Politicians, Celebrities Pay Last Respects to Nandamuri Harikrishna August 30, 2018 15:04
Top politicians of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, and Telugu film personalities on Thursday paid their last respects to Telugu Desam Party (TDP) founder Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao son Nandamuri Harikrishna, who died in a road accident.Venkaiah Naidu placed a garland on the body of Harikrishna, at his residence in Mehdipatnam area in Hyderabad. He consoled the household members including his actor sons Junior NTR and Kalyan Ram. Later speaking to reporters, he recalled the services of the actor-politician in films and politics. Naidu described Harikrishna as an obedient son who gave strength to his father N. T. Rama Rao.The Vice-President said Harikrishna was an affable person and used to speak in a free and frank manner. He recalled that in the Rajya Sabha he insisted that he should be allowed to speak in Telugu and when the then deputy chairman said the rules don't permit it, Harikrishna intervened by offering to translate the speech in English. The 61-year-old Harikrishna died on Wednesday when the SUV, which he was driving, overturned while negotiating a turn in Telangana's Nalgonda district.Related content: Nandamuri Harikrishna Dies in Road Accident in NalgondaAndhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, his son and cabinet minister Nara Lokesh, Harikrishna's brother actor Balakrishna, several other ministers and TDP leaders from the neighboring state are camping in here since Wednesday. On Wednesday, Governor of both Telugu states E. S. L. Narasimhan and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had paid their last respects.MPs, Ministers, various political party leaders and film personalities and Harikrishna's fans made a beeline at his residence to pay homage. The last rites of Harikrishna will be performed in Hyderabad later in the day with state honors. Police have made heedful arrangements for the funeral procession from his residence to Mahaprasthanam in Jubilee Hills.By Sowmya Sangam
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SC Orders House Arrest for Five Right Activists August 30, 2018 12:25
Five right activists were put under house arrest by a Pune court on Wednesday, hours after the Supreme Court orders in this regard. The house arrested activists include poet-activist P. Varavara Rao, Arun Ferreira, civil rights activist-lawyers, and Vernon Gonsalves.The Supreme Court had directed that all five arrested activists be placed under house arrest till September 6, the next hearing of the matter. The Supreme Court on Wednesday, describing dissent as a safety valve, directed that the five human rights activists arrested by Pune Police should be kept under house arrest until the next date of hearing on September 6.Rao was arrested on Tuesday from Hyderabad while the two others were held from Thane and Mumbai respectively by Pune police on Tuesday in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon riot on January 1.Taking a dim view of the crackdown, Justice Chandrachud of the Supreme Court said: "Dissent is a safety valve of democracy. If it is not allowed, the pressure cooker will burst."Chandrachud said that the arrests happened nine months after the activists were linked to the violence at Bhima-Koregaon in Maharashtra. Visibly peeved over the action of the Pune Police, the judge said: "Nine months after Koregoan incident you go and arrest these people." In the meantime, Shivajinagar Additional Sessions Judge K.D. Vadane told the three latest activists who were arrested and presented by the police for remand, "You shall be sent home and kept under house arrest."Ujjwala Pawar, public prosecutor had sought the police custody for all three. Pune Assistant Commissioner of Police Shivajirao Pawar later said that pursuant to court orders, arrangements will be made for the three accused to be sent to their respective homes."We had pleaded to put them under house arrest at a government facility. However, since there are specific directives of the Supreme Court, they will be sent to their places of residence," he added.The police claimed, among other things, that the five arrested activists - the three along with an attorney Sudha Bharadwaj and activist-journalist Gautam Navlakha - were Maoist supporters.By Sowmya Sangam
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Over 99 Percent of Demonetized Notes Back with RBI August 29, 2018 17:45
Over 99 percent of the Rs 15.3 lakh crore taken out of circulation through demonetization in November 2016 has returned to the RBI (Reserve Bank of India) the central bank announced on Wednesday.The RBI's annual report 2017-18 said that on completion of the process of verification of the scrapped Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, it is found that the total value of the demonetized currency returned to the banks now stands at Rs 15.3 lakh crore, which amounts to 99.3 per cent of the Rs 15.4 lakh crore worth of such notes in circulation on November 8, 2016."The total value of SBNs (Specified Banknotes) returned from circulation is Rs 15,310.73 billion," the report said."The total value of SBNs in circulation as on November 8, 2016, post verification and reconciliation, was Rs 15,417.93 billion."The RBI as well said the value of banknotes in circulation stands at 18 lakh crore till the end of the last fiscal."The value of banknotes in circulation increased by 37.7 percent over the year to Rs 18,037 billion at March-end 2018," it said.Besides, The notes issued by RBI in the one-year time period between June 2017 and June 2018 increased by nearly 27 percent."The notes issued increased by 26.93 percent from Rs 15,063.31 billion as on June 30, 2017, to Rs 19,119.60 billion as on June 30, 2018," the report said."The increase is on account of the continued efforts of the Reserve Bank to supply adequate quantity of banknotes to meet the transactional needs of the public," it added.By Sowmya Sangam
