Category: TOP STORIES

New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANS) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Special Court in Mumbai has sentenced three Bangladeshi nationals to five years of imprisonment for illegal infiltration into India and the possession of forged documents, a statement of the probe agency said on Wednesday.

The convicted individuals — Mohammed Habibur Rehman Habib alias Raj Jesub Mandal, Hannan Anwar Hussain Khan alias Hannan Baburali Gazi, and Mohd Azarali Subhanallah alias Raja Jesub Mandal — were also fined Rs 2,000 each.

The NIA in a press release said the case originated in March 2018, based on an FIR registered by Pune Police. It was alleged that several Bangladeshi nationals were residing in Pune without valid documentation and were aiding members of the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), a front organisation of the banned terror group Al-Qaida.

The NIA took over the investigation and, on September 7, 2018, filed a charge sheet against the three accused, along with two others — Md Ripen Hossain alias Rubel and Md Hassnali Amirali — under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Foreigners Act.

Md Ripen Hossain and Mohammad Hassan Ali Amirali were convicted earlier in October 2023, after pleading guilty, and were sentenced to five years of imprisonment under similar charges.

The NIA said the five were working as labourers at various construction sites in Pune without any valid documents.

The latest convictions of Mohammed Habibur Rehman Habib, Hannan Anwar Hussain Khan, and Md Azarali Subhanallah were made under section 14 of the Foreigners Act (overstaying in India without valid documentation), section 471 of the IPC (using forged documents as genuine) and section 120-B of the IPC (conspiracy related to document forgery).

The case was initially investigated by the ATS and the NIA took over the case in September 2018. The accused fraudulently obtained PAN cards, Aadhaar cards, voter IDs ration cards among others by providing fake documents, the agency added.

–IANS

skp/dpb

New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANS) The Central government has released Rs 122.50 crore to over 1,700 agri-startups in the last five years under the Innovation and AgriEntrepreneurship Development programme, Minister of State for Agriculture Bhagirath Choudhary has informed the Lok Sabha.

The programme, implemented in 2018-19 under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), aims to promote innovation and agri-entrepreneurship, by providing financial and technical support for nurturing startups.

A financial assistance of Rs 122.50 crore has been released to 1,708 agri startups from 2019-20 to 2023-24. The funds were released through five Knowledge Partners (KPs) and 24 RKVY Agribusiness Incubators (R-ABIs) that provide training and incubate startups for implementation of this programme, the Minister said in a written reply.

During 2023-24, about Rs 147.25 crore was released to 532 startups.

Under the programme, financial support of up to Rs 5 lakh is provided at the idea stage and up to Rs 25 lakh at the seed stage to startups in agriculture and allied sectors to launch their products, services, business platforms, etc., and to facilitate in scaling up, the Minister said.

In July this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare in collaboration with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) also launched a Rs 750 crore ‘Agri Sure’ fund for startups to promote investment in innovative, technology-driven and high-impact activities in agriculture and rural enterprises.

The fund announced by NABVentures, a subsidiary of NABARD has an initial corpus of Rs 750 crore with Rs 250 crore each from NABARD and the Ministry of Agriculture, and Rs 250 crore from other institutions.

The fund is structured to support approximately 85 agri startups with investment sizes of up to Rs 25 crore each by the end of its term. The fund will provide support through investments in sector-specific, sector-agnostic and debt Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) as well as direct equity support to startups.

The fund is structured to support approximately 85 agri startups with investment sizes of up to Rs 25 crore each by the end of its term. The fund will provide support through investments in sector-specific, sector-agnostic and debt Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) as well as direct equity support to startups.

Agri-Sure’s focus areas include promoting innovative, technology-driven initiatives in agriculture, enhancing the farm produce value chain, creating new rural ecosystem linkages and infrastructure, generating employment and supporting Farmers Producer Organizations (FPOs). Additionally, the fund aims to encourage entrepreneurship through IT-based solutions and machinery rental services for farmers, driving sustainable growth and development in the agricultural sector.

–IANS

sps/dpb

Bengaluru, Dec 11 (IANS) Amid furore over a series of maternal deaths in Karnataka, five more casualties have been reported from Raichur and Chitradurga districts.

The incident of four maternal deaths from Sindhanur Taluk Government Hospital in October has come to light.

The deceased were identified as Chandrakala (26), Renukamma (32), Mousami Mandal (22) and Channamma (25).

In October, among the 300 pregnant women who gave birth, seven turned critical and four died. All victims had undergone cesarean surgery.

On October 21, Channamma gave birth after a C-Section and died after nine days. Mousami Mandal had given birth to a child on October 22 and died the next day. Renukamma had delivered on October 31 and died on the next day. After new mothers became critical, they were shifted to the Raichur Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) where they succumbed.

The families of the deceased alleged that the deaths occurred due to medical negligence and sought justice.

The families of the deceased also demanded compensation and threatened that if denied, they would protest with newborn babies in front of the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi.

However, Raichur Deputy Commissioner K. Nitish said: “The maternal deaths occurred for different reasons. Whether the deaths occurred due to administration of intravenous fluids will be ascertained within a week. Once the report is submitted in this regard, the government will initiate appropriate measures.”

“In Sindhanur Taluk Hospital, 300 deliveries are conducted every month. In October, four cases of maternal deaths were reported. Maternal deaths due to the administration of IV fluids have come to light in November. However, the IV fluids of that particular batch have been sent for testing. All four deceased were given 0113 batch of the Ringer Lactate intravenous fluid from the West Bengal company and the use of medicines from the company has been stopped,” Nitish stated.

