Latest news with #AmarSingh
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Banned drink driver nearly four times over limit
A man who admitted being nearly four times over the drink drive limit has been banned from driving for three years and given a suspended jail term. Amar Singh, 25, was found to have 137 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath while driving a Porsche Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo on the M4 near Reading on 30 March. The legal limit is 35 micrograms. Singh, of Boxley Road, Chatham, Kent, was sentenced at Reading Magistrates' Court on 22 May. He was given an eight-week jail term, suspended for 12 months, and banned from drinking alcohol for 120 days. He will be able to cut the length of his three year driving ban by 36 weeks if he completes a rehabilitation course by 13 June, 2027. Singh was also told to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £154. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Thames Valley Police
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Drink driver nearly four times over limit on M4 near Reading
A man who admitted being nearly four times over the drink drive limit has been banned from driving for three years and given a suspended jail Singh, 25, was found to have 137 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath while driving a Porsche Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo on the M4 near Reading on 30 March. The legal limit is 35 of Boxley Road, Chatham, Kent, was sentenced at Reading Magistrates' Court on 22 was given an eight-week jail term, suspended for 12 months, and banned from drinking alcohol for 120 days. He will be able to cut the length of his three year driving ban by 36 weeks if he completes a rehabilitation course by 13 June, was also told to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £154. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
India Gazette
3 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
MP Amar Singh raises alarm over cross-border terror, drug threats at Denmark diaspora meet
Copenhagen [Denmark], May 31 (ANI): Congress MP Amar Singh, part of the all-party delegation, addressed the Indian diaspora in Copenhagen, raising concerns over Pakistan's involvement in cross-border terrorism and drug trafficking. He urged the Indian community to remain united in confronting such external threats. At the same event, India's Ambassador to Denmark, Manish Prabhat, responded to anti-India slogans raised by a small group outside the venue hosting the Indian parliamentary delegation. Hitting out at the protestors outside the venue, Ambassador Prabhat said, 'This community is unlike the community, a representation of which you saw outside on the street. And we know that how much amount they have been paid to put their duty here.' He further praised the Indian diaspora in Denmark, highlighting their positive contributions and cultural integration. Prabhat said, 'I would like to inform you that the Indian diaspora in Denmark is a thriving community. It has a strength of about 21,000 people now and the Danish society admires them. Because they are known for their hard work, their sincerity, their talent, their skills, their contribution to the Danish economy, their willingness to integrate, their respect for Danish culture and the fact that the Indian community is regarded as a vibrant community bringing the diverse cultures of India in all its colors and is known for promoting peace.' Also speaking at the gathering, Congress MP Dr Amar Singh voiced serious concerns over cross-border drug and weapon smuggling in across the Punjab border. 'In Punjab, especially after 1971, what happened was that opium was used to be sent from Pakistan. Punjab is the centre in North India for transporting drugs to Delhi and other parts of India. And I'm an eyewitness to those things. As a child, as a school student, then college student, and now for the last eight to ten years, again, as an eyewitness, that drugs and weapons are coming through drones,' he said. Singh further noted that several drones carrying narcotics and arms have been recovered from Punjab's border villages in recent years. Referring to past terror attacks in India, he said, 'When we know the reality that our neighbouring country, Pakistan, is doing this thing, how can we be quiet on this issue? And this issue has to be shared, and we all want to share with the international community that the issue of terrorism is now very serious. And in India, you will all remember Mumbai and then Pulwama, Uri, Pathankot and now Pahalgam. We all have to be united, oppose it. Terrorism is bad. Drugs are bad, weapons are bad, it damages the society.' Earlier, the Group 2 all-party delegation led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Ravi Shankar Prasad attended the luncheon interaction with former Danish parliamentarians in Copenhagen. The event, hosted by the Indian Ambassador, provided a platform for discussion and exchange of ideas. The delegation's engagement with former MPs, including Freddy Svane, former ambassador of Denmark to India, Manu Sareen, former MP and author Helle Degn, vice president of the Mandela Center, and Niels Ahlmann-Ohlsen, former MP and currently CEO of Strategic Alliance International ApS, aimed to foster stronger ties between India and Denmark. Apart from Ravi Shankar Prasad, other members of the Indian delegation included BJP MP Daggubati Purandeswari, Shiv Sena-UBT MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, Congress MPs Ghulam Ali Khatana and Amar Singh, and Ambassador Pankaj Saran. (ANI)
India Gazette
24-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Pahalgam attack was not an isolated incident: Congress MP Amar Singh vows to highlight Pakistan's Terrorism
New Delhi (India), May 24 (ANI): Congress MP Dr Amar Singh, part of the all-party delegation led by BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad to UK, France, Germany, the EU, Italy and Denmark on Saturday emphasised the delegation's objective to raise global awareness about Pakistan's role in promoting terrorism. Singh noted that the Pahalgam attack was not an isolated incident, but rather part of a series of terrorist attacks supported by Pakistan. He alleged that Pakistan harbors terrorist training camps within its territory, which poses a significant threat to regional and global security. Singh defended India's action on May 7, stating that it targeted terrorist sites in response to ongoing threats. Speaking on preparations to pursue this strategy, Singh said, 'The Pahalgam incident is not the first incident. There were earlier attacks near Jammu, Pathankot, and Bombay. Pakistan continues such acts and does not stop. Our effort is to tell the world this.' He added, 'Although Pakistan is smaller than us, it harbours terrorist training camps in Bahawalpur and other places like Muridke. India targeted only terrorist camps on the night of May 7 and did not strike any military sites. We will explain all this.' The all-party MPs' delegation, including BJP MP Ravishankar Prasad and Congress MP Dr. Amar Singh, is working to present a unified front globally on Pakistan's role in cross-border terrorism. Singh's remarks on Pakistan's ceasefire request and the U.S. acknowledgment of India's voluntary restraint bolster the delegation's narrative of India's measured and responsible stance. Prasad reinforced this approach by stressing the importance of unity, saying, 'There is a need for the whole of India to speak in one voice.' His call underlines the delegation's collective effort to rise above party lines and represent India's national interest with cohesion and clarity on the international stage. