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<ul><li><keyword id="691847" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google-Cloud">Google Cloud</keyword> has appointed <keyword id="2776926" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bikram-Singh-Bedi">Bikram Singh Bedi</keyword> as its new India Managing Director.</li><li>Bedi’s appointment comes as Google Cloud had recently elevated its India head Karan Bajwa as the Vice President of Google Cloud in Asia Pacific.</li><li>Bedi was the man who set up Amazon Web Services in India and led the vertical for six years long.</li></ul>Google Cloud has appointed Bikram Singh Bedi as its new India Managing Director. Interestingly, Bedi was the man who set up Amazon Web Services in India and led the vertical for six years long. Bedi’s appointment comes as Google Cloud had recently elevated its India head Karan Bajwa as the Vice President of Google Cloud in Asia Pacific. Right before joining Google Cloud, Bedi was the President Strategy and New Initiatives of Indian grocery startup Grofers. At Google, Bedi will be responsible for leading Google Cloud’s sales and operations teams in this dynamic market. “I’m excited about this new challenge and I look forward to extending Google Cloud’s momentum in India. The true test of 2021 will be how enterprises will leverage cloud computing to modernize and scale for growth and Google Cloud is committed to help them accelerate their digital transformation to build a strong foundation for the future,” said Bedi. The India cloud market is ramping up with players like Microsoft, Amazon, Google, IBM all looking for a share in the segment. The overall India public cloud services market is likely to touch $7.4 billion by 2024 growing at a CAGR of 22.2% for 2020-24, said a report by International Data Corporation. And Google has been making its presence felt in the segment with clients like industry leaders Wipro, TVS to startups like Sharechat. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/interview-a-hedge-fund-manager-explains-where-to-invest-when-nothing-is-cheap-in-india/articleshow/80682629.cms">INTERVIEW: A hedge fund manager explains where to invest when nothing is cheap in India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/kishore-biyani-says-sebi-ban-wont-stop-future-group-deal-with-reliance/articleshow/80680781.cms">Kishore Biyani says SEBI ban won't stop Future Group's deal with Reliance</a>

Bikram Singh Bedi, the man who set up AWS in India, has now joined Google Cloud

Shimla, The <keyword id="121337" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="himachal-pradesh-government">Himachal Pradesh government</keyword> on Tuesday said it will resume interstate services of <keyword id="1021788" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Himachal-Road-Transport-Corporation">Himachal Road Transport Corporation</keyword> (HRTC) on select routes from Wednesday. <keyword id="10101012" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="transport-minister-bikram-singh">Transport Minister Bikram Singh</keyword> said the bus services will resume on 25 routes in the first phase, including to and from Chandigarh, Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Ambala, Haridwar, and other cities and towns. Only non-AC HRTC buses will ply on these interstate routes, including during night hours, in view of the Navratri and Dussehra festive season. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/economy/news/gst-council-and-states-fail-to-reach-consensus-on-compensation-cess-no-dispute-we-may-have-differences-says-sitharaman/articleshow/78624857.cms">GST council and states fail to reach consensus on compensation cess — 'No dispute, we may have differences,' says Sitharaman</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/banking-stocks-like-sbi-hdfc-axis-icici-and-other-share-price-in-the-stock-market-ahead-of-the-moratorium-verdict/articleshow/78633357.cms">SBI, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and other bank stocks tread caution as they wait with bated breath for Supreme Court verdict on moratorium</a>

Interstate bus services from Himachal Pradesh to resume from October 14

NEW DELHI: The world’s second-largest standing <keyword id="15350" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Army">Army</keyword> is fast running out of ammunition. Tanks and air defence units, artillery batteries and infantry soldiers are all facing the crunch. The Army is, obviously, tight-lipped on the ammunition shortage. But a simple calculation reveals that at present, it may not have enough ammunition reserves to sustain a full-fledged war for even 20 days. 
 The norm is that war wastage reserves (WWR) should be adequate for 40 days of intense fighting, with 21 days earmarked for ammunition with shorter shelf-life. But according to a recent statement by Army chief General <keyword id="130318" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Bikram-Singh">Bikram Singh</keyword>, if there is proper budgetary support for the new ammunition roadmap, the Army should have 50 per cent WWR and three years of training ammunition by 2015. 
 
