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68 percent polling in Gujarat first phase elections

Agencies
December 9, 2017

Ahmedabad, Dec 10: A little over 68% of 2.12 crore electorate in 19 districts of Saurashtra-Kutch and South Gujarat on Saturday peacefully voted to decide the fate of 977 candidates for 89 Assembly seats in the first phase of the election.

The low turnout compared 70.7% in 2012, has kept everyone clueless about the way voters would have swung.

Both the BJP and Congress have claimed an upper hand. “BJP is slated for a big win. This will be a landslide victory,” Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said.

“I think the people have voted to free Gujarat from fear, hunger and the corrupt rule of BJP,” Paresh Dhanani, Congress leader and candidate from Amreli constituency in Saurashtra region said.

Of the 89 seats, Saurashtra-Kutch account for 54 seats and South Gujarat 35. Of these, the BJP won 63, Congress 24, NCP one and JD(U) one in the 2012 Assembly polls.

The lower polling percentage across many parts, observers feel, traditionally suggests a pro-incumbency tilt.

However, they say results could now depend on local issues, equations and candidates compared to generic issues like Patel quota stir, unemployment, GST and demonetisation.

Kutch, with six Assembly seats, was rocked by a sex racket by BJP members. It recorded the lowest turnout at 63% among all big districts that went to polls on Saturday, down from 68.25% in 2012. In Rajkot, from where chief minister Vijay Rupani too is fighting Indranil Rajyaguru of Congress, the voting percentage stood at 69, lower by a mere couple of percentage points.

Key contestants

Besides Rupani, other key candidates in the fray were Gujarat BJP chief Jitu Vaghani from Bhavnagar (West), senior Congress leaders Shaktisinh Gohil from Mandvi (Kutch) , Arjun Modhvadia from Porbandar and Paresh Dhanani from Amreli.

Similarly, Junagadh district, that in 2012 had elected three Congress legislators and two BJP legislators, this time has seen almost a 5% drop in voting percentage. It was here that the issue of Dalit beating had assumed national significance in 2016.

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News Network
January 27,2020

Jan 27: Bidders for Air India Ltd. will need to absorb $3.26 billion of its debt, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration tries once again to sell the national carrier.

The entire company will be sold but effective control needs to stay with Indian nationals, according to preliminary terms published Monday. Bids are invited by March 17 with Ernst & Young LLP India as transaction adviser.

Air India, which started in 1932 as a mail carrier before winning commercial popularity, saw its fortunes fade with the emergence of cutthroat low-cost competition. The state-run airline has been unprofitable for over a decade and is saddled with more than $8 billion in debt.

Indian regulations allow a foreign airline to buy as much as 49% of a local carrier, while overseas investors other than airlines can buy an entire carrier. The government didn’t find a single bidder when it tried to sell Air India in 2018.

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Agencies
July 29,2020

Ambala, Jul 29: The five French Rafale fighter jets touched down at Haryana's Ambala after covering a distance of nearly 7,000 km to join the Indian Air Force.

The jets were given a customary water salute upon their arrival at the airbase, some 220-km from the India-Pakistan border.

The formal induction ceremony of the aircraft would be held later. The aircraft would move out soon to another operational base for operational sorties.

After taking off from France on Monday, the aircraft made their first stopover at a French base in the United Arab Emirates on their way to India and were refuelled by the French Air Force tanker aircraft somewhere around Greece or Israel over the sea before landing there.

The five were flown by pilots of the 17 Golden Arrows led by Commanding Officer Group Captain Harkirat Singh along with other pilots, Wing Commanders MK Singh, R Kataria, Sidhu and Arun.

The five Rafale fighter aircraft took off on Monday for India from an airbase in France. The weather in Ambala was cloudy with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers being forecasted.

India had signed a Rs 59,000-crore deal on September 23, 2016 for 36 Rafale jets from French aerospace major Dassault Aviation.

In view of Rafale fighter jets landing in the city on Wednesday, Section 144 is being imposed in four villages close to Ambala airbase. Munish Sehgal, DSP Traffic, Ambala, said the administration is on a high alert and the gathering of people on roofs and photography during landing has been strictly prohibited.

The five Rafale fighter jets had entered the Indian Airspace earlier in the day. "The Birds have entered the Indian airspace..Happy Landing in Ambala!" tweeted the Defence Minister's Office earlier on Wednesday.

The Defence Minister's Office further informed that the five Rafales were escorted by 02 SU30 MKIs as they enter the Indian airspace.

Here are the key Highlights of Rafale:

It's an Omni role aircraft.
4th Generation Fighter Jet.
It's a two-engine aircraft.
It's top speed is 2,222 Km/Hr.
It can go up to 50,000 Ft.
It's Rate of Climb is 60,000 Ft/Min.
It's Operational Range is 3,700 Km.
Ground Support.
In-depth Strike.
Anti-Ship Strike.

Reach and combat radius is 1600-1700 Kms.
Capable for Long Range standoff Mission.
Equipped with Air-to-Ground Missile System.

Specifically designed to take off from an extremely cold high altitude region.

It will also be fitted with the air-to-air beyond visual range interception combat and self-defence missile.

It can also carry the best long range air-to-land missile.

It has multi-directional radar system which can detect 40 targets at the same time in a range of over 100 Kms.

It has advance radar warning receiver to identify hostile tracking system a towed decoy system to thwart incoming missile attacks.

Rafale will ensure that our pilots will not have to cross the border to strike the target, that is about 600 Km in enemy territory.

It will get French industrial support for 50 years. 

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News Network
February 10,2020

Hyderabad, Feb 10: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi continued his tirade against PM Modi and Amit Shah against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). "We are ready to take bullets in our chests but we will not show our papers.

We are ready to take bullets in our chests as we love our country," Owaisi said further.

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