16:24 New security plan for rly stn: Come 20 mins early:
Railways is planning to seal stations just like airports and passengers would have to arrive 15-20 minutes before scheduled departure of trains to complete the process of security checks.
The security plan — with high end technology — has already been put in motion at Allahabad, in anticipation of the Kumbh Mela which begins this month and at Hoobly railway station in Karnataka with a blueprint for 202 more stations ready for implementation, Railway Protection Force Director General Arun Kumar told PTI.
“The plan is to seal the railway stations. It is primarily about identifying openings and to determine how many can be closed. There are areas which will be closed through permanent boundary walls, others will be manned by RPF personnel and yet others will have collapsible gates.
“At each entry point there will be random security checks. However, unlike at airports, passengers need not come hours in advance, but just 15-20 minutes ahead of their departure times to ensure that they are not delayed because of the security process,” he said.
Kumar said that while security will increase, presence of security personnel will not.
“If we are inventing in technology, then manpower requirement will reduce,” he said.
These steps are a part of a security plan under the integrated security system which was approved in 2016 to strengthen surveillance mechanism at 202 railway stations.
The ISS will comprise CCTV cameras, access control, personal and baggage screening system and bomb detection and disposal system which together provide multiple checking of passengers and baggage from the point of entry in the station premises till boarding of train. The anticipated cost of the ISS project stands at Rs 385.06 crore.
“The security plan envisages a layered security check where passengers will be scrutinised even before they enter the station premises to ease the pressure at stations during peak hours,” Kumar said.
It will also include real-time face recognition software which will alert the RPF command centre of any known offenders.
Passengers will be checked randomly – every eighth or ninth passenger will undergo the process on his arrival at the station,” he said. — PTI
16:15 After Phoolka, rebel MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira resigns from AAP :
Rebel Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Punjab Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Sunday resigned from the party’s primary membership, alleging that the party had “totally deviated” from the ideology and principles on which it was formed post the Anna Hazare movement.
Khaira, who suspended from the party in November last year for indulging in “anti-party” activities, sent his resignation letter to AAP’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal.
The “current political culture of traditional parties of the country stands badly decayed, due to which immense hope was generated by the formation of AAP,” the Bolath MLA said in his resignation letter, copies of which have been released to the media.
“..unfortunately after joining the party I realised that the hierarchy of AAP was no different from the traditional centralised political parties..,” Khaira said.
He had been a vocal critic of AAP’s leadership since he was removed as leader of opposition in Punjab Assembly in July last year.
Following his removal, Khaira, along with seven supporters, formed a rebel group which sought autonomy for AAP’s Punjab unit. — PTI
15:39 Rapper Drake faces flak for kissing, touching minor in video:
Drake is under fire after an old video resurfaced on social media in which he could be seen touching and kissing a 17-year-old girl.
The clip, which was shared on Twitter on January 3, shows the rapper flirting and dancing with the fan on stage.
According to Spin magazine, the video is from 2010, when Drake was 24.
In the 94 second-long video, the rapper is visible standing behind the girl and asks her, “I told you I like your hair, right? What is it, like herbal essences? Smells fresh.”
He then goes on to kiss her neck and wrap his arms around her chest as the amused audience roared with laughter.
After taking a moment, Drake addressed the crowd on the mic, “Y’all know I get carried away again, I get in trouble for s**t.”
The rapper next asked the girl her age and she replied she was 17.
In the video, an exasperated Drake can be seen flinging his hands as the crowd laughed and booed him off simultaneously.
Drake said, “I can’t go to jail yet, man! 17? Why you look like that? You thick.”
“I don’t know if I should feel guilty or not but I had fun. I like the way your breasts feel against my chest,” he added.
The “Signs” hitmaker then kissed the girl on her hand, both cheeks and forehead before giving her a peck on the lips.
The video was posted the same day “Surviving R Kelly”, a controversial six-part documentary about Drake’s alleged decades of sexual abuse with under-aged women, started airing.
A representative for the rapper did not respond to a request for comment. — PTI
15:27 Prove orders for HAL or resign, Rahul challenges Sitharaman :
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday alleged that defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman “lied” in Parliament that government orders worth Rs 1 lakh crore were provided to the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, while demanding that she should either place the documents in support of her statement in the House or resign.
Gandhi’s attack came after a media report claimed that “not a single rupee of the said Rs 1 lakh crore has come to the HAL, since not a single order, as claimed, has been signed till now”.
The media report cited senior HAL management officials in order to back its claim.