In other words, the Army is at not even 50 per cent WWR right now, which means it does not have adequate reserves to fight a war for even 20 days. It is expected to reach 100 per cent WWR only by 2019. 
 With the huge shortages adversely impacting both operational readiness and training, the 1.18-million strong <keyword id="6354416" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Indian-Army">Indian Army</keyword> is desperate that the new government which takes charge in May actively supports its new ammunition roadmap of around Rs 19,250 crore, both in terms of fund allocations and timelines. 
 
 
 This becomes all the more crucial since the Army has kick-started the raising of the new XVII <keyword id="184463" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Mountain-Strike-Corps">Mountain Strike Corps</keyword>, which will come into full force with over 90,000 soldiers over the next seven years, to add some much-needed teeth to its deterrence posture against China. This alone will see the raising of 32 new infantry battalions, apart from armoured, artillery and air defence units. 
 
The Army already has 13 corps, which includes the three "strike" ones headquartered at Mathura (I Corps), Ambala (II Corps) and Bhopal (XXI Corps). They add up to 382 infantry battalions, 281 artillery, 63 armoured, 44 mechanized and 56 air defence regiments, apart from other support arms like signals, engineers, ordnance and the like. 
 
Plans didn't take off 
 
On one hand, almost none of its critical modernization projects for new howitzers, helicopters, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) or air defence guns have materialized till now. On the other, operational hollowness or "critical" deficiencies in ammunition and fuses for existing weapon systems have built up over the last decade. 
 
"There is a glaring mismatch between operational and training requirements vis-a-vis budget allocations, imports and the inadequate production capacity of our 39 ordnance factories," said a senior officer. 
 
The Army holds ammunition, which is costly and also has shelf-life, at three levels. The "first line" of operational and training ammunition is held at the battalion level in the shape of "on weapon and unit reserves", while the "second line" is with higher formations like brigades and divisions. 
 
Finally, there is the WWR, held in a dispersed manner. 
 With <keyword id="6366153" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Defence-Minister">defence minister</keyword> AK Antony sanctioning the roadmap, the next government will have to take it forward.

Army Running Low On Ammunition

<keyword id="6355629" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="google" source="Orion">Google</keyword> on Monday announced plans to open a new office in Pune this year, that will hire professionals for building advanced enterprise <keyword id="11929101" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="cloud" source="Orion">cloud</keyword> technologies. Expected to open in the second half this year, the facility will hire people for Cloud product engineering, technical support and global delivery centre organisations. The company said it has kicked off recruitments, alongside rapidly growing teams in Gurugram, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. "As an IT hub, our expansion into Pune will enable us to tap top talent as we continue to develop advanced cloud computing solutions, products and services for our growing customer base," said <keyword id="1680548" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="anil-bhansali" source="Orion">Anil Bhansali</keyword>, VP of Cloud Engineering in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>. The hires will be responsible for building advanced enterprise cloud technologies in collaboration with <keyword id="691847" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="google-cloud" source="Orion">Google Cloud</keyword>'s global engineering teams, providing real-time technical advice, and delivering product and implementation expertise that customers turn to Google Cloud for as their trusted partner. Google Cloud has hired some key industry people in recent months in India, including former AWS veteran Bikram Singh Bedi as Managing Director, <keyword id="6507591" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="google-cloud-india" source="Orion">Google Cloud India</keyword>. In November last year, the company hired senior IBM executive Subram Natarajan as Director of Customer Engineering for its India operations. Google last year opened it second Cloud region in the country -- in Delhi-NCR and close to the government quarters -- to further serve businesses of all sizes especially the public sector. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/bharat-electronics-limited-is-looking-to-fill-up-247-posts-with-a-maximum-monthly-salary-of-55000/articleshow/89087168.cms">Bharat Electronics Limited is looking to fill up 247 posts with a maximum monthly salary of ₹55,000</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/gadgets/news/iphone-se-3-to-new-ipad-what-to-expect-from-apples-spring-event-this-year/articleshow/89086976.cms">iPhone SE 3, new iPad and Macs — Here’s what to expect from Apple’s spring event this year</a>

