1. J&K Govt Keeps Off Kashmir Issue in All-Party Meeting, Separatists Off Talks
Protests continued outside, separatists stayed away while the J&K government didn’t raise the Kashmir problem at all as the all-party delegation of parliamentarians met representatives on the first day of its visit to the Valley.
Protests continued outside and separatists stayed away as the J&K government refused to raise the issue.
Among other demands made before the delegation were that of a plebiscite, and the setting up of a parliamentary team with powers to make mandatory recommendations.
(Source: The Indian Express)
2. VHP Advises Gau Rakshaks to Beat Cattle Smugglers But “Not Break Their Bones”
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) gau raksha vibhaag (cow protection department) has a piece of advice for young cow vigilantes on how to handle cattle smugglers – “Beat them up but don’t break their bones.”
Addressing a meeting of top gau rakshaks from western UP, Braj region and Uttarakhand on Sunday, Khemchand, a member of the gau raksha department’s central committee, urged VHP workers to also enlist non-VHP volunteers for the cause of cow protection so that “no cattle smuggler would dare” to carry out illegal trade of the animal when faced with “an army of gau rakshaks”.
Khemchand also said that “cow protection, not Make in India” would “save the country”.
(Source: Times of India)
3. India Champion Vaz Caught in Sleaze Net
The 2.5-million-strong Indian community in the UK was in shock today after its most effective champion, Labour MP Keith Vaz, was accused by the Sunday Mirror newspaper of inviting two male escorts to his London flat.
According to one report, 59-year-old Vaz, who was born in Aden into a Goan Catholic family, has decided to stand down as chairman of the powerful Commons select committee on home affairs.
But another report said Vaz has referred the allegations to his lawyers, although he did not deny them. Last year he helped Lalit Modi when the former IPL commissioner, living in exile in the UK, found he could not travel abroad because his Indian passport was not being renewed by the Indian authorities.
Whenever any Indian needed help, Vaz was almost always the first port of call.
(Source: The Telegraph)
4. Before Saying GoodBye, Raghuram Rajan Warns of New Challenges
Raghuram Rajan, whose tenure as RBI governor ended on 4 September, has issued fresh warnings about the threats that Indian economy faces. In an interview to The New York Times, Rajan mentioned that “low interest rates globally could distort markets and it would be difficult to abandon.”
Rajan, who stepped down after intense criticism from the ruling party leaders, said that low interest rates should not be a substitute for “other instruments of policy” and “various kinds of reforms” that are needed to encourage growth.
While endorsing the government’s Make in India campaign, Rajan also mentioned that the problem of unemployment cannot be solved by exclusively focusing on the manufacturing sector alone.
(Source: The Indian Express)
5. Pentagon Backs Proposal to Give US Fighter Jets ‘Make in India’ Tag
The Pentagon has backed proposals from US aviation giants Boeing and Lockheed Martin to manufacture top-line fighter aircraft as part of the ‘Make in India’ initiative. The proposals, including breakthrough offers on transfer of technology and licences, were conveyed by US defence secretary Ashton Carter to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar last week.
Boeing’s offer is for the versatile F-18 twin-engine fighter while Lockheed Martin’s is for the single-engined F-16.
Government sources said the US has also accepted an Indian non-paper on broader export controls in light of the latter being designated a major defence partner of Washington.
The possible Indian acquisition of the battle-proven Predator drone was also discussed.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s visit to the US had significant outcomes with Pentagon agreeing to work on the Indian non-paper for easier export controlsSenior Government Official
(Source: Hindustan Times)
6. Baloch Leader Seeks Indian ID, Travel Papers
In a move that will test the NDA government’s new policy on Balochistan, a prominent Baloch leader, accused of violence in Pakistan, is seeking an Indian government-issued ID.
Speaking to The Hindu from Switzerland, leader of the Baloch Republican Party, Brahamdagh Khan Bugti said Pakistan was trying to create international pressure by issuing a Red notice against him, and sought India’s intervention to ensure safety for himself and his companions.
Mr Bugti’s desire to seek an official Indian ID and “travel documents” stem from the fact that at present, he runs his party from Switzerland without official authorisation from the Swiss government.
(Source: The Hindu)
7. My Fight is for Transparency, Says Justice Chelameswar
As a Collegium member and the lone dissenting judge, Justice Chelameswar’s dissent is as historic as it is revealing of the Collegium’s opacity.
Just days after he informed Chief Justice of India TS Thakur of his decision to skip the meetings of the Supreme Court Collegium till the highest judiciary ushers in transparency, Supreme Court judge Justice Jasti Chelameswar on Sunday said he took the stand solely for the cause of transparency and was not fighting for any personal gain.
The fifth-seniormost judge in the Supreme Court, Justice Chelameswar’s stand is that there should be some record of the Collegium’s proceedings. The record should contain the basis on which High Court judges are transferred or names are rejected for appointment as judges. A procedure has to be evolved at the highest level for holding Collegium meetings, he said.
(Source: The Hindu)
8. Delhi Is the Most Unsafe for India’s Elderly, NCRB Analysis Shows
Delhi has been categorised for the second consecutive year as the most unsafe city for senior citizens in 2015, the latest data from the ‘Crime in India’ report released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) said.
With a rate of 108.8 crimes per 100,000 elderly population, senior citizens in the capital are almost five times more likely to become victims of a crime than in the rest of the country. The national rate for such crimes stands at 20.
Mostly senior citizens residing in the city were victims of crimes like robbery (145 cases), cheating (123), murder (14), grievous hurt (9), extortion (3) attempt to murder (2), attempt to commit culpable homicide (2), rape (1), dacoity (2) and the maximum 947 of “other IPC crimes“.
In terms of number, a total of 1,248 cases of crime against senior citizens were registered in Delhi in 2015.
(Source: IANS)
9. Sandeep Kumar’s Wife Says He’s Innocent Despite Rape Charge, Sex Tape
Former Delhi minister Sandeep Kumar has been sacked from his ministerial post, deserted by his party members and arrested on rape charges after a sex tape featuring him being intimate with two women surfaced last week.
His wife, though, has stuck with him through it all and has thrown her support behind him.
Ritu Kumar, who had come to the Sultanpuri police station to meet her jailed husband, told reporters on Sunday:
I am with my husband. The truth will come out in the court. The allegations are false. We will support him.
Without naming anyone, she said the CD scandal was a “conspiracy” against Kumar.
“No matter what happens, I know my husband is innocent. I will continue to support him till the end,” she said refusing to comment on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s decision to sack him.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
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