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Harikrishna to be given State Funeral Tomorrow August 29, 2018 17:34
The body of Nandamuri Harikrishna, son of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Taraka Rama Rao, has been brought to his residence in Hyderabad.The funeral will take place on Thursday at his farmhouse in the city.As per the announcement made by Telangana government, Harikrishna who died on Wednesday morning in a road accident will be given a state funeral.He was a former member of Parliament and also TDP politburo member. Telangana CM K. Chandrashekar Rao has instructed that Harikrishna's last rites will be conducted with full honors. After discussing with the family members necessary arrangements will be made.By Sowmya Sangam
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Pune Police Arrests Rights Activists across India, Strokes Outrage August 29, 2018 16:00
The apprehension of five salient human rights activists in raids across the country on Tuesday for suspected links to Maoist guerrillas kindled allegations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration was trying to intimidate its critics.Over 20 civil rights groups, lawyers forums and trade unions are launching a campaign against Tuesday's crackdown, describing it as Modi's latest attempt to stifle objection and shore up his standing in the run-up to elections in 2018.Police as well accused the five of inflammatory speeches at a rally in western India earlier this year which led to ferocious clashes between Dalits, the lowest in the Hindu caste hierarchy, and right-wing organizations.Trade union activist Sudha Bharadwaj said laptops, mobile phones, and even passwords were taken away during the raids at her home who has been fighting for the worker's rights in parts of India such as Chhattisgarh where left-wing guerrilla groups run."The effort is whatever is the opposition to this regime, whether it is workers rights, tribal rights, everybody who in the opposition is being rounded up," she told reporters outside her home in Faridabad, a short distance from New Delhi.The arrests follow months of hostility between right-wing nationalist groups and advocates of free speech that has played out on college campuses and spilled over into the streets. Critics also say several top journalists have been forced out of their jobs for their critical reporting of the government.Police said they would be producing Bharadwaj and the four other activists arrested later on Wednesday. The others were a prominent poet from Hyderabad Varavara Rao, activists Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira from Mumbai and civil liberties activist Gautam Navlakha from New Delhi."The accused are booked under the unlawful activities prevention act," said a police officer in Pune.He said the main case relates to a rally held there on December 31, 2017, commemorating the valor of Dalits where provocative speeches were delivered. The following day, violent clashes broke out between members of the lower caste and hardline Hindu groups.The police officer, who could not be named because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, said police had seized documents relating to the Maoist guerrillas who are leading an armed battle for the rights of the landless in large parts of eastern and southern India called the Red Corridor.Rahul Gandhi, President of main opposition Congress party, said the latest raids showed that the government had little tolerance for activists, except for right-wing groups that shared its hardline ideology."Shut down all other NGOs. Jail all activists and shoot those that complain. Welcome to the new India," he said in a Twitter post. Rights groups said they would be holding protest marches in New Delhi and Mumbai.By Sowmya Sangam
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Pune Police Raid Writers, Activists Home across India August 28, 2018 16:30
