Top News

Suspense Grows Over Gandhis' Gameplan For Amethi, Raebareli

admin 0

Suspense Grows Over Gandhis' Gameplan For Amethi, Raebareli

New Delhi:

The Congress announced another list of candidates this evening that left only three seats undecided in Uttar Pradesh — among them the Gandhi stronghold Raebareli, and Amethi, which turned against the Congress, voting en masse for BJP’s Smriti Irani in 2019.

Though Rahul Gandhi filed his candidature from Wayanad yesterday, there is no word on the fate of Amethi, which he won thrice before losing it to Smriti Irani.

Raebareli had its sitting MP, Sonia Gandhi, shifting to parliament’s Upper house Rajya Sabha.

There is a desire  in the Congress that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra take over her mother’s seat, while Rahul Gandhi make another effort to win back Amethi.

The BJP camp is gleefully watching the situation, remarking that Mr Gandhi is not too keen on Amethi for fear of another defeat.

The Gandhis, they also point out, are not frequent visitors in Raebareli and Amethi. Mr Gandhi passed through his former constituency during his recent Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, after a very long time. The Gandhis do not even have a house in the constituency.

There is concern that in case the Gandhi siblings decide to contest from these two seats, their long absence would feature prominently in the campaign of the BJP, which is eager to add the Gandhi bastions to its kitty.

The party, which has been aiming at 370 seats this time, is expecting the biggest chunk to come from the 80-seat Uttar Pradesh.

Smriti Irani, meanwhile, will be in Wayanad on Thursday to support the BJP candidate — the party’s state unit chief K Surendran.

“Under the dynamic leadership of Smt. Smriti Irani Ji, Amethi has seen significant development, moving past the era of ineffective governance. With Wayanad confronting similar challenges, it’s time for a united effort towards transformative change,” Mr Surendran has posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Sources in the Congress said the party’s election committee will meet on April 5, where the final decision about Amethi and Raebareli will be taken.

Hyderabad

Spurt in NRI Iftar parties in last leg of Ramzan in Saudi

admin 0

In Saudi Arabia, there is not a single day that passes without Iftar parties hosted by community organisations. It is estimated that a socialite gets more than one invitation.

Published Date – 3 April 2024, 06:18 PM


Spurt in NRI Iftar parties in last leg of Ramzan in Saudi


Jeddah: There is spurt in Iftar parties organised by NRIs in the Gulf region during the month of Ramzan. Several community organisations have been queuing up to host Iftar parties for their members.

All Hyderabadi restaurants in the region are having full Iftar bookings till the end of Ramzan.

In Saudi Arabia, there is not a single day that passes without Iftar parties hosted by community organisations. It is estimated that a socialite gets more than one invitation.

Most of these gatherings are being hosted by Hyderabadi and Malayali communities.

The Hyderabadi organisations host Iftar in Indian restaurants to selected people, whereas Malayali organisations are holding massive parties inviting all the sections of the community.

Saudi Arabian Telugu Association (SATA), a leading community of organisation of Telugu NRIs in Saudi, hosted Iftar parties in several cities across the Kingdom.

It held huge Iftar parties in Riyadh, Al Khobar where massive participation was recorded. Special arrangements were made for Taraweeh prayers.

It is not just a spectacle watching scores converge at the same time but also a logistical masterclass considering the smooth manner in which they are all served food, not to mention the backroom kitchen activities, and beyond by volunteers most of them are Hindus.

It also hosted Iftar parties in Jeddah, Abha, Jizan. Noted Cosmetic surgeon Dr. R. Srinivas in Jeddah explained about diet benefits during the fasting month to the audience in Jeddah.

“We are above region and religion and bound by Telugu language,” said Naresh Kumar, President of SATA in Jeddah. “We held an Iftar party for the first time in Tabuk where most of NEOM project employees participated,” said Tirupati Lakota, President and Ramiz Raza, Secretary of SATA Tabuk.

