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Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Remark on army: HC dismisses Rahul Gandhi's plea challenging summons by local court
The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on Thursday dismissed a petition filed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi challenging summons issued to him by a local court in connection with a case related to an alleged remark on Indian Army. Passing the order on Thursday, a single-judge bench of justice Subhash Vidyarthi refused to grant relief to Rahul Gandhi. The court said that the detailed order would be released on June 2. Additional advocate general Vinod Kumar Shahi opposed the petition on behalf of the state government. The complaint against Rahul Gandhi alleges that during 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', he stated that 'no one questions the beating of Indian soldiers by Chinese soldiers'. This statement, according to a complaint by one Uday Shankar Srivastava, was derogatory towards the army and hurt the sentiments of armed forces. With the high court dismissing his petition, Rahul Gandhi will have to face trial in the local court. The case will now proceed in the lower court, where the Congress leader will have to appear as an accused, Shahi said. The court's decision has significant implications for Rahul Gandhi, as he will have to defend himself against the allegations in the local court, Shahi added. 'Rahul Gandhi's irresponsible statement has lowered the prestige of the Indian Army,' Shahi argued in court. Earlier, after Srivastava filed a complaint before additional chief judicial magistrate, trial court, Alok Varma, summons asking Rahul Gandhi to appear were issued. The Congress leader challenged the trial court's order in the high court and also sought quashing of the case against him. It may be pointed out that on May 19, the Supreme Court directed the Madhya Pradesh director general of police (DGP) to constitute a special investigation team (SIT) comprising three senior IPS officers to probe the comments made by MP minister Vijay Shah against colonel Sofiya Qureshi, one of the two women officers who had briefed the media on Operation Sindoor. Vijay Shah had kicked up a political storm with his controversial remarks on colonel Sofiya Qureshi, a decorated Indian Army officer.
Indian Express
15-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Cabinet nod for 5 seed parks in UP's agro-economic zones: Minister
UTTAR PRADESH is set to get five state-of-the-art seed parks – one each in five 'agro-economic zones' in the state. A proposal in this regard was approved by the state Cabinet on Thursday, State Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi said. It was also decided that these parks would be named after former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh as a tribute towards his contribution to agriculture and the first of these parks would come up in Lucknow, said Shahi. He told mediapersons that the first such park would be built with an investment of Rs 266 crore over 130 acres in the Attari area of Lucknow. He informed that this would be equipped with several facilities for enhancing seed production as well as processing, storage, speed breeding and hybrid research. The minister said the initiative would revolutionise the seed sector in the state. The seed parks would come in a phased manner, said Shahi. After Lucknow, one would be developed in western Uttar Pradesh, another in Terai region, one in the Central zone and one in Bundelkhand. The minister also informed that these parks would be built through public-private partnership, where land would be offered on lease for 30 years to the seed companies. Shahi pointed out that Uttar Pradesh is one of the largest agriculture states, having 165 lakh hectares of cultivable land and if both the crops are calculated, farming takes place on nearly 270 lakh hectares. 'For this, we require 70 lakh quintals or seven lakh metric tonnes of seeds. Against this, the state is able to produce around 46 lakh quintal only and the remaining is taken from the neighbouring states. Thus, to promote seed production within the state and at the same time provide certification for quality seeds, approval has been given for developing seed parks in the state,' said Shahi. Officials informed that Uttar Pradesh has nine agricultural climatic zones and seed parks would be developed in five of these regions, with the aim of reducing dependency on other states and also export seeds to other states. Shahi pointed out that while Uttar Pradesh does not produce any hybrid seeds, of the nearly Rs 7,000 crore seed business, around Rs 3,500 crore business goes to other states. Thus, the idea is also to capitalise on this mark within the state. In another significant decision, the Cabinet approved the proposal for construction of 'marriage and event halls' to be named 'Panchayat Utsav Bhawan' in each rural assembly constituency across the state. In the first phase, 71 of these halls would be constructed and officials informed that Rs 100 crore has been allocated for the project, as one Utsav Bhawan is expected to cost around Rs 1.41 crore of which 40 per cent would be contributed by the state government from UP Matri Bhoomi Yojana, while remaining 60 per cent would be through funding from the donors. The Cabinet also approved revision of remuneration of contractual employees of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, including both technical and non-technical staff working right from pilot, co-pilot, aviation engineer, quality manager, additional director (technical) to operations manager and flight safety chief. As a result, now the pilot salary slab would increase from Rs 2.5–7 lakh to Rs 5–10 lakh, while the co-pilot slab from Rs 1.25–6 lakh to Rs 3-7 lakh slab.