For the second time in five months, the Pune Police on Tuesday conducted a raid of the houses of activists, poets, and writers, alleging they are Maoist sympathizers, across the country and detained several of them on Tuesday.According to available information, the activists raided are Vara Vara Rao and Kranti Tekula in Hyderabad, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Pereira in Mumbai, Sudha Bharadwaj and Stan Swami in Chhattisgarh, Gautam Navlakha in Delhi and Anand Teltumbde in Goa.Varavara Rao, Vernon Gonsalves, and Sudha Bharadwaj have been detained by the police.The raids were carried out in Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Haryana since the morning.Scores of supporters of these activists staged protests during the police raids at various locations.The raids were delineated as a follow-up to a similar action taken on April 17 when the Pune police swooped in on over half a dozen Dalit activists and those involved with the Kabir Kala Manch, which organized an Elgar Conference in Pune on December 31, 2017.On January 1, caste riots broke out in Koregaon-Bhima which left one person dead, culminating in a Maharashtra shutdown on January 3 called by the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh, headed by Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of BR Ambedkar.After nearly five months, the Pune police teams have fanned out in around half a dozen states and raided the homes and offices of several persons who may be linked with the Elgar Conference and suspected to be Maoist supporters.The police have seized items like computers, laptops, CDs (Compact Discs), documents and books from them and claimed that they functioned like an 'urban think tank' for Maoists.By Sowmya Sangam
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MK Stalin Takes Over as DMK President, Duraimurgan Treasurer August 28, 2018 12:47
MK Stalin on Tuesday took charge as the official president of Tamil Nadu's opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), one of the state's two main parties. The chosen political heir of his father and DMK president M Karunanidhi, Stalin has managed the party for over a year as his 94-year-old father faded out of public life due to failing health.Karunanidhi died three weeks ago.At the DMK headquarters, black-and-red party flags, music, and drumbeats this morning signaled celebrations for the first time in days, in the lead of a formal takeover by Stalin, the party's second president. Karunanidhi served as DMK chief for period 49 years.DMK loyalists say the 65-year-old Stalin, exercises full control over the party.After Karunanidhi's death, the party announced an election but Stalin was the only person to file his nomination at Anna Arivalayam, the party headquarters in Chennai, on Sunday. He was elected party president unopposed amid chants of "Thalapathy" (commander) and roaring applause.Senior party leaders at a meeting on August 14, urged the ''waiting prince'' to lead them.Senior leader and party principal secretary Duraimurugan will take the post of treasurer, previously held by Stalin.Stalin's supporters have dismissed threats by his older brother and rebel MK Alagiri as "rhetoric". Alagiri, who was expelled in 2014, has warned the party of "consequences" if he is not taken back. "Kalaignar is not there now. The party has to be saved and protected," he has said.A former deputy chief Minister, minister and two-time Chennai mayor, Stalin, was groomed by his father. For the last assembly election, it was Stalin who had led the campaign. Stalin's bit-by-bit elevation and projection as Karunanidhi's successor led to rebellion by Alagiri, who, too, eyed his father's throne.However, Karunanidhi expelled his eldest son, a former union minister and party's Organizing Secretary (South).Alagiri made an appearance at his father's funeral at Marina Beach and claimed that Karunanidhi loyalists were with him. He plans to lead a peace rally to Karunanidhi's memorial on September 5.The rivalry of Alagiri-Stalin has shadowed the DMK for ages but Karunanidhi kept a fragile peace.Insiders rule out any possibility of Alagiri's re-entry to the party. Stalin's other big challenge is bypolls in Tamil Nadu for two seats - Tiruparangundram in Alagiri's bastion Madurai and Tiruvarur, his father's seat.In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the DMK had drawn a blank, with the AIADMK sweeping 37 of the 39 seats. It endured consecutive defeats in the Tamil Nadu assembly polls in 2011 and 2016.The DMK's candidate in the by-election for J Jayalalithaa's RK Nagar seat lost his deposit and came a poor third after independent candidate T.T.V. Dinakaran and AIADMK leader E. Madhusudhanan.By Sowmya Sangam
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Kerala Relief Fund: CM Urges Malayalis across Globe to Donate One-Month Salary August 27, 2018 11:28
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday urged Malayalis across the world to consider donating their one-month salary to the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF)."It may not be possible for everyone to donate their one-month salary in one go. Instead, it would be easier if they could break the amount into 10 months and donate," said Pinarayi.The Kerala CM had also requested the Malayalis residing abroad to include their friends for more support.In a Facebook post, Pinarayi also urged all the Malayalis to stand together to form a new Kerala. "The power of Kerala does not depend on the size of the Government’s treasury," he added.He further said that it is the support given by the Malayalis across the globe that provides strength to the state. "If Malayalis all around the world stand together, then we can overcome any obstacle and money will not be a constraint to form a new Kerala," he added.The state of Kerala is on the road to recovery from the devastation caused due to flooding and heavy rains, which consequently damaged human lives and properties across the state on a massive scale.CM Pinarayi Vijayan said that, as of Sunday, there are 1,435 relief camps in the state and 4,62,456 people living in these camps.The death toll across the state, as of Sunday, caused due to the calamity, is 302 since August 8.By Sowmya Sangam
