PM Modi To Launch 5G Services At A Telecom Event Today

The Centre has given a target of 80 per cent coverage of 5G in the country in a short timeframe.

New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch 5G services in India today in select cities. The service is expected to progressively cover the entire country over the next couple of years.

Here’s your 10-point cheatsheet to this big story:

1. The PM will launch the much-awaited service at the 6th Edition of India Mobile Congress 2022 to be held from October 1-4, at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.

2. India Mobile Congress (IMC), which claims to be the largest telecom, media, and technology forum in Asia, is jointly organised by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).

3. Besides powering ultra-low latency connections, which allow downloading full-length high-quality video or movie to a mobile device in a matter of seconds (even in crowded areas), 5G can enable solutions such as e-health, connected vehicles, more-immersive augmented reality and metaverse experiences, life-saving use cases, and advanced mobile cloud gaming, among others.

4. “5G can unleash new economic opportunities and societal benefits, giving it the potential for being a transformational force for Indian society. It will help the country leapfrog the traditional barriers to development, spur innovations by startups and business enterprises as well as advance the ‘Digital India’ vision,” an official release said.

5. India’s biggest ever auction of telecom spectrum held recently had received a record Rs 1.5 lakh crore of bids, with Mukesh Ambani’s Jio cornering nearly half of all the airwaves sold with a Rs 88,078 crore bid.

6. The government has given a target of 80 per cent coverage of 5G telecom services in the country in a short timeframe, Union Minister for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw had earlier said.

7. Addressing an industry event in the national capital recently, Mr Vaishnaw had said, “the journey of 5G is going to be very exciting and noted that many countries took multiple years to reach 40 per cent to 50 per cent coverage. But we are targeting a very aggressive timeline and the Government has given a target of 80 per cent coverage in a short time frame, and we should definitely cover at least 80 per cent in a very short timeframe.”

8. Experts have said 5G technology will greatly benefit India. It is likely to benefit the Indian economy by Rs 36.4 trillion ($455 billion) between 2023 and 2040, a recent report by a global industry body representing mobile network operators estimated.

9. 5G will account for more than a third of total connections in India by 2030, with the share of 2G and 3G dwindling to less than 10 per cent, the GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications) report said, noting that India’s high level of 4G adoption (79 per cent) indicates a subscriber base ready to transition to 5G.

10. The report also estimated which sectors will realise how much benefit of 5G technology — manufacturing sector (representing 20 per cent of the total benefit), retail (12 per cent), and agriculture (11 per cent).India Mobile Congress (IMC), which claims to be the largest telecom, media, and technology forum in Asia, is jointly organised by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).

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વ્યક્તિએ બનાવ્યો પાણીપુરીનો શેક, લોકોએ કહ્યું- પાણીપુરી સાથે આવો અત્યાચાર સહન નહીં થાય | Weird food experiment golgappa shake video users got angry after watching this Video goes Viral

પાણીપુરીનું (Panipuri) નામ સાંભળતા જ મોંમાં પાણી આવી જાય છે. તમને આ સ્ટ્રીટ ફૂડ (Street food) દરેક જગ્યાએ જોવા મળશે. પરંતુ આ દિવસોમાં જે વીડિયો સામે આવ્યો છે તે જોયા પછી તમારો ગુસ્સો ચોક્કસ સાતમા આસમાને પહોંચી જશે. કારણ કે અહીં એક દુકાનદારે પાણીપુરીનો શેક બનાવ્યો છે.

weird food experiment panipuri viral video

આજકાલ કેટલાક લોકો ભોજનને (Food) લઈને અનેક પ્રયોગો કરતા જોવા મળે છે. પ્રયોગના નામે સ્વાદિષ્ટ વાનગીનો એવી રીતે નાશ કરવામાં આવે છે કે ખાવાની ઈચ્છા મરી જાય છે. જેને જોઈને બધા પરેશાન થઈ જાય છે. તમે મેગી સાથે, ક્યારેક ચા સાથે તો ક્યારેક સમોસા સાથે થતા ઘણા પ્રયોગો જોયા જ હશે. આ એપિસોડમાં આ દિવસોમાં વધુ એક પ્રયોગે સોશિયલ મીડિયા પર ધુમ મચાવી છે. લોકો કહી રહ્યા છે કે આ પાણીપુરી (Panipuri) પરના અત્યાચારથી ઓછું નથી.

