1. Farmers Call Off Protest as Maha Govt Vows to Meet Land Demands
Over 35,000 farmers who were camping in Mumbai following a week-long march, called off their protest after the Maharashtra government, on 12 March, vowed to meet their land demands.
Under pressure from the opposition and ally Shiv Sena, the BJP-led Maharashtra government on Monday accepted the demands of agitating farmers, including their right to till forest land, as thousands of agriculturists converged here in a sea of red.
The farmers marched 180 km from Nashik to Mumbai to demand a complete farm loan waiver, forest land rights and the implementation of recommendations of the MS Swaminathan Commission.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “We have agreed to set up a committee to hand over forest land used for farming, to tribals and farmers. We have agreed to set up a committee to allot agricultural land to tribals provided they submit a proof of pre-2005 land cultivation.”
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2. Bangladeshi Plane Crashes in Nepal, Killing At Least 49
At least 49 people were killed on Monday when a Bangladeshi airliner crashed in cloudy weather as it came in to land at the Nepalese capital's hill-ringed airport, officials said.
Seventy one people were on board the plane arriving from Dhaka when it clipped the fence at Kathmandu and burst into flames, Chettri said.
There were 33 Nepali passengers, 32 from Bangladesh, one from China and one from the Maldives.
"So far 49 people are dead and 22 are undergoing treatment at different hospitals," Sanjiv Gautam, executive director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), told reporters.
(Source: Reuters)
3. Naresh Agrawal Enters BJP With Sexist Slur, EAM Dubs It ‘Improper’
Senior Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agrawal joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday, 12 March, but not before he kicked up a controversy when he said, "dancers and film actors were preferred over [him] for the nominations for the upper house of Parliament".
The remarks, made in the presence of Union Minister Piyush Goyal at the party headquarters in Delhi, referred to the nomination of actor Jaya Bachchan by the Samajwadi Party for a Rajya Sabha seat from Uttar Pradesh, ignoring Agrawal’s claim. Agrawal's term as Rajya Sabha member is ending on 2 April, reported PTI.
The BJP, meanwhile, was left red-faced, as it sought to distance itself from Agarwal’s remarks.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj welcomed Agrawal into the BJP, but called his comments regarding Jaya Bachchan “improper and unacceptable”.
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4. Theni Forest Fire: 10 Trekkers Killed in TN, CM Orders Probe
At least 10 people were charred to death in a massive forest fire that broke out suddenly in the Kurangani hills in Tamil Nadu’s Theni on Sunday, 11 March.
The fire trapped around 37 trekkers, most of them women, with 27 rescued so far. Of the rescued persons, 10 of them have minor injuries, while 8 have serious injuries.
TN Chief Minister Palanisami said the trekking expedition had been done without getting the necessary permissions from the forest department. He has ordered a detailed probe into the incident.
He has also announced compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the family of the deceased. Rs 1 lakh would be given to those who are suffering with severe burns and Rs 50,000 for those with minor burns.
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5. Jaya Bachchan Likely to be Richest MP With Rs 1,000 Crore in Assets
Actor and Samajwadi Party MP from Uttar Pradesh Jaya Bachchan could topple Ravindra Kishore Sinha, BJP MP in Rajya Sabha, as the richest parliamentarian. Sinha, who declared assets worth Rs 800 crore in 2014 when he entered the upper House, has been upstaged by Jaya, who declared assets of Rs 1,000 crore.
Jaya, who filed her nomination as an SP candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls, had declared assets worth Rs 493 crore in 2012. According to the affidavit, Jaya and her husband Amitabh have immovable assets worth more than Rs 460 crore, which is over twice of what they owned in 2012 — Rs 152 crore. The worth of movable assets too rose from around Rs 343 crore in 2012 to around Rs 540 crore.
(Source: The Times of India)
6. INX Media Case: Karti Chidambaram Sent to Tihar Jail Till 24 March
Karti Chidambaram was on Monday sent to judicial custody till 24 March in the INX Media corruption case by a Delhi court which also dismissed his plea to provide him a separate cell in Tihar Jail due to his threat perception.
While rejecting Karti's plea for a separate cell and bathroom, Special Judge Sunil Rana said he cannot be treated differently from other accused persons just because of his and his father, former union minister P Chidambaram's social status.
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7. Supreme Court Sets Six-Month Deadline For 2G Case Probes
“The country cannot be kept in the dark,” the Supreme Court said on Monday, while directing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to complete investigation into all 2G spectrum scam cases, including the Aircel-Maxis deal case, in six months.
“This is a very important case and the country must know the results, whatever may be the decision. Why is this investigation taking too long? What are the reasons for delay? Is anybody behind the delay?” Justice Arun Mishra, heading a Bench comprising Justice Navin Sinha, asked Attorney-General KK Venugopal. The court said the case had come up before this Bench after four years and asked the agencies for a status report in two weeks.
“We want all answers to the questions raised by the Comptroller and Auditor-General in his report [on the 2G spectrum scam cases],” Justice Mishra said firmly.
8. Each Rafale to Cost Rs 670 Crore: Government
Each basic version of the Rafale jet would cost Rs 670 crore, the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday even as the Opposition looked keen to corner the Centre on the $8.7-billion aircraft deal with France.
Responding to a question in the House, minister of state for defence, Subhash Bhamre said, the per unit price of the jet, manufactured by French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation, did not cover associated equipment, weapons package, India-specific enhancements, maintenance support and services. Bhamre had stated the same amount as the cost of the jet in the Lower House two years ago.
The Congress last week alleged that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government had caused a loss of Rs 12,632 crore to the public exchequer by inking the Rafale deal. Quoting figures from Dassault Aviation’s March 8 annual report, the opposition party alleged said India had paid Rs 351 crore more for each jet than other Rafale customers such as Egypt and Qatar.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
9. Nidahas Trophy: Clinical India Beat Sri Lanka By 6 Wickets
A clinical India defeated Sri Lanka comprehensively by six wickets to continue their their winning run in the Nidahas T20 Trophy in Colombo on Monday.
Opting to bowl, young Shardul Thakur (4/27) registered his best T20 bowling figures as Sri Lanka lost their way in the middle overs after Kusal Mendis' fifty to be restricted to 152 for nine.
The match was reduced to 19-overs-a-side affair after over an hour was lost due to rain.
Later chasing the modest target, India overcame early jitters riding on Manish Pandey's unbeaten 42 and Dinesh Karthik's 39 not out to overwhelm Sri Lanka's total with nine balls to spare.
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