Breaking Updates: RBI Guv reiterates reservations on Crypto, Kartarpur Corridor to reopen

Buddhist temples across Vietnam will ring bells, light candles, burn incense and pray for those who have lost their lives as a result of COVID-19 at 8 pm this Friday on November 19. The Executive Council of the Vietnamese Buddhist Sangha (VBS) made the request. The standing board also requested that VBS chapters in provinces and centrally-run cities organise requiems for COVID-19 fatalities in accordance with pandemic prevention laws and based on local conditions.

In a super-exclusive report on the Amravati violence, Republic Media Network has established that hate was amplified on both sides of the slugfest. The alleged Tripura violence was used as a tool of communalisation. 

RBI governor Shaktikanta Das on Tuesday exhorted his disapproval of the legalisation of cryptocurrency in India by conveying that the online currency has ‘far deeper issues’. The RBI governor has expressed his concerns for the second time in a week when the central government is looking forward to making measures to regularise it.

In the latest move that would further enhance the capabilities of India’s LCA Tejas fighter aircraft, the Indian Air Force has ordered ‘HAMMER’ missiles from France. The latest addition would allow IAF’s Tejas to take out any hardened bunkers or ground targets at stand-off ranges of more than 70 kilometres. As per ANI report, the capability enhancement of LCA Tejas fighter aircraft is being done amid the military stand-off with China using the emergency procurement power granted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to the country’s defence forces. 

The air quality in the national capital deteriorated to the severe category on Tuesday and the Delhi government suggested implementing work from home policy in Delhi-NCR and closing down industries as part of measures to deal with the pollution crisis during a meeting with other northern states.

The Supreme Court, which had instructed the Commission For Air Quality Management to hold the joint meeting regarding the pollution levels in Delhi, will hear the matter on Wednesday.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President JP Nadda met with Subhash Chhabra, the Former President of the District Bar Association who was imprisoned during the Emergency, at his home in Uttarakhand's Rudrapur district on Tuesday. Others in attendance included Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, state BJP chief Madan Kaushik, and others.

The Centre's decision to reopen the Kartarpur corridor from November 17 met with praise from several political factions, with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Congress, and Aam Aadmi Party welcoming the move. SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal and senior party member Manjinder Singh Sirsa expressed their happiness over the resolution taken by the government. On the other hand, the Punjab Congress Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu called it an 'invaluable gift for devotees of Guru Nanak Dev. 

Rejecting allegations of a TMC MLA who said BSF troops touched women "inappropriately" during frisking, a senior officer of the border force said the charges were utterly baseless.

During a discussion on Tuesday in the West Bengal Assembly on a resolution opposing the Centre's decision to extend the territorial jurisdiction of the force, MLA Udayan Guha spoke about the "atrocities let loose by the BSF on people living in the border areas".

In a breaking update, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede on Tuesday met Mumbai Commissioner of Police Hemant Nagrale. As per sources, the meeting went on for 25 minutes.

Indian fisherman who had been imprisoned in Pakistan for four years expressed their joy upon returning home. They praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for providing financial assistance to their families while they were detained.

At least 20 Indian fishermen were released from Karachi jail after serving their sentences. According to Pakistani media, several of those released from Landhi District Jail in Malir, Karachi, were caught four years ago and condemned to prison. All 20 fishermen arrived in India on November 15 via the Attari-Wagah border.

Numerous macro indicators suggest that the economic recovery is now taking hold after the beating it has taken during the pandemic, but for growth to be sustainable and reach its potential, private capital investment has to resume, the Reserve Bank Governor said on Tuesday.

Medium transport aircraft An-32 landed on the 3.2-km long airstrip of Purvanchal Expressway

First Mirage 2000 which landed for the TRS takes off at Purvanchal Expressway

Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnessed multiple landings and takeoffs of IAF fighter jets. 

IAF fighter planes Mirage 2000 and Su-30MKI aircraft are set to perform several takeoffs and landings as part of the inaugural ceremony of the Purvanchal Expressway on Tuesday afternoon. The expressway was unveiled by PM Modi and dedicated to the nation earlier today. 

Addressing the public after inaugurating the Purvanchal Expressway in Sultanpur, PM Modi hailed the development initiatives by the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government. PM Modi cornered the former Congress, SP, and BSP governments over 'poor' development, law, and order. 

