NEW DELHI, Sept 13: Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi is set to become Attorney General of India for a second time from October 1.
The tenure of the incumbent Attorney General, K.K. Venugopal, is coming to a close on September 30. The 90-year-old jurist has made it clear that he would not want to continue as the top law officer.
Mr. Rohatgi (67) had served as the 14th Attorney General of India when the Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014. He had served for three years, till 2017. He had returned to private practice and Mr. Venugopal was appointed the 15th Attorney General.
Mr. Venugopal had initially served a tenure of three years and was later given extensions. The last one was in June 2022 for a period of three months.
Mr. Rohatgi has recently represented the Special Investigation Team in the Zakia Jafri case in which the Supreme Court had upheld the clean chit given to the Gujarat government in connection with the 2002 riots. He had also represented Aryan Khan, the son of actor Shahrukh Khan, in a narcotics case before the Bombay High Court. Mr. Rohatgi was lawyer for Ashish Mishra, an accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri case and son of Union Minister, in the Supreme Court.
The senior advocate was at the helm when a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court had struck down the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) during his first stint as Attorney General. (Agencies)
Mukul Rohatgi Set To Be Attorney General For India Once Again
India to host G-20 summit in New Delhi in 2023
New Delhi, Sept 13: India will assume the Presidency of the G20 for one year from December 1, 2022, to November 30, 2023, and during its Presidency, it is expected to host over 200 G20 meetings across the country.
The G20 Leaders’ Summit at the level of Heads of State/Government is scheduled to be held on September 9 and 10, 2023 in New Delhi, read the Ministry of External Affairs press release.
The G20, or Group of Twenty, is an intergovernmental forum of the world’s major developed and developing economies. It comprises 19 countries – Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, UK, USA – and the European Union (EU).
Collectively, the G20 accounts for 85 per cent of global GDP, 75 per cent of international trade and two-thirds of the world population, making it the premier forum for international economic cooperation.
India is currently part of the G20 Troika (current, previous and incoming G20 Presidencies) comprising Indonesia, Italy and India.
During its Presidency, India, Indonesia and Brazil would form the troika. This would be the first time when the troika would consist of three developing countries and emerging economies, providing them with a greater voice, added the release.
The G20 currently comprises – Finance Track, with 8 workstreams (Global Macroeconomic Policies, Infrastructure Financing, International Financial Architecture, Sustainable Finance, Financial Inclusion, Health Finance, International Taxation, Financial Sector Reforms); Sherpa Track, with 12 workstreams (Anti-corruption, Agriculture, Culture, Development, Digital Economy, Employment, Environment and Climate, Education, Energy Transition, Health, Trade and Investment, Tourism); 10 Engagement Groups of private sector/civil society/independent bodies (Business 20, Civil 20, Labour 20, Parliament 20, Science 20, Supreme Audit Institutions 20, Think 20, Urban 20, Women 20 and Youth 20).
In addition to G20 Members, there has been a tradition of the G20 Presidency inviting some Guest countries and International Organizations (IOs) to its G20 meetings and summits.
Accordingly, in addition to regular International Organizations (UN, IMF, World Bank, WHO, WTO, ILO, FSB and OECD) and Chairs of Regional Organizations (AU, AUDA-NEPAD and ASEAN), India, as G20 President, will be inviting Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain and UAE as Guest countries, as well as ISA (International Solar Alliance), CDRI (Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure) and ADB (Asian Development Bank) as Guest IOs, read the release.
Whilst India’s G20 priorities are in the process of being firmed up, ongoing conversations inter alia revolve around inclusive, equitable and sustainable growth; LiFE (Lifestyle For Environment); women’s empowerment; digital public infrastructure and tech-enabled development in areas ranging from health, agriculture and education to commerce, skill-mapping, culture and tourism; climate financing; circular economy; global food security; energy security; green hydrogen; disaster risk reduction and resilience; developmental cooperation; fight against economic crime; and multilateral reforms. (Agencies)
Burhan Sheikh – The New Music Sensation of Jammu & Kashmir
Born in Kishtwar District of Jammu & Kashmir, Burhan found his passion for learning and Singing Music in his early and at very young age of Life.
Burhan in his childhood used to listen music very keenly and then used to Sing the same.
Burhan After winning many reality shows and performing at various big stages is a household name in the music Catagorey in Jammu & Kashmir.
Burhan has been featured on National Televjst Aajtak and on various big platforms.He is quite popular is the chenab valley area of Jammu & Kashmir.
Burhan Sheikh is not known for his musical versatility but for his philanthropic work and his down to earth nature.
Burhan helped hundred of families during the time of COVID Pandemic Lockdown, from arranging dry ration for the needy to providing medicine to those in distress, He left no stone unturned to help people in need.