પાણીપુરીનું (Panipuri) નામ સાંભળતા જ મોંમાં પાણી આવી જાય છે. તમને આ સ્ટ્રીટ ફૂડ જંકી દરેક જગ્યાએ જોવા મળશે, તેથી જ તેમને ખવડાવનારા દુકાનદારો પણ દરરોજ અનેક પ્રયોગો કરતા રહે છે. પરંતુ આ દિવસોમાં જે વીડિયો સામે આવ્યો છે તે જોયા પછી ચોક્કસ તમારો ગુસ્સો સાતમા આસમાને પહોંચી જશે. કારણ કે અહીં એક દુકાનદારે પાણીપુરીનો શેક બનાવ્યો છે, જેને લઈને લોકો કહી રહ્યા છે કે તેમને ઉલટી થઈ ગઈ છે.

પાણીપુરી મિલ્કશેકનો વીડિયો અહીં જુઓ…

વીડિયોમાં તમે જોઈ શકો છો કે કેવી રીતે આ વ્યક્તિ પહેલા કેટલાક પાણીપુરીને મિક્સર જારમાં નાખે છે, પછી બટેટાનું મિશ્રણ, ખાટા અને મીઠા પાણીને ઉમેરીને શેક બનાવે છે. આ પછી તેને ગ્લાસમાં નાખીને પાણીપુરીના પાવડરથી ગાર્નિશ કરીને સર્વ કરો. જેને જોયા બાદ લોકો મેકર્સને કોસી રહ્યા છે.

આ વીડિયોને zufiscooking નામના એકાઉન્ટ દ્વારા શેર કરવામાં આવ્યો છે. જેને હજારો વ્યૂઝ અને લાઈક્સ મળ્યા છે. એક યુઝરે કોમેન્ટ કરતા લખ્યું કે, લાગે છે કે હવે તમારે પાણીપુરી ખાવાનું છોડી દેવું પડશે. જ્યારે અન્ય એક યૂઝરે વીડિયો પર કોમેન્ટ કરીને લખ્યું કે, ‘ઉલ્ટી કરવા માટે તમે બેગ આપશો કે અમારે સાથે લાવવી પડશે.’ આ સિવાય કેટલાક યુઝર્સે આવા વેન્ડરો પર પ્રતિબંધ મૂકવાની પણ માંગ કરી છે. એકંદરે પાણીપુરીની આ ફ્યુઝન રેસીપી જોઈને લોકોના મગજ ચકરાવે ચડી ગયા છે.

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North Korea Fires 2 Ballistic Missiles, 4th Test In A Week

Earlier, North Korea had fired 2 missiles on Thursday after US’ Kamala Harris left South Korea.

Tokyo:

North Korea on Saturday fired what appeared to be two ballistic missiles, Japan’s coast guard said, citing the defence ministry.

At least two projectiles were launched from North Korea, the coast guard said, while Japan’s public broadcaster NHK said the objects appears to have fallen outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

“What appears to be a ballistic missile was launched from North Korea,” the coast guard said in a statement issued at 6:47 am (2147 GMT).

In a second statement issued about 15 minutes later, the coast guard said another apparent ballistic missile was launched.

NHK said the both projectiles seemed to have fallen outside Japan’s exclusive economic zones, citing government sources.

Nuclear-armed North Korea has carried out a record-breaking blitz of weapons tests this year, including two ballistic missiles launched on Thursday, just hours after US Vice President Kamala Harris left South Korea.

South Korean and US officials have also been warning for months that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is preparing to conduct another nuclear test.

North Korea, which is under multiple UN sanctions for its weapons programmes, typically seeks to maximise the geopolitical impact of its tests with careful timing.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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'10-50 કરોડની ઓફર, સરકારને તોડી પાડવાનું કાવતરુ', અશોક ગેહલોતે તૈયાર કરેલી નોટ્સનો ફોટો આવ્યો સામે | Photo Reveals Ashok Gehlot's Cheat Sheet For Meeting With Sonia Gandhi

અશોક ગેહલોતે સંભવતઃ એવો આક્ષેપ કર્યો છે કે પાયલોટે રાજ્યની કોંગ્રેસ સરકારને તોડી પાડવા માટે ભાજપ સાથે મળીને કાવતરું ઘડ્યું હતું. કહેવામાં આવી રહ્યું છે કે આ માટે ધારાસભ્યોને 10-50 કરોડ રૂપિયાની ઓફર કરવામાં આવી હતી.