The Congress has been targeting the government, alleging that it denied the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited an offset contract under the Rafale fighter jets deal with France, a charge the government has denied.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government has accused the Congress of not supporting the HAL during its rule and asserted that the government is now strengthening the defence public sector undertaking.
“When you tell one lie, you need to keep spinning out more lies, to cover up the first one. In her eagerness to defend the PM’s Rafale lie, the RM lied to Parliament,” Gandhi tweeted.
“Tomorrow, RM must place before Parliament documents showing 1 Lakh crore of Govt orders to HAL. Or resign,” he said.
Gandhi had on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “weakening” HAL to help his “suit-boot” friend.
Gandhi’s attack on Saturday had come over a media report which claimed that HAL, grappling with low finances, was forced to borrow Rs 1,000 crore to pay salaries to its employees for the first time in years.
Congress’s chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted on Sunday: “The Lying Defence Minister’s Lies Get Exposed! Defence Minister claimed that procurement orders worth Rs 1 Lakh Crore provided to HAL! HAL says Not a SINGLE PAISA has come, as Not a SINGLE ORDER has been signed!”
“For the first time, HAL forced to take a loan of ?1000 Cr to pay salaries!,” he added. — PTI
14:21 Aadhaar savings can fund 3 schemes of the size of Ayushman Bharat: FM:
Terming Aadhaar as a “game changer”, finance minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday said savings made through its implementation can fund three public welfare schemes of the magnitude of Ayushman Bharat — the ambitious healthcare programme to provide free hospitalisation to millions of poor people.
He also attributed the successful implementation of Aadhaar to the decisive leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the Congress-led UPA remained “half-hearted” towards it because of its own contradictions and indecision.
In a Facebook post titled ‘Benefits of the Aadhaar – where it stands today’, Jaitley said its use in the delivery of subsidies has helped saved Rs 90,000 crore in the last few years till March 2018 by eliminating several duplicate, non-existent and fake beneficiaries.
The Digital Dividend Report prepared by the World Bank estimates that India can save Rs 77,000 crore every year by the use of Aadhaar, he said.
“The savings through Aadhaar can fund three schemes of the size of Ayushman Bharat…Aadhaar is a game changer,” Jaitley said.
Ayushman Bharat, Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana aims to provide a coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family annually, benefiting more than 10.74 crore poor families for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation through a network of empanelled healthcare providers.
Since its launch in September, nearly 7 lakh poor patients have been provided free hospital treatment.
Jaitley said the UPA, because of its contradictions and indecision, remained half-hearted about Aadhaar.
“Instead of taking credit for it, Congress lawyers challenged it in court and appeared as the anti-technology, anti-Aadhaar faces. A decisive prime minister made it possible,” he said.
The total amount of subsidy transferred through Aadhaar now equals Rs 1,69,868 crore.
“With the elimination of middlemen the benefits go directly to the bank accounts. This is a unique technology implemented only in India. The monies saved through Aadhaar is money fruitfully employed for the poor elsewhere,” Jaitley said.
Since The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill was passed in 2016, in the last 28 months over 122 crore Aadhaar numbers have been issued. About 99 per cent of the adult population of India above the age of 18 stands covered.
He said 22.80 crore PAHAL and Ujjwala beneficiaries are given cooking gas subsidies through direct benefit transfer in their Aadhaar-linked bank accounts.
Jaitley said 58.24 crore ration card holders stand linked and 10.33 crore MGNREGA card holders get wage payment through DBT in their bank accounts. So do the 1.93 crore beneficiaries of the national social assistance programme.
The Income Tax Department has already linked 21 crore PAN card holders with their Aadhaar numbers.
A total of 2,579 crore authentications have been undertaken till date. Everyday, 2.7 crore authentications are done. UIDAI has the capacity of 10 crore transactions to be authenticated per day.
In most schemes, the direct benefit transfer takes place to the beneficiaries’ 63.52 crore bank accounts that had been linked with the unique identity as on December 15, 2018. The total number of subsidy transactions through Aadhaar are almost about 425 crore. — PTI
14:07 ‘Orange’ alert sounded as Cyclone Pabuk reaches Andaman islands:
The centre has sounded an “Orange” alert for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which is facing a cyclonic storm, officials said on Sunday.
Cyclonic storm ‘Pabuk’ is approaching the archipelago and currently hovering over the Andaman sea and the neighbourhood, they added.
An “Orange” warning had been issued for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a home ministry official said, quoting from a weather bulletin.
An “orange” weather warning means people should “be prepared” and there is an increased likelihood of bad or extreme weather, which may disrupt road and air travel and threaten life and property.
