The Kerala government has voiced its frustration over the lack of central assistance for the rehabilitation of landslide-hit Wayanad, with 100 days now having passed since the devastating landslides struck the region. Despite several appeals, the central government has yet to allocate specific relief funds or define the classification of the disaster, the state’s Revenue Minister, K Rajan, said on Sunday. Speaking to reporters, Rajan described the Centre’s approach to Wayanad's recovery as "negative" and "painful," emphasising that the state’s requests for assistance have thus far gone unanswered. He highlighted that Kerala has repeatedly requested a unique aid package for Wayanad rather than the standard State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) allocation, which he explained was insufficient to cover the level of damage and recovery efforts needed for the region. According to PTI, he noted, "What Kerala wants is not the amount from the State Disaster Response Fund. We need a special package specifically for Wayanad." The SDRF, Rajan clarified, is generally intended for all levels of disasters across the state, including minor incidents, and is not specific to a disaster of this scale. A special package, however, would target the massive landslides that affected Wayanad, providing a more tailored solution for the community’s rehabilitation. Kerala has already submitted a memorandum to the central government under the Disaster Management Act, formally requesting aid for Wayanad, PTI reported. However, as of yet, the Centre has made no announcements regarding the classification of the landslide, which would determine the extent of financial and logistical support available. The National Disaster Management Authority in India categorises disasters into levels L0, L1, L2, and L3, with each level signifying the scope of damage and required response. Rajan noted that if the Centre were to classify the Wayanad landslide as an L3 disaster, even Members of Parliament from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha could contribute funds towards the rehabilitation of the area. "We are waiting patiently...we are continuing to stay in contact with officials from the disaster management authority," Rajan added, reiterating the state’s hopes that assistance would soon be provided. The minister’s comments come just a day after Kerala’s Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, strongly criticised the Centre’s handling of disaster support for Kerala, accusing it of taking a stance that is detrimental to the state, even during times of crisis. According to PTI, Vijayan expressed disappointment that the union government has not yet clarified under which category the Wayanad disaster falls, whether L1, L2, or L3, leaving the state without critical guidance on what level of aid it can expect. In the meantime, Kerala officials are persisting in their efforts to secure support, hopeful that, with continued communication and pressure, a more favourable response will be forthcoming from the Centre. (With inputs from PTI)
27 October,2024 02:40 PM IST | ThiruvananthapuramIndian Army's Romeo Force, in a joint operation with Special Operations Group (SOG) police, busted a terror hideout in the Balnoi sector in Poonch, officials said. According to the Poonch police, the operation that took place on Saturday led to the recovery of two grenades and three Pakistani Mines from the hideout. Meanwhile, a search operation was carried out in Tangmarg and several parts of Jammu and Kashmir as the Indian Army and police intensified their searches to trace the accused in terror attacks in Gulmarg, Baramulla in north Kashmir and Gagangir in the Ganderbal district of the Union Territory. On October 24, two Army soldiers and two civilian porters were killed after terrorists attacked a military vehicle in Baramulla. Earlier on October 20, a doctor and six construction workers were killed when terrorists attacked a tunnel construction site on the Srinagar-Leh national highway in Ganderbal district. The terrorists struck as the labourers and other staff returned to their camp in Gund, Ganderbal. The incident raised serious concern as this was a targeted killing by the terrorists. The terrorists believed to be at least two, opened fire indiscriminately on a group of labourers, which included both local and non-local people. On Wednesday, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha directed the police to tighten security measures around key infrastructure projects and construction camps in the union territories. He further directed a security audit of infrastructure projects, round-the-clock nakas at the strategic points, night patrolling and area domination. The Counter-Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) carried out a major operation in six districts of the Valley and caught recruiters linked to a terror outfit. The counterintelligence unit informed that the raids were conducted in districts including Srinagar, Ganderbal, Pulwama, Anantnag, Budgam, and Kulgam. The officials said that they were able to dismantle a recruitment module of the newly formed terrorist organisation called "Tehreek Labaik Ya Muslim" (TLM), which is said to be an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) that was being operated by a Pakistani terrorist handler known as Baba Hamas. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 October,2024 01:24 PM IST | Jammu and Kashmir | ANIIndia must undergo a revolutionary transformation to rise as a developed economy, said ISRO Chairman S Somanathan, stressing the importance of technological advancements and product development to drive economic growth. He also praised tech mogul Elon Musk for his innovative work in the space sector, noting that Musk’s achievements have inspired global efforts, including those within ISRO. Somanathan made these remarks while addressing students at the 13th convocation ceremony of the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in Delhi on Saturday. “If India aspires to become the third, second, or even the first-largest global economy, a revolutionary change is needed. Growth will not be driven by trade and resources alone. We need to create value in technology that powers product development,” he said. Speaking about Musk, the ISRO chief said, “Elon Musk is making heads turn with his rockets. Everyone, from Europe to Russia to China, is looking at what he is doing. He is a great man doing fantastic work, and we are all inspired by his achievements”. The ISRO chief also highlighted India’s recent strides in space, mentioning the country’s successful lunar missions. However, he pointed out that continuous effort and innovation are essential to maintain momentum. “We have reached a level where we are the fifth-largest global economy, but to move further up, we must build and improve upon our technology. We have to work hard to develop our own expertise in areas like propulsion, material sciences, and orbital dynamics,” he said. Somanathan applauded the government’s recent initiatives to open the space sector to private players, saying it was a step in the right direction. “The government has recognised the importance of private investment and participation in space. This will drive fasten development cycles, reduce costs, and enhance our global competitiveness,” he said. He encouraged young engineers and scientists to innovate and build technologies that could propel the country forward. “The current knowledge and technology lifespan is so short that you must remain a student throughout your life. Be humble, honest, and willing to adapt. This is what will help you navigate the challenges ahead,” he advised. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 October,2024 01:22 PM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesCivil Society Organisations have urged the Delhi government to reconsider its proposal to incinerate 100 per cent of the city’s waste, a statement said. According to the statement released on Friday, the CSO had written a letter to the Delhi government to stop further expansion of Waste-to-Energy (WTE) incineration projects in the Delhi/NCR region. It emphasised that when the Air Quality Index (AQI) falls into the “poor” category, WTE operations under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) should be suspended. The letter highlighted the need for systemic changes in waste management, including the effective enforcement of local bylaws, waste minimisation, source segregation, and stricter penalties for non-compliance. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) activated stage two of the GRAP on October 21, implementing measures like increased water sprinkling to reduce dust, a ban on firecracker use, higher parking fees, and improved public transport services, the statement read. Despite these efforts, the burning of 7,250 tons of unsegregated municipal solid waste each day in the city’s four existing WTE incinerators continues to contribute significantly to pollution, it claimed. The statement mentioned, “Even the recent CSIR-National Environment Engineering Research Institute report submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has warned against this technology and its negative health impacts on the community and the environment and about 1 of every 3 children have lung-related issues”. However, there are plans underway to increase incineration to an additional 6,000 tons of mixed waste per day by 2027, bringing the total to about 13,300 tons of waste burned daily in Delhi by that time, it noted. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 October,2024 01:21 PM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesThree persons were arrested in connection with the alleged gang rape of a 21-year-old woman in Odisha’s Naygarh district on Saturday. The incident happened on October 20 evening when the woman and her fiance were returning from the Fategarh Ram Temple, they said. A group of men allegedly intercepted them near the Pithakhai forest and forcefully took them to the nearby jungle. The accused persons also filmed the horror and uploaded a video of it on social media. The video has since gone viral, it said. “The police have arrested three persons,” said police. