Test Rahul, Vadra for drugs: Akalis

October 13, 2012

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Chandigarh, October 13: In the full-scale political war that broke out after Rahul Gandhi's comments on the menace of drug addiction among Punjab's young men, the Akalis have now asked Rahul to "undergo a dope test."

"Rahul Gandhi and Robert Vadra should undergo a dope test to prove that they are not addicts before making such comments about Punjab's youth. Rahul Gandhi must apologise to the youth for this humiliation," said senior SAD leader Prem Singh Chandumajra.

On Friday, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal also reacted, saying that Rahul's statement on seven out of 10 young people in Punjab being addicts was "illogical, erroneous, politically-motivated and above all a deliberate conspiracy to tarnish the image of our youth and an onslaught on their dignity."

Congress legislators led by the leader of the Opposition in the assembly, Sunil Jakhar, circulated copies of the affidavit filed by the secretary, social security and women and child welfare, Punjab, with the Punjab and Haryana High Court, stating the facts about drug addiction in Punjab.

"The SAD-BJP government in Punjab is a national shame because it knows nothing of what is happening in the state and cannot protect its future. The government must resign for this," said Sunil Jakhar.

Badal Senior, however, accused Gandhi for being misinformed on this count, adding that Gandhi should have "cross-checked the factual position from the Centre before issuing such provocative and half-baked statements."

Sukhbir Badal hit out at Rahul Gandhi for "insulting the 52% youth population of Punjab, painting virtually every single youngster with a black taint. Western borders are so porous that drug recoveries by Punjab police during the last five years were more than 50% of national recovery," said Sukhbir.

He was supported by Punjab revenue minister Bikarm Singh Majithia, who saw a "sinister and devious political game-plan" behind Rahul's "deliberate misuse of distorted figures from a reported survey to dub the Punjabi youngsters as drug addicts."

The Congress, however, tore into SAD's defence. Congress MP from Anandpur Sahib Ravneet Singh Bittu, who had launched a month-long campaign against drugs in Punjab, said" "There are more medical stores in the state handing out medicines abused by youngsters than there are liquor vends. There are more unlicensed vends than licensed vends in the state. Government is misleading people into thinking all is well because drug addiction is such a taboo."

"A Punjab-origin British national is arrested. Raja Khandola, a drug lord active in the US, arrested. If you join the dots, it is a dangerous mix in Punjab. Unemployed youngsters, hooked on to drugs and a sinister neighbour, Pakistan, ever ready to create unrest," said Jakhar.

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News Network
February 4,2020

New Delhi, Feb 4: Senior BJP leader and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday accused Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party of not implementing the central government's schemes in the national capital.

Addressing an election rally in Moti Bagh, he also sought to allay fears over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), assuring the gathering that the legislation will not take away anyone's citizenship.

Singh alleged that the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government did not do anything in the last five years.

The AAP had promised to add 5,000 buses to the fleet of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), but instead the number has come down by 1,000, he claimed.

The Union minister said the AAP dispensation did not implement central schemes in Delhi fearing that the popularity of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government will grow among Delhiites.

Pension schemes and the Centre's flagship health insurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat Yojana, are some of those that the Kejriwal government did not allow to be implemented in Delhi.

On the anti-CAA protests, Singh said that the opposition parties have been spreading "lies" about amended citizenship law and the National Population Register (NPR).

"The CAA will not take away anyone's citizenship. The opposition parties are spreading lies about the CAA. There should be no such politics over this. Some people are trying to write the history of the country with the ink of hatred," he said.

The culture of India is such that it considers the entire world one family, he said.

Delhi goes to polls on February 8. The results will be declared on February 11.

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Agencies
January 15,2020

Mumbai, Jan 15: Michael Debabrata Patra took over as Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday.

He was an Executive Director of India's central bank before being elevated to the post of Deputy Governor.

An RBI release said that as Deputy Governor, Patra will look after Monetary Policy Department including Forecasting and Modelling Unit (MPD/MU), Financial Markets Operations Department (FMOD), Financial Markets Regulation Department.

He will also look after Market Intelligence (FMRD/MI), International Department (Intl. D), Department of Economic and Policy Research (DEPR), Department of Statistics and Information Management (including Data and Information Management Unit) (DSIM/DIMU), Corporate Strategy and Budget Department (CSBD) and Financial Stability Unit.

Patra, a career central banker since 1985, has worked in various positions in the Reserve Bank of India.

As Executive Director, he was a member of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of RBI, which is invested with the responsibility of monetary policy decision making in India. He will continue to be an ex-officio member of the MPC as Deputy Governor.

Prior to this, he was Principal Adviser of the Monetary Policy Department, Reserve Bank of India between July 2012 and October 2014.

He has worked in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as Senior Adviser to Executive Director (India) during December 2008 to June 2012, when he actively engaged in the work of the IMF's Executive Board through the period of the global financial crisis and the ongoing Euro area sovereign debt crisis.

The release said that his book "The Global Economic Crisis through an Indian Looking Glass" vividly captures this experience.

He has also published papers in the areas of inflation, monetary policy, international trade and finance, including exchange rates and the balance of payments.

A fellow of the Harvard University where he undertook post-doctoral research in the area of financial stability, he has a PhD in Economics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai.

He will hold the post for three years or until further orders. The post fell vacant after Viral Acharya resigned on July 23 last year.

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News Network
February 28,2020

Feb 28: For 30-year-old Shabana Parveen, it was nothing sort of a miracle — giving birth to a healthy baby boy after surviving a brutal attack by a mob who kicked and assaulted her and her husband in northeast Delhi's Karawal Nagar.

Their home set afire by the mob, Ms Parveen's family is now pinning their hopes on the newborn who they called a "miracle baby".

Ms Parveen, her husband, two kids and mother-in-law were sleeping inside the house on Monday night when a mob barged into their house.

Narrating their ordeal, Ms Parveen's mother-in-law Nashima told PTI, "They hurled religious slurs, beat up my son. Some of them even kicked my daughter-in-law in the abdomen...as I went to protect her they came charging at me... We thought we would not survive that night. But with God's grace we somehow managed to escape from the clutches of the rioters."

"We rushed Parveen to a nearby hospital but doctors there asked us to go to Al-hind Hospital where she delivered a baby boy on Wednesday," she added.

Despite having lost their home for over two decades and all belongings, her family has overcome the initial shock and are now overjoyed with the birth of the "miracle baby".

Ms Nashima said she had no clue where the family would go after Ms Parveen was discharged from the hospital.

"It's all gone there. Nothing left. Maybe, we will go to some relative's place and see how we can re-build our life," she said.

Ali, 6, who held his one-day-old brother, caressing his forehead, said, "I will take care of him forever and save him from every ill."

The violence over the amended citizenship law in northeast Delhi has claimed 38 lives so far and left over 200 people injured. Frenzied mobs torched houses, shops, vehicles, a petrol pump and pelted stones at locals and police personnel.

Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Yamuna Vihar, Bhajanpura, Chand Bagh and Shiv Vihar are among the areas mainly affected by the clashes.

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