Ashok Gehlot

Image Credit source: File Image

રાજસ્થાનના મુખ્યમંત્રી અશોક ગેહલોતે (Ashok Gehlot) ગુરુવારે કોંગ્રેસ અધ્યક્ષ સોનિયા ગાંધી (Sonia Gandhi) સાથે મુલાકાત કર્યા બાદ પોતાને અધ્યક્ષ પદની રેસમાંથી હટાવવાનો નિર્ણય લીધો હતો. સોનિયાને મળ્યા બાદ તેમણે માફી પણ માંગી હતી અને અધ્યક્ષ પદની ચૂંટણી ન લડવાનો નિર્ણય લીધો હતો. ગેહલોત જ્યારે સોનિયા ગાંધીને મળવા માટે તેમના નિવાસસ્થાને પહોંચ્યા ત્યારે કહેવામાં આવી રહ્યું છે કે તેઓ પોતાની તમામ તૈયારીઓ સાથે ગયા હતા. તેમણે એક નોટ તૈયાર કરી હતી, જે સોનિયા ગાંધી સમક્ષ રજૂ કરવામાં આવી હતી અને બાદમાં મીડિયાની સામે માફી માંગી હતી.

મલયાલા મનોરમાના ફોટોગ્રાફર જે સુરેશ દ્વારા કેપ્ચર કરાયેલ એક ફોટોગ્રાફમાં ગેહલોતની પાસે કેટલીક નોટસ જોઈ શકાય છે, જે મુદ્દાઓ માનવામાં આવી રહ્યા છે કે સોનિયા ગાંધીની સાથે મીટિંગમાં ઉઠાવવામાં આવી શક્યા હોય, તસવીર પરથી એવું માનવામાં આવે છે કે ગેહલોતના હાથમાં જે ચિટ-શીટ છે તે નાના હરીફ સચિન પાયલટ સામે એક પ્રકારનો આરોપપત્ર છે. એવું કહેવામાં આવી રહ્યું છે કે અશોક ગેહલોત માત્ર એટલા માટે દિલ્હી આવ્યા હતા, જેથી તેઓ સચિન પાયલટને ખુરશી સુધી પહોંચતા અટકાવી શકે. ગેહલોત માટે શરૂઆતથી જ સમાચાર હતા કે તેઓ પોતાની ખુરશી પાયલટને આપવા માંગતા નથી.

On his way to meet Sonia Gandhi yesterday, Ashok Gehlot was seen jotting down points against Sachin Pilot to present to her.
‘SP (Sachin) will leave party,’ is one of the many points.#Exclusive picture by J Suresh , #Manorama #Congress #Rajasthan #AshokGehlot #SachinPilot pic.twitter.com/YfBa8U03lz

— Malayala Manorama (@ManoramaDaily) September 30, 2022

10-50 કરોડની ઓફર

સોનિયા ગાંધી સાથેની મુલાકાતમાં ગેહલોતે પાયલટ પર ઘણા ગંભીર આરોપો લગાવ્યા છે. ચિટ-શીટ મુજબ, “એસપી પ્લસ 18 સામે 102 ધારાસભ્યોનું સમર્થન”, જે બતાવે છે કે પાયલોટ કોંગ્રેસ છોડવા માટે પુરી રીતે તૈયાર હતા, ગેહલોતે સંભવતઃ એવો આક્ષેપ કર્યો છે કે પાયલોટે રાજ્યની કોંગ્રેસ સરકારને તોડી પાડવા માટે ભાજપ સાથે મળીને કાવતરું ઘડ્યું હતું. કહેવામાં આવી રહ્યું છે કે આ માટે ધારાસભ્યોને 10-50 કરોડ રૂપિયાની ઓફર કરવામાં આવી હતી.

ગેહલોતના પાયલટ પર ગંભીર આરોપો

તસવીર અનુસાર ગેહલોતે સોનિયા ગાંધીને કહ્યું કે, “જે થયું તે ખૂબ જ દુઃખદ છે, હું પણ ખૂબ જ દુઃખી છું.” તેમણે કહ્યું હતું કે “રાજકારણમાં પવન બદલાતા જોઈને સાથ છોડી દે છે, અહીં આવું નહીં.” તસવીર મુજબ, તેમણે એમ પણ કહ્યું કે “એસપી પાર્ટી છોડી દેશે – જો નિરીક્ષકે પહેલા સાચો રિપોર્ટ આપ્યો હોત તો તે પાર્ટી માટે સારું હતું.” વધુમાં સચિન પાયલટ વિશે એવું પણ કહેવામાં આવ્યું છે કે “પ્રથમ પ્રદેશ અધ્યક્ષ જેમણે સરકારને તોડી પાડવાનો પ્રયત્ન કર્યો.”