Middle East

Israeli regime should be punished within international law

admin 0

The Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held a telephone converstation with Ian Borg, Malta’s Minister for Foreign, Trade and European Affairs on Wednesday.

Appreciating the extraordinary meeting of the Security Council regarding the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, the Iranian foreign minister explained the details and dimensions of this terrorist attack and considered it a clear violation of international laws and Vienna Conventions.

Stating that 13 people including 7 Iranian military advisors and 6 Syrian citizens were martyred in the terrorist attack, he said, “Military advisers of the Islamic Republic of Iran are active in Syria with diplomatic passports at the invitation of the Syrian government to fight terrorism.”

The Islamic Republic of Iran expects the United Nations Security Council as a peace and security body to issue a resolution to condemn the Zionist regime’s attack on Iran’s diplomatic building, he said.

The Foreign Minister of Malta also condemned the terrorist attack and considered it a violation of international and humanitarian laws.

RHM/TSN3062993

Top News

PhonePe Users Can Now Make Payments Through UPI In Singapore

admin 0

PhonePe Users Can Now Make Payments Through UPI In Singapore

PhonePe processes over 230 million daily transactions. (Representational)

New Delhi:

Fintech firm PhonePe on Wednesday said its users can now make payments through UPI in Singapore under a pact signed by the company with The Singapore Tourism Board.

The collaboration has been built upon the existing Unified Payments Interface (UPI) linkage between India and Singapore, which allows customers to instantly make cross-border transactions between the two countries directly from their existing Indian bank accounts.

“Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and PhonePe enter a two-year strategic partnership to promote UPI payments for Indian visitors in Singapore,” PhonePe, a decacorn, said in a statement. Privately-held companies with a valuation of over USD 10 billion are termed as decacorn.

As part of the partnership, STB and PhonePe will invest in joint marketing efforts across India and Singapore, to promote seamless UPI experiences across key tourism hotspots.

“This partnership exemplifies our dedication to enhancing the Singapore visitor experience for discerning, tech-savvy consumers,” STB Chief Executive Officer Melissa Ow said.

Under the collaboration, Indian travellers can now use the PhonePe app for instant, seamless, and secure payments across over 8,000 merchants in Singapore, enhancing their experience in the island city.

“Partnering with STB will facilitate ease of transactions for PhonePe users who now can just pay directly from their existing bank account by scanning a QR code when visiting the island city,” Ritesh Pai, Chief Executive Officer, PhonePe, International Business for PhonePe Private Limited, said.

PhonePe also processes over 230 million daily transactions with an annualised Total Payment Value (TPV) of more than USD 1.5 trillion.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Hyderabad

Shops buzz with energy

admin 0

Eid-ul-Fitr sees a flurry of activity as excited shoppers throng various markets in the Old City

Published Date – 3 April 2024, 10:22 PM


Shops buzz with energy

The shopping during Ramzan picks up after 7 pm and continues till early hours of the next day. — Photo: Surya Sridhar

With the Eid-ul-Fitr festival just days away, hectic shopping activity is witnessed in the older parts of the city. The markets around the historic Charminar have reached a saturation point with people from across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka flooding the place to shop for festivals, particularly during the holy month of Ramzan. While the traditional markets at Pathergatti, Madina Building and Gulzar Houz hold influence among the customers, the new markets — New Laad Bazaar, Hussaini Alam, Moosa Bowli, Dewan Devdi and Khilwat are gaining customers as well.

“In last couple of years, the Charminar market radius extended by a kilometre. New shops have come up along the Outer Ring Road of the Charminar Revitalisation Project route,” said Shaik Qutbuddin, a businessman.

The markets attract people of all castes and creeds. The accessories sold here are lower in price compared to other markets. People can buy bangles, gold and pearls, imitation jewellery, readymade apparels, saris, dress materials, crockery, garments, curtain and beddings, abaya or burqa, etc., Qutbuddin added. The shopping during Ramzan picks up after 7 pm and continues till early hours of the next day. “During the day, we have tourists visiting the markets while Eid shoppers drop in after 7 pm,” said Murtuza Ali, a trader.