In a massive development on Tuesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the PM Modi-led government has decided to reopen the Kartarpur corridor from November 17. This comes a day after a delegation of Punjab BJP leaders met the PM to consider the reopening of the corridor which has been closed since March 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking to Twitter, Shah stated, "The nation is all set to celebrate the Prakash Utsav of Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji on 19th of November and I am sure that PM Narendra Modi government's decision to reopen the Kartarpur Sahib corridor will further boost the joy and happiness across the country". 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the public after inaugurating the 341 km long Purvanchal Expressway, in Sultanpur. He congratulated the state and the Yogi government on the key development. 

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addressed the people of Sultanpur gathered on Tuesday to witness the grand inaugural ceremony of the Purvanchal Expressway. The 340-km long expressway will be unveiled by Prime Minister Modi in a short while. 

PM Modi inaugurated the much-awaited 341 km long Purvanchal Expressway, in Sultanpur on Tuesday, in the presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and dedicated the expressway to the nation. 

Ahead of the Purvanchal Expressway inauguration, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's C-130J Super Hercules has arrived at Karwal Kheri in Sultanpur district. 

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday inaugurated the Health Pavillion at the Trade fair in Pragati Maidan. While inaugurating the campaign, he said, "I am running a cycle campaign in the country. Cycling will bring 'Solution to Pollution'. It's a good way to stay healthy; saves petrol diesel."

With few hours before the inauguration of the most-anticipated Purvanchal Expressway, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav took to Twitter and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party for taking the credit for constructing the expressway. Tweeting in Hindi, he wrote, "The ribbon arrived from Lucknow and the scissors from New Delhi. There is a 'Khichham-Khichai' for taking the credit of the work done by SP."

Amid the recent hooch deaths, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar chaired a high-level review meeting on Tuesday concerning the liquor ban in the state, The meeting came after around 40 people died after consuming hooch, the recent one being from Muzaffarpur. 

In 45 minutes from now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will land in Sultanpur for the much-anticipated inauguration ceremony of the  Purvanchal Expressway. According to the Prime Minister's Office, the inauguration will take place at 1:30 p.m. He will also watch an airshow by the Indian Air Force on the 3.2 km long airstrip built on the Expressway in Sultanpur district to facilitate landing and take-off of Indian Air Force fighter planes in the event of an emergency.

In a major crackdown, CBI is today conducting searches at around 76 locations across India in 14 States/UTs. The CBI has registered 23 separate cases on 14th November  2021 against a total of 83 accused on the allegations related to Online Child Sexual Abuse & Exploitation. These States/UTs include Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, UP, Punjab, Bihar, Odisha, Tamilnadu, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, MP, HP.

Addressing a press briefing after a council meeting that was held on the increasing air pollution in Delhi, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Tuesday that work from home guideline has been issued in the capital. Apart from an extended ban on construction activities, 'red light on, gaadi off' campaign will also be expanded by the government, said Rai.

In a major development, security forces in Jammu & Kashmir have busted a terror hideout in Hyderpora. The forces have now taken down a VOIP-enabled call center that was used by the terrorists for communication. Police CGP confirmed that two terrorists were gunned down during the encounter between terrorists and the security forces here on Tuesday.  

Two terrorists were neutralized in the Hyderpora area of Srinagar after an encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists. The operation is still underway.

The Union Government is set to take a decision on cryptocurrency soon. The decision will be based on the recommendations of the IMC and the legislative proposal. Cryptocurencies are not considered as legal tender or coins in India but the Centremight take a decision about the future of cryptocurrencies soon. This was disclosed in a letter written by Sanju Yadav, Dy. Director (Currency), Ministry of finance to Mr. Girish Bhardwaj who had demanded a ban on cryptocurrency

Former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh urged Prime Minister Modi to open the Kartarpur Corridor before November 19, the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, so that people can pay obeisance at the holy shrine on this sacred occasion.

The Centre is already considering the reopening of the Kartarpur Corridor this week to allow Sikh pilgrims to visit the Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan. The corridor had been closed for over 20 months owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Purvanchal Expressway at Karwal Kheri in Uttar Pradesh's Sultanpur district. A C-130 Hercules plane carrying PM Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is slated to land at the airfield for the ceremony.

The inauguration will take place at 1:30 p.m. PM Modi will also watch an airshow by the Indian Air Force on the 3.2 km long airstrip built on the Expressway in Sultanpur district to facilitate landing and take-off of Indian Air Force fighter planes in the event of an emergency, according to the PMO.