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Mallikarjun Kharge set to be second Dalit Congress chief after Jagjivan Ram | India News

BENGALURU: Karnataka’s ‘solillada sardara’ (a warrior who knows no defeat) is the Gandhi family’s candidate for Congress presidentship. Mallikarjun Kharge, if elected, will be the second AICC president from Karnataka after S Nijalingappa (1968-69).

Kharge, with more than 50 years of experience in politics, will also be the sixth Congressman from south India after some stalwarts like Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, K Kamaraj and PV Narasimha Rao and the second Dalit leader to hold the top post after Jagjivan Ram (1970-1971).
Sober by temperament and nature, Kharge has the distinction of being the only politician from Karnataka to hold various positions and portfolios in the state and the Centre: Apart from serving as Union minister, he was twice the leader of the opposition in the Karnataka assembly – in 1994-1999 and 2008-2009 – and was also leader of the House in the state legislative council in 2004-2006. He was the floor leader in the Lok Sabha opposite PM Narendra Modi, although the Congress was not eligible to be the principal opposition party as it fell short of 10 seats, having won only 44 Lok Sabha seats in 2014. At present, he is the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, after Ghulam Nabi Azad.

He was several times seen as a top contender for the CM post in Karnataka but could never occupy it. His son, former minister and MLA Priyank Kharge, insists that “he is such a disciplined party worker that he never once disputed a decision made by the party leadership, including his own seat allocation”.
On his first day as the leader of the opposition, Kharge bemused the House with his colloquial ‘Hyderabadi Hindi’ as he took recourse to the epic Mahabharata to target BJP while rebutting criticism about Congress having only 44 members in the Lok Sabha. “You think we are 40 people and you are a strong 300, so suppress (us)! The Pandavas may have been very few in number, but they were never intimidated by a hundred Kauravas.”

“It is surely a rare feat a Dalit can achieve. It was possible because of his merit as a politician, loyalty as a partyman and the party’s ideology of upholding social justice,” said senior Congress MLC Mohan Kondajji. However, Kharge often insists that he should be identified as a “Congressman”, not a Dalit leader.
All along, he has got elected from a constituency reserved for Scheduled Castes – eight terms from the Gurmitkal assembly seat and one from Chittapur. He chose the SC-reserved Gulbarga when he had to contest the parliamentary polls. However, in 2019, he lost to BJP’s debutant Umesh Jhadav.

Kharge was born in 1942 in Varawatti village in Bidar district to Mapanna, a labourer in MSK Mills, and Sabavva. He earned his law degree at Gulbarga Law College. Starting off his political career as a student leader in college, he joined Dr BR Amebedkar’s RPI in 1968 before moving to Congress.

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Iran Says 19 Killed, Including Guards Colonel In Clashes Near Pakistan Border

19 Killed and 20 injured after gun battles in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchestan.

Tehran:

Nineteen people including a Revolutionary Guards colonel were killed Friday during heavy gun battles in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchestan, state media reported.

It was not immediately clear whether the clashes were connected to the wave of unrest that has swept Iran since the death of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in morality police custody earlier this month.

“Nineteen people were killed and 20 injured in the incident,” regional governor Hossein Khiabani told the state broadcaster.

“Provincial intelligence officer of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Colonel Ali Mousavi was also killed,” state television added.

Poverty-stricken Sistan-Baluchistan, which borders Afghanistan and Pakistan, is a flashpoint for clashes with drug smuggling gangs, as well as rebels from the Baluchi minority and Sunni Muslim extremist groups.

Earlier Friday, state media reported that security forces had returned fire when a police station in the provincial capital Zahedan came under attack by gunmen.

“A number of police members as well as passers-by have been injured in the exchange of fire,” the state broadcaster said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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P Chidambaram, Digvijaya Singh in race to succeed Mallikarjun Kharge as leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha | India News

NEW DELHI: With Mallikarjun Kharge set to become the Congress president, former finance minister P Chidambaram and Digvijaya Singh are in the race to succeed him as leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha, with Singh’s nose seemingly ahead.
Sources said Kharge is set to resign as the leader of opposition in keeping with the party’s “one man one post” norm. It will reopen the position too soon, as Kharge was nominated to the top Rajya Sabha post in February 2021 when Ghulam Nabi Azad retired from Parliament.