‘Pabuk’ is now over the Andaman sea and its neighbourhood and it has moved north-westwards at a speed of 20 kmph in the last six hours.
It lays centred near latitude 11.0 degrees North and longitude 95.5 degrees East, about 310 km east-southeast of Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The cyclonic storm is very likely to continue to move north-westwards and cross the Andaman islands by Sunday night with a wind speed of 65-75 kmph, gusting to 85 kmph, the official said.
Thereafter, it is very likely to move north-westwards and then recurve north-eastwards, towards the Myanmar coast, and weaken gradually thereafter, he added, quoting from the bulletin. — PTI
13:30 Pentagon Chief Of Staff quits after Jim Mattis’ exit:
The US Department of Defence’s chief of staff, Rear Admiral Kevin Sweeney on Saturday stepped down from his post.
“After two years in the Pentagon, I’ve decided the time is right to return to the private sector. It has been an honour to serve again alongside the men and women of the Department of Defence,” he said in a statement.
“It has been an honor to serve again alongside the men and women of the Department of Defence,” Rear Admiral Sweeney, who had been holding the post since January 2017 added.
He, however, has not cited any reason for the decision.
This comes just a few weeks after Secretary of Defence James Mattis resigned from his post. — ANI
13:26 Pentagon Chief Of Staff quits after Jim Mattis’ exit:
The US Department of Defence’s chief of staff, Rear Admiral Kevin Sweeney on Saturday stepped down from his post.
“After two years in the Pentagon, I’ve decided the time is right to return to the private sector. It has been an honour to serve again alongside the men and women of the Department of Defence,” he said in a statement.
“It has been an honor to serve again alongside the men and women of the Department of Defence,” Rear Admiral Sweeney, who had been holding the post since January 2017 added.
He, however, has not cited any reason for the decision.
This comes just a few weeks after Secretary of Defence James Mattis resigned from his post. — ANI
13:24 China passes law to ‘Sinicize’ Islam: Report:
China has passed a law to “implement measures to Sinicize” Islam within the next five years.
The move came after Chinese government officials met with representatives from eight Islamic associations, the Global Times reported.
“(The officials) agreed to guide Islam to be compatible with socialism and implement measures to Sinicize the religion,” the article outlined.
The exact methodology which will be utilised to implement the law has not been divulged.
This comes amid a crackdown on Uighur Muslims in the nation, with the United Nations estimating that over one million Uighurs are being held in internment camps in the Xinjiang province.
Practising Islam is illegal in some pockets of China. People caught fasting, praying, growing a beard or wearing a hijab attract arrest in the nation. — ANI
13:01 Don’t need Congress in UP to defeat BJP, says SP:
Samajwadi Party national vice-president Kiranmoy Nanda on Sunday said his party, together with the Bahujan Samaj Party, is strong enough to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh in the upcoming general election and there is no need of an “insignificant” force like the Congress to make it happen.
He, however, hinted that the SP-BSP alliance might just leave aside the Rae Bareli and Amethi constituencies, represented in the Lok Sabha by United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi respectively.
“In Uttar Pradesh, the Congress is an insignificant force, so we are not even thinking of including or excluding it.
“The SP-BSP alliance is the main force which will take on the BJP. The Congress might be there in one or two seats, it is for the Congress to decide what position it wishes to see itself in,” Nanda said.
His comments came two days after BSP supremo Mayawati and SP leader Akhilesh Yadav moved closer to finalise a seat-sharing formula, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Both the leaders held a meeting in New Delhi on Friday.
Nanda felt the Congress was yet to adjust to the mantra of “alliance politics” as it was unwilling to “leave even an inch to its allies in states where it is strong, but expects others to share their pound of flesh with it in states where it is a weak force”.
Asked whether keeping the Congress out of the alliance in Uttar Pradesh would be an advantage for the ruling BJP, he said, “From our past experiences, we can say, in cases where the Congress had fielded candidates against the SP-BSP alliance, we did not face any problem in defeating the BJP. The Congress’s vote share is completely insignificant.
“Rather there have been instances where the Congress had not put up its candidate in a seat and the BJP got its vote share.”
Nanda cited the examples of the Phulpur and Gorakhpur Lok Sabha bypolls, where the Congress had fielded candidates against the SP-BSP nominees, but that did not deter the alliance from defeating the BJP.
Referring to the recently-held assembly polls in five states, he said had the Congress worked out an alliance in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the BJP would have faced a complete ouster in the two states.
