by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Mumbai : Despite the removal of the Haj subsidy from the 2018 pilgrimage season, there was no financial burden on the pilgrims as middlemen were eliminated and a transparent, fully online system was put in place, Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said here on Wednesday.
Terming the Haj-2018 as a ‘pro-pilgrim’ initiative, he said that in 2017, Rs 1,030 crore was paid to airlines for the airfares for 1,24,852 pilgrims, but in 2018, it came down to Rs 973 crore for 1,28,702 pilgrims who went for the pilgrimage through the Haj Committee of India.
This means Rs 57 crore less was paid to airlines this year though 3,850 more pilgrims travelled after ending the Haj subsidy, Naqvi pointed out.
Terming the Haj-2018 as “successful”, Naqvi said that for the first time since Independence, a record 1,75,025 Muslims from India performed the pilgrimage without availing any subsidy and expected the number to go up further in 2019.
Safety and better facilities and medical amenities for the pilgrims are the priority of the government. There will be no lackadaisical approach on this, he said while announcing the Haj-2019 season at the Haj House in Mumbai.
He said that the online application process will start on October 18, while the offline process will be taken up on October 22, making it the first time that the next year’s (2019) Haj preparations have been initiated immediately after completion of the current season (2018).
In 2018, a total of 3,55,604 applications were received, of which 1,66,387 were from women.
According to Naqvi, the early start of the Haj process will ensure availability of better facilities and smooth functioning as all the concerned agencies, both in India and Saudi Arabia, would get sufficient time to make arrangements.
“The process of airlines tender will be completed by November 2018 and accommodation process in Mecca and Medina by December 2018-January 2019,” Naqvi said.
All the 20 embarkation points will be functional like 2018 and Haj pilgrims can also go via Calicut Airport and the accommodation rates in Saudi Arabia shall remain unchanged for 2019.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : More than a week after several women journalists levelled allegations of sexual harassment and molestation, former Editor M.J. Akbar on Wednesday resigned as Minister of State for External Affairs as the #MeToo movement claimed its first toll in Indian politics.
In a brief statement announcing his resignation, Akbar said he deemed it appropriate to fight the charges against him legally in a personal capacity, only two days after defying calls for his resignation when he returned from abroad on Sunday.
The resignation came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was under attack from the opposition for his silence on the issue. Akbar’s continuance in the government appeared untenable in the face of growing accusations despite his filing a defamation suit against one of the accusers.
“Since I have decided to seek justice in a court of law in my personal capacity, I deem it appropriate to step down from office and challenge false accusations levelled against me, also in a personal capacity.
“I have, therefore, tendered my resignation from the office of Minister of State for External Affairs. I am deeply grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for the opportunity they gave to serve my country,” he said.
On Sunday, after returning from a trip abroad, the Minister called the allegations levelled by about 15 women journalists, most of whom who had worked under him in the Asian Age daily, as “wild, baseless and false” and had threatened to sue them.
On Monday, he filed a defamation case against Priya Ramani, who was the first to come out against Akbar. It was followed by the accounts of travails undergone by other women journalists, including Ghazala Wahab who accused him of molestation.
The accounts continued to pour even after Akbar had filed the defamation case.
While the Congress demanded his resignation and removal, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders kept a studied silence.
On Tuesday, Congress President Rahul Gandhi made a veiled attack on Modi saying a man who gives the slogan “beti padhao, beti bachao” went silent when asked about allegations against his Minister.
The BJP had been maintaining a silence on the allegations against Akbar except a statement by party chief Amit Shah who said the charges have to be looked into.
The 67-year old Akbar, who had joined the BJP ahead of Lok Sabha elections in 2014, was inducted into the government in 2016.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Entrepreneurship, News, Politics, Women Entrepreneur
Nowhera Shaik
Hyderabad : Hyderabad police on Tuesday arrested leading entrepreneur-politician Nowhera Shaik on charges of allegedly cheating the investors.
Nowhera, Managing Director of Heera Group of Companies, was arrested in New Delhi and brought to Hyderabad on a transit remand, said Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar.
The arrest was made during the course of the investigations into a case booked against her at Banja Hills police station in Hyderabad for cheating, criminal breach of trust and criminal intimidation.