Google to open its new office in Pune this year, will hire cloud technology experts

Chandigarh, March 16 (IANS) Days after facing humiliating defeat in <keyword id="6354953" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="punjab" source="Orion">Punjab</keyword> from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), state Congress chief <keyword id="6356997" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="navjot-singh-sidhu" source="Orion">Navjot Singh Sidhu</keyword> on Wednesday resigned from the post. In a one-line resignation to party President Sonia Gandhi, <keyword id="6368691" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="sidhu" source="Orion">Sidhu</keyword> wrote, "I hereby resign as President (PPCC)." The AAP came to power by sweeping the Assembly polls with a three-fourths majority as heavyweights fall by wayside. A day earlier, Sonia Gandhi asked party chiefs Sidhu in Punjab, Ganesh Godiyal in Uttarakhand, Ajay Kumar Lallu in Uttar Pradesh, Girish Chodankar in Goa and Nameirakpam Loken Singh in Manipur to resign. Sidhu, once a Chief Minister aspirant, faced defeat from his stronghold <keyword id="11917951" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="amritsar" source="Orion">Amritsar</keyword> (East) seat. He was locked in a high-profile contest with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia but faced defeat from the hands of AAP greenhorn candidate Jeevanjyot Kaur, who defeated him by a margin of 6,750 votes. Low-profile hygiene activist Kaur, who believed in door-to-door connect with electorate, emerged as the 'giant slayer' by showing the door to two political heavyweights -- Sidhu and Majithia, who were busy in mudslinging against each other. In 2017, cricketer-turned-politician Sidhu not only defeated his <keyword id="14666" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="bjp" source="Orion">BJP</keyword> rival Rajesh Honey with a big margin of over 42,000 votes but also played a role of a game-changer for the party by winning 10 out of 11 seats in Amritsar district, once the citadel of the SAD-BJP combine. Sidhu is a three-time Amritsar MP from the BJP. In 2014 he "sacrificed" this seat for his 'guru' Arun Jaitley. Later he was adjusted in the Rajya Sabha by the BJP but not finding a bigger role in Punjab, he quit the party and resigned from Parliament. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/india-logs-2876-new-covid-19-infections-and-98-fatalities-in-last-24-hours/articleshow/90252569.cms">India logs 2,876 new COVID-19 infections and 98 fatalities in last 24 hours</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/isro-to-chalk-out-plans-to-increase-number-of-launches-satellite-manufacturing/articleshow/90255221.cms">ISRO to chalk out plans to increase number of launches, satellite manufacturing</a>

Punjab Congress chief Sidhu quits with a one-line resignation

New Delhi, Apr 22 () Septage from pit latrines in the national capital is being collected on a daily basis and the ongoing lockdown has not impacted the operation, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has told a panel appointed by the National Green Tribunal to monitor pollution in the Yamuna.The Yamuna monitoring committee, comprising retired NGT expert member Bikram Singh Sajwan and former Delhi chief secretary Shailaja Chandra, had sought a report from the DJB on septage collection during the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus."During the lockdown, it was apprehended that septage evacuation may be abandoned altogether and after the lockdown was lifted it may be collected and dumped into the Yamuna, water bodies and forest areas," the panel said.According to the DJB, "Septage collection is unhindered and the quantum being collected is more or less the same."Sharing weekly data with the panel, the DJB said it collected 47.50 lakh liters of septage from March 16 to March 22 (before the lockdown); 49.12 lakh liters from March 23 to March 29 and 55.35 lakh liters from March 30 to April 5. "Since septage collection through licensed vendors is unhindered, there was no need for issuance of curfew passes. Licenses issued by the DJB are being allowed by police authorities," the DJB told the panel.Septage from houses in unauthorised colonies with no sewer connections or where a conveyance system is still to be laid is required to be collected by registered vendors and deposited in designated sewage pumping stations. GVS NSDNSD