While Chidambaram is the seniormost among Congress MPs in the Upper House, followed by Singh, many believe that Kharge’s elevation may bring regional balancing into play.
“It will be difficult for both the party chief and the leader of opposition in RS to be from southern region, especially when the leader in Lok Sabha too is from the east. A leader from the Hindi belt may have to be picked to balance the Congress leadership positions,” a party source said, underlining that Rahul Gandhi too is now a Lok Sabha MP from Kerala.

Interestingly, Singh, who on Thursday collected the nomination form for the party president’s election and announced his intent to contest, bowed out on Friday. He said he cannot fight against Kharge who is “my senior”.
He added, “I met Kharge on Thursday to tell him that I will not contest if he was planning to. He told me that he was not.”

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Ukraine War | India abstains in UN vote on Russian referendums | World News

In keeping with its track record of not voting against Russia at the United Nations, India abstained on a resolution at the UN Security Council (UNSC) that condemned Russia’s “illegal so-called referenda” in four of Ukraine’s regions that Moscow formally annexed on Friday.

Speaking at a debate in the UNSC on a resolution proposed by the United States and Albania, India’s permanent representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj, while reiterating New Delhi’s position in favour of peace, diplomacy and dialogue, said, “India is deeply disturbed by the recent turn of developments in Ukraine.”

Later in her remarks, she added that given the “totality of the situation”, India is abstaining from the vote on the resolution.

Ten countries voted for the resolution. Along with India, China, Brazil and Gabon abstained. Russia, as a permanent member of the council, vetoed the resolution. The US has earlier said that it will take the matter to the General Assembly.

The annexation and resolution

India did not specify the “recent developments” that has left it disturbed. But in the past fortnight, Russia faced military setbacks on the ground; it then announced additional military mobilisation and held a referendum that lacks international legitimacy in over 15% of Ukraine’s territory.

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin formally announced the integration of four Ukrainian regions into Russian federation. “I want the Kyiv authorities and their real masters in the West to hear me. For everyone to remember. People living in Luhansk and Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia are becoming our citizens. Forever,”

The draft UNSC resolution noted that these were “areas that, in part, are under the control of the Russian federation as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion, in violation of the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine”. India has so far not termed the conflict in Ukraine as a Russian invasion.

The resolution then noted that Ukraine had not authorised the “so-called referenda” held in “Ukraine’s regions” and these were “illegal under international law”. It “deplored” Russia’s “unlawful actions with regard to the illegal so-called referenda” between September 23 and 27 as an attempt to “modify Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders”.

The UNSC resolution termed Russia’s attempts to annex the territory as constituting a “threat to international peace and security”. It condemned the referendums; declared that Russia’s actions had no validity; urged states and international actors not to recognise any alteration of the status of Ukraine’s regions or any purported acquisition by Russia; and held that Russia must “immediately, completely and unconditionally” withdraw all of its military forces from Ukraine, including from the regions where the referendums were held.

Indian stance

Kamboj reiterated the Indian position in favour of peace. “We have always advocated that no solution can ever be arrived at the cost of human lives. We urge that all efforts are made by concerned sides for the immediate cessation of violence and hostilities. Dialogue is the only answer to settling differences and dialogue, however daunting that may appear at this moment.”

She added that the path to peace “requires us to keep all channels of diplomacy open”. “India’s Prime Minister has unequivocally conveyed this to world leaders, including the President of the Russian Federation and Ukraine. So has our external affairs minister at his recent engagements at the UNGA last week. India’s Prime Minister has also emphasised that this cannot be an era of war.”

Kamboj’s reference was to PM Modi’s comment to Putin in Samarkand, which gained New Delhi accolades in the western world, as well as EAM S Jaishankar’s speech at the UN General Assembly last Saturday where he said India stood on the side of peace and the UN charter.

When HT had asked Jaishankar on Wednesday what India thought of the referendums, and whether it aided the cause of peace and conformed to the UN charter, he had said that New Delhi would articulate its position at the UN.

Kamboj said that India sincerely hoped for an “early resumption of peace talks to bring about an immediate ceasefire and resolution of the conflict”.

“India’s position has been clear and consistent from the very beginning of this conflict. The global order is anchored in the principles of the UN charter, international law, and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states,” she added in a reiteration of India’s stance.

India added, “Escalation of rhetoric or tension is in no one’s interest. It is important that pathways are found for a return to the negotiating table. Keeping in view the totality of situation, India decided to abstain on the resolution.”