Temporary markets have been set up in view of Ramzan at Tolichowki, Mallepally, Tappachabutra, Golconda, Barkas, Vattepally, Kishan Bagh, Hafeez Babanagar, Musheerabad, Yousufguda and a few other places in the city. “People purchased clothes and crockery here. But for bangles and mehndi they visit the Charminar market,” said Zamir Ahmed, a trader at Kishan Bagh market. Young entrepreneurs have rented the function halls and are organising ‘Ramzan Exhibitions’ offering clothes at high discount ranging from 30 to 50 per cent on traditional clothes, cosmetics, beddings, handbags, abaya, etc.

Top News

Congress Expels Sanjay Nirupam For 6 Years Over "Anti-Party Statements"

admin 0

Congress Expels Sanjay Nirupam For 6 Years After He Targets Team Thackeray

Capping a day of fast-moving developments, the Congress has expelled Sanjay Nirupam, a senior leader from Maharashtra, for six years for his “anti-party statements”. Earlier on Wednesday, the party had removed him from the list of star campaigners for the Lok Sabha elections and sources had said that a proposal to expel him was being prepared by the state unit to be sent to the central leadership.

The proposal was made after Mr Nirupam made a string of remarks against Congress’ INDIA ally, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and its leader Uddhav Thackeray after it announced some candidates for the Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra, including the North West Mumbai seat, which was being eyed by the Congress leader. 

Announcing Mr Nirupam’s expulsion late on Wednesday, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said in a statement, “Taking note of the complaints of indiscipline and anti-party statements, the Hon’ble Congress President has approved the expulsion of Shri Sanjay Nirupam from the party for six years with immediate effect.”

Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole had said, “We have taken him (Mr Nirupam) off the list of star campaigners and have also initiated disciplinary action against him over the statements he made.” 

Personal Attacks

After the Shiv Sena (UBT), which is in the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in Maharashtra with the Congress and the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP, had declared its list of 16 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections on March 27. The list included the name of Amol Kirtikar – son of the sitting MP – for the North West Mumbai seat, prompting a tirade from Mr Nirupam.

“The way Shiv Sena UBT has taken five seats of Mumbai. It seems that there is a plan to bury Congress in Mumbai. It seems that Shiv Sena wants to force Congress to kneel,” the senior Congress leader, who has been a Lok Sabha MP from the Mumbai North constituency, a Rajya Sabha MP and the Mumbai unit president of the party. 

Attacking Uddhav Thackeray over the split in the Shiv Sena engineered by the current Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Mr Nirupam called him the “bachi kuchi Shiv Sena pramukh (chief of what’s left of the Shiv Sena)”.

He also hit out at Mr Kirtikar, alleging that he was involved in the ‘Khichdi scam’ – the alleged irregularities in the distribution of food to migrant workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Mr Nirupam’s remarks were seen as adding to the seat-sharing troubles of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which is part of the INDIA alliance at the Centre.

Hyderabad

60 percent cybercrimes are financial frauds; Khammam ACP Ch RV Phanindra

admin 0

ACP said that India was one of the fastest growing countries in the world in terms of digitisation and technological advancement.

Published Date – 3 April 2024, 06:24 PM


60 percent cybercrimes are financial frauds; Khammam ACP Ch RV Phanindra

Untitled 1 (5)

Khammam: ACP (Cybercrimes) Ch RV Phanindra said that human negligence and lack of awareness were the main reasons for cyber crimes.

He addressed college students at the ‘Cyber Awareness Day’ programme organised at SBIT College here on Wednesday to sensitise internet users against investment frauds, hotel rating frauds, loan app frauds, cyber frauds and cybercrimes.

ACP said that India was one of the fastest growing countries in the world in terms of digitisation and technological advancement. With the rapid development of technology and increased use of the internet, the risk of cyber crime was increasing.

