Three Indian soldiers injured in Pakistani firing
Jammu, Oct. 4 (IANS): Three Indian soldiers were injured on Wednesday in Pakistani shelling and firing on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district. Defence Ministry sources said here that the three soldiers were from the Naga Regiment. They have been shifted to a hospital. The Pakistan Army resorted to heavy shelling and firing on Wednesday at Degwar, Talwan and Mandiyalan areas, using mortars, automatics and small arms. “Our people retaliated strongly and effectively,” a Defence Ministry official said. Police said no civilian casualty or injury was reported. The Poonch authorities have ordered an indefinite closure of all schools in these areas.
India, Bhutan discuss bilateral ties
Thimphu, Oct. 4 (IANS): India and Bhutan discussed a complete range of bilateral relations during the course of Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar’s ongoing visit to the Himalayan kingdom, the External Affairs Ministry said on Wednesday. Apart from meeting his Bhutanese counterpart Dasho Sonam Tshong, Jaishankar had an audience with King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and former King Jigme Singye Wangchuck and also called on Bhutanese Prime Minister Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay, and Foreign Minister Lyonpo Damcho Dorji, the ministry said in a statement. According to the statement, Jaishankar held discussions on the complete range of bilateral relations, including implementation of the ongoing India-assisted projects under Bhutan’s 11th Five-Year Plan, priorities of Bhutan for the 12th Five-Year Plan, trade and economic ties, hydropower cooperation and people-to-people contacts.
Delhi assembly passes bill to regularise 15,000 guest teachers
New Delhi, Oct. 4 (IANS): The Delhi Assembly on Wednesday passed a Bill to regularise about 15,000 guest teachers in government schools in the national capital permanent. “Regularisation of services of guest teachers and teachers engaged under the ‘Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’ Bill 2017” was introduced in the Assembly by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. The Bill, which was okayed by the Cabinet last week, will now be sent to Lt. Governor Anil Baijal for his approval where it is expected to face resistance. On Tuesday, Baijal had said that the Bill to regularise guest teachers was “beyond the legislative competence” of the Assembly and asked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to reconsider introduction of the proposed legislation in the house. Quoting a Delhi High Court order, he had said that the Delhi government has no executive powers in matters related to services.
Cabinet report about MoU with Switzerland for tilting trains
New Delhi, Oct. 4 (IANS): The Union Cabinet was on Wednesday apprised of a MoU signed with Switzerland on technical cooperation in the rail sector, including development of tilting trains that tilt on approaching a bend. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Railway Ministry and the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications of Switzerland on August 31. An official release said the MoU will enable technical cooperation in a range of areas including traction propulsion equipment, freight and passenger cars, tilting trains, railway electrification equipment, train scheduling and operation improvement, railway station modernisation, multimodal transport and tunnelling technology. The Ministry has signed MoUs for technical cooperation in the rail sector with various foreign governments and these provide a platform to interact and share the latest developments and knowledge in the sector.
The central government has refused to divulge information on appointment to various important posts like the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), Chief Economic Advisor and Election Commissioner, sought under the Right to Information Act, activist Nutan Thakur said on Wednesday. Lucknow-based RTI activist Thakur had sought details on appointments of former Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi as CAG, Sunil Arora as Election Commissioner, Arvind Subramanian as Chief Economic Advisor and Rajiv Gauba as Union Home Secretary. The Cabinet Secretariat has, however, refused to provide the information citing Section 8(1)(i) of the RTI Act as the reason, which excludes Cabinet papers from the RTI Act. Contesting this, Thakur told IANS that the refusal by the government to give information on this issue was “absolutely incorrect because matters in which decision have been taken cannot be excluded under Section 8(1)(i) of the RTI Act”.
In its largest expansion drive since the 1940s, the British Broadcasting Corp (BBC) has launched four news services in India in Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi and Telugu languages. The new services are available online and on social media, with a Telugu TV bulletin, BBC Prapancham, starting on Wednesday, the news provider said in a statement. BBC News already broadcasts to 28 million people in India in Bengali, Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and English. Director of BBC World Services group, Francesca Unsworth, told reporters on Wednesday that the Indian operation has become the biggest outside the UK. “Our values will remain the same with the new channels, which is to inform, educate and entertain... We do not want to be restricted to Delhi-centric, capital-based reporting and will bring out the stories of rural India,” she said.
The state government may amend existing fisheries laws to permanently ban bull trawling and LED fishing, Fisheries Minister Vinod Palienkar said on Wednesday. Fishermen in Goa have been demanding a ban on fishing with the help of LED lights, which attracts entire swarms of fish to its powerful glow underwater. Marine scientists have suggested the practice abets indiscriminate fishing, which would eventually lead to a fish famine in the waters off Goa. Bull trawling, according to experts, is another indiscriminate practice, frowned upon by traditional fishermen, because it involves two trawlers fishing with a common net virtually dredging all fish in their path from the water surface to the bed.
