Strike turns violent in UP, vehicles set on fire in Noida

February 20, 2013

Fire_Service

Lucknow, Feb 20: The two-day nationwide strike called by Central trade unions disrupted normal life in many states on Wednesday leaving commuters in the lurch.

Violence erupted in some places on the first day of a two-day strike as workers, angry about high fuel prices in particular, tried to keep vehicles off the roads.

The strike turned violent in Noida in Uttar Pradesh, adjoining Delhi, after angry workers protested in Noida Phase II. They pelted stones at some factories and burnt vehicles, including a fire engine. The police had to resort to lathicharge to disperse the restive crowd.

The two-day nationwide strike called by trade unions in support of their demands evoked a good response in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday. Roadways buses remained off roads and bank branches were closed in support of the strike call, adversely affecting normal life since morning.

Reports from different parts of the state said employees of various government departments and banks assembled at their respective offices and held protest meetings raising slogans in support of their demands.

Commuters were left stranded, and overcrowding was reported at railway stations. Following this, the state government pressed 200 buses into service at the Kumbh in Allahabad.

The state government had made alternative arrangements like pressing private buses into service, but these were not enough to clear the office rush and people had to depend either on private vehicles or autorickshaws to reach their destinations.

In the state capital, all the major offices have remained shut with employees also taking out protest marches.

The bandh was total in Meerut, Ghaziabad, Noida, Kanpur, Varanasi, Lucknow, Saharanpur, Unnao, Moradabad and Allahabad.

Major markets in Lucknow like Aminabad and Hazratganj were deserted, and operations at post offices and state-run banks were disrupted.

Banking, transport services hit

Normal banking operations were hit today as employees of public sector banks went on a two-day strike in response to a call given by central trade unions to press for wage hike in the backdrop of rising inflation.

The nationwide strike call has been given by United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), consisting of nine national level unions, including AIBEA, NCBE, BEFI, INBEF, NOBW and AIBOC.

Apprehending disruption in their normal banking operations, many banks had already informed their customers about the proposed strike.

Meanwhile, sources said, banks have taken steps to ensure that public do not face problems at least on the cash front during the strike period.

Banks have fed additional cash in ATMs to meet the cash needs of their customers.

Bank unions are pressing for early wage revision of employees, which they said is due from November 2012. They are also opposing banking sector reforms and any plan for merger of banks.

There are 26 public sector banks with employees strength of around 10 lakh.

In December 2012 also, four bank unions went on strike opposing amendments carried out in Banking Regulation Act and Banking Companies Act, enabling foreign equity in public sector banks.

The bank strike is part of a general strike call given by 11 central trade unions including Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh ( BMS), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and All India United Trade Union Centre.

Trade union leader killed in Ambala

A trade union leader, who was squatting along with a group of workers near the local bus depot as part of the two-day nationwide strike call, on Wednesday died when he was hit by a bus in his bid to stop it from plying, a senior Roadways official said here.

"The incident took place around 4 am this morning when Narender Singh, a bus driver by profession, tried to stop the vehicle which was being taken out from the Ambala Depot despite the strike," district president, Haryana Roadways Workers Union's, Inder Singh Bhadana told reporters here.

Bhadana alleged that the district administration tried to forcibly ply the bus, which hit Singh, who was also the treasurer of a AITUC union, killing him on the spot.

After the incident, the other workers resorted to violence damaging vehicles belonging to the Ambala's Deputy Commissioner of Police and SHO of the Baldev police station area, police said.

Meanwhile, Bhadana demanded a case to be lodged against the General Manager of the Roadways, failing which they will not allow the body to be cremated.

In view of the tense situation, heavy police force had been deployed at the bus depot and its surrounding areas.

Earlier, however, AITUC general secretary Gurudas Dasgupta said that the victim was allegedly stabbed to death by some miscreants.

Financial sector crippled as shutdown starts in Mumbai

India's financial sector was crippled on Wednesday after all banks, insurance companies and commercial establishments in this commercial capital remained shut on the first of the two-day nationwide strike, organisers said.

"The banking and financial sector is 100 percent closed, not only in Mumbai and Maharashtra but all over the country," All India Bank Employees Association vice-president V Utagi told IANS.

Utagi said all banks -- nationalised, private, foreign, regional, rural and cooperative -- had "wholeheartedly" participated in the strike.