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri briefed four all-party delegations on Friday, which will visit partner countries to highlight India's policy of zero tolerance to terrorism and its fight against cross-border terrorism. Meanwhile, Vikram Misri had briefed three all-party delegations earlier. Earlier, Ravishankar Prasad vowed to convey India's concerns effectively before the international community after being named a member of the delegation visiting key partner countries to project India's continued fight against cross-border terrorism and Operation Sindoor. Speaking to ANI, Prasad said that the step to choose members from Opposition parties is great foresight, terming it a strategy of India for peace and tough action against terrorism. 'Why is it that wherever there is any global terrorism, some needle of suspicion points to Pakistan. We will convey India's concerns,' the BJP MP added. The Centre has chosen a seven-member all-party delegation that will visit key partner countries, including members of the UN Security Council, later this month. The following Members of Parliament are leading the seven delegations: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, JDU leader Sanjay Kumar Jha, BJP leader Baijayant Panda, DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule, and Shiv Sena leader Shrikant Eknath Shinde. The all-party delegation projects India's national consensus and resolute approach to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. It will convey to the world the country's strong message of zero tolerance for terrorism. (ANI)
Indian Express
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
All-party delegations: Why a certain Amar Singh figures in BJP list for Congress
As the Congress and BJP traded charges over the Union government's choice of Congress leaders to be part of all-party delegations to be sent to foreign countries as part of global outreach on Operation Sindoor, one name came as a surprise. Among his counterparts, all known heavyweights that the Centre picked (but who didn't figure in the Congress list), was a relatively low-key two-time Congress MP from Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab, Amar Singh. However, to those who know Singh closely, are not surprised at the Narendra Modi government picking the physician-turned-bureaucrat-turned-politician, who is an emerging Dalit leader with an impressive career as an official. A 1981-batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, Amar Singh, 71, is believed to have played an important role in shaping two landmark laws – the MGNREGA and the Food Security Act (FSA) – under former prime minister Manmohan Singh, and is also seen to be the brain behind Digvijaya Singh's Dalit empowerment initiative when the Congress leader was the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister. Singh belongs to Boparai Kalan village of Ludhiana district, and was born to landless parents who made a living as farm workers. 'My father studied up to Class 6 and understood the importance of education,' Singh tells The Indian Express. 'In 1969, I did well in Class 10 and was given a Rs 100 scholarship. That was a lot of money and it kept me going. I took admission in DAV College, Amritsar, and later in Amritsar Medical College.' After shifting to the IAS, Singh got an additional degree as Masters in Economics. He rose to Principal Secretary, Madhya Pradesh, and Secretary to CM Digvijaya Singh from 1997, following which he was appointed as Joint Secretary, Government of India, between 2004 and 2010. Singh plays down praise such as being 'the brain behind a CM'. 'They are the brains behind their own decisions. I will not take that credit. I can tell you, CMs do what they want… If the CM does not take a decision to the Cabinet, it will not see the light of day. The Principal Secretary is just a sophisticated postman,' says the self-effacing leader. His last posting was as Chairman and Managing Director of the Food Corporation of India, and he held that post in 2013, when the second UPA government under Manmohan Singh passed the Food Security Act. Recalling his time with the late Manmohan Singh, Singh says the former PM often asked him if the government would be able to provide such huge quantities of foodgrains as required. 'He used to ask me every year if the government had enough (food grains) to give year after year. I remember having presented data to him after conducting an extensive exercise and made him believe that it was doable. Both the MGNREGA and FSA became a reality and are still being implemented.' Soon after his retirement, Amar Singh joined the Congress in 2014, and was straightaway appointed senior vice-president of its Punjab unit, which was then helmed by current Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa. Three years later, Amar Singh made his electoral debut in the Assembly polls from the Raikot seat, but lost to Jagtar Singh Jagga Hissowal of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) by over 10,000 votes. He successfully contested the Fatehgarh Sahib Lok Sabha seat in 2019 and retained it five years later. As MP, Amar Singh is a part of key parliamentary committees, including on railways, oil and natural gas, and food, consumer affairs and public distribution. The Fatehgarh Sahib MP, who says he does not own a house in Punjab and stays in a rented accommodation in his constituency, is known to keep his doors open for people, like he did during his tenure as a bureaucrat. 'When I was posted as the District Collector of Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh, I would return from my field visits around 10 pm to find people from tribal communities sleeping on the floor outside my house. Those meetings are pleasant memories,' he say. Singh will be a part of the all-party delegation headed by BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, which will travel to the UK, France, Germany, Denmark, European Union and Italy, as part of the government exercise to apprise foreign governments about India's position on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Despite some amount of bad blood between the Congress and BJP over the Centre's choice of Opposition MPs in panels, Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar is all praise for Amar Singh, describing him as a 'seasoned and articulate politician who can take the message across'. 'I was rather surprised by the Congress's earlier choice (Amrinder Singh Raja Warring). How will unqualified people interact with foreign diplomats and delegates? The Congress got swayed by cheap antics. It does not behove of a national party to recommend such a name for a panel that has to carry such an important message,' Jakhar says. Amar Singh says he sought clearance from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge before deciding to be a part of the panel. 'I would not be on it had he denied it.' On his role, Singh says: 'I have been a doctor in a bordering district and know what Pakistan has done to our youth, from unleashing terror to narcoterrorism. I will expose Pakistan.'
