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Modi running an over-centralised govt: Chidambaram

May 28, 2015

New Delhi, May 28: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram today rejected Prime Minister Narendra Modi's veiled charge that Sonia Gandhi was an "unconstitutional authority" and instead accused the BJP and the government of "running to" RSS with a "pernicious" hidden agenda.

Chidambaram

He attacked Modi saying he runs an "over-centralised" government and it will not go too far if it continues like this. In a dig at him, he said Modi has transformed from Chief Minister of Gujarat to Chief Minister of India.

Chidambaram, who held Finance and Home portfolios during the tenures of UPA government, dismissed criticism that Congress was adopting obstructionism in Parliament and said as Opposition its duty was to raise issues.

"They have not been able to point to a single instance, where Mrs. Sonia Gandhi took any government decision. She was the President of the party. As President of the party she is entitled to give the party's view.

"Why do BJP leaders run to Jhandewalan and Nagpur? (RSS headquarters). You constantly hear four ministers meet at Jhandewalan, four ministers went to Nagpur," he told PTI in an interview.

He was asked about the Prime Minister's suggestion that Sonia Gandhi was an "unconstitutional" authority exercising "real" power over the PMO during the UPA rule.

Explaining Sonia Gandhi's role during the UPA government, Chidambaram said that a party is entitled to give its view.

"Every decision of the UPA was taken either in the cabinet or cabinet committee. You can criticise the merit of the decision. But, how can one deny that the decision was taken by the cabinet or cabinet committee concerned?" he said.

Reacting to BJP chief Amit Shah's statement that the party-led government lacked the mandate to address its core issues, the Congress leader said, "This Government and party in power are hiding their true colours.

"From time to time, statements like the one made by Amit Shah bring out their true colours. Their pernicious agenda is still there. They keep it hidden for a while, but sometimes it surfaces."

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News Network
January 13,2020

New Delhi, Jan 13: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) has alleged that the varsity administration has blocked the registration of 300 students on the basis of 'fake Proctor inquiries'.

The union had on Saturday asked students of the university to pay their academic tuition fee but not the hiked hostel fee.

"Today the Vice Chancellor first blocked the fee payment portal and then blocked the payment of tuition fees. It is clear that the VC was lying through the teeth when he said students want to register but are not being allowed to by protesters," JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh said.

She said the VC has also blocked the registration of 300 students based on fake proctor enquiries which are not even completed.

"The truth is that it is the administration which does not want students to register and is blocking their registration," she said.

JNUSU vice president Saket Moon said that in the meetings held in HRD ministry, it was decided that the administration would take a lenient view on the students' protest and not take action against them.

He said many students, who opened the portal for registration found they had been academically suspended and could not register.

He said the JNUSU had softened its stand by saying that they would register by paying the old fees but that has been kept on hold.

On Sunday, the administration extended the date for the winter semester registration till January 15.

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Agencies
August 8,2020

The Civil Aviation Ministry announced an initial assistance of Rs 10 lakh to the dependents of the deceased in the Kozhikode AIE plane crash, while the Kerala government also announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each.

Minister of Civil Aviation, Hardeep Singh Puri, who visited the mishap spot on Saturday, said that a detailed probe is already on and the pilot and co-pilot were highly experienced.

He also announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the injured and Rs. 50,000 each to those who suffered minor injuries. The other normal compensations would be decided in due course.

Puri said that Captain Deepak Vasant Sathe, aged 59, who commandeered the AIE flight, had a flying experience of 10,848 hours, while co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar, aged 32, had a flying experience of 1,723 hours.

"Deepak was one of the most distinguished and experienced pilots. He had a commanding experience of 6,662 hours and was commander of B-737 aircraft for 4,244 hours. He had also operated to Kozhikode international airport 27 times. He joined AIE in 2013 and prior to that he served with the IAF and HAL. He was a figher pilot and a recipient of prestigious sword of honour and a gold medalist," said Puri.

Puri said that even as the flight slipped down to around 35 feet, a major disaster was averted due to timely rescue operations. Local people played an exemplary role and the fire brigade's timely action of cutting the plane body and rescuing the passengers minimised the casualties, he said.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also said that the local people and all rescue and relief agencies did a well co-ordinated job. The state government would also meet the entire treatment expenses of the injured.

Till Saturday afternoon, the total number of deaths was 18. While 149 were still in hospitals, 23 were discharged.

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News Network
January 9,2020

New Delhi, Jan 9: Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos will be visiting India next week and is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and officials, besides industry leaders, according to sources.

The top executive will also attend SMBhav – an event focussing on small and medium businesses in India - that is slated for January 15-16 in the capital city.

When contacted, Amazon declined to comment.

Amazon, which has seen significant growth in its business in India, has also witnessed protest from a section of traders in the country who claim that e-commerce giants including Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart offer deep discounts and engage in unfair business practices.

Last year, the government had tightened rules for e-commerce marketplaces with foreign investment. These rules barred such platforms from offering products of sellers in which they hold a stake and banned exclusive marketing arrangements among other clauses. Following this, Amazon restructured its joint ventures to ensure compliance.

Bezos is likely to discuss regulatory issues in his meeting with the government officials.

He is also slated to engage with SMBs during the SMBhav event. The event - which will focus on discussions around how technology adoption can enable SMBs in India - is slated to see participation from industry experts, policymakers, solution providers and Amazon leadership.

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