NCC ideal for India’s youth: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

New Delhi, July 11 (IANS) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday chaired the first Governing Council Meeting of National Cadet Corps Alumni Association (NCCAA) at South Block, New Delhi.

Addressing the delegation, the Defence Minister described NCC as a “platform that presents an ideal for the youth of the country.”

He termed the former NCC cadets as strong pillars of India, who are contributing to the nation’s development in diverse fields, not just passively but as active drivers.

“We need to include the guidance of our former cadets to accelerate the goal of national development,” he said, exuding confidence that NCCAA will provide new energy and direction to NCC.

He also exhorted the NCC to spread the values and qualities of its cadets to a larger section of people with the spirit of NCC Plus.

“NCC instils these values in the youth who are associated with NCC. Our effort should be to ensure that these values reach those who could not join NCC,” the Defence Minister said.

He further highlighted that NCCAA can be actively associated with nation-building efforts through programmes such as ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’, ‘Swachhta Abhiyan’ and various community development and social service schemes, which will influence a large part of the population.

Commending NCC for its significant contribution in the all-round development of the youth, he said, “In true spirit of its motto ‘Unity & Discipline’, NCC has always been committed to national unity and nation building. It has helped lakhs of youth, including students from remote areas, to become disciplined and motivated.”

NCCAA is a flagship association of NCC Alumni, which aims to carry forward the work of the world’s largest uniformed youth organisation by bringing the former and current cadets under one umbrella and enhancing their participation in the nation-building process.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the first member of this association, while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is registered as the second alumni.

The meeting was attended by Member of Parliament Manoj Tiwari, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary (Department of Education) Sanjay Kumar, Secretary (Department of Youth Affairs) Dr Pallavi Jain Govil, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Defence Dipti Mohil Chawla, DGNCC Lt Gen Gurbirpal Singh, Joint Secretary (Training) Dr Pawan Kumar Sharma, CEO LD Remedial World Bala Saraswathy Nair and Secretary, NCCAA Col Gagan Sharma.

–IANS

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The estimated cost of the illegal contraband was valued at 50 lakh, police claimed.

The accused have been identified as Mohammad Arif, alias Bittu, and Abdul Samad, both residents of Delhi.

According to the police, on March 5, a police team received secret information through reliable sources and recovered a Hyundai Verna car parked in an abandoned condition in Baluda village in Sohna block of Gurugram.

The police team recovered more than 196 kg of ganja, which kept in small packets in the car.

In connection with this drugs recovery, a case was registered under the relevant sections of the NDPS Act at Police Station City Sohna in Gurugram.

While investigating, the police team nabbed the duo of suspects from Daryaganj, Delhi, on Wednesday.

During questioning, it was found that the accused had brought ganja from Visakhapatnam and were going to sell it in the NCR area.

“The estimated value of the ganja recovered by the police team is Rs 50 lakh.

Usually, ganja is sold to people addicted to ganja by smugglers in the form of packets,” Sandeep Kumar, spokesperson of the Gurugram police, said.

Gurugram Police have given a tough blow to the smugglers by seizing such a huge consignment of illegal ganja.

Before this ganja could be supplied to various places, police seized this illegal contraband and took a major action against ganja smugglers, he said.

The accused are being questioned in detail to collect information about their accomplice.

The case is under investigation.

Apart from this, the Gurugram police also nabbed an accused with illegal weapons from the Sector-65 area of Gurugram on Thursday.

The accused was identified as Bopal, a resident of Tigra village in Gurugram.

The police team has recovered two illegal country-made pistols and 31 live cartridges from the possession of the accused.

The accused disclosed to the police that due to a family dispute, he had brought the firearms from another person.

A case of the Arms Act was registered against the accused at the Sector-65 police station in Gurugram.

–IANS

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E-processing of import, export via personal carriage by air passengers from May 1: Centre

New Delhi, April 1 (IANS) The government on Tuesday said that electronic processing of import and export through personal carriage by air passengers at select airports will begin from May 1.

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), under the Department of Revenue, has introduced electronic processing of Bill of Entry/ Shipping Bill pertaining to gems and jewellery/samples/prototypes through personal carriage by air passengers from May 1 onwards at specified airports.

“The export/import through personal carriage shall be subject to the provisions of Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2023 and Handbook of Procedures (HBP), 2023,” the Ministry of Finance said in a statement.

The facility of personal carriage will be available, for export of gems and jewellery in the nine airports (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Kochi, Coimbatore, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Jaipur) “specified in para 4.87 of HBP and for import of gems” and jewellery in the seven airports (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Jaipur) “specified in para 4.88 of HBP”.

In case of samples/prototypes of machinery, the facility is initially being made available in Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai airports, the ministry said.

“The harmonised procedure and electronic processing will promote ease of doing business for such mode of transaction, especially for gems and jewellery and high-end manufacturing,” it added.

Recently, the CBIC introduced key relaxations for Customs Cargo Service Providers to promote ease of doing business and cut logistics cost in order to facilitate global trade. The key relaxations included a reduction in the number of days for insurance of stored goods.

Customs Cargo Service Providers (CCSPs) were required to insure goods stored in Customs areas for a period of 10 days in terms of Handling of Cargo in Customs Areas Regulations, 2009. It has now been decided to reduce it to 5 days as a trade facilitation measure. This will enhance the cash flow for the entities by reducing the cost.

The CBIC’s efforts are expected to reduce logistics costs, improve operational efficiency, and enhance India’s position as a competitive player in global trade, in line with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan’s goals of improving logistics infrastructure and efficiency in global trade to promote sustainable development.

–IANS

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Himachal to procure organic turmeric at Rs 90 per kg

Shimla, April 7 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu on Monday launched the registration form for the farmers to sell raw turmeric grown through natural farming practices at a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 90 per kg.

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The registration will be carried out by the Department of Agriculture, which will also provide training to farmers on natural farming techniques. The raw turmeric procured from registered farmers will be processed at the upcoming Spice Park in Hamirpur. The processed turmeric will be branded and marketed as ‘Himachal Haldi’, offering both quality assurance and a unique identity in the market.

“For the first time, government agencies will directly procure raw turmeric from farmers, which will be a game-changer for their livelihoods and ensure immediate cash flow in the rural sector,” said the Chief Minister.

He said the government is also procuring naturally grown wheat at Rs 60 per kg and maize at Rs 40 per kg. Additionally, over the last two years, the state has increased the milk procurement price by Rs 21 per litre. Cow milk is now procured at Rs 51 per litre and buffalo milk at Rs 61 per litre.

Currently, turmeric is cultivated across approximately 2,042.5 hectares in the state, yielding around 24,995 metric tons annually. The major turmeric-producing districts include Hamirpur, Kangra, Bilaspur, Sirmaur, Mandi, and Solan.

Turmeric has emerged as a promising livelihood option due to its high medicinal value, especially post-Covid-19, and growing demand in both domestic and International markets. Given its natural resistance to wild and stray animals, especially monkeys, and its lower labour requirements and longer post-harvest shelf-life, turmeric cultivation aligns well with the challenges faced by Himachali farmers.

–IANS

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