About 60 percent of cybercrime complaints were related to financial frauds and to address this issue, the Cyber Awareness Divas programme has been launched. He said to be alert for attractive offers on social media.

People should follow safety tips to protect themselves from cyber threats and caution must be maintained when accepting online friend requests from strangers. One should not share UPI PIN /OTP/ATM PIN with anyone, Phanindra said.

In case of cyber crimes, the public should report them at https://www.cybercrime.gov.in, he said. SBIT chairman G Krishna, principal Dr. G Raj Kumar and cybercrimes SI Vijaya Kumar were present.

Top News

GHMC earns Rs 1,917 cr in property tax collection

admin 0

A major chunk came from the Early Bird Scheme, One-Time Scheme for 2023-24

Published Date – 3 April 2024, 11:30 PM


GHMC earns Rs 1,917 cr in property tax collection


Tax rebates have once again proved to be effective as the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) raked in an impressive Rs 1,917 crore in property tax for 2023-24. Notably, a major chunk of that collection came from the Early Bird Scheme (EBS) at the start of the financial year and the One-Time Scheme (OTS) at the end. Over Rs 500 crore was collected in March 2024 alone, with the tax paid under the OTS being Rs 319.59 crore up to 10 pm on March 31.

The scheme exempted 90 per cent of interest on property tax arrears provided one cleared the principal amount of tax up to 2022-23. The EBS in April 2023 saw a collection of Rs 765 crore, generated from over 7.5 lakh assessments.

This campaign gave a five per cent rebate on the property tax. Both these schemes combined fetched more than Rs 1,000 crore, leading to tax collections this year being the highest ever. Multiple government and private entities also utilised the Early Bird Scheme to clear their dues, which was open from February 29 to March 31.

According to the revised budget estimates for 2023- 24, the property tax collection was expected to be Rs 1,810 crore, which was surpassed by Rs 107 crore. Moreover, there is a 15.5% increase — Rs 257 crore — in revenue generation when compared with the previous financial year’s Rs 1,660 crore.

A total of Rs 123 crore was collected on the final day of just concluded financial year. In a press statement, GHMC Commissioner Ronald Rose stated that the target was achieved despite being an election year and that multiple long-pending tax arrears by government and private entities were cleared.

Ghmc 2

Hyderabad

Elderly woman killed as van rams moped in Asifabad

admin 0

The other two survived with minor injuries. Rajeshwar, the son of Shanthabai, lodged a complaint with the police.

Published Date – 3 April 2024, 11:45 PM


Elderly woman killed as van rams moped in Asifabad


Kumram Bheem Asifabad: A 65-year old woman was killed when a van hit the moped on which she was travelling at a toll plaza near Wankidi mandal centre on Wednesday.

Wankidi Sub-Inspector Dolakasi Sagar said Jadi Shanthabai of Indani village succumbed to injuries she suffered when the van hit the two-wheeler on which she along with two others were travelling.

She was rushed to a hospital where she died. The other two survived with minor injuries. Rajeshwar, the son of Shanthabai, lodged a complaint with the police.

A hit and run case was registered against the driver of the van, who went absconding following the accident. Efforts were onto nab him.

World

Latin American envoys blast Israeli attack on Iran consulate

admin 0

The ambassador of the government of Bolivia in the Islamic Republic of Iran Ms. Romina Guadalupe Perez Ramos on behalf of herself and a group of ambassadors of Latin American countries, including Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Uruguay sent a message about the recent attack on the building of the consular section of the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Syrian capital, and offered condolences on the martyrdom of seven Iranian military advisers and several Syrian citizens to the Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

In a part of the message of the ambassador of Bolivia on behalf of the ambassadors of the group of Latin American countries, it is stated, “This event, which is a violation of international laws and also ignores diplomatic rules, endangers the peace and security of the region in the already complicated situation. We offer our condolences to the families of the victims of this incident and wish the injured a speedy recovery.”

MNA/FNA1712162770674111828