No impact of lockdown on sepatage collection: DJB to NGT panel

<ul><li><keyword id="46718" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="iday" source="Orion">iDay</keyword> is dubbed as India's Largest &amp; most Definitive Startup Event for Tech Entrepreneurs featuring Global Icons, Unicorn Founders &amp; Leading Investors</li><li>Focuses on Tech trends including Fintech, Crypto SaaS for SMEs, Gig Economy, Capital Markets, Healthcare, Hybrid education &amp; More</li><li>Spread across 2 Days | 100+Speakers |50+ Sessions | Unicorn Roundtables, Workshops, Masterclasses &amp; Engaging Sessions</li></ul>With a huge number of companies witnessing accelerated scale, despite uncertain times, <keyword id="502904" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tie-delhi-ncr" source="Orion">TiE Delhi-NCR</keyword> is organising the 10th edition of <keyword id="4390638" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India-internet-day" source="Orion">India Internet Day</keyword> (iDay) in virtual format, with the theme ‘Digital India: Escape Velocity. With a Focus on Tech trends including Fintech, Crypto SaaS for SMEs, Gig Economy, Capital markets, Healthcare, Hybrid education &amp; more, it will span over 2 days 23rd &amp; 24th September. The conference plays host to in-depth sessions &amp; keynotes by leading founders &amp; investors from India and around the World. Speaking about the event, Karan Mohla, Co- Chair for iDay 2021 &amp; Partner, Chiratae Ventures said – “As India leapfrogs to being a tech enabled economy, India Internet Day 2021 rings in with the theme - Digital India: Escape Velocity. The year 2021 has been a defining one for the Indian startup ecosystem in more ways than one — record amount of fund inflow, creation of new unicorns, companies going public, and a new benchmark in terms of mergers &amp; acquisitions. This reflects the strength of the Indian start-ups. Through iDay this year we are putting a spotlight on the learning, insights &amp; trends which have in last 18 months, seem to have lent ESCAPE VELOCITY to the entire startup ecosystem.” Business Insider is the media partner for TiE's ‘Digital India: Escape Velocity' event. The Stellar line up at the event includes Global Speakers, Leading Entrepreneurs, Investors, Influencers, Startups, Tech Innovators likeRuchir Sharma, Morgan Stanley | Monish Darda, Icertis | Surojit Chatterjee, Coinbase | Jeff Maggioncalda, Coursera |John T Chambers, JC2 Ventures |Kanwaljit Singh, Fireside Ventures |Balaji S. Srinivasan, Angel Investor &amp; Entrepreneur, | Byju Raveendran, Founder &amp; CEO- Byju’s |Kunal Bahl, Co-founder &amp; CEO – Snapdeal|Kushal Bhagia, CEO – firstcheque | Rajan Anandan, Sequoia India &amp; Surge | Kumara Raghavan, Amazon Internet Services |Bikram Singh Bedi, Google Cloud | Lathika Pai, Microsoft |Vani Kola, Managing Director – Kalaari Capital | Supria Dhanda, Western Digital. “India Internet Day is curated &amp; led by a team of serial entrepreneurs &amp; investors. It has become a leading platform to catch the makers and leaders of the India Internet Growth story. Over the years, tech entrepreneurs have hugely gained from the conference. This year we put a spotlight on how technology &amp; resilience have shown the way through the worst crisis of our times. 40% of Indian unicorns have been added in 2021 &amp; this augurs well for the startup ecosystem. With engaging conversations at #iDay in form of Keynotes, Fireside Chats, AMAs. Masterclasses, Panel Discussions, Unicorn Roundtables, we wish to continue to foster entrepreneurship.” said Geetika Dayal, Executive Director, TiE Delhi-NCR The Conference was supported by Startup India, Google, Western Digital, Sequoia Capital, Morgan Stanley, Coinbase, Microsoft, AWS, Icertis, Kalaari and Avendus. About TiE Delhi-NCR’s India Internet Day From its inception #iDay has set out to be a leadership conference that looks to set conversations around vision 2025 for the industry. After a resounding debut in 2012, it has grown from being relevant to being indispensable for stakeholders across the ecosystem. #iDay hosts the entire gamut of internet mobile industry in India like no other forum. India Internet Day 2020 Co-Chairs – Lathika Pai &amp; Mohit Bhatnagar along with the team Abhishek Gupta, Alok Mittal, Arvind Jha, Deep Kalra, Dev Khare, Gautam Gandhi, Karan Mohla, Latika Pai, Miten Sampat, Prasanto K Roy, Rajan Anandan, Rajat Garg, Rajesh Sawhney, Ravi Gururaj and Vani Kola are the torchbearers who put together the conference that has emerged as the only voice of India’s internet industry. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/airtel-rights-issue-details-record-date-issue-price-and-more/articleshow/86446419.cms">Airtel rights issue worth ₹21,000 crore opens next month – record date, price, ratio and everything else you need to know</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/freshworks-ipo-500-crorepatis-12-billion-market-cap-and-more-that-emerged-from-indias-first-saas-listing-at-nasdaq/articleshow/86445614.cms">Freshworks IPO — 500 crorepatis, $12 billion market cap and more that emerged from India’s first SaaS listing at Nasdaq</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/zee-sony-merger-heres-what-sony-is-really-getting-from-zee-entertainment/articleshow/86420990.cms">Zee-Sony merger: Here’s what Sony is really getting from Zee Entertainment</a>

