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Union minister slams writers for raising voice against Kulburgi killing, Dadri lynching

October 14, 2015

New Delhi, Oct 14: Union Minsiter Ravi Shankar Prasad today questioned eminent writers for returning awards to protest against Kannada author Kalburgi's murder and Dadri lynching, telling them that such voices were "not heard" after incidents like Emergency and Muzaffarnagar riots.ravi shankar prasad

"...One thing does pain me sometimes. A number of big incidents happened in the country earlier, also but at that time people did not return (awards).

"During Emergency, democratic rights including press freedom were violated on such a large scale. But these kinds of voices were not heard then. Such a massive riot happened in Muzaffarangar one and half years back and the way the (state) government (of Samajwadi Party) worked there was in an enitrely discriminatory manner. At that time also such protest was not seen," Prasad told reporters at the Cabinet briefing.

He however asserted that "we honour the scholars but will like to tell them very politely that if they get award, they have got it on the basis of their ability and knowledge on which everyone takes pride."

The Union Minister, however, refused to take further quesions syaing he does not intend to enter into a debate on the issue at this podium.

"I would not like to say anything on it. Cutlure Minister (Mahesh Sharma) has already spoken on it," he said.

Asked about the Opposition criticism of the government on Dadri incident, Prasad sid that both the Prime Minister and BJP chief Amit Shah have spoken over the issue.

"Even after that some people do not desist from criticism. What can we do? The primary responsibility for Dadri incident was on Uttar Pradesh government. Their initial response was also not good.

"They should have taken action. We condemn it. Action should be taken against those involved in it," he said.

Prasad's remarks comes after eminent author Shashi Deshpande said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comment on the Dadri lynching incident was "far too weak."

The eminent author, who had resigned from the general council of the Sahitya Akademi expressing "disappointment" over PM's silence on Kannada author Kalburgi's murder, said that Modi has used a very weak word, "unfortunate", to term the lynching incident.

At least 27 writers, poets, playwrights and translators have so far returned their Sahitya Akademi award with Punjabi writer Dalip Kaur Tiwana handing over her Padma Shri award against the "rising intolerance" in the country.

Prasad did not take any questions on Shiv Sena's paint attack on Sudheendra Kulkarni. Responding to questions on the Prime Minister hosting the family members of Subhas Chandra Bose at his residence today, the Union Minister said that members of Netaji's family had expressed concern over the facts related to the death of the leader and hence the PM is meeting them.

"Our government honestly accepts it that irrespective of whichever ideology one belonged, all those who fought for the nation should be respected. That is why we are also planning to celebrate Sardar Patel's birth anniversary on October 31 in a big way."

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Agencies
July 30,2020

Mumbai, Jul 30: Counterfeiting incidents have increased 24 per cent in the country in 2019 over the previous year, creating an over Rs 1 lakh crore hole in the economy, according to a report.

The report also said counterfeiters are having a free run due to the pandemic-driven disruptions to organised supply chains and the resultant spike in consumer demand.

According to the report by ASPA, a self-regulated industry body of anti-counterfeiting and traceability solutions providers, counterfeiting has risen steadily in the last few years, and exploiting the pandemic as a cover for their activities.

Between February and April 2020, over 150 incidents of counterfeiting cases were reported, mostly about fake PPE kits, sanitisers and masks taking advantage of the high demand for these products, it noted.

"There was a 24 per cent increase in counterfeiting in 2019 over 2018, leading to the loss of more than Rs 1 lakh crore to the overall economy," said Nakul Pasricha, president of Authentication Solution Providers Association.

The association works with global authorities like the International Hologram Manufacturers Association, Counterfeit Intelligence Bureau of the Interpol, and domestic industry lobbies like Ficci, he said.

Counterfeiting is a universal issue and is 3.3 per cent of global trade, according to the OECD data, impacting social and economic development across the world.

The report lists the currency, FMCG, alcohol, pharma, documents, agriculture, infrastructure, automotive, tobacco, lifestyle and apparel, as the 10 sectors impacted most by counterfeiting.

Among these, currency, alcohol and FMCG continue to be the top three sectors with the highest counterfeiting in the last two years. The FMCG sector is most vulnerable, as counterfeit incidents rose 63 per cent between 2018 (79) and 2019 when the reported cases jumped to 129.

Within the states, the fakers have a free run in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bengal, Punjab, Jharkhand, Delhi, Gujarat, and Uttarakhand, calling for urgent actions to frame anti-counterfeiting policy measures.

According to the report, UP continues to be on top followed by Bihar, Rajasthan, and together these three states represent almost 45 per cent of all counterfeiting reported in the last two years.

What is more alarming is that counterfeiting is not limited to high-end luxury items today, as common everyday items as fake cumin seeds, mustard cooking oil, ghee, hair oils, soaps, baby care vaccines and medicines are aplenty in the markets.

"There is an urgent need for building and nurturing authentication ecosystems in the country with the active involvement and active participation of all stakeholders," said Pasricha.

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News Network
April 25,2020

New Delhi, Apr 25: With 1,429 more COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours, India's count of coronavirus cases has reached 24,506, said Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday.

Out of these, 18,668 patients are active cases and 5063 cases have been cured, discharged, or migrated.

The death toll stands at 775, with as many as 57 deaths reported in the last 24 hours.

According to the morning update by the ministry, Maharashtra continues to be the worst-hit State with 6,817 cases of which 840 patients have recovered and 301 patients have died.

Gujarat now stands in the second spot with 2,815 cases, of which 265 have recovered and 127 people have died. Meanwhile, Delhi's count stands at 2,514 of which 857 patients have recovered, while 53 patients have lost their lives.

Tamil Nadu's COVID-19 figure stands at 1,755 with 866 patients recovered and 22 fatalities. Rajasthan has reported 2,034 cases of which 230 have recovered and 27 patients are dead.

Madhya Pradesh has reported 1,852 positive cases so far of which 210 patients have recovered and 92 patients have lost their lives due to the virus. In Uttar Pradesh, as many as 1,621 people have confirmed COVID-19, of which 247 recovered and 25 people have succumbed to it.

In Kerala, which reported the country's first COVID-19 case, 450 people have been detected positive for coronavirus.

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News Network
May 18,2020

May 18: Goldman Sachs expects India will experience its deepest recession ever after a poor run of data underscored the damaging economic impact of lockdowns in the world’s second-most populous nation.

Gross domestic product will contract by an annualized 45% in the second quarter from the prior three months, compared with Goldman’s previous forecast of a 20% slump. A stronger rebound of 20% is now seen for the third quarter, while projections for the fourth quarter and first of next year are unchanged at 14% and 6.5%.

Those estimates imply that real GDP will fall by 5% in the 2021 fiscal year, which would be deeper than any other recession India has ever experienced, Goldman economists Prachi Mishra and Andrew Tilton wrote in a note dated May 17.

India’s government has extended its nationwide lockdown until May 31, while further easing restrictions in certain sectors to boost economic activity, as coronavirus cases escalate across the country. The announcement followed Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s fifth briefing in as many days, in which she outlined details of the country’s $265 billion virus rescue package, which is equivalent to 10% of India’s GDP.

 “There have been a series of structural reform announcements across several sectors over the past few days,” the Goldman economists wrote. “These reforms are more medium-term in nature, and we, therefore, do not expect these to have an immediate impact on reviving growth. We will continue to monitor their implementation to gauge their effect on the medium-term outlook.”

Infections are surging across the South Asian nation of 1.3 billion people, with more than 91,300 infections, including 2,897 deaths as of Sunday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

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