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 October,2024 01:21 PM IST | Bhubaneswar | AgenciesAs the Jharkhand Assembly elections approach, set for November 13 and 20, Babu Lal Soren, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for Ghatshila, has emphasised his commitment to the development of the local populace, reported ANI. Soren, son of former Chief Minister Champai Soren, outlined his key focus areas during an interview with ANI, "The issue is the development of the people. We have three issues in development, the migration happening inside the Ghatshila assembly and the labourers going to the other states. We will work on employing them." He highlighted the ongoing migration of labourers to other states and pledged to create employment opportunities to curb this trend. "We will stop migration and after that, when it comes to health, I have my resolve that we will arrange an ambulance in every Panchayat and sub-health centre. We will also work on providing digital education in the coming days," he told ANI. In his statements, Soren expressed gratitude towards key BJP leaders for their support and faith in his candidacy. "On my behalf, I would like to thank all officials and members of BJP, Union Minister JP Nadda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah. Thank you for having faith in me, I have been serving the public since the beginning.” The party has also announced its first list of 66 candidates, revealing its strategy to contest 68 seats in alliance with the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) 10 seats, Janata Dal (United) two seats, and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) one seat. Prominent candidates from the BJP include state chief Babulal Marandi from Dhanwar and Lobin Hembrom from Borio. Former Chief Minister Champai Soren will represent Saraikella, while Geeta Balmuchu and Meera Munda will contest from Chaibasa and Potka, respectively. On Saturday, BJP announced the list of 40 star campaigners for the upcoming elections, which includes prominent figures such as Prime Minister Modi, BJP national president JP Nadda, and several Union Ministers like Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari Dharmendra Pradhan and Shivraj Singh Chouhan. BJP CMs such as Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh), Nayab Singh Saini (Haryana), Mohan Majhi Himanta Biswa Sarma and Vishnu Deo Sai (Chhattisgarh) are also among the star campaigners, stated ANI. (With inputs from ANI)
27 October,2024 01:20 PM IST | Seraikela-Kharsawan, Jharkhand | mid-day online correspondentFive people lost their lives and 12 others were injured in two separate road accidents involving heavy vehicles in Madhya Pradesh's Betul district, according to local police reports on Sunday. In one incident early Sunday morning, a tractor-trolley carrying labourers overturned near Hanuman Dol on the Betul-Parasia Road, resulting in two fatalities and multiple injuries. The accident occurred around 7 am, as per Betul Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Kamla Joshi. The victims, who were returning to their village from Betul railway station, had been travelling on the tractor-trolley after a month-long work stint at a factory in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu. “Two of the passengers lost their lives in the incident, while 12 others sustained injuries,” she confirmed. The injured were promptly taken to a nearby hospital, where three of them are reportedly in critical condition. Betul District Collector Narendra Raghuvanshi added that there were 21 individuals aboard the tractor-trolley, all residents of Bakud and Dulara villages in Ghoradongri tehsil. The labourers had returned to Betul from Tamil Nadu to spend the festive season with their families. Due to the severity of injuries, one of the three critically wounded persons was referred to a hospital in Bhopal for further medical treatment, he noted. In a separate accident on Saturday night, three more people lost their lives when a truck collided with a two-wheeler on the Betul-Athner road near Bharkawadi village. The crash occurred at around 11 pm, approximately 10 kilometres from the Betul district headquarters. The truck, which was reportedly transporting fertiliser, struck the two-wheeler, resulting in severe injuries to the riders. They were immediately taken to the hospital, where medical professionals declared them dead on arrival. Betul Bazar police station in-charge, Anjana Dhurve, identified the victims as Vijay (35), Krishna Dhurve (20), and Raghunath Sareyam (38). Following the incident, a case was registered against the truck driver, who fled the scene, leaving the vehicle behind. These two tragic incidents underscore ongoing concerns about road safety and the risks associated with travel on busy roads in the region, especially with regard to heavy vehicles. Both accidents are under investigation by local authorities to determine the precise causes and any potential legal actions to be taken, as reported by PTI. (With inputs from PTI)
27 October,2024 01:03 PM IST | BetulAfter successfully managing Cyclone Dana with zero-casualty goal, the Odisha government is now focused on restoration efforts following significant destruction to crops, thatched houses and public infrastructure. The cyclone made landfall on Friday but has since weakened into a low-pressure system over northern Odisha. "The well marked low pressure area over north Odisha persists. It is likely to weaken further and become insignificant during next 12 hours," the IMD said at 6.30 pm of Saturday. Many villages in Balasore and Bhadrak districts are facing flash floods due to intense rainfall, prompting the Odisha Fire Service to rescue stranded residents. The Balasore district administration has urged those living near the Budhbalang River to shift to relief camps, as water levels have risen to 7.84 metres—above the warning level of 7.21 metres and danger level of 8.13 metres. State Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said the government is prioritising