TiE Delhi-NCR kickstarts the 10th Edition of India Internet Day themed Digital India: Escape Velocity

Dharamshala, Dec 13 () The Himachal Pradesh Assembly passed the 
HP Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (facilitation of establishment and operation) Bill, 2019 on Friday.
 The MSME bill proposes to exempt any person bringing a micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) in the state from taking approvals from government departments for three years.
 The bill was passed amid a walkout by the Congress, which raised several objections to the bill when it came up for discussion on the fifth day of the ongoing winter session.
 The Congress MLAs alleged that the state government was trying to "sell" Himachal Pradesh by bringing this bill.
 Congress MLAs Mukesh Agnihotri, Sukhvinder Sukhu and Jagat Singh Negi alleged that provisions of the HP Tenancy and Land Reforms Act which restrict transfer of land to non agriculturists have been overlooked in the bill.
 Lone CPM MLA Rakesh Singha also raised objections and said he should be excluded from the passage of the bill.
 Criticising the Congress for walkout, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said there is a set procedure for proposing amendment for discussion in the bill but instead of adopting the procedure, the opposition created uproar in the House.
 "This bill will encourage the establishment of new enterprises, which may significantly contribute to overall economic growth and development in the state," he added.
 Tabling the MSME bill in the state assembly on December 10, Industries Minister Bikram Singh had said, "With a view to facilitate new investments, generate more employment and promote entrepreneurship, there is a need to give effect to exemptions from certain approval and inspections, required for establishment and operation of new MSME."
 Earlier, the assembly unanimously passed the HP Good and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2019 which had been tabled by the chief minister on Tuesday.
 At present, every supplier making a taxable supply of over Rs 20 lakh in the state is liable to be registered in HP. The amendment proposes to increase the limit to Rs 40 lakh. DJI SNE
SNE