As per Sources, Burhan Sheikh has done many musical projects and many of his songs are about to be released in coming months.
Big Relief for J&K domestic Power users
After receiving the Administrative Council’s (AC) assent, the Power Department formally issued an order declaring a waiver of the interest that had accrued on domestic electricity bills due to non-payments for J&K residents.
More than 5.50 lakh domestic consumers would benefit from the decision by having an amount of Rs 937.34 crore that had accumulated as a surcharge or interest due to late payments waived.
The government’s decision has been praised widely since for the past two years COVID caused J&K’s economy to suffer leading to electricity customers not paying bills on time.
An order issued by the Power Department reads “sanction is hereby accorded to waiver off the 100 percent interest or surcharge on the outstanding electricity bills in favour of the domestic consumers accumulated up to March 31, 2022”.
The department has set some conditions for consumers to avail of this benefit which includes outstanding principal amount arrears accumulated up to March 31, 2022, after waiving off 100 percent interest or surcharge in favour of the domestic consumers be paid in a maximum of 12 monthly installments beginning from the date of issuance of this government order.
The failure to payment of any installments within the prescribed 12 months period should invite penalty and legal action under the Electricity Act 2003 in addition to the accrual of compound interest on the outstanding dues.
The current bills should be paid separately and regularly without fail.
Mainly dry weather likely in J&K: MeT
Jammu, Sep 13: The Meteorological (MeT) department on Tuesday forecast mainly dry weather in Jammu and Kashmir during the next 24 hours.
On Monday, the UT experienced a generally cloudy sky.
“Weather is likely to remain mainly dry in J&K during the last 24 hours”, an official of the MeT department said.
Meanwhile, Srinagar had 14 degrees, Pahalgam 7.4 and Gulmarg 8.1 degrees Celsius as the minimum temperature this morning.
Drass town in Ladakh had 3.5, Leh 6.1 and Kargil 14.6 as the minimum temperature.
Jammu had 23.1, Katra 21.2, Batote 15.3, Banihal 11.8 and 14.6 as the minimum temperature.
Pan-India CBI raids over JKPSI exam scam
New Delhi, Sep 13:Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raids were underway at 33 locations across the country on Tuesday in connection with irregularities in the exams for Jammu and Kashmir Police Sub-Inspectors (JKPSI), a top official said.
According to the official, the raids are going on in Jammu, Srinagar, Karnal, Mahendergarh, Rewari, Delhi, Ghaziabad and Bengaluru.
Searches were also being conducted at the premises of Khalid Jehangir, former Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB); Ashok Kumar Mann, controller and an examiner; as well as some officials of the J&K Police and CRPF.
After conducting raids on August 5, the CBI had recovered incriminating documents, devices, answer sheets, applications forms and OMR files which were very crucial to the case.
The CBI officials said that the recovered evidences will nail the guilt of the accused.
The SI exam paper was allegedly leaked by the accused.
The exams were conducted in March.
The CBI after getting a complaint in this respect filed a case against 33 accused.
“Dr Karnail Singh of BSF who is a medical officer; Avinash Gupta owner of tutorial classes, Narayan Dutt, a member of the JKSSB; and private firm Meritrac Private Limited in Bengaluru which conducted the exams have been named as the accused in the FIR,” the probe agency had said.
Recently, the Lieutenant Governor’s administration had cancelled the SI recruitment examination conducted for 1,200 posts of Jammu and Kashmir Police.
After this, the investigation of rigging was handed over to the CBI.
Now fresh recruitment exams will be held.
Jammu Bar to resume work after 51-day strike
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association at Jammu said that it has ended the strike and will resume work from September 12, Bar and Bench reported.
The bar is resuming work after a 51-day strike which began on July 23 demanding construction of a building within the High Court premises to house various tribunals.
The decision to resume work was taken at a general house meeting was presided over by President of J&K High Court Bar Association MK Bhardwaj which was held after the intervention of Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Pankaj Mithal.
A press note was issued on Saturday through General Secretary of the Bar Surjeet Singh Andotra, announcing the decision.
“The learned member unanimously decided to resume work for some days in the High Court, District Court, tribunals, commissions and all revenue courts in Jammu, in view of the intervention of Hon’ble Chief Justice Pankaj Mithal and other Judges of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh,” the press note said.
The Bar Association clarified that resumption of work will not detract the Bar from its struggle to fulfill its demands.
Article 370 will be restored in J&K: Mufti on Azad’s can’t be restored remark
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday reacted to Ghulam Nabi Azad’s ‘Article 370 cannot be restored’ remark and said it was his personal opinion. The PDP leader went on to say that ‘there are voices in Jammu and Kashmir who believe Article 370 will be reinstated.’ “It’s his (Ghulam Nabi Azad) personal opinion…Congress had raised its voice against the British and stopped them. Similarly, there are voices in J&K who believe 370 will be reinstated and this will be resolved,” Mufti said.
