A total of 4,690 people were arrested under the anti-terror law UAPA between 2018 to 2020 but just 149 were convicted under it in the three year period, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said on Wednesday.

Rai said 1,321 people were arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in 2020 while 80 people were convicted in that year.

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In 2019, 1,948 people were arrested under the UAPA and 34 people were convicted in that year and in 2018, 1,421 people were arrested while 35 people were convicted, he said replying to a written question in Rajya Sabha.

The minister said the highest number of people arrested under the UAPA between 2018 and 2020 was in Uttar Pradesh — 1,338, followed by Manipur — 943 and Jammu and Kashmir — 750.

New Delhi, Aug 3: India’s services sector lost momentum in July as demand was curtailed by competitive pressures, elevated inflation and unfavourable weather, a monthly survey said on Wednesday.

The seasonally adjusted S&P Global India Services PMI Business Activity Index fell from 59.2 in June to 55.5 in July, pointing to the slowest rate of growth in four months.

For the 12th straight month, the services sector witnessed an expansion in output. In Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) parlance, a print above 50 means expansion while a score below 50 denotes contraction.

As per the survey, service providers that reported higher sales in July mentioned favourable demand conditions and fruitful advertising. However, growth was dampened by fierce competition and unfavourable weather, survey participants said.

According to Pollyanna De Lima, Economics Associate Director at S&P Global Market Intelligence, there was a “noticeable loss of momentum for the Indian service economy as demand was somewhat curtailed by competitive pressures, elevated inflation and unfavourable weather. Both output and sales increased at the weakest rates for four months”.

The domestic market remained the key source of sales growth as international demand for Indian services worsened further, the survey said

As many as 657 personnel belonging to the Central Armed Police Forces like the CRPF and BSF died by suicide in the past five years, Union Minister Nityanand Rai said on Wednesday.
The minister of state for home said the Rajya Sabha that 153 personnel died by suicide in 2021, 149 in 2020, 133 in 2019, 97 in 2018 and 125 in 2017.
The Central Armed Police Forces or the paramilitary forces include the CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP, SSB, Assam Rifles and the National Security Guard.
The combined strengthen of these forces is around 10 lakh.

The Andhra Pradesh government on Wednesday ordered a high-level probe into the gas leak in a garment factory that left over a hundred hospitalised in the Anakapalle district.

Andhra Pradesh Industries Minister Gudivada Amarnath announced the decision to conduct the probe and said the company will remain closed until the investigation in the leakage concludes.

He pointed out that it was the second instance of gas leakage in the past two months. As many as 121 women workers were affected and are being treated in various hospitals in the Anakapalle district after the accident at the factory.

Earlier in June, about 178 women workers fell sick after a gas leak at a laboratory in the Atchutapuram area of the state’s Visakhapatnam, following which the government set up a joint committee to ascertain the cause. It was suspected that leakage of air conditioning gas was the cause.

Speaking about the latest incident, the minister said the cause of the gas leakage was yet to be ascertained and the police and pollution control board teams were investigating the matter.

According to the Vishakhapatnam district officials, 53 people were admitted for treatment in a government hospital, while 41 others were undergoing treatment in other hospitals of the district.

Amarnath said some samples were also sent to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for a more detailed examination.

Earlier, the District Medical and Health Officer of Anakapalle, Hemanth had said that most of the patients complained about difficulty in breathing, nausea, and vomiting.

As per the reports, initially, about 50 people were shifted to hospital after they fell ill on Tuesday due to the gas leakage that took place at Brandix premises, after which the employees ran out gripped by panic.