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Gurgaon Police File Case Over Social Media Advertisements For Sale Of Arms

According to police, some of the advertisements mentioned the name of gangster Kala Jatheri.

Gurgaon:

The Gurugram police have registered a case over advertisements on Facebook and WhatsApp for unauthorised sale of weapons, a police officer said on Friday.

The FIR was registered at Sadar police station against the holder(s) of three Facebook accounts. According to the police, these accounts were opened using one mobile number.

WhatsApp messages were also sent to people from the mobile number for the sale of revolvers and pistols, the police officer said.

According to the police, some of the advertisements mentioned the name of gangster Kala Jatheri.

The police officer said the matter was being investigated.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Ukraine War | India abstains on UN vote on Russian referendums | World News

In keeping with its track record of not voting against Russia at the United Nations, India abstained on a resolution at the UN Security Council (UNSC) that condemned Russia’s “illegal so-called referenda” in four of Ukraine’s regions that Moscow formally annexed on Friday.

Speaking at a debate in the UNSC on a resolution proposed by the United States and Albania, India’s permanent representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj, while reiterating New Delhi’s position in favour of peace, diplomacy and dialogue, said, “India is deeply disturbed by the recent turn of developments in Ukraine.”

Later in her remarks, she added that given the “totality of the situation”, India is abstaining from the vote on the resolution.

Ten countries voted for the resolution. Along with India, China, Brazil and Gabon abstained. Russia, as a permanent member of the council, vetoed the resolution. The US has earlier said that it will take the matter to the General Assembly.

The annexation and resolution

India did not specify the “recent developments” that has left it disturbed. But in the past fortnight, Russia faced military setbacks on the ground; it then announced additional military mobilisation and held a referendum that lacks international legitimacy in over 15% of Ukraine’s territory.

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin formally announced the integration of four Ukrainian regions into Russian federation. “I want the Kyiv authorities and their real masters in the West to hear me. For everyone to remember. People living in Luhansk and Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia are becoming our citizens. Forever,”

The draft UNSC resolution noted that these were “areas that, in part, are under the control of the Russian federation as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion, in violation of the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine”. India has so far not termed the conflict in Ukraine as a Russian invasion.

The resolution then noted that Ukraine had not authorised the “so-called referenda” held in “Ukraine’s regions” and these were “illegal under international law”. It “deplored” Russia’s “unlawful actions with regard to the illegal so-called referenda” between September 23 and 27 as an attempt to “modify Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders”.

The UNSC resolution termed Russia’s attempts to annex the territory as constituting a “threat to international peace and security”. It condemned the referendums; declared that Russia’s actions had no validity; urged states and international actors not to recognise any alteration of the status of Ukraine’s regions or any purported acquisition by Russia; and held that Russia must “immediately, completely and unconditionally” withdraw all of its military forces from Ukraine, including from the regions where the referendums were held.

Indian stance

Kamboj reiterated the Indian position in favour of peace. “We have always advocated that no solution can ever be arrived at the cost of human lives. We urge that all efforts are made by concerned sides for the immediate cessation of violence and hostilities. Dialogue is the only answer to settling differences and dialogue, however daunting that may appear at this moment.”

She added that the path to peace “requires us to keep all channels of diplomacy open”. “India’s Prime Minister has unequivocally conveyed this to world leaders, including the President of the Russian Federation and Ukraine. So has our external affairs minister at his recent engagements at the UNGA last week. India’s Prime Minister has also emphasised that this cannot be an era of war.”

Kamboj’s reference was to PM Modi’s comment to Putin in Samarkand, which gained New Delhi accolades in the western world, as well as EAM S Jaishankar’s speech at the UN General Assembly last Saturday where he said India stood on the side of peace and the UN charter.

When HT had asked Jaishankar on Wednesday what India thought of the referendums, and whether it aided the cause of peace and conformed to the UN charter, he had said that New Delhi would articulate its position at the UN.

Kamboj said that India sincerely hoped for an “early resumption of peace talks to bring about an immediate ceasefire and resolution of the conflict”.

“India’s position has been clear and consistent from the very beginning of this conflict. The global order is anchored in the principles of the UN charter, international law, and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states,” she added in a reiteration of India’s stance.

India added, “Escalation of rhetoric or tension is in no one’s interest. It is important that pathways are found for a return to the negotiating table. Keeping in view the totality of situation, India decided to abstain on the resolution.”