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Buddha teachings foster peace and harmony even today: Shahi
Lucknow: Agriculture minister Surya Pratap Shahi stressed the need to expedite the construction of the Mahatma Gautam Buddha Agriculture and Technology University in Kushinagar . During his visit on Monday, he offered robes and lotus flowers to Lord Buddha at the Mahaparinirvana temple on the occasion of Buddha Purnima .Shahi also inspected the ongoing university project, which spans 146 acres and is being developed at a cost of Rs 435 crore. The university, set to be Kushinagar's first-ever institution of higher learning, will play a crucial role in the region's educational and economic underlined the state govt's commitment to Kushinagar's development and directed officials to ensure the timely completion of the university, while maintaining the highest quality standards. He also acknowledged govt's broader efforts to enhance Kushinagar's profile on the international tourism govt has allocated Rs 62 crore for tourism development projects in Kushinagar, with Rs 28 crore designated specifically for the enhancement of the Mahaparinirvana site.A senior govt official said that on Buddha Purnima, Buddhist monks from around the world expressed satisfaction with the ongoing development initiatives. Shahi also took the opportunity to reflect on the timeless teachings of Lord Buddha, highlighting their significance in fostering peace and harmony in the world.
India Today
04-05-2025
- Business
- India Today
Punjab National Bank a victim, can't be clubbed with Mehul Choksi's companies: CBI
The CBI has opposed a plea seeking to make Punjab National Bank (PNB) an accused in the multi-crore Gitanjali Group fraud case involving diamond merchant Mehul Choksi. The central agency said that the two "cannot be clubbed and measured with the same yardstick".Alleging that the petition was filed with "ulterior motives," the central probe agency asserted that while the bank is a victim in the scam, the Gitanjali Group was the beneficiary of the fraudulent Shahi, assistant finance officer of Gitanjali Gems and co-accused in the case, who filed the petition through lawyers Yash Agrawal and Jasmin Purani, had argued that the bank should be held equally accountable, citing PNB's own internal investigation report that allegedly acknowledged oversight of discrepancies. His petition, which challenged an earlier Special Court order that rejected his request, said that 'PNB has conveniently shifted the blame on its employees in order to save its skin,' and accused the bank of earning commissions from the disputed CBI, however, argued that the plea had been filed with "an ulterior motive to take the trial in a different direction through which he and his masterminds benefit and thereby cause miscarriage of justice.""It is deceitful on the part of the accused to prod the Court to make the accused a victim," the agency petitioner pointed to financial transactions authorised by Gokulnath Shetty, a retired deputy manager of PNB at the Brady House branch, the epicentre of the scam. He claimed Shetty debited a total of Rs 2.28 crore to Gitanjali Exports Corporation Ltd.'s account as arranger fees between 2015 and CBI clarified that several PNB employees, both senior and junior, have already been charge-sheeted for their role in the conspiracy in cheating the bank whereas the employees or Senior Management of Gitanjali Group of Companies have been charge-sheeted as they had conspired with themselves and with the accused bank official and agency emphasised that this does not make the institution itself complicit. 'Gitanjali Group of Companies is the beneficiary of the transactions whereas PNB is a victim who lost money,' it stated. The fraud has caused PNB a wrongful loss of Rs 7,080.86 crore, according to the matter, along with another plea filed by Mehul Choksi seeking cancellation of a Non-Bailable Warrant against him, is scheduled to be heard by Justice Shivkumar Dige on June InMust Watch
Hindustan Times
03-05-2025
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Swiss technology to monitor Ganga Expressway's quality and comfort
The Uttar Pradesh government has signed an agreement with the ETH Zurich University and the RTDT Laboratories AG of Switzerland to make the 594-km-long Ganga Expressway world class. The pact has been signed to implement artificial intelligence (AI) and sensor-based systems for monitoring the expressway's quality and comfort, officials said. According to the government, this technology can detect and fix road defects during the construction phase itself. After successful implementation of this technology on the Ganga Expressway, it will be used on the Gorakhpur Link Expressway too. 'The Swiss technology is being used to ensure the riding quality and comfort of the Ganga Expressway,' said Shrihari Pratap Shahi, additional CEO of Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA). 'A vehicle, equipped with vibration technology and seven accelerometer sensors (four for quality and three for comfort), is inspecting all six lanes. The vehicle collects data on the road surface, comfort level, and elevation variations, which can be viewed in real-time through online graphs,' Shahi added. The government has collaborated with ETH Zurich and RTDT Laboratories AG to implement this system. The sensor-based devices and data collection equipment conduct real-time analysis of road quality. This technology can instantly identify which parts of the road do not meet the required standards. Addressing such issues during construction reduces future maintenance costs and challenges, the government said. Till date, road quality checks were done after construction was completed, making it difficult to fix manufacturing defects. With the Swiss technology now in use, the quality and comfort of the road is being monitored during the construction phase itself. The sensors measure ups and downs and the comfort level of the road, allowing immediate corrective action, wherever necessary. After the successful implementation on the Ganga Expressway, the UPEIDA plans to introduce this technology on the Gorakhpur Link Expressway as well. This 91.35-kilometre-long expressway will connect Gorakhpur with the Purvanchal Expressway.