HP Assembly passes MSME bill amid opposition walkout

Shimla, Feb 17 () The State Planning Board has approved Rs 7,900 crore annual plan for 2020-21, about 11 per cent higher than 2019-20, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said. Presiding over the meeting of State Planning Board here on Monday, Thakur said social services sector has been accorded priority by allocating Rs 3,487.24 crore, which is 44.14 per cent of the total annual plan. Transport and communication sector is allocated Rs 1,394.89 crore, whereas agriculture and allied activities has been allotted Rs 974.29 crore, he said. Irrigation and flood control has been allotted Rs 508.05 crore, while Rs 499.05 crore has been earmarked for energy sector. The chief minister expressed concern over the gap between male and female literacy rate. He said efforts should be made to reduce this gap. Thakur said the state's per capita income at Rs 1,76,968 in 2018-19 had shown increase of 10.12 per cent from 2017-18 and was better than that of national average and most other states. He said Himachal Pradesh was the second state after Sikkim to become open defecation free (ODF). Thakur said that since 90 per cent population of the state lives in rural area, emphasis should be laid on increasing crop production and farm income. The state government is ensuring that focus is laid on qualitative improvement of education and health institutions instead of going for expansion, he added. The CM said the state government is also committed to making Himachal a favourite tourist destination in the country. He said the work on four-laning projects was expedited to ensure better connectivity. In order to ensure better air connectivity, all three existing airports are being expanded and improved. He also released two publications of the Planning Department on the occasion. State Planning Board Vice Chairman Ramesh Dhawala said the state economy achieved a growth rate of 7.3 per cent in the financial year 2018-19. Cabinet Ministers Mahender Singh, Suresh Bhardwaj, Sarveen Chaudhary, Dr. Ram Lal Markanda, Vipin Singh Parmar, Virender Kanwar, Bikram Singh, Govind Singh Thakur and Dr. Rajiv Saizal, MLAs and non-official members also gave suggestions in the meeting. DJI RVK

HP State Planning Board approves Rs 7,900 crore annual plan for 2020-21

New Delhi, Apr 21 () The water quality in the Yamuna here has "improved significantly" during the lockdown due to an increase in fresh water availability and absence of industrial effluent, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).The National Green Tribunal-appointed Yamuna Monitoring Committee (YMC) had earlier this month asked the CPCB and the DPCC to conduct tests to ascertain if the water quality in the river had improved due to the lockdown.The committee said there was a significant increase (5 to 6 fold) in fresh water availability downstream of Wazirabad during April which helped in the dilution of the pollution caused due to waste water from major drains like Najafgarh and Shahdara.For improvement in water quality, availability of fresh water in significant quantities is important, the panel comprising retired NGT expert member Bikram Singh Sajwan and former Delhi chief secretary Shailaja Chandra said.Industrial effluent, from 28 industrial clusters and industries in non-conforming/residential areas, also remained absent during the lockdown. Residential areas are estimated to have more than 51,000 industries.Preventing any industrial effluent going into the drains and eventually the river has contributed to the improvement in the water quality, the panel said.Other factors are stoppage of human activities such as throwing of puja material, solid waste disposal, bathing and washing of clothes etc., which were minimised during the ongoing lockdown, it added.The CPCB analysis suggested the water quality at "Palla, Nizamuddin and Okhla (downstream) and 16 major drains has improved significantly"."In fact, biological oxygen demand (BOD) at Nizamuddin and Okhla has increased by as much as 80 to 90 per cent with similar increases in chemical oxygen demand, though dissolved oxygen levels were still low," it said.The waste water quality in two major drains -- Najafgarh and Shahdara -- which contribute about two-thirds of the hydraulic load of all the drains, also showed improvement of about 30-45 per cent in BOD. However, the BOD levels in the two drains were 56 mg/L and 89 mg/L despite the improvement.The CPCB report also pointed out that the fresh water availability in the Yamuna, which was less than 1,000 cusecs prior to the lockdown, increased more than fivefold downstream of Wazirabad during the lockdown."Besides, all the industries, which contribute about 36 million litres per day of effluent, remained closed. This also helped improve water quality," the panel said.The DPCC report -- based on samples collected at nine stations along the river and at 20 stations on the drains -- said the BOD concentrations improved from 20 to 33 per cent at ITO, Nizamuddin, Agra canal Jaitpur, Okhla barrage (upstream) and Okhla.It also suggested that the water quality has deteriorated at Palla, Surghat, Khajuri Paltoon Pool (downstream of Najafgarh drain point) and Kudesia Ghat barrage.The DPCC compared the data from water samples collected on April 6 with the corresponding data for the year 2019. GVS IJT

