Narmada aarti at Sardar Sarovar dam

On a visit to his home state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who turned 69 on Tuesday, offered prayers to goddess Narmada at the Sardar Sarovar dam.

Accompanied by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Modi offered prayers as part of the state government's Namami Devi Narmade Mahotsav celebrations being held to mark the dam receiving water to its full capacity.

Modi also visited the Butterfly Garden in Kevadiya and named the saffron coloured plain tiger butterfly as the state butterfly.

Modi began the day with a visit to the Statue of Unity and the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the river Narmada.

The Statue of Unity, billed as the tallest in the world, was inaugurated by him on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth anniversary on October 31 last year.

He also tweeted a video of the statue, taken from his helicopter.

Modi arrived at Kevadiya on Tuesday morning to take part in the 'Namami Narmada' festival being celebrated by the Gujarat government to mark the filling up of the dam to its full reservoir level of 138.68 metres.

For the first time since the height of the dam was raised in 2017, the water level reached its highest peak at 138.68 metres on Sunday evening.

Modi along with Rupani, then performed 'puja' at the dam site to 'welcome' the water of river Narmada, the lifeline of Gujarat.

The PM, who would be addressing a gathering near the dam, also visited various developmental projects being carried out near the dam and Statue of Unity to boost tourism.

These projects include river rafting, a jungle safari park, a butterfly park and Ekta Nursery, an officil said.

Modi also visited the Khalvani Eco-Tourism site. In the safari, he apparently spotted deer.

He also visited the Dutt Mandir at nearby Garudeshwar village on the banks of Narmada.

source: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2019/top-stories/birthday-boy-modi-visits-statue-of-unity-in-home-state.html

ISRO racing against time to salvage lander-rover part of Chandrayaan-2 mission

ISRO is racing against time to spring 'Vikram' back to lifeand salvage the lander-rover part of the Chandrayaan-2 mission.

The lander Vikram, with rover 'Pragyan' tucked inside it, lost communication with the ground-stations during its final descent, just 2.1 kms above the lunar surface, minutes before the planned soft-landing in the early hours of Saturday.

ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) said on Sunday Vikram had a "hard-landing".
The Bengaluru-headquarterd space agency on Tuesday again confirmed that the lander has been located on the lunar surface by the on-board cameras of the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter which is circling the moon in its intended orbit.

"All possible efforts are being made to establish communication with (the) lander", ISRO further said in a tweet.

A senior ISRO official associated with the mission said: "The images from the orbiter camera showed that Vikram is in single piece lying on the lunar surface; not broken into pieces. It is in a tilted position. It's not in its four legs, as usual".

This official added on condition of anonymity: "it's not upside down. It's lying on its side".

ISRO officially did not comment on the condition of the lander.

Chandrayaan-2 comprises an orbiter, lander (Vikram) and rover (Pragyan).

The mission life of the lander and rover is one Lunar day, which is equal to 14 earth days.

ISRO Chairman K Sivan said on Saturday evening that the space agency would try to restore link with the lander for 14 days and it has been reiterating the resolve since then.

An ISRO official said Vikram hit the lunar surface at a place about 500 metres away from where it was originally planned to touch-down.

But there was no official word on this from ISRO.

Sources said an ISRO team is trying to see if they can reorient the antennas of the lander in such a way that communication can be restored.

"Efforts are going on", they said.

According to a senior ISRO official, orientation may have been lost during the final descent when velocity was reduced, due "sensor or on-board software or computer anomaly".

"A committee is looking into what has gone wrong. They will come out with answers soon", this official said.

Meanwhile, flawless and precise launch and efficient management of the Chandrayaan-2 mission ---- till the lander 'Vikram' lost communication with ground-stations --, has paid rich dividends to the ISRO on the orbiter front.

The 2,379 kg orbiter whose mission life was designed to be one year would now be able function for almost seven years.

"Enough fuel is available with the orbiter. Up to (lunar) orbit insertion, we did not have any flaw. Additional fuel which was anticipated was not used at all. Everything went as per the plan. Additional fuel is available with us (on-board the orbiter)", an ISRO official said.

Another ISRO official said, "One of the limiting factor is on-board fuel availability. Because the performance of GSLV-MK III (which launched the spacecraft) and efficient mission management, we have enough fuel for continuing it forward for seven years."

The space agency also said, the precise launch and mission management has ensured a long life of almost seven years instead of the planned one year for the orbiter.

ISRO had said 90 to 95 per cent of the Chandrayaan-2 mission objectives have been accomplished and it would continue to contribute to Lunar science , notwithstanding the loss of communication with the Lander which hit lunar surface after failing in its planned attempt to soft-land in the early hours of Saturday.

Noting that Chandrayaan-2 mission was a highly complex one, which represented a significant technological leap compared to the previous missions of ISRO, the space agency said it brought together an orbiter, lander and rover to explore the unexplored south pole of the Moon.

