IACC meet puts spotlight on eight years of progress in UP
Several individuals and departments were honoured for their contributions to governance, industry, healthcare, education, literature and law. The animal husbandry and horticulture & food processing departments were awarded for implementing welfare schemes, with Neelam and SK Chauhan receiving the honours.
Lifetime achievement awards were presented to retired IAS officers Manoj Singh and Praveer Kumar, former DGP OP Singh and principal secretary K Ravindra Naik.
Dr Neelam Vinay was recognised for excellence in robotic and laparoscopic surgery. Awards were also given to theatre veteran Anil Rastogi, journalist Dharmendra Singh and eco-friendly innovator SK Agnihotri.
Other awardees included Sushil Mohan Takru (saddlery), Rajkumar Singh (Hindi literature), Mayank Somani (medical innovation), Manjula Goswami (education) and Pranshu Mishra (journalism). Sanjeev Saran, Annu Awasthi, Piyush Singh Chauhan and Sanjay Sinha were also recognised. Speakers praised UP's progress in infrastructure, agriculture and law and order. Seminar convener Mukesh Singh coordinated the event.
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Hindustan Times
37 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
No evidence: All 7 acquitted in '08 Malegaon blast case
A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Thursday acquitted all the seven people charged in connection with a bomb blast in Maharashtra's Malegaon town in 2008, saying the evidence against them did not inspire confidence and that it would be unsafe to base convictions on these grounds. Former BJP MP Pragya Thakur, one of the seven acquitted in the case (PTI) The high-profile order – which came nearly 17 years after six people were killed and 95 injured in the blast during the last namaz of the day at a public compound on September 29, 2008 – cleared former Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker Pragya Singh Thakur, 55, and Lt. Col Prasad Purohit, 53, who was an officer with the Indian army. 'Terror has no religion, as no religion promotes violence,' said special NIA judge AK Lahoti while pronouncing the acquittal. The five others who were exonerated, beside Thakur and Purohit, were retired army officer Ramesh Shivaji Upadhyay, 73, Pune-based businessman Samir Sharad Kulkarni, 53, Purohit's purported close associates Ajay Eknath Rahirkar, 56, and Sudhakar Omkarnath Chaturvedi, 53, and Sudharkar Dhar Dwivedi, also known as Swami Amritananda Devtirth, 56, a self-proclaimed Shankaracharya. 'Mere suspicion cannot take the place of real proof,' the court said, adding that in the absence of any evidence, the accused persons deserve the benefit of doubt. In its order, the trial court said there was no evidence to show that Purohit had brought the RDX from Kashmir as claimed in the charge sheet. The court also found no evidence to prove that the bomb strapped to a motorcycle and seized from the spot belonged to Thakur. 'The sadhvi had become a sanyasi (ascetic) two years before the incident, and had distanced herself from all material possessions,' the court said while explaining why the two-wheeler's ownership could not be attributed to the former MP from Bhopal. The accused thanked Lahoti and their lawyers, and Thakur said that she was able to survive the ordeal only because she was a 'sanyasi' (ascetic). 'This is not my victory. This is no individual's victory. This is the victory of bhagwa (saffron), bhagwan (god) and Hindutva,' she said after the court explained the verdict in Hindi. Advocate Shahid Nadeem, who represented the blast victims, accused NIA of not prioritising their concerns, and said they would file an appeal in the high court after reviewing the judgment. The politically sensitive case was part of a larger bouquet of terror incidents in the late 2000s dubbed by investigating agencies at the time as 'saffron terror' cases. Almost every one of those cases – including the 2007 Samjhauta Express blasts, the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast and the 2007 Ajmer Sharif bombing – have since collapsed in court. The verdict also sparked a political controversy with the BJP demanding an apology from the Congress, which was in power at the Centre and in the state when the blasts and the prosecution began. Two RDX bombs strapped to the seat of an LML Freedom motorcycle went off during the 'eesha namaz' at 9.35pm on September 29, 2008 in the Muslim-dominated town, roughly 200km from Mumbai. Six died and 95 were injured. This was the second terror attack in Malegaon. On September 8, 2006, on the day of Shab-e-Baraat, four bombs had gone off at the crowded Hamidia mosque complex killing 31 and injuring 312 others. The blast was investigated by two different agencies – first by the Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) and then by the NIA from 2011. According to the ATS, the blast was the handiwork of an extreme Right-wing group led by Purohit, Upadhyay and Dwivedi. In its charge sheet, the agency claimed that Purohit, who at the time served in the Indian Army's Military Intelligence unit, had in February 2007 formed Abhinav Bharat, an organisation with an intention to convert India into a Hindu rashtra named Aryavart. It also arrested Thakur, a native of Lahar in the Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh, and two others in October 2008, alleging that the motorcycle belonged to her. On January 20, 2009, the ATS arrested 11 people and filed a charge sheet, invoking the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). In April 2011, the case was transferred to NIA, a specialised federal agency established after the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. Throughout this time, the accused alleged that the ATS case was fabricated and their statements were coerced after torture. In May 2016, NIA filed a supplementary charge sheet, exonerating Thakur and five other accused, and recommending their discharge from the case. NIA also dropped MCOCA charges against all the accused, citing its questionable application by the ATS. The court order on Thursday junked the ATS's argument, holding that the charge of the conspiracy being hatched at meetings of Abhinav Bharat could not be proved as the witnesses had turned hostile. Forty prosecution witnesses turned hostile during the trial. 'Key witnesses pertaining to the conspiracy have not supported the prosecution,' said the special judge. The court said the material from the blast spot was collected in the absence of experts. The court also disregarded the charge that Abhinav Bharat had collected funds from the public and used it to further its illegal activities. 'It is true that Purohit was the trustee and (Ajay) Rahirkar was its treasurer. But the evidence on record shows that Purohit had used the funds for his personal work like construction of a house, payment of insurance premium etc. There is no evidence to show that the funds were used for terror activities and therefore UAPA was not applicable,' the court said, and further stated that invalid and defective sections of the UAPA had been applied in the case. After the verdict was read out, celebrations broke out at the neighbourhoods of Thakur and Purohit. The BJP hailed the decision. 'The court verdict has exposed the conspiracy with supporting evidence. Congress leaders must now publicly apologise to Hindus for defaming them by associating them with so-called saffron terrorism,' said chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. The Congress criticised the BJP. 'They (the BJP) polarise everything, there was no good prosecution, good evidence was not collected, how should this matter be let go?' asked Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Modi to release 20th instalment of Kisan Nidhi in Kashi on Aug 2
1 2 Lucknow: UP will account for around 25% of the total small and marginal farmers nationally who will receive the 20th instalment of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi (PMKSN), scheduled to be released by PM Narendra Modi from Varanasi on August 2. The scheme envisages the distribution of Rs 6,000 to identified farmers in three instalments. In all, the centre is scheduled to release a sum of Rs 20,500 crore to be distributed to around 9.7 crore farmers nationally. Of this, 2.3 crore farmers from UP are proposed to benefit from the ambitious scheme, which was rolled out by Modi on Dec 1, 2018. UP agriculture minister Surya Pratap Shahi said that the upcoming instalment was important for the farmers to meet the requirements of farming and irrigation in the ongoing Kharif season. Data show that around 2.38 crore farmers in UP benefited from the scheme in 2024-25. Shahi said that the state govt has been screening the list of beneficiaries on a regular basis for the efficient distribution of the funds amongst the farmers. As a matter of fact, the state govt has decided to make elaborate arrangements to engage farmers virtually at the district, block, and panchayat levels. According to a communique sent to all divisional commissioners and district magistrates, principal secretary (agriculture) Ravinder said that the public representatives (MP, MLA, and MLCs and gram pradhans) should be engaged in the event. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villa Prices in Dubai Might Be Lower Than You Think! Villa for sale in Dubai | Search Ads Learn More Undo Progressive farmers too have been asked to attend the event scheduled to be telecast in different locations, including Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), PM Kisan Samriddhi Kendra, Cooperative and Mandi samitis. Special arrangements are proposed to be made in the case of KVKs, where central and state ministers are expected to reach. The state govt has also sought elaborate arrangements to publicise the govt schemes and how the funds were being directly credited into the accounts of farmers.
Business Standard
4 hours ago
- Business Standard
Pocket HRMS unveils smHRty® 4.0 - 1st Multilingual smHRt® Chatbot for Digital Bharat that goes Beyond Answering Questions!
VMPL Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 31: Pocket HRMS, India's leading cloud-based HRMS solution provider, announced the launch of smHRty® 4.0, the latest version of its AI-powered employee assistant. Building on its earlier success as an intelligent chatbot that provided quick answers and HR-related information, smHRty® has now evolved into a truly interactive digital companion capable of understanding queries in local languages and performing tasks on behalf of employees. One of the standout features of smHRty® 4.0 is its ability to understand multiple regional languages spoken across India. This makes the chatbot highly inclusive and accessible, catering to a diverse workforce spread across different regions and linguistic backgrounds. Whether an employee prefers English, Hindi, or a natural mix of both, smHRty® 4.0 can now understand them, and respond intuitively, destroying all language barriers. smHRty® 4.0 also goes beyond simple query resolution, as it enables employees to apply for leaves, check attendance, manage their HR requests, and complete routine actions directly from the chat interface, reducing time spent navigating multiple menus and pages. This upgrade marks a significant leap towards hyper-automation in HR processes, streamlining everyday employee interactions and making them more engaging. Commenting on the launch, co-founder of Pocket HRMS, Mr. Jitendra Somani, said, "We are constantly innovating to make HR more human-centric and seamless. The newly evolved smHRty® 4.0 reflects our commitment to simplifying employee interactions with technology. By empowering employees to complete HR tasks within seconds, we are not only redefining workplace efficiency, but also making it more accessible." With this upgrade, organizations can expect higher employee engagement, faster response times, and a significant reduction in HR operational workload. smHRty® 4.0 integrates seamlessly with the Pocket HRMS platform, ensuring that all requests made via the chatbot are instantly updated in the system, providing a real-time, error-free experience for both employees and HR teams. Pocket HRMS continues to focus on AI-driven innovations that transform workplaces. The enhanced smHRty® 4.0 is another step towards creating a smHRt®, conversational, and intuitive HR ecosystem for the modern workforce, building towards Digital Bharat 2.0. About Pocket HRMS Established almost two decades ago, Pocket HRMS is a leading AI-first HRMS software in India for hire-to-retire requirements of start-ups to large organizations. Its core values are ensuring the best in customer service, cost-effectiveness, and robust module offerings. The platform's latest update enhances its AI chatbot, smHRty®, into a digital companion that understands regional languages and performs tasks like leave applications on behalf of employees. This joins other key modules like smHRt payroll for seamless salary processing, an improved AI-based attendance system, and smHRt searcHR®, which offers HRs a unique global look at their database. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by VMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