Yamuna cleaner during lockdown due to increase in fresh water, lesser effluent generation: NGT panel

New Delhi, Oct 20 (IANS) Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) commanders and their associates smuggled heroin six times through the India-Pakistan border in Attari in the garb of importing rock salt granules from Pakistan and a "substantial amount" was "channelised" to banned terror groups in Kashmir through a network of over ground workers (OGWs) to support and augument terror infrastructure, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) claimed in its chargesheet in connection with a narco-terror funding case. The NIA also claimed that the money proceeds of five consignments were partly sent back to Pakistan through hawala operators. The claims were made in the 14,000-page chargesheet filed by the anti-terror probe agency in a NIA special court at Mohali in Punjab under several sections of Indian Penal Code, Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and Indian Passports Act. An NIA official said that the agency has named slain HM commander Riyaz Ahmed Naikoo, his close aide Hilal Ahmed Shergojri, a resident of Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, Bikram Singh and Maninder Singh, both residents of Amritsar in Punjab, Ranjit Singh and Jaswant Singh, both residents of Gurdaspur in Punjab, Ranjit Singh, Gagandeep Singh, Iqbal Singh, all residents of Amritsar, Zafar Hussain Bhat, a resident of Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir who's presently residing in Pakistan. Hizbul commander Naikoo was killed in an encounter with security forces on May 6 this year in Jammu and Kashmir. According to the NIA, Bhat and Iqbal Singh are still absconding. The official said, "Investigation unearthed the conspiracy hatched by Pakistan-based HM commanders and their associates and terrorist gangs in Punjab to support and augment the terror infrastructure of HM in India by raising money through drug smuggling or drug pedalling." The official said that it was revealed that the accused named in the chargesheet had received at least "six consignments" of heroin through the Attari border in the garb of importing rock salt granules from Pakistan. "Of these, money proceeds of five consignments were partly sent back to Pakistan through hawala operators while a substantial portion was channelised to HM terrorists in Kashmir through a network of over ground workers and other associates," the official said. According to the NIA, the the sixth consignment of around 532 kg of heroin was seized at the Attari border in June last year and a separate case was registered. The Punjab Police had busted a Hizbul Mujahideen terror-funding module in Amritsar on April 25 this year. The NIA had taken over the case on May 8. The official said that during investigation, it emerged that accused Hilal, a truck driver, who had come to Amritsar to collect the amount of Rs 29 lakh, was a member of HM and a close associate of Naikoo. "This led to the busting of a major narco-terror module involved in smuggling and selling of heroin in India and channelising the drug proceeds to Pakistan through hawala and to HM terrorists based in Jammu and Kashmir," the official said. Hilal was arrested by Punjab Police on April 25 this year with over Rs 29 lakh in cash. "During investigation, the NIA carried out searches at 15 locations in Punjab, Haryana and Jammu and Kaashmir," the official said, adding that so far Rs 98.5 lakh, eight vehicles and 3 kg heroin have been seized from the accused and investments worth crores of rupees have been identified. During the searches, incriminating documents related to benami properties and digital gadgets including mobile phones, pen drives and laptops were seized and forensically examined. Many incriminating chats between the accused persons have been recovered from the seized digital devices, the NIA claimed. Ranjit Singh and his accomplice Iqbal Singh alias Shera are the prime accused in a case registered in connection with 532 kg heroin seizure at the Attari border in June last year by the Customs department. The banned substance was found hidden in a consignment of rock salt imported from Pakistan. Ranjit is the key accused in the case that led to the arrest of Halil. --IANS aks/arm

HM commanders channelised drug smuggling money in J&K to support terror activities: NIA

At 89, he is the country’s oldest serving Chief Minister. And he is showing no signs of giving up any time soon. Punjab Chief Minister <keyword id="55130" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Parkash-Singh-Badal">Parkash Singh Badal</keyword> is now in full election mode and is telling the electorate that their votes will give him another 10 years of life. 
 