Trains, road services hit in Bihar

Thousands of people were stranded across Bihar on Wednesday as trains were stopped and key highways blocked by activists affiliated to various trade unions that have called for a nationwide two-day strike.

Workers of trade unions stopped nearly a dozen passenger and long-distance trains at Patna, Gaya, Jehanabad, Hajipur, Bhagalpur and Darbhanga railway stations.

Strike hits normal life in Kerala

The 48-hour nationwide strike called by central trade unions hit normal life across Kerala today with workers from varied sectors, including transport and banking, staying away from work to protest the UPA government's economic and labour policies.

Early reports said buses and taxis were off the roads and shops and restaurants remained closed. Train services were not affected.

The Congress-led UDF government has declared 'dies non' (no work, no pay) as pro-Left service and teachers unions are also striking work.

Security has been tightened and no violence has been reported from anywhere. Police have offered protection to those willing to work and public conveyances ready to ply, police sources said.

West Bengal partially hit by strike

Life was partially affected in West Bengal on the first day today of the two-day countrywide strike called by central trade unions with the situation remaining peaceful.

Shops, markets and business establishments were closed in many parts of the metropolis, while government run buses and trams ran in large numbers in comparison to private buses and taxis, which were less.

Banking operations remained paralysed in the state. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that attendance at the Writers' Buildings was 100 per cent.

Finance Mitra Amit Mitra also said that his department registered 100 per cent attendance.

Many government employees stayed overnight in their offices.

Partial impact to strike call in Tamil Nadu

The strike call given by 11 trade unions country wide had partial impact in Tamil Nadu as a majority of shops remained open and transport services plied normally.

However, banking services were hit hard as most public and private sector banks remained closed.

The United Form of Bank Unions, an association representing the banking community, had said it would join the strike call given by the Trade Unions.

City buses and auto-rickshaws plied as usual. Partial inter-city services were operated from Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus, sources said.

Members of agitating workers union including CITU and all India Bank Employees Association staged a demonstration in Chennai as part of the strike call.

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Transfer Rs 7,500 to families not paying income tax: Yechury

News Network

April 15,2020

New Delhi, Apr 15: CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury has sought a substantial increase in relief spending of the Central government in the fight against coronavirus, saying that there should be cash transfer of Rs 7,500 to families not paying income tax and distribution of free foodgrains to all needy.

In an article in the forthcoming issue of the party's mouthpiece -- People's Democracy -- Yechury said that India ranks among the countries that are testing the least for the coronavirus and testing should be increased rapidly.

Yechury said the financial stimulus package should be raised from the current 0.8 per cent to at least 5 per cent of GDP and States should be provided liberal funding.

"We must ensure that there are no starvation deaths that occur in our country. It is, therefore, imperative that the government must immediately implement a Rs 7,500 ex gratia cash transfer to all non-income tax-paying families and resort to universal distribution of free foodgrains to all needy people," Yechury said.

He said all MGNREGA workers should be paid wages irrespective of work and employers should be assisted financially to protect workers from job losses and wage cuts and arrangement should be made for the return of migrant workers to their homes.

"Testing is of crucial importance to identify the clusters where the pandemic is spreading in order to isolate and insulate them to contain the community spread. Inadequate testing does not provide us with such information. It is dangerous both for the inability to contain the spread and to identify the critical areas," the article said.

It said that till April 9, India's record of testing was 0.092 per thousand, while in Germany it was 15.96, Italy 14.43, Australia 12.99, Denmark 10.73 and Canada 9.99. "Unless our testing rate increases substantially, our strength to combat the pandemic will not grow," the article said.

Yechury said that the first case in India was reported on January 30 and "no substantive measures were taken despite this for seven long weeks" until the declaration of the lockdown on March 24.

"As far as the lockdown is concerned, many countries in the world moved with greater urgency - China locked down Wuhan on January 23, the whole of Italy was locked down on March 10, USA declared a national emergency on March 13, Spain on March 14, France on March 17 and UK on March 23," he said.

Yechury said the people were looking forward to the Prime Minister's address to the nation on the last day of the three-week countrywide lockdown.

"These three weeks have thrown up many experiences that need to be addressed urgently in order, both, to strengthen our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and to protect the lives and survival of crores of our fellow citizens. On none of these issues of vital importance did the Prime Minister have anything substantial to say," he said.

