Caste census essential to ensure social justice: Ramdas Athawale
Caste census is essential to understand the representation of different communities and the exercise will strengthen social justice, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale said.
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Mr. Athawale said the exercise would provide critical data and help the government to formulate policies for upliftment of backward classes. 'Empowering every caste is possible only when we know their real condition,' he said.
Replying to a question, Mr. Athawale said India had clearly rejected any third-party intervention in the military conflict between India and Pakistan. He said that U.S. President Donald Trump had volunteered to mediate between the two countries, but we clearly rejected any third-party intervention.
'There can be no friendship with Pakistan till they return Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to India and there is a permanent solution to the threat of cross-border terrorism,' he said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
29 minutes ago
- NDTV
3 J&K Government Employees Sacked, Jailed For Alleged Terror Links
New Delhi: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has sacked three government employees over terror links in a massive crackdown on terror support structures active in the erstwhile state where an April attack had left 26 civilians dead, sources said. The sacked employees were allegedly working for Pakistan-based terror groups, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahidin (HM), they added. The accused have been identified as Malik Ishfaq Naseer, a police constable, Ajaz Ahmed, a teacher who worked in the school education department, and Waseem Ahmad Khan, a Junior Assistant in Government Medical College, Srinagar. All three have been sent to jail. A senior security official said that the sacked employees were found to be actively working for the banned groups that carried out terror attacks on civilians and forces.
Hindustan Times
38 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Punjab: Tarn Taran resident caught spying for Pakistan during Op Sindoor
A man from Punjab's border district of Tarn Taran was arrested for allegedly sharing sensitive information about troop deployment and strategic locations during Operation Sindoor with Pakistani intelligence operatives, police said on Tuesday. He was allegedly in contact with Pakistan-based pro-Khalistan leader Gopal Singh Chawla. Punjab director general of police Gaurav Yadav said the accused has been identified as Gagandeep Singh, alias Gagan, a resident of Mohalla Rodupur, Gali Nazar Singh Wali, in Tarn Taran. He was arrested for allegedly sharing sensitive information related to the army's movements during Operation Sindoor with Pakistani intelligence operatives (PIOs). Police also recovered a mobile phone containing information, which he shared with the PIOs. The accused was allegedly in contact with Pakistan's intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and also received money for passing on sensitive information, the police said. He was arrested in a joint operation of the Tarn Taran police and the Counter Intelligence wing of police. 'Arrested accused had been in contact with the #Pakistan #ISI and (Pakistan based Khalistani supporter) Gopal Singh Chawla, sharing sensitive information concerning army movements during #OperationSindoor,' the DGP said in a post on X. Investigations said the accused was engaged in sharing classified details, including troop deployments and strategic locations, posing a threat to national security. Gagandeep Singh had been in touch with Khalistani supporter Chawla for the past five years, through whom he was introduced to the PIOs, Yadav said. 'He also received payments from #PIOs via #Indianchannels,' he said. The police recovered a mobile phone containing intelligence that he shared with the PIOs, as well as the details of over 20 ISI contacts, he said. Thorough financial and technical investigations are underway to trace other linkages and establish the full scope of this espionage network, the DGP added. An FIR has been registered under the Official Secrets Act at Police Station City, Tarn Taran, and investigation is in progress. Under Operation Sindoor, the Indian armed forces carried out pre-dawn missile strikes on May 7 on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base in Muridke, in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. Earlier, police had arrested six persons for allegedly spying for Pakistan. Falaksher Masih, and Suraj Masih had been arrested from Ajnala in Amritsar and 31-year-old woman Guzala and Yameen Mohamad, both residents of Malerkotla, had also been nabbed last month. Guzala and Yameen had been receiving payments through online transactions in exchange for sharing classified information. Guzala had been in contact with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, an official posted at the Pakistan High Commission. On May 13, India expelled Danish for allegedly indulging in espionage. Two more persons -- Sukhpreet Singh and Karanbir Singh -- were later arrested by police from Gurdaspur for sharing sensitive military information with Pakistan's ISI.
Time of India
44 minutes ago
- Time of India
Piyush Goyal meets top global CEOs, discusses India's potential in EV, RE sectors
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday met some top global CEOs in Paris to explore their future investment plans for the India market in promising sectors like electric vehicle and renewable energy (RE). The minister is on an official trip to France with the aim of boosting trade and investments and will also attend a ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on Tuesday. "Held a meeting with Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault Group. Exchanged views on India's growing potential as an automobile manufacturing hub, along with emerging opportunities in the EV sector," Goyal posted on X social media platform. He also met Bernard Fontana, Chairman and CEO of state-owned energy provider EDF, and discussed India's growing leadership in the renewable energy sector and "ways to further integrate sustainable energy solutions into our development roadmap". Earlier, the Union Minister met Patrick Pouyanne, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, a global integrated energy company. "Discussed the company's investment plans for India and avenues for deeper collaboration in the renewable energy sector," said Goyal. Commerce Minister has also indicated that India is likely to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with Oman soon, as the talks between the two countries are making headway. The talks for the free trade pact with Oman started in November 2023, and Goyal visited the Gulf country from January 27 to January 28. Piyush Goyal commences official visit to France, Italy to boost economic ties During his three-day engagements in France, Union Minister Goyal is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings, including with Eric Lombard, Minister of Economy, and Laurent Saint-Martin, French Trade Minister, according to the Commerce Ministry. The discussions will focus on strengthening the Indo-French economic partnership and exploring new avenues for enhancing trade and investment cooperation. The minister will meet top leadership of major French companies such as Vicat, Total Energies, L'Oreal, Renault, Valeo, EDF and ATR. Following his engagements in France, the Union Minister will proceed to Italy for the next leg of his official visit.