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Delhi: Massive Fire Breaks Out in Plastic Factory, No Casualty Reported August 25, 2018 12:59
A massive fire broke out in a plastic factory in Delhi on Saturday destroying lakhs of materials, the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) said.Two workers, who were sleeping inside the factory, managed to escape. The incident was reported around 3.55 a.m. from west Delhi's Nangloi area where the fire engulfed the factory being run in a three-storey building.A DFS official said that 25 fire tenders were sent to the spot and the firefighters managed to douse to the flames till 9 a.m., but the operation was still on."Fortunately, there is no loss of lives in the massive fire which gutted the entire factory where plastic materials were manufactured," said the official. "The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained." The police said an investigation has been initiated.By Sowmya Sangam
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BJP, RSS Trying to Spread Hatred in India: Rahul Gandhi August 25, 2018 10:51
Indian National Congress President Rahul Gandhi has lambasted the Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, saying they were working "to divide and spread hatred" in India.While addressing the Indian Overseas Congress, Gandhi made the statement on Thursday in Berlin, the Congress said on Friday.His address was not aired live due to a technical glitch.Interacting with the Indian-origin parliamentarians, Gandhi said that "the government which is now ruling in India, the Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, want to divide and spread hatred in the country. The Congress party will not let this happen".Gandhi said the strength of India lies in listening to the views of every citizen, irrespective of his/her religion or caste.By Sowmya Sangam
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Kerala Floods can’t be blamed on Water Release from Mullaperiyar: TN CM August 24, 2018 15:02
Responding to Kerala's allegations that an abrupt release of water from Mullaperiyar dam caused the flooding, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said that it was an intentional accusation to prevent Tamil Nadu from raising the level of Mullaperiyar dam to 152 feet.The response comes in the wake of the Government of Kerala filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Thursday stating that the sudden release of water from Mullaperiyar dam forced the authorities to release more water from Idukki dam, causing flooding in the region.The affidavit further said that in the wake of prior alerts by its engineers, Kerala Water Resources Secretary had written to its counterpart in Tamil Nadu and the Chairman of the Supervisory Committee on Mullaperiyar dam, requesting a controlled release of water without waiting for the water level in the reservoir to reach its full level. However, no positive response was received on this regard from the Tamil Nadu officials.The TN CM rubbished the claims and said, "In addition to Mullaperiyar dam, water was discharged from other 80 dams in the state. It is not solely due to water released from Mullaperiyar dam. In fact, we opened the shutters of Mullaperiyar only a week after that area was flooded with water. We gave three warnings when the water reached 139 ft, 141 ft, and 142 ft. Even when we released to water, it was a small amount - 11,000 to 12,000 cusecs. Hence, the flood was not caused due to the release of water from Mullaperiyar."It further said that an Expert Committee from the Centre had visited the dam a month before the floods happened and said that it was strong enough to hold 142 ft of water in it."Even the Secretary of our Public Works Department (PWD) was a part of the inspection team that was sent by the Central Government. The rains came around 20 days after this inspection. It rained across the state and not just in the Mullaperiyar region. If it was just the region around Mullaperiyar, then Kerala’s claims are true. But the entire state was flooded due to water from dams across the state," he added.The Mullaperiyar reservoir, which is entirely situated in Kerala, in the upper reaches of the Western Ghats above Idukki reservoir, is operated by the Tamil Nadu government.By Sowmya Sangam
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Mumbai: Fire Breaks Out in Crystal Tower in Parel August 22, 2018 10:48
A Level-2 fire broke out in one of the residential high-rises in Mumbai's Parel area. The fire broke out in Crystal Tower near Hindmata Cinema in Parel. About ten firefighting tenders have rushed to the spot. As rescue operations are on, the firefighters are rescuing people trapped inside the tower using a crane. #UPDATE: The Level-2 fire that broke out in Crystal Tower near Hindmata Cinema in Parel area now becomes Level-3 fire. Ten fire fighting tenders have rushed to the spot. People trapped inside the tower are being rescued using a crane. Rescue operation is underway. #Mumbai pic.twitter.com/stUgBaQQzX — ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2018 Further details are awaited.By Sowmya Sangam
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