the restoration of facilities and rehabilitation for affected residents, particularly farmers. Assessments of house and crop damages will begin once the rains stop. Electricity has been restored in about 90 per cent of the 2.24 million households in affected districts, he added. Pujari emphasised the need for accurate damage assessments to ensure that no deserving individuals are overlooked. Preliminary assessments indicate that several homes and agricultural lands have been affected across 14 districts. A central team is expected to visit soon for further damage evaluation, but the state government plans to start disbursing assistance and compensation immediately, he said. Deputy Chief Minister KV Singh Deo, who also holds the agriculture portfolio, said district-level officers will conduct assessments and send geo-tagged reports of damaged crops once the rain subsides. He confirmed that 14 districts have been affected, with Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Jajpur, and Mayurbhanj being the most severely impacted. According to government guidelines, small and marginal farmers with landholdings up to 2 hectares and over 33 per cent crop loss due to natural calamities are eligible for compensation—Rs 8,500 per hectare in rainfed areas and Rs 17,000 in irrigated areas, with Rs 22,500 for perennial crops. Assistance decisions will be made based on district reports, agriculture secretary Arabinda Padhee said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
26 October,2024 09:48 PM IST | Bhubaneswar | PTIIndia on Saturday said it was deeply concerned over the "evolving escalation" in West Asia and urged all sides to exercise restraint and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy. "Our Missions in the region are in contact with the Indian community," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. This comes after Israel carried out strikes on military sites in Iran on Saturday, further fuelling fears of a full-blown war between the two heavily armed countries.Israel said the targeted facilities were used to make missiles fired at it, according to reports. "We are deeply concerned by the evolving escalation in West Asia and its ramifications for peace and stability in the region and beyond," the MEA said. "We reiterate our call to all concerned to exercise restraint and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy. The ongoing hostilities are to nobody's benefit, even as innocent hostages and civilian populations continue to suffer," it said. The West Asia conflict was discussed in "considerable details" during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz here on Friday. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
26 October,2024 09:26 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIAmid a spate of hoax bomb threats to multiple airlines, the IT Ministry has asked social media platforms to observe due diligence obligations and promptly remove or disable access to misinformation within the strict timelines prescribed under IT rules. The Centre also asserted that apart from removing or disabling access to such misinformation, social media intermediaries have additional liability under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) to mandatorily report certain offences perceived to be committed by any user of their platform including those with intent to threaten unity, integrity, sovereignty or security of India. The Government, in an advisory, reminded social media intermediaries that they are obligated under IT rules to provide information under their control or possession and assist investigative agencies within stipulated timeline of up to 72 hours. The move assumes significance as more than 275 flights operated by the Indian carriers have received hoax bomb threats in the past 12 days. Most of the threats were issued through social media. On Friday alone, over 25 domestic and international flights operated by Indian carriers received bomb threats. "In addition to the above, the IT Rules, 2021 obligates the intermediaries to provide information under its control or possession, or assistance to the Government agency which is lawfully authorised for investigative or protective or cyber security activities, for the purposes of verification of identity, or for the prevention, detection, investigation, or prosecution, of offences under any law for the time being in force, or for cyber security incidents, well within the stipulated timeframes (as soon as possible but not later than 72 hours)," the advisory issued by IT Ministry said. The advisory said that considering the "serious nature of the situation", the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology "reminds with emphasis" that all the intermediaries including social media intermediaries must make reasonable efforts to disallow such malicious acts including hoax bomb threats from being disseminated on their platforms. The intermediaries including social media intermediaries must observe their due diligence obligations that include the prompt removal or disabling access to such unlawful information specified under the IT Rules, 2021, including hoax bomb threats, well within the strict timelines as prescribed under the IT Rules, 2021. Government said that Social media intermediaries have a due diligence obligation under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules, 2021) to promptly remove such misinformation that affects