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Leaders are feeling suffocated in Cong: Amit Shah asks party to self-introspect

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June 25,2020

New Delhi, Jun 25: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday hit out at Congress for "unceremoniously sacking" its spokesperson and said that leaders in the opposition party are "feeling suffocated".

To substantiate his point, Shah referred to the recent Congress Working Committee (CWC) meet in which senior members and younger members raised a few issues, however, they were "shut down".

Taking to Twitter, Shah posted two English dailies' articles titled -- "Not scared of PM Modi, but many in the party dodge him: Rahul at Congress Working Committee meet" and "Congress removes Sanjay Jha as party spokesperson after critical article".

Last week, Jha was dropped as AICC spokesperson and Abhishek Dutt and Sadhna Bharti appointed as National Media Panelist of Congress party.

"During the recent CWC meet, senior members and younger members raised a few issues. But, they were shouted down. A party spokesperson was unceremoniously sacked. The sad truth is - leaders are feeling suffocated in Congress," the Union Minister tweeted.

Meanwhile, Shah also targetted Congress on the completion of 45 years of emergency, which was imposed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on June 25, 1975 and asked the party to self introspect.

"As one of India's opposition parties, Congress needs to ask itself: Why does the Emergency mindset remain? Why are leaders who do not belong to 1 dynasty unable to speak up? Why are leaders getting frustrated in Congress? Else, their disconnect with people will keep widening," he wrote.

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Jha the spokesperson, tried to be under the payroll of BJP, so disciplinary action was imminent.

Discipline has no compromise.

If i am not wrong you have already purchased suffocated leaders from congress.

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Reliance is now net debt-free after Rs 1.69 lakh cr fund raising: Mukesh Ambani

News Network

June 19,2020

Jun 19: Billionaire Mukesh Ambani on Friday announced that his oil-to-telecom conglomerate Reliance Industries is now net debt-free after raising a record Rs 1.69 lakh crore from global investors and a rights issue in under two months.

Reliance raised Rs 1.15 lakh crore from global tech investors by selling a little less than a quarter of the firm's digital arm, Jio Platforms Ltd, and another Rs 53,124.20 crore through a rights issue in the past 58 days.

Taken together with last year's sale of 49 per cent stake in fuel retailing venture to BP Plc of UK for Rs 7,000 crore, the total fund raised is in excess of Rs 1.75 lakh crore, the company said in a statement.

Reliance had a net debt of Rs 1,61,035 crore as on March 31, 2020. "With these investments, RIL has become net debt-free," it said.

"I have fulfilled my promise to the shareholders by making Reliance net debt-free much before our original schedule of March 31, 2021," Ambani said.

Jio Platforms - which houses the country's youngest but largest telecom firm Reliance Jio, raised Rs 1,15,693.95 crore from leading global investors including Facebook, Silver Lake, Vista Equity Partners, General Atlantic, KKR, Mubadala, ADIA, TPG, L Catterton and PIF since April 22, 2020.

Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund PIF buying 2.32 per cent stake in the unit for Rs 11,367 crore on June 18 "marks the end of Jio Platforms' current phase of induction of financial partners," the statement said.

Alongside, Reliance launched India's biggest right issue, which was subscribed to 1.59 times.

Though the rights issue size was Rs 53,124 crore, the company has got only 25 per cent of the money as the remaining is to be paid only next fiscal.

Ambani had at the company's annual general meeting on August 12, 2019, announced a roadmap for Reliance to become a net debt-free company before March 31, 2021.

"We have a very clear roadmap to becoming a zero net-debt company within the next 18 months that is by March 31, 202," he had said last year highlighting strong interest from strategic and financial investors in consumer businesses, Jio and Reliance Retail.

In the statement on Friday, he said he was both delighted and humbled to announce the fulfillment of the promise.

"Exceeding the expectations of our shareholders and all other stakeholders, again and yet again, is in the very DNA of Reliance," he said.

"Therefore, on the proud occasion of becoming a net debt-free company, I wish to assure them that Reliance in its Golden Decade will set even more ambitious growth goals, and achieve them," he added.

He said over the past few weeks, phenomenal interest was received from the global financial investor community in partnering with Jio.

"As our fundraising milestone from financial investors is achieved, we sincerely thank the marquee group of financial partners and warmly welcome them into Jio Platforms," he said.

"I also express my heartfelt gratitude to all the retail and institutional investors, both domestic and foreign, for their overwhelming participation in our record-setting Rights Issue," he added.

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