The Purvanchal Expressway begins in village Chaudsarai, district Lucknow, on the Lucknow-Sultanpur route (NH-731) and finishes in hamlet Hydaria, 18 kilometers east of the Uttar Pradesh-Bihar border, on National Highway number 31

The Maharashtra Govt has announced an award of Rs 51 Lakh to the C-60 commando of the Gadchiroli police for neutralizing 26 Maoists including Central Committee Member Milind Teltumbade in the encounter in a massive anti-Maoist operation that took place last week. 

In a major governance reform, sources revealed that all 77 Ministers at the Centre have been divided into eight groups to improve the functioning of the Union government. This decision was reportedly taken after PM Modi chaired 'Chintan Shivirs' (brainstorming sessions) of the Council of Ministers. The sessions, which lasted for nearly five hours each, focused on themes such as Personal Efficiency, Focused Implementation, Ministry Functioning and Stakeholder Engagement, Party Coordination and Effective Communication and Parliamentary practices.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived at the CAG office in Delhi to address an event to mark the first Audit Diwas at the CAG office. He will also unveil the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on the occasion, an official release said on Monday.

Audit Diwas is being celebrated to mark the historic origin of the institution of CAG and the contribution it has made to governance, transparency, and accountability over the past several years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his address at the CAG office on the occasion of the first Audit Diwas in Delhi. Earlier, he unveil the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and paid tributes to the Iron Man of India.

Audit Diwas is being celebrated to mark the historic origin of the institution of CAG and the contribution it has made to governance, transparency, and accountability over the past several years.

Addressing a new press briefing on Tuesday, NCP leader Nawab Malik raised questions over the inaction against Kashiff Khan, who was present on the Cordelia cruise. He claimed that Khan was given a safe passage by NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede in the case. 

An income tax raid was carried out at Akali Dal MLA Manpreet Ayali's Residence, Office, and farmhouse in Ludhiana on Tuesday. The IT Dept is verifying the accounts and documents of the MLA's family. This is not the first time a raid has been carried out at Ayali's house. The reason behind the sudden raid is not known yet. 

In a major incident, the Customs Department reportedly seized two wristwatches worth around Rs 5 crores of Indian cricketer Hardik Pandya. The Customs officers seized the items Sunday night, November 14. Following the incident, Hardik Pandya has now issued a clarification claiming that ‘wrong perceptions’ have been floating on social media.

“I voluntarily went to Mumbai airport customs counter to declare the items brought by me and pay the requisite customs duty. Wrong perceptions have been floating around on social media regarding my declaration to customs at Mumbai airport, and I would like to clarify about what transpired,” Pandya wrote in a statement on his official Twitter handle.

The Mumbai Police is likely to issue a third summons to Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan's manager Pooja Dadlani in the extortion case linked to the Mumbai cruise drugs case in which Aryan Khan was arrested last month. 

Earlier, the Mumbai police SIT had issued a second summons to Pooja Dadlani, but she had evaded it, citing health issues. 

Headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police Milind Khetle, the SIT is investigating the allegations of extortion against Narcotics Control Bureau officials in connection with the Mumbai cruise drug bust case. 

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police is ready in every field for any eventuality at the LAC, said ITBP chief on Tuesday, in a warning to China. While there have been repeated rounds of talks to de-escalate the border situation, the security forces remain prepared even amid the harsh winters. 

BJP MLA Nitesh Rane filed a complaint against the Raza Academy on Tuesday for organising a sit-in protest in Maharashtra's Nanded that escalated into violence. Rane had on Saturday alleged that Raza Academy is a 'terrorist organisation' responsible for "violence and riots in different parts of Maharashtra."

A major scuffle involving stone-pelting was reported in Nashik, Amravati and Nanded districts of Maharashtra on Friday amid the Raza Academy's protests. Two policemen were injured in the incident, informed police.

The BJP leader slammed the state government for keeping mum even as "Raza Academy disrupts and breaks the rules every time."  Rane had demanded that the Maharashtra government ban Raza Academy. Moreover, he threatened to "finish the Raza Academy" if the state government fails to ban them. 

A face-off between the Samajwadi Party and the ruling BJP has emerged on the day of the inauguration of the Purvanchal expressway in Sultanpur. Claiming credit for the construction of the expressway, SP workers staged a symbolic inauguration in Amethi on Tuesday. 