She was also booked under Telangana Deposits of Financial Establishment Act 1999 and The Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act, 1978.
Police said it found incriminating evidence against Nowhera, who runs various businesses in India and the Middle East. She also floated All India Mahila Empowerment Party, which contested recent assembly elections Karnataka but drew a blank.
According to police Nowhera Shaik is heading 15 companies under different names under the Heera Group of companies.
“Many of the companies are involved in collection of deposits/investments in different modes of gold scheme from public, where in these companies commit a return of around 36% per annum for the invested amount,” a police statement said.
While the exact number of investors / depositors is not known because the companies have not disclosed complete information before the Police, it is estimated that the number of depositors could be in thousands in different states of the country, it added.
Police claimed that during investigation evidences of diversion of funds came to light. Evidence has also been found of purchase of assets in different names of individuals as well as companies, police said.
“Many investors have not been paid their dues since last few months by accused companies. The companies and other accused have not cooperated with Police or provided relevant information during course of investigation. The main accused also made efforts to mislead the Police and avoid the investigation,” the police chief said.
According to police more than 160 bank accounts have been identified across India, details of which are being sought from the concerned bank.
Different properties have been identified and necessary action under the Telangana Deposits of Financial Establishment Act 1999 and The Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (BANNING) Act, 1978 are under consideration, added the statement.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News
New Delhi : The CBI has submitted its closure report in the case over disappearance of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Najeeb Ahmed, who went missing from here in October 2016, the agency said on Monday.
Sources said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed the closure report in the case last week, and the court will consider the matter on November 29.
The agency’s move comes after the Delhi High Court on October 8 allowed the CBI plea seeking permission to file its closure report into the case while rejecting Ahmed’s mother Fatima Nafees’ plea for probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
The court had, however, advised Nafees to raise all contentions available to her in accordance with law before the criminal court concerned after the filing of the closure report by the agency.
Initially, the Delhi Police had been looking into the case, which was later transferred from the CBI.
Nafees had sought an SIT — comprising non-CBI official — to further probe her son’s disappearance from a JNU hostel in the intervening night of October 14-15, 2016.
But the court declined the plea to constitute an SIT and monitor its work.
Ahmed, 27, an M.Sc first-year student, was reported missing after an alleged scuffle with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members, the student body affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The ABVP has, however, denied its involvement.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : The BJP on Monday accused the Congress of trying to build a momentum against the construction of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya and asked party President Rahul Gandhi to clear his stand on the issue.
“They are trying to build a momentum against the construction of Ram Temple. We want an early verdict but they are trying to delay,” BJP Spokesperson G.V.L. Narasimha Rao told a press conference.
His comments came in the wake of the reported remarks of Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor. who said on Sunday that while a vast majority of Hindus believe that Ayodhya was the birthplace of Lord Ram, no good Hindu would want to see a Ram temple built by demolishing somebody else’s place of worship.
Rao said Tharoor’s comments is yet another attempt to somehow “muddy waters” at a time when the Supreme Court is likely to take up this issue on a fast-track basis.
“Linking construction of temple to demolition of the structure several years ago is an attempt by the Congress to indulge in vote bank politics,” he said.
Rao said that the BJP hopes for an early verdict in this regard while many of the Congress leaders are again and again giving statements against the construction of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya.
Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal had earlier demanded that the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute should be heard after the 2019 general elections which triggered a major political storm.
Rao, a Rajya Sabha member, also took on Rahul Gandhi accusing him of indulging in vote bank politics.
“Rahul Gandhi sometimes turns into a Shiv Bhakt and then goes to meet the intellectuals to say that they are a party for the Muslims. He should answer whether he is a Hindu or not. Will Rahul clearly speak about his party’s stand on Ram temple,” he said.
On his part, Tharoor accused the media of distorting his words vis-a-vis the Ram temple issue and stressed that whatever he said was his personal opinion and not his party’s opinion.
“I condemn the malicious distortion of my words by some media in the service of political masters. I had said, ‘Most Hindus would want a temple at what they believe to be Ram’s birthplace. But no good Hindu would want it to be built by destroying another’s place of worship’,” Tharoor said in a tweet.
“I was asked for my personal opinion at a literary festival and gave it as such. I am not a spokesperson for my party and did not claim to be speaking for it,” he added.
—IANS
