Modi’s statement on loan waivers dubbed ‘insensitive’
New Delhi: The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) on Wednesday condemned as “insensitive” a statement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi equating farm loan waivers to lollipops. “In times of acute agrarian crisis, falling farm incomes and growing indebtedness, loan waiver has a palliative effect provided it reaches the real cultivators. To the crisis-stricken peasantry it could provide much-needed temporary relief,” the AIKS said in a statement.
The AIKS accused Modi of “selective amnesia” saying his latest statement on farm loan waivers smacked of dishonesty. “BJP and Modi have failed to fulfil their election time promises to the peasantry and are indulging in empty rhetoric,” it added. (IANS)
Celebratory firing: Former JDU MLA detained
New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Wednesday detained former JDU MLA Raju Singh in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur city for allegedly firing a gun in the air during a New Year Eve’s party here, which left a woman guest critically injured, officials said. A pistol was also recovered from his possession, they said, adding that Singh was being brought to Delhi. Police had earlier seized two rifles and 800 bullets from Singh’s farm house in Vasant Kunj, a senior police official said. Fortis Hospital in Vasant Kunj had alerted police about the injury to the woman’s head, apparently from a bullet fired during celebrations by the former Bihar MLA, the officials said. The victim, identified as Archana Gupta, is an architect. In his complaint to police, the victim’s husband alleged that they were at the farm house on Monday night to celebrate New Year along with friends and at around midnight, two-three rounds were fired by Singh. Immediately, he noticed that his wife had fallen down and was bleeding, the man said in his complaint. A case was registered against Singh under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act, the senior police official said. The official said the accused has five other cases registered against him. His wife is a former member of legislative council from Bihar. The farm house is owned by Singh’s mother where he lives with his family, the official said. Singh’s two brothers also live with their families in the farm house, he added. (PTI)
RJD leader shot dead, boy beaten to death in revenge
Patna: A local Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader in Bihar was shot dead near his village by unidentified men, police said on Wednesday. The killing triggered a violent protest by his supporters who beat to death a minor boy related to one of the suspects. Indal Paswan, a businessman-turned-politician, was shot dead near Maghda Sarai village in Nalanda district on Tuesday night when he was returning home after attended a function, police official Imran Perwez said. Paswan’s body and his motorcycle were recovered on Wednesday morning by his family members during a search after he failed to return home on Tuesday night. Angry over his killing, residents, mostly his supporters, attacked the house of two suspects in the village and set it on fire and beat to death a minor boy, a relative of one of the absconding killers. The villagers staged a protest demanding the arrest of the killers. Police said three persons had been arrested. (IANS)
Madras High Court lifts ban on online sale of medicines
Chennai: The Madras High Court on Wednesday allowed online pharmacies to sell drugs and cosmetics, staying an earlier order. A two-member bench of the court said the earlier direction to the Central government to notify the rules governing the online sale of drugs before January 31 continues. The Tamil Nadu Chemists and Druggists Association had filed a case against the sale of drugs by online companies. According to the Association, online purchases may be convenient, but there exists the risk of unlicensed online outlets selling fake/expired/unapproved medicines. Reacting to the court order, Pradeep Dadha, Founder and CEO, Netmeds.com in a statement said: “We are happy with the order of the Division Bench of the Madras High Court staying the sale of online medicines till further orders.” “We are extremely grateful for the observations made by bench which validates the work that we have put in for the last three years,” said Dadha. “As part of the observations, the bench recognized that mechanisms are in place to prevent any real abuse of process by the online pharma sector. One of the most pertinent observations made was that the Central Government is not opposed to online pharmacies and is actively putting in place systems for regulating the sales,” Dadha said. (IANS)
DRI seizes 17 kg elephant ivory in West Bengal
Kolkata: About 17 kg of elephant tusks, valued at Rs 1.69 crore, was recovered by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on the outskirts of Siliguri in north Bengal on Wednesday. One person was arrested, a DRI official said. The elephant tusks, cut into four pieces, were being clandestinely transported in a vehicle that was loaded with a consignment of black tea. “Driver of the vehicle was arrested and consequently, the elephant tusks valued at about Rs. 1.69 crore in the international market have been seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962 read with the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972,” the official said. On interrogation, the driver of the impugned vehicle confessed that the elephant tusks were handed over to him in Baihata Chariali by an unknown person from Guwahati for transporting these to Kolkata. Preliminary investigation revealed that the tusks were extracted from poached elephants in the forested areas of Assam and were being carried to the eastern metropolis for ultimate export to South East Asian countries via Bangladesh, the official said. According to the agency, Indian (Asian) Elephant (Elephas maximus) is listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and also in the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. (IANS)
Pak violates ceasefire along LoC
Poonch: Pakistan on Wednesday violated ceasefire along the Line of Control in Poonch sector in Jammu aand Kashmir. The Indian troops retaliated to the ceasefire violation. This is the second such violation since Tuesday. On December 21, two Army personnel lost their lives during a ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Keran sector of Kupwara. (ANI)