“Did the Congress go for a pre-poll alliance with the SP-BSP in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan? The answer is no. The Congress’s policy is it will take benefits from everybody, but when it gets an opportunity, it does not want to share it with others,” Nanda said. — PTI
12:53 Delhi’s pollution levels fall to year’s lowest after rainfall:
Delhi recorded its lowest pollution level of the year on Sunday after a spell of rain but the air quality remained in the ‘very poor’ category, authorities said.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board data, the overall Air Quality Index in the city was 347.
An AQI between 100 and 200 comes under ‘moderate’ category, 201 and 300 is considered ‘poor’, 301 and 400 is ‘very poor’ and that between 401 and 500 is ‘severe’.
Thirty-one areas in Delhi recorded ‘very poor’ air quality, while it was ‘poor’ in two areas, the CPCB said.
In the National Capital Region, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurgaon and Noida recorded ‘very poor’ air quality, it said.
Delhi’s air quality improved significantly on Sunday after rainfall washed away pollutants and cleansed the air, authorities said.
The city’s air quality has been oscillating between the upper range of the ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ category for the past two weeks.
This is the first time this year that the air quality has been recorded in the lower range of the ‘very poor’ category, the authorities said.
The overall PM2.5 level (fine particulate matter in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers) in Delhi was recorded at 197 while the PM10 (fine particulate matter in the air with a diameter of less than 10 micrometers) level was at 312, the CPCB said. — PTI
12:26 At Dalit rally, BJP aims for world record with 3,000 kg khichdi :
The Bharatiya Janata Party will be cooking over 3,000 kg of khichdi at its Dalit rally in Delhi on Sunday.
Aiming to create a world record, the dish will be cooked with rice and lentils collected from Dalit households at Ramlila Maidan.
It will be distributed among the party workers and supporters at Bhim Mahasangam Vijay Sankalp rally under the leadership of BJP president Amit Shah.
In November 2017, renowned chef Sanjeev Kapoor cooked 918 kg of khichdi, which currently holds the record for the world’s largest khichdi, at World Food India festival organised by the ministry of food orocessing industries in New Delhi.
Shah will also address the rally recounting the work done by the party for the Dalits.
Interestingly, this comes amidst the continuous allegations levelled by the Congress against Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he has failed to address the needs of marginalised sections of the society and not making enough efforts to uplift the Dalits in the country.
Earlier, Congress president Rahul Gandhi accused Modi of overlooking the weaker sections of the society. — ANI
12:02 National Herald case: AJL challenges eviction order :
The Associated Journals Limited, the publisher of Congress party’s mouthpiece National Herald, has moved a double bench of the Delhi high court challenging the single bench order’s to vacate its premises in New Delhi.
The Delhi high court on December 21, 2018, had ordered the Associated Journals Ltd to vacate its premises within two weeks.
In hard-hitting observations in its 17-page verdict, the court held that the AJL has not provided any instances to support the serious allegations of mala fide levelled against the ruling dispensation, a reference to the BJP government at the Centre.
It said the AJL will have to vacate its premises within two weeks failing which proceedings under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971, would be initiated for its eviction.
The court rejected the contentions of the AJL challenging the Centre’s October 30 order ending its 56-year-old lease and asking it to vacate the Herald House.
11:01 CRPF jawan ends life after firing at colleagues:
A Central Reserve Police Force jawan shot himself dead after firing at two of his colleagues inside a camp in Srinagar, police said on Sunday.
The incident took place late on Saturday night and the slain jawan has been identified as Mukesh Bhawuk, a police official said.
He said Bhawuk got into 0a verbal duel with one of his colleagues over some issue at the Pantha Chowk camp of 29 Battalion of CRPF, following which he opened fire using his service rifle.
Two jawans were injured in the firing, the official said.
Later, Bhawuk shot himself dead with his service rifle, he said.
The injured jawans are stated to be stable.
The police official said the CRPF has ordered a departmental inquiry to find out the cause of the incident. — PTI
10:19 Bengal BJP chief surprises by saying Mamata can become PM:
West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party president Dilip Ghosh has said if any Bengali has a chance to become country’s prime minister then Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is fit for the role.
Extending his greeting to Mamata on her 64th birthday on Saturday, Ghosh stated: “If a Bengali stands a chance to become the prime minister of the country then Mamata deserves it. She represents West Bengal and she is definitely a good prime minister candidate.”
When asked to mention a name from his own party who had the best chance to be the prime minister, Ghosh asserted that only ‘Mamata Banerjee is ahead in the race right now’.