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EMIs start rising as RBI ups key rate 50bps; fourth hike in five months

MUMBAI: Reserve Bank of India’s monetary policy committee on Friday voted 5-1 to increase its key policy rate by 50 basis points, the fourth rise in five months. The latest repo rate hike, aimed at reining in inflation, will make all borrowings, home loans included, more expensive. Several banks, led by SBI have already hiked lending rates.
For those who took home loans before the May 4, 2022 rate hike, this is a major shock. Banks which had pushed rates to 6.6% will now re-price the loan at 8.5%. Borrowers who don’t have room to extend tenure will see EMIs rise by 15%.
RBI governor Shaktikanta Das, announcing the increase in the repo rate to 5.9%, hinted more rate hikes were to come. He said that after adjusting for inflation, the repo rate continues to trail 2019 levels.

SBI, others hike loan rate by 50bps
SBI & BoI hiked loan rates after the RBI raised the benchmark interest rate. The hike has been effected in their benchmark rate linked to the repo rate. Even HDFC hiked the lending rate by 50bps effective Saturday. ICICI also hiked rates, effective Friday itself. With the increase, EMIs will go up for those with loans on external benchmark-based lending rate (EBLR) & repo-linked lending rate (RLLR).

Lenders likely to come out with festive offers
RBI governor Shaktikanta Das said on Friday that after adjusting for inflation, the repo rate continues to trail 2019 levels. The rate hike was widely anticipated as the RBI is the latest among the central banks worldwide that have followed in the footsteps of the US Fed, which hiked interest rates by 75bps (100bps = 1 percentage point) on September 21.
“Consumer price inflation remains elevated and above the upper tolerance band of the target due to large adverse supply shocks, some firming up of domestic demand, and the spillovers from global financial markets,” said Das.
For new borrowers, the rates might not go up proportionately as banks can revise their spreads to charge lower rates. As the cost of funds for banks has not gone up, lenders are likely to announce special offers for the festive season. Lenders said that while higher rates do have an impact on demand, the overall sentiment is positive. The sensex gained as the policy was on expected lines and the rupee also firmed up.
RBI officials also exuded confidence on the state of the economy. When asked whether the RBI was preparing for a soft landing, RBI deputy governor Michael Patra said, “Soft landing is for the governments of advanced economies, for India it is take-off”. While the RBI cut the growth projection for FY23 to 7% from 7.2%, India continues to be among the fastest-growing major economies in the world. “The encouraging growth in the consumption pattern will continue to have a positive rub-off on the home loan demand aided by festive sentiments,” said Y Viswanatha Gowd, MD & CEO, LIC Housing Finance.

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It's Mallikarjun Kharge vs Shashi Tharoor for Congress president, Digvijaya Singh drops out | India News

NEW DELHI: It is Mallikarjun Kharge vs Shashi Tharoor for the much-awaited Congress presidential election. Octogenarian Kharge, the establishment’s choice, and Tharoor, the underdog diplomat-turned-politician, filed their nomination papers on the last day on Friday, setting to rest the two-month-long speculation.
As the official candidate, Kharge, a Dalit face from Karnataka and leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, is set to become the first non-Gandhi Congress president since 1998-the year Sonia took the top post from Sitaram Kesri before handing it over to Rahul Gandhi in December 2017, who resigned in the wake of the 2019 Lok Sabha debacle. The last date of withdrawal of nomination is October 8, which will decide if there will be a contest on October 17.

As Kharge, Tharoor file papers, it’s clear who has party backing
Congress scrambled to find a replacement choice for the party president’s post from a thin slate of candidates after the leadership’s original choice, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, opted out on Thursday over the controversy created by “loyal” MLAs’ boycott of the legislature party meeting in Jaipur.
Following a flurry of meetings and discussions, as reported by TOI, Mallikarjun Kharge was sounded out late Thursday night. Later, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal visited him to ready his papers for the nomination formalities.
Though Sonia Gandhi has conveyed to all that the “first family” will be neutral in son Rahul’s project to hand over the party reins to a non-Gandhi, and no family member was present during Kharge’s nomination, there was no hiding the fact that the veteran politician has the official imprimatur to succeed the matriarch.