public order and security of the state. "As part of such due diligence obligations, it is the responsibility of concerned intermediaries including social media intermediaries to promptly take necessary action under the IT Rules, 2021 by not allowing any user to host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, store, update or share any unlawful or false information. "Further, the exemption from liability for any third party information, data, or communication link made available or hosted by social media intermediaries as provided under section 79 of the IT Act shall not apply if such intermediaries do not follow the due diligence obligations as prescribed under the IT Act read with IT Rules, 2021 or abetted or aided, in the commission of the unlawful act," the IT Ministry said. In case of failure of the intermediaries to observe the due diligence obligations as provided in the IT Rules, 2021, the provision of section 79 of the IT Act shall not be applicable to such intermediary and they shall be liable for consequential action as provided under any law including the IT Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023. "As reported in the news, multiple hoax bomb threats have been received by various airlines operating in India through various means including social media intermediaries during last few days. Airline travellers and security agencies are being affected due to such hoax bomb threats that disrupt the normal course of operations of the Airlines," it said. The instances of malicious acts in the form of hoax bomb threats to such airlines lead to potential threat to the public order and security of the state, it said adding such hoax bomb threats while affecting a large number of citizens also destabilises the economic security of the country. "Further, the scale of spread of such hoax bomb threats has been observed to be dangerously unrestrained due to the availability of the option of 'forwarding/re-sharing/ re-posting/ re-tweeting' on social media platforms. Such hoax bomb threats are mostly misinformation that is massively disrupting the public order, operations of airlines and security of the airline travellers," it noted. Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Friday had assured the government is committed to taking strict action against those behind hoax bomb threats. Earlier this week, Naidu said the government plans to take legislative actions to deal with instances of bomb threats to airlines, including placing perpetrators of such threats on the no-fly list. The government also pulled up social media platforms Meta and X earlier this week and asked them to share data about hoax bomb threat messages to airlines. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
26 October,2024 09:06 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIA 25-year-old man was arrested for allegedly posting threat messages to a flight at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport here, police said on Saturday. Shubham Upadhyay, a resident of Uttam Nagar in the national capital, was arrested for posting two bomb threat messages to draw attention after seeing similar news reports on TV, the police said. Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI) Usha Rangnani said during the intervening night of October 26 and 29, two suspicious and potential bomb threat messages were received at IGI Airport through an email account. "Immediate action was taken and standard security protocols were followed but the threat was found to be hoax," she said. A case under section 3(1)(d) of the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation (SUA SCA) Act, 1982 and 351(4) the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered and an investigation was initiated. During investigation, the origin of the messages was traced to an account registered to Upadhyay. Based on manual intelligence and technical surveillance, Upadhyay was apprehended and interrogated. He is a Class 12 pass unemployed man. Rangnani said Upadhyay has admitted to sending the messages after seeing similar news reports on television. He sent the messages to draw attention, she added. The matter is currently under further investigation, she said. In a statement Rangnani said, "We reassure the public that all necessary security measures are in place and there is no cause for alarm. We encourage everyone to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities to the authorities." The Delhi Police has registered eight separate FIRs in connection with bomb threats to more than 100 domestic and international flights over the past 10 days. The first case was registered on October 16 following a bomb threat received via X targeting a Bengaluru-bound Akasa Air flight. The aircraft, carrying over 180 passengers, was forced to return to the national capital. The police wrote to social media platform X the next day seeking details of the accounts that posted threatening messages but the force was not able to get the details of the user's ID or domain. Amid a spate of hoax bomb threats to multiple airlines, the Information and Technology Ministry has asked social media platforms to observe due diligence obligations and promptly remove or disable access to misinformation within the strict timelines prescribed under the IT rules. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
26 October,2024 08:58 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIADVERTISEMENT
