Normalcy in J&K, internet to be restored in due time: Amit Shah

News Network
November 20, 2019

New Delhi, Nov 20: Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said in Rajya Sabha that total normalcy prevails in Kashmir with government offices and educational institutions functioning fully, but Internet connection will be restored after the local administration feels it is fit to do so.

He also asserted that not a single person has died in police firing since August 5 when the Centre abrogated special status of the state although many feared there would be bloodshed and more killings.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 are prevalent only in certain areas from 8 pm to 6 am in the valley, he said.

Responding to a series of questions on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir during Question Hour, Shah said government offices, educational institutes, courts, health centres, banks and media outlets are functioning fully.

"As far as Internet service is concerned, an appropriate action will be taken on the recommendation of the local administration. Neighbouring country is still doing some mischief and we will restore the connection as soon as the local administration says it is fit to do so," he said. Internet is important in the present day world and it should be restored as early as possible. It is an effective means of communication, he said. "However when it comes to the security of Jammu and Kashmir and for waging war against terrorism, we have to fix our priorities," he said.

The Home Minister recalled that it was the BJP government which began Internet service in Kashmir way back in 2002 and the mobile service in 2003. To a supplementary on how much more time would be needed to bring normalcy in Kashmir, Shah said, "The situation there was always normal. There were many notions spread all over the world. There is total normalcy prevailing. After August 5, not a single person has died in police firing although many feared there would be bloodshed and more number of killings."

All restrictions imposed in Kashmir have been successful. Stone pelting incidents have come down to 544 so far in 2019 from 802 incidents in 2018, he said.

Highlighting the normal functioning of life in Kashmir, Shah said Urdu and English dailies and all TV channels are functioning and circulation of newspapers has increased. Courts are also functioning fully. They have heard 36,192 cases and delivered orders in as many as 500 cases, he said, adding that even the Block Development Council elections were held peacefully and successfully.

He further said as many as 20,114 schools have opened. Out of 50,537 students, 50,272 students comprising 99.48 per cent appeared for exams.

About 99.7 per cent of students have given Class 9 and 10 exams.

Hospitals are also functioning and the number of people visiting the Out Patient Department (OPD) has increased in Srinagar, he said, adding good quantity of medicines are being made available in the valley and there is no shortage.

Mobile vans and vending machines were also made available. "If any one has information that a particular person in a remote area is not getting medical facility, they can contact me directly. I will get it done in 24 hours," Shah told the House.

The sale of LPG, kerosene and rice has also gone up by by 8-16 per cent in the last ten years, he added.

To protect apple growers, Shah said the government has made all arrangements for sale of the fruit.

Cooperative NAFED has so far procured about 6,000 tonnes of apples from Kashmir. Apple production is estimated to be 22.58 lakh tonnes this year and the government is facilitating traders for sale of the fruit, he added.

As the Home Minister gave out figures supporting normalcy in the Valley, Leader of Opposition in the Upper House, Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "It looks like the Home Minister is referring to the report of some other state."

When Opposition members objected to the Chair giving more time to the Home Minister to reply on Kashmir during the Question Hour, Chairman Venkaiah Naidu said, "It is a national security issue".

The Home Minister said, "there can be a discussion on this matter for an hour."

The Opposition insisted that there should a debate on the matter, to which Naidu said, "It will be done".  

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News Network
March 16,2024

Mangaluru: In the wake of complaints regarding middlemen menace, sleuths of Lokayukta on Friday, March 15, conducted a raid at the Mangaluru Urban Development Authority. 

The Lokayukta team found unaccounted money and several files, which were not disposed of for a long period.

Lokayukta SP CA Simon said that the Lokayukta has received complaints that middlemen have been interfering in the MUDA office, and files pertaining to the public are not being cleared on time.

A raid that commenced in the evening on March 13, lasted for 18 hours. During the raid, Lokayukta officials found cash in a bag in MUDA office, and also with officials and others. MUDA officials could not inform the source of money found in their office, the SP said.

Further, he said that many people gathered at the MUDA office during the Lokayukta raid, and have raised complaints about the harassment at the urban development authority. “We have gathered evidence for MUDA officials carrying out file disposal processes through brokers on phone calls. The investigation on the MUDA network will be continued,” he said.