The contrast was evident during the nomination process. Kharge, whose first and third proposer on the form were veteran Gandhi family loyalists A K Antony and Ambika Soni, respectively, was flanked by Gehlot, Digvijaya Singh and a hall full of AICC office-bearers, MPs and state leaders, including the cross-faction endorsement of dissident G23 members like Anand Sharma, Bhupinder Hooda and Prithviraj Chavan. When he handed over the papers to AICC election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry, the picture was of celebration and unity. Digvijaya, who had made public his intent to contest, visited Kharge in the morning and announced that he was bowing out in deference to “my senior”.
In contrast, Tharoor, though beaming, was flanked by unknown proposers. He filed five sets of papers. Yet another contestant from Jharkhand, K N Tripathi, also submitted his nomination form.
Kharge underlined the contrast in his brief remarks to reporters post-nomination. “I was encouraged by all leaders, party workers and delegates from key states to contest the elections. I thank those who were present by my side at the time of filing (of nomination papers),” he said.
“I have always been fighting this battle and I am keen to fight more to uphold the ideals of the Congress party with which I have been associated since my childhood,” he said.

Tharoor, while calling Kharge as “Bhishma Pitamah” of the party, dubbed the veteran “candidate of continuity”, and pitched himself as the candidate of change. “It is a friendly contest. No disrespect to him, but I will represent my ideas,” he said.
Undeterred by the underdog status and the overwhelming optics, savvy Tharoor launched a hashtag “Think tomorrow think Tharoor” campaign online, while also presenting a “vision paper”, which he said he will send to all state units to canvass for support. Ahead of filing his nomination papers, Tharoor paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.

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Indian Railways To Release Its New All-India Railway Time Table Today

The new Trains at a Glance will also be available on Indian Railways’ website www.indianrailways.gov.in.

New Delhi:

The Ministry of Railways will release its new All India Railway Time Table known as “Trains At a Glance (TAG)” from today, October 1, 2022.

The new Trains at a Glance will also be available on Indian Railways’ official website www.indianrailways.gov.in.

According to Indian Railways, it runs about 3,240 Mail/Express trains which include Vande Bharat Express, Gatimaan Express, Rajdhani Express, Shatabdi Express, Humsafar Express, Tejas Express, Duronto Express, Antyodaya Express, Garib Rath Express, Sampark Kranti Express, Yuva Express, Uday Express, Janshatabdi Express and other types of trains.

In addition, about 3,000 passenger trains and 5,660 suburban trains are also operated over the Indian Railways network. The volume of passengers carried daily is about 2.23 crore. To clear extra rush and meet passenger demand, more than 65,000 special train trips were operated during 2021-22. About 566 coaches were permanently augmented to increase the carrying capacity, said Railways.

During the review of the lie over of rakes, it was observed that the rakes can be better utilized for extending the existing services or increasing the frequency. Railways believe this would maximize the utilization of the rolling stock and provide better connectivity to the travelling passengers. During the year 2021-22, 106 new services were introduced, 212 services were extended and the frequency of 24 services was increased.

At present, Vande Bharat Express trains are operating between New Delhi – Varanasi and New Delhi – Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra. One more Vande Bharat Express train has been introduced between Gandhinagar Capital and Mumbai Central from September 30. It has been proposed to introduce more Vande Bharat Express trains over the Indian Railways network. Tejas Express services offering onboard services like entertainment, local cuisine, Wi-Fi etc are also being proliferated over the Indian Railway network. At present, seven pairs of Tejas Express services are operational over Indian Railways.

To provide sufficient time for the maintenance of the fixed infrastructure like track structure, signalling gears, and overhead equipment, it has been planned to ensure the provision of fixed corridor blocks. The duration of these corridors blocks will be from 3 hours in each section. This will not only improve the reliability of the assets but also enhance passenger safety.

The conversion of Mail/Express trains operating with ICF design rakes is being undertaken to improve passenger safety and provide faster transit with better riding comfort. Indian Railways converted 187 Rakes of ICF to LHB for the period of 2021-2022.

Railways said necessary changes in the timetable have been incorporated to improve punctuality. Due to concerted efforts, the punctuality of Mail/Express trains has improved by about 9 per cent as compared to the punctuality during pre-Covid (2019-20).

The rakes at different maintenance depots have been standardized by integration of the rake links to improve flexibility in operations and thereby help in improving punctuality. In the year 2021-22, 60 conventional passenger services have been replaced by MEMUs thereby increasing the overall mobility of the system, said Railways.

As a part of the digitalization of train Time Table, Trains at a Glance (TAG) will now also be available as ‘e-Book’ which can be downloaded from the IRCTC website (www.irctc.co.in and www.irctctourism.com).

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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