Notably, former Congress leader, Ghulam Nabi Azad, during a rally in Kashmir’s Baramulla yesterday, Ghulam Nabi Azad said, “To restore Article 370 would need around 350 votes in the Lok Sabha and 175 votes in the Rajya Sabha. This is a number no political party has or is likely to ever get.”
Azad, who ended his five-decade-long association with the Congress on August 26, said if the grand old party is speaking to restore Article 370, those are false promises. “The Congress has shrunken to less than 50 seats and if they speak of restoring Article 370, they are making false promises,” said the 73-year-old politician.
Active Covid cases in country decline to 46,347
New Delhi, Sep 13: India logged 4,369 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 4,45,04,949, while the active cases dipped to 46,347, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday.
The death toll climbed to 5,28,185 with 20 fatalities, which includes seven deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated.
The active cases comprise 0.10 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate increased to 98.71 per cent, the ministry said.
A decline of 829 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.
India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.
The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23 last year. It crossed the four-crore mark on January 25 this year. (AGENCIES)
The driving force of the dairy sector in India is small farmers: PM Modi
The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated International Dairy Federation World Dairy Summit (IDF WDS) 2022 organised at India Expo Centre & Mart, Greater Noida.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister underlined the centrality of ‘Pashu Dhan’ and milk-related business in the cultural landscape of India.
He pointed out that unlike other developed countries of the world, the driving force of the dairy sector in India is small farmers.
“India’s dairy sector is characterized by production by masses more than “mass production”. India is the largest milk-producing country on the basis of the efforts of these small farmers with one, two or three cattle. This sector provides employment to more than 8 crore families in the country,” he informed.
Explaining further, he said, “There is such a huge network of Dairy Cooperative in India, and one cannot find such an example in the whole world elsewhere.”
The Prime Minister drew everyone’s attention to the fact that there is no middleman in the entire process, and more than 70 per cent of the money that is received from the customers goes directly into the pockets of the farmers. Another unique feature, according to the Prime Minister, is the indigenous breeds that can withstand many adverse circumstances.
He gave the example of the sturdy buffalo breed of Banni Buffalo of the Kutch region of Gujarat. He also talked about other buffalo breeds such as Murrah, Mehsana, Jafrabadi, Nili Ravi, and Pandharpuri; among the cow breeds, he mentioned Gir, Sahiwal, Rathi, Kankrej, Tharparker and Haryana.
In addition, the Prime Minister highlighted the power of women in the dairy sector where he pointed out that women have a 70% representation in the workforce in India’s dairy sector.
“Women are the real leaders of India’s dairy sector”, he said adding, “Not only this, more than a third of the members of dairy cooperatives in India are women.”
He said at more than eight and a half lakh crore rupees, the dairy sector is more than the combined value of wheat and rice. This is all driven by the women power of India.
Modi also mentioned that as compared to the 2 per cent production growth at the global level, India is clocking the milk production growth rate at more than 6 per cent.
The Prime Minister said that the government is working on developing a blanched dairy ecosystem where challenges of the sectors are being addressed along with a focus on increasing production.
He stressed that animal husbandry and dairy are being promoted as a powerful medium of green and sustainable growth in the villages.
Stressing the use of modern technology, the Prime Minister said that India is building the largest database of dairy animals and every animal associated with the dairy sector is being tagged.
“We are doing biometric identification of animals. We have named it – Pashu Adhar”, he said.
The Prime Minister stressed that today, India is paying equal attention to both indigenous breeds and hybrid breeds which will also reduce the risk of damage caused by climate change.
Talking about problem, Modi said, “When the animal is sick it affects the life of the farmer, affecting his income. It also affects the efficiency of the animal, the quality of its milk and other related products.”
The Prime Minister emphasised that in this direction, India is working toward universal vaccination of animals. “We have resolved that by 2025, we will vaccinate 100% of the animals against Foot and Mouth Disease and Brucellosis. We are aiming to be completely free from these diseases by the end of this decade”, the Prime Minister remarked.
The Prime Minister observed that there has been a loss of livestock in many states of India due to the disease named Lumpy in the recent past and assured everyone that the central government, along with various state governments, is trying their level best to keep a check on it.
“Our scientists have also prepared indigenous vaccine for Lumpy Skin Disease”, the Prime Minister added.
The Prime Minister also pointed out that efforts are being made to track the movement of animals to keep the outbreak under control.
Modi invited global leaders of the dairy industry to join the drive to empower the dairy sector in India. “I also appreciate the International Dairy Federation for their excellent work and contribution”, the Prime Minister concluded.