Meanwhile, Roja (24), a resident of Jaganuruhatti near Challakere died on Tuesday at the Chitradurga District Hospital. She had given birth to a male baby on October 30 and returned home after five days of delivery.

Roja had undergone a cesarean and she developed abdomen pain and irritation 40 days later. She had vomited multiple times and was admitted back to the Chitradurga District Hospital where she died.

The family of Roja alleged that she died due to the negligence of doctors and demanded action against doctors.

Meanwhile, the state government is preparing to initiate criminal proceedings against the West Bengal pharmaceutical company which supplied the Ringer Lactate intravenous fluids, which allegedly caused a series of maternal deaths in the state, sources said.

A seven-member team that visited and inspected the West Bengal pharma company was all set to submit a report to the government. The report recommended filing four criminal cases against the company, the sources said.

The report found traces of harmful content in the Ringer Lactate intravenous (I.V) fluids. The pharma company had reported to the court that their IV fluid product was not harmful. After the submission of the pharma company’s report, six cases of maternal deaths were reported in the state.

The Karnataka government recently released official statistics regarding maternal deaths in the state from 2019-20 till now, claiming that the death rates are lower compared to previous years.

According to the data released by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s office on Monday, in 2019-20, a total of 662 maternal deaths were reported out of 8,94,946 live births, resulting in a Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) of 74. The MMR is defined as the number of deaths of pregnant mothers per 1 lakh live births.

In subsequent years in 2020-21, 714 maternal deaths (MMR of 84), in 2021-22, 595 maternal deaths (MMR of 68); 2022-23, 527 maternal deaths (MMR of 65); 2023-24, 518 maternal deaths (MMR of 64); 2024-25 (up to November) 348 maternal deaths (MMR of 64) are reported.

–IANS

mka/svn

Srinagar, Dec 11 (IANS) Three drug peddlers in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district have been arrested, police said on Wednesday.

A police statement said, “Continuing efforts to combat the menace of drugs in society, Baramulla Police have arrested three drug peddlers and recovered contraband substances from their possession.”

The officials said that a team from Police Station Pattan, led by SHO intercepted a vehicle (Ertiga, registration number JK05M-8404) at a checkpoint near the Railway Crossing Pattan.

“The vehicle was occupied by three individuals who were identified as, Jhon Mohd Mir, son of Gh Mohd Mir, resident of Nillah Palpora; Mohd Yaqoob Mir, son of Late Ab Aziz, resident of Nillah Palpora; and Faisal Ahmad Hajam, son of Gh Qadir, resident of Pushwari Anantnag. During the search, 78 grams of contraband Charas (in powder form) were recovered from their possession. The accused have been arrested and shifted to Police Station Pattan for further legal proceedings,” said the officials.

“Additionally, the vehicle used in the commission of the crime has been seized. A case under relevant sections of the law has been registered at Police Station Pattan and an investigation is underway. We urge the public to report any instances of drug peddling or other criminal activities to the nearest police establishment or dial 112,” the officials said further.

The police have been stressing that the cooperation of the community is vital in eradicating the drug menace.

“Baramulla Police reiterate their commitment to taking strict legal action against those involved in criminal activities,” a police statement read.

J&K Police have intensified their crackdown on drug smugglers and peddlers since the menace has been plaguing the local youths. Further, it is believed that drug addiction is used as a subjugating tactic to lure youth towards terrorism.

Funds generated from the rug trade, according to intelligence agencies, are used partly to fund various terrorist outfits in the union territory.

–IANS

sq/dpb

Patna Dec 11 (IANS) Tejashwi Yadav, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, criticised Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday, ahead of his Mahila Samvad Yatra, questioning the substantial allocation of Rs 225.78 crore for the initiative.

The Mahila Samvad Yatra is scheduled to begin on December 15 in Bagaha, West Champaran, and will span 15 days during which Nitish Kumar will interact with women and children across Bihar’s districts.

Yadav’s critique centred on the financial outlay, framing it as an extravagant use of taxpayer’s money.

He remarked, “Money makes business deals, not dialogue. For communication, it requires love, not money.”

He further questioned how such a massive expenditure for a 15-day event, accusing the government of using public funds for political endeavours.

The significant budget allocation has drawn sharp scrutiny from the Opposition, with claims that the initiative may prioritise optics over meaningful outcomes. However, the Bihar government has defended the yatra as a platform to strengthen dialogue with women and address their concerns at the grassroots level.

Tejashwi Yadav accused the Chief Minister of prioritising an “expensive election picnic” over addressing the state’s pressing issues when it is grappling with chronic challenges.

“In the last 20 years, unemployment, migration, inflation, crime, and massive corruption have increased drastically. Bihar remains a backward state, yet the Chief Minister of such a state is going on an expensive election picnic,” he said.

Highlighting failures of governance during Nitish Kumar’s tenure, Yadav pointed to incidents like the destruction of bridges and culverts due to poor planning, lives lost in recurring hooch tragedies, alleged corruption in smart metre projects, and the failure of the liquor prohibition law.

Yadav also criticised the lack of tangible outcomes for women and children on the ground, stating, “There is nothing concrete for women and children, yet he is ready to expend billions of rupees through bureaucrats.”

–IANS

ajk/kvd