This was a unique mission which aimed at studying not just one area of the Moon but all the areas combining the exosphere, the surface as well as the sub-surface of the moon in a single mission, it added.

Source: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2019/india/nasa-ready-to-jointly-explore-solar-system-with-isro.html

SC extends protection from arrest to Chidambaram till Thursday in INX Media case

The Supreme Court Wednesday extended till tomorrow the interim protection from arrest granted to former finance minister P Chidambaram in the INX Media money laundering case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

A bench of Justices R Banumathi and A S Bopanna heard arguments advanced by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta who said that Chidambaram was trying to play the "victim card" and prevent ED from exercising its right to arrest him in the case.

"This is not a witch hunt as alleged by them. We have material to show that it is a serious case of money laundering. We have collected cogent materials in the case," Mehta told the bench, which would continue hearing arguments in the case on Thursday.

The apex court is hearing a plea filed by Chidambaram who has challenged the August 20 verdict of the Delhi High Court denying him anticipatory bail in the INX Media corruption and money laundering cases lodged by the CBI and the ED.

"A ghost is sought to be created by playing the victim card," Mehta said while opposing grant of anticipatory bail to Chidambaram.

CBI had lodged an FIR on May 15, 2017, alleging irregularities in FIPB clearance granted to INX Media group for receiving overseas funds of Rs 305 crore in 2007 during Chidambaram's tenure as finance minister. Thereafter, ED lodged a money laundering case.

Chidambaram was Union minister for finance as also home during the UPA-I and UPA-II government from 2004 to 2014.

He had said in the apex court on Tuesday that the ED be asked to produce transcripts of his questioning in the case and claimed that the probe agency wanted his arrest just to "humiliate" him.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Chidambaram, had told the court that he was quizzed by the agency on three dates in 2018 and 2019 and transcripts of questioning would clear the air on whether he was evasive in his replies, as alleged by it while seeking his custodial interrogation.

Senior advocate A M Singhvi, also appearing for Chidambaram, had said the former minister was not evasive during his questioning and has fully co-operated in the probe.

"You (ED) want to arrest me, but for what reason? The answer is -- to humiliate me, to humiliate me and to humiliate me, minute by minute and hour by hour," Singhvi had said.

He argued that ED had lodged the case in 2017 whereas the offences alleged are of the period 2007-2008.

Referring to the high court verdict which used "gravity of offence" to deny anticipatory bail to Chidambaram, Singhvi said 'gravity' is a subjective word and what is grave for someone may not be grave for others.

The best test of gravity of an offence is period of sentence prescribed for it and Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) considers sentence of over seven year, including death or life term, as grave and punishment of up to seven year as less grave, he told the top court.

Offences alleged against Chidambaram entail a maximum punishment of up to seven years, he added.
Singhvi said Chidambaram was not a 'flight risk' that he may abscond and non co-operation does not mean that a person has to give answer which the probe agencies want, and that there was no question of tampering of any evidence.

Source: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2019/top-stories/sc-extends-protection-from-arrest-to-chidambaram-till-thursday-in-inx-media-money-laundering-case.html

Modi calls up Trump raises Pak's anti-India rhetoric

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke with US President Donald Trump on phone and conveyed that "extreme rhetoric and incitement to anti-India violence by certain leaders in the region was not conducive to peace", in an obvious reference to the Pakistani leadership spewing anti-India venom over the Kashmir issue.

Days after the UN Security Council backed India in its efforts to bring in development in Kashmir after revoking its special status, Modi held a 30-minute call with Trump on Monday.

During the call, the two leaders covered bilateral and regional matters. The phone call was marked by the warmth and cordiality which characterises the relations between the two leaders, an MEA statement said.

The Prime Minister recalled their meeting in Japan's Osaka on the margins of G-20 summit in end-June earlier this year.

Referring to their bilateral discussions in Osaka, he expressed the hope that the Commerce Minister of India and the US Trade Representative would meet at an early date to discuss bilateral trade prospects for mutual benefit.

In the context of the regional situation, Modi told Trump that the extreme rhetoric and incitement to anti-India violence by certain leaders in the region was not conducive to peace.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been regularly taking to Twitter to attack Modi, calling him a fascist and racist. Imran Khan has also been alleging that Modi is turning India into a Hindu supremacist country, and that Muslims in India were being disenfranchised and "RSS goons were on the rampage".

In his telephone call, PM Modi highlighted the importance of creating an environment free from terror and violence and eschewing cross-border terrorism without exception, the statement said.
Modi reiterated India's commitment to cooperate with anyone who followed this path, in fighting poverty, illiteracy and disease.

Recalling that Monday marked 100 years of the Independence of Afghanistan, he reiterated India's longstanding and unwavering commitment to work for a united, secure, democratic and truly independent Afghanistan, the statement said.