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News Network
March 21,2024

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Israeli military siege, hunger, and diseases will soon become the main killer in Gaza, says commissioner- general of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

Philippe Lazzarini, who heads the UNRWA for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, took to X on Wednesday to vent his concern for the growing hunger and spread of diseases as a result of the Israeli siege on the besieged strip.

He said starvation and illness may soon be the main killer in Gaza.

"This fabricated and catastrophic level of hunger can still be reversed by flooding Gaza with food and life-saving assistance," Lazzarini said.

"More than ever humanity requires political will,” the UNRWA chief added.

In a press release on March 19, UNRWA said that “famine is imminent in the Gaza Strip, especially for isolated populations in northern Gaza deprived of humanitarian aid.”

The statement noted that the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), in a latest food security outlook, concluded that up to 1.1 million people in Gaza are facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity.

“Nutrition screenings conducted in February by UNICEF and UNRWA show that rates of acute malnutrition among children in northern Gaza and Rafah have nearly doubled since January,” it said.

The Israeli regime has accused UNRWA staff of being involved in the October 7 attack by the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas against the occupied territories, prompting a number of its western allies to suspend funding for the UN agency.

On Wednesday, an agreement was reached by US congressional leaders and the White House on a massive funding bill will continue a ban on US funding for UNRWA until March 2025, Reuters reported.

Earlier this year the US, Canada, Australia, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, Estonia, Japan, Austria and Romania  decided to cut their funding to the UNRWA, considered a lifeline for the Palestinians in Gaza.

France had also announced that it does not plan a new payment to fund UNRWA in the first quarter of 2024.

Condemning the suspension of funding, Lazzarini had said, “It would be immensely irresponsible to sanction an agency and an entire community…, especially at a time of war, displacement and political crises in the region.”

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News Network
March 28,2024

New Delhi: After India summoned an American diplomat over their remarks on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor policy case, the US reiterated on Wednesday its call for "fair, transparent, timely legal processes".

We continue to follow these actions closely, including the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, said US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller while responding to questions on India summoning Gloria Berbena, the US Acting Deputy Chief of Mission in New Delhi.

The meeting at the foreign ministry's South Block office lasted nearly 40 minutes yesterday with India objecting strongly to the US remarks on the arrest of Mr Kejriwal.

Miller also responded to a question on the Congress party's frozen bank accounts, saying, "We are also aware of the Congress party's allegations that tax authorities have frozen some of their bank accounts in a manner that will make it challenging to effectively campaign in the upcoming elections."

He said the US encourages "fair, transparent and timely legal processes" for each of these issues.

"With respect to your first question, I'm not going to talk about any private diplomatic conversations, but of course, what we have said publicly is what I just said from here, that we encourage fair, transparent, timely legal processes. We don't think anyone should object to that," he said.

Mr Kejriwal was arrested last week by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the third Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader after Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh to be taken into custody in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam.

The US State Department on Tuesday said it is monitoring reports of Mr Kejriwal's arrest and called on New Delhi to ensure "a fair and timely legal process" for the jailed Chief Minister.

India objected to it and warned of "unhealthy precedents".

"States are expected to be respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs of others, and this responsibility is even more so in case of fellow democracies. It could otherwise end up setting unhealthy precedents," the foreign ministry said.

"India's legal processes are based on an independent judiciary which is committed to objective and timely outcomes. Casting aspersions on that is unwarranted," the ministry stressed.

The US remarks came days after Germany's Foreign Office stressed that Mr Kejriwal is entitled to a fair and impartial trial. The Indian government had reacted strongly and summoned the German envoy, labelling their remark "blatant interference in internal matters".

The excise policy was introduced to bring an overhaul to the liquor business in Delhi, but was scrapped after Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena ordered a probe into the alleged irregularities in the policy. The ED believes the bribe money from the policy was allegedly used for funding the AAP's election campaigns. It has also called Mr Kejriwal a "conspirator" in the case.

His arrest just ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election has also prompted furious protests from the opposition camp.

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