Ghosh’s statement comes as a surprise as he had recently slammed Mamata for halting BJP’s yatra in West Bengal.
He further said that the Communist Party of India-Marxist leader, Jyoti Basu could not become the prime minister but Mamata can.
“Mamata Banerjee’s name is first in this list to become prime minister, it will be good that if a Bengali became prime minister. Jyoti Basu could not but Mamata can. Basu once came very close to becoming the prime minister, but he wasn’t supported by his own party,” Ghosh added. — ANI
09:40 3,000 kg khichdi to be cooked at BJP’s Dalit rally today:
The Bharatiya Janata Party will be cooking over 3,000 kg of khichdi at its Dalit rally in Delhi on Sunday.
Aiming to create a world record, the dish will be cooked with rice and lentils collected from Dalit households at Ramlila Maidan.
It will be distributed among the party workers and supporters at ‘Bhim Mahasangam Vijay Sankalp’ rally under the leadership of BJP president Amit Shah.
In November 2017, renowned chef Sanjeev Kapoor cooked 918 kg of khichdi, which currently holds the record for the world’s largest khichdi, at ‘World Food India’ festival organised by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries in Delhi.
Shah will also address the rally recounting the work done by the party for the Dalit community in Delhi. — ANI
Image only for representation.
09:19 Tej Pratap, Tejashwi have a ‘political’ meet after months:
Lalu Prasad Yadav’s elder son Tej Pratap Yadav on Saturday had a ‘political’ meeting with his younger brother Tejashwi Yadav and reiterated that he saw the latter as ‘Arjuna’, whom he would assist like Lord Krishna, in winning the electoral battle in Bihar.
Donning a ‘Kurta-pyjama’ and a waistcoat with a muffler wrapped around his neck, Tej Pratap Yadav drove to Tejashwi’s bungalow at 5, Desh Ratna Marg in Patna.
Tejashwi Yadav greeted his elder brother by touching his feet and Tej Pratap responded by placing a hand on his younger brother’s head.
Saturday’s meeting took place four days after Tej Pratap met their mother Rabri Devi.
Tejashwi was in Delhi at that time. The elder brother had remained estranged from his family members for a long time since they refused to back him in his decision to seek divorce from his wife, just six months after their marriage.
Emerging after the nearly 45-minute long meeting, Tej Pratap Yadav told reporters, “We held only political discussions. Things like how to make our party stronger and take Lalu’s dream forward. Tejashwi is my Arjuna and I will see to it that he occupies the throne.”
Speculations have been rife that the elder brother has been uneasy over the growing clout of the younger one within the party, who was named as the Rashtriya Janata Dal’s chief ministerial candidate, more than a year ago.
On Thursday, Tej Pratap Yadav had also announced, out of turn, the candidature of his sister Misa Bharti from Pataliputra Lok Sabha constituency.
However, on Friday Tejashwi made it clear that any party candidate would be finalized by the party’s parliamentary board after due approval from Lalu Prasad the national president, who is at present in Ranchi serving sentences in a number of fodder scam cases.
The point made by the younger brother was, later, grudgingly acknowledged by Tej Pratap Yadav. — PTI
08:25 Prakash Raj to contest LS polls from Bengaluru central as Independent:
Announcing his foray into politics, critically-acclaimed actor Prakash Raj Saturday said he will be contesting the coming Lok Sabha elections from the Bengaluru Central constituency as an independent candidate.
The National Award-winning actor made the declaration in a tweet.
‘#2019 parliament elections.Thank you for the warm n encouraging response to my new journey.. will be contesting from Bengaluru central constituency#Karnataka as an Independent..
‘Will share the details with the media in few days..#citizensvoice #justasking in parliament too…,’ the Bengaluru-born Raj said on Twitter.
Welcoming his decision, the Aam Aadmi party extended support, saying all good people should come into politics.
‘Renowned Actor @prakashraaj plans to contest Lok Sabha elections, @AamAadmiParty offers open support to him. In a party meeting in Bangalore, Dy CM @msisodia welcomes the decision, says all good ppl (sic) are welcome in politics.’
Raj thanked the party for the support.
‘Thank you @AamAadmiParty Dy CM @msisodia and to every single cadre for the assuring support to my political journey…’ the actor tweeted.
Raj has been vocal about his views on the current Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre.
He has also been one of those seeking justice for his friend and journalist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot outside her residence in September 2017.
The actor earlier claimed that Bollywood filmmakers stopped offering him roles as he has been critical of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government.
Raj is the latest celebrity to join politics from south after veterans Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. — PTI
Source: Rediff