In Basupatti village of Amethi assembly, SP leader Jai Singh Pratap Yadav put slogans at the expressway in support of the Samajwadi Party. SP National President Akhilesh Yadav extended support to the protest by writing a slogan on the road with a candle. 

PM Modi is set to inaugurate the Purvanchal Expressway today. He will be taking IAF's C 130 J Super Hercules aircraft from the National Capital to land on the Emergency Landing Strip constructed on the Expressway.

As the blame game on petrol-diesel prices continues, the Centre clarified that the loss due to the reduction in fuel prices will entirely be borne by the Centre alone. Addressing a press conference on Monday, Finance Secretary TV Somanathan said that the reduction of Rs 5 (in petrol) & Rs 10 (in diesel) has been in the non-sharable portion of excise duty - i.e- not borne by states. He said that the fuel price reduction by the Centre will not result in states revenue loss on account of lower devolution

"The reduction of Rs 5 (in petrol) & Rs 10 (in diesel) has been in the non-sharable portion of excise duty, which means entire loss is borne by Central Govt. There is no loss of devolution to any state govt through a reduction in excise duty," said Somanathan. Currently, 41 per cent of the tax collected is devolved with the states in 14 instalments.

A life-sized bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi, gifted by the Indian government, has been vandalized here in an act Prime Minister Scott Morrison strongly condemned as "disgraceful", triggering shock and disappointment among the Indian-Australian community.

The incident happened hours after Prime Minister Morrison unveiled the statue at the Australian Indian Community Centre in Rowville on Friday along with the Consul General of India Raj Kumar and other Australian leaders as part of a celebration of 75 years of India's Independence, The Age newspaper reported.

It is disgraceful and extremely disappointing to see this level of disrespect, Morrison was quoted as saying in the report on Sunday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden held a virtual meeting on Tuesday, in the backdrop of mounting tensions in the U.S.-China relationship. Both leaders addressed the media after holding talks on a range of issues including Taiwan. 

Xi told Biden the two sides need to improve communication. The two leaders traveled together when both were vice presidents and know each other well.

"I stand ready to work with you, Mr. President, to build consensus, take active steps and move China-U.S. relations forward in a positive direction," said Xi, who called Biden his old friend. 

The White House said Biden will abide by the longstanding U.S. One China policy, which recognizes Beijing but allows informal relations and defense ties with Taipei. Chinese military forces held exercises last week near Taiwan in response to a visit by a U.S. congressional delegation to the island.
 

The Centre on Monday extended for five years the ban imposed on the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), headed by India-born preacher Zakir Naik, currently based in Malaysia. The IRF was first declared an unlawful organization under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967) by the central government on November 17, 2016.

In a notification, the Union Home Ministry said that the IRF has been indulging in activities that are prejudicial to the security of the country and have the potential of disturbing the peace and communal harmony and disrupting the secular fabric of the country.

The Government of India is considering reopening the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor to Pakistan this week, to allow Sikh pilgrims to cross over, more than 20 months after being shut down to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to government sources, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs have cleared the proposal and are waiting for clearance from the Prime Minister's office, with a view to open the route by November 19, the birth anniversary of Sikh Founder Guru Nanak Dev, which is also celebrated as Guru Purab across the country. 

A Mumbai Court is set to pronounce its order on Maharashtra CID's plea seeking to declare former Mumbai Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh as an absconder in relation to the five extortion cases. It is pertinent to point out that three Non-Bailable Warrants have been issued for Param Bir Singh following which the Maharashtra government initiated the procedure to suspend the tainted officer.  

US President Joe Biden opened his virtual summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping from the White House on Monday to hold their much-awaited bilateral talks. The meeting was proposed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the Group of Twenty (G20) Summit while he engaged in an hour-long 'candid conversation' underscoring the importance of maintaining lines of communication to 'responsibly manage' competition between the US and the People's Republic of China (PRC).

PM Modi will be inaugurating the Purvanchal Expressway today, November 16, and will be taking IAF's C 130 J Super Hercules aircraft from the National Capital to land on the Emergency Landing Strip constructed on the Purvanchal Expressway. The landing will be followed by a display of IAF's Fighter Aircrafts.

Two Jaguars, Two Su 30, Two Mirage Fighter jets will also touch down the Emergency Landing Strip after the inauguration. The Surya Kiran Aerobatic team will perform on the occasion. There will be two C 130 J aircraft, landing on the Expressway, including the one in which PM will be traveling. The rehearsal of the fighter aircraft was conducted early in the morning and was also conducted yesterday.