“Your vote is important. If you give me another chance to serve you, it will add 10 years to my life,” Badal, who is actively reaching out to people across Punjab through his ‘Sangat Darshan’ programmes across rural and urban areas, has been telling the people in recent weeks. 
 Punjab’s ruling <keyword id="6357030" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shiromani-Akali-Dal">Shiromani Akali Dal</keyword>, of which he is the chief patron, is seeking a straight third term in office with Badal being at the helm of affairs. 
 As he turns 89 on December 8, Badal certainly does not fit Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword>’s idea that “politicians should retire at the age of 75”. But for Badal, who has been a long-time ally for the <keyword id="58687" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharatiya-Janata-Party">Bharatiya Janata Party</keyword> (BJP), Modi certainly will make an exception. 
 As the five-time Punjab Chief Minister seeks a sixth term in office, and faces a tough challenge from the Congress and the new entrant on Punjab’s political scene — the <keyword id="6354944" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aam-Aadmi-Party">Aam Aadmi Party</keyword> (AAP) — Badal is certainly not showing any signs of getting tired or even retiring any time soon. 
 His political opponent and former Chief Minister, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh, disputes his age. Amarinder claims that Badal is already actually 94. (He made the claim last week in the presence of Badal’s son <keyword id="6375801" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sukhbir-Badal">Sukhbir Badal</keyword> at an event in New Delhi.) 
 
“Badal saab”, as he is referred to by most people around him, starts his day early and actively goes through his daily routine of meetings with officers, ministers, delegations and others who come to meet him. 
 
Badal’s “Sangat Darshan” (meeting with the people) programme takes him to several villages and towns across Punjab every week. The programme is basically to take the government to the people’s doorsteps and hundreds throng every venue where he stops and listens to problems and suggestions the people want to share with him. 
 
Those close to him say “Badal saab” is always active and alert despite his age. He has been in public life for nearly 70 years now. 
 
“He is quite alert and his memory is far better than most of the much younger people who are around him. He has a mass appeal which no one can match,” an aide told IANS. 
 
Hailing from a simple agricultural background, Badal forayed into politics by getting elected as a sarpanch (village headman) in 1947, the year the country won its Independence. He was first elected to the Punjab assembly in 1957 on a Congress party ticket. After leaving the Congress soon after, Badal ended up opposing the Congress policies and governments — a thing he continues to do even now. 
 Well-known for his witty one-liners and memory of people and events, Badal, who was conferred the <keyword id="15575" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Padma-Vibhushan">Padma Vibhushan</keyword> — the country’s second-highest civilian honour — in 2015 by the Modi government, has always remained centre-stage in Punjab’s politics. 
 
Born December 8, 1927, at Abul Khurana village near Malout in southwest Punjab, he has been Chief Minister five times — 1970-71, 1977-1980, 1997-2002, 2007-2012 and 2012 onwards. He has been in power in Punjab continuously since March 2007. He was briefly a Union minister in 1977 in the Morarji Desai government. 
 
Badal’s wife, Surinder Kaur, died in 2011 of cancer. The couple had two children — son Sukhbir and daughter Preneet. 
 Badal’s close family members are all in the government. Sukhbir Singh Badal, the Akali Dal President and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister, now dominates both party and government affairs. Badal’s daughter-in-law <keyword id="301801" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Harsimrat-Badal">Harsimrat Badal</keyword> is the Union Minister for Food Processing. His son-in-law Adaish Pratap Singh Kairon is a cabinet minister in his government as is Harsimrat’s younger brother, Bikram Singh Majithia.

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