Indian Sub-continent

KANPUR: In the meeting of the National Green Tribunal monitoring Committee held at Circuit House here, the department officials concerned failed to answer properly the pertinent questions put up by the panel’s chairman Justice (Retd) Arun Tandon. Directing the officers of the Jal Nigam and Nagar Nigam, he asked them to first study five-hundred-page NGT orders within five days. It remained his strict instruction. He was quite at unease at complete ignorance of the tribunal directives in regard to Ganga cleaning issued on July 13, 2017.

New Delhi, March 6 : The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

The United States has extended its trade war to India by withdrawing preferential trade treatment for India.  By scrapping the benefits under the Generalised System of Preferences, which will take effect after 60 days, 1900 items of exports from India, which were exempted from duties, will be affected.

New Delhi, Mar 6; PTI/GANASHAKTI: Documents related to the Rafale deal were published in public interest and nobody would get any information from The Hindu newspaper on the confidential sources who provided them, The Hindu Publishing Group Chairman N Ram said on Wednesday.

The documents were published because details were withheld or covered up, the veteran journalist said as the government told the Supreme Court that documents related to the Rafale aircraft deal have been stolen from the Defence Ministry and an investigation into the theft is on.

New Delhi, Mar 6; PTI/GANASHAKTI: The Centre has warned its employees of consequences if they go on strike on March 13 to protest against the New Pension Scheme (NPS), the Personnel Ministry has said in an order.

It has been brought to notice that the National Joint Council of Action (NJCA) has decided to organise dharna/demonstrations in front of Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, and across the country on March 13 in order to protest against the NPS, the ministry said.

Kolkata, Mar 6; PTI/GANASHAKTI: AICC president Rahul Gandhi will speak with CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury to resolve the impasse over seat-sharing between the two parties in West Bengal, Congress leaders said here Wednesday.

This comes hours after state Congress president Somen Mitra and chairman of the state coordination committee Pradip Bhattacharya met Gandhi in New Delhi and discussed the issue, among other matters.

Two Lok Sabha seats held by the CPI(M) - Raiganj and Murshidabad - have stonewalled the seat-sharing talks between the two parties.

New Delhi, March 5; GANASHAKTI: The Central Trade Unions and independent federations organised a workers convention at Constitutional Club Annexe on 5th March, 2019, with a view to adopt a Workers Charter of Demands to be placed in the electoral process about to begin for constitution of 17th Lok Sabha.

The Convention began by observing a minute’s silence to pay homage to the Pulwama martyrs of a terrorist attack.

New Delhi, Mar 6 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi donated Rs 21 lakh from his personal savings to the corpus fund for the welfare of sanitation workers of Kumbh Mela, his office said Wednesday.

The PM had felicitated sanitation workers who ensured cleanliness during the Kumbh recently by washing their feet. He also interacted with the sanitation workers, describing them as "real karma-yogis" whose contributions are being lauded all over.

New Delhi, Mar 6 (PTI) The Supreme Court Wednesday reserved its order on whether the politically sensitive Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute can be settled through mediation.

A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi heard the contesting parties.

The bench also comprising Justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S A Nazeer heard submissions from various Hindu and Muslim bodies involved in the matter.

New Delhi, Mar 6 (PTI) Indore was Wednesday adjudged India's cleanest city for the third straight year in the central government's cleanliness survey.

The Swachh Survekshan awards 2019 were conferred by President Ram Nath Kovind at a ceremony here.

While the New Delhi Municipal Council area was given the 'Cleanest Small City' award, Uttarakhand's Gauchar was adjudged the 'Best Ganga Town' in the central government survey.

The cleanliness awards are given by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

New Delhi, Mar 6 (PTI) The Congress Wednesday alleged corruption and malfeasance in the Rafale fighter jet deal and said the time has come to lodge an FIR against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The corruption and malfeasance in Rafale deal is out in the open. PM Modi misused his office to give benefits to Dassault Aviation and caused loss to the public exchequer," Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters.