Modi to launch Stand Up India today, security tightened in Noida

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Tuesday launch the Stand Up India initiative at Noida.

The initiative will promote entrepreneurship among the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and women, by facilitating loans in the range of Rs 10 lakh to Rs 100 lakh, an official statement said.

As per the scheme, each branch of a scheduled commercial bank shall facilitate at least two such loans. A web portal will also be launched for the initiative, to enable online registration and support services.

Modi will also flag-off 5,100 e-rickshaws and also interact with the beneficiaries, besides inaugurating a Kaushal Vikas Kendra (skilling centre).

Elaborate security arrangements have been made by the police ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to neighbouring Noida to distribute e-rickshaw and inaugurate a micro credit programme, a senior police official said.

Apart from keeping an extra vigil in the bordering area and entry points, Ghaziabad police has enforced Operation Green under which no vehicle will be permitted to ply in the area, he said.

District borders touching Delhi and Noida will be sealed completely till the PM’s programme concludes, said Superintendent of Police (City) Salman Taj Patil. Apart from it, police personnel will be deployed on PCR vans and ‘Leopard’ motorcycle to keep a vigil in the area.

Four Deputy Superintendents of Police, seven inspectors, 30 sub-inspectors, 40 HCP (head constable promoted) and 300 constables have been sent to Noida from Ghaziabad for PM Visit duty, he added.

He said Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik, who will also attend the function, will arrive here by helicopter which will land at CISF ground in Indira Puram. Following which, he will travel by car to Noida, the officer added.

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Lahore Easter blast: Taliban suicide bomber targeting Christians kills 69, injures 250

Lahore: A powerful blast ripped through a public park in Lahore where Christian families were celebrating Easter on Sunday, killing 69 people and wounding over 250, mostly women and children.

The blast, apparently caused by a suicide bomber, occurred in a parking lot at Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, one of the largest parks in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, said Haider Ashraf, a senior police official here.

"Some 65-70 people have been killed, included women and children, and over 250 were injured," an Edhi spokesperson told IANS.

The splinter group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack and said it deliberately targeted Christians on Easter Sunday.

"We claim responsibility for the attack on Christians as they were celebrating Easter," a spokesperson for the terrorist group was quoted by the Telegraph as saying.

"It was part of our annual martyrdom attacks we have started this year," he said and warned that more attacks would follow.

"We had been waiting for this occasion... we want to convey... to the prime minister that we we have arrived in Punjab and we will reach you," it added.

The 67-acre park is frequented both by residents and visitors to the city, and is popular with families. It has walking paths as well as rides for children.

"It was a soft target. Innocent women and children and visitors from other cities have been targeted," Ashraf said. "Apparently, it seems like a suicide attack."

The explosion coincided with violence in other parts of the country as hundreds of protesters took to the streets to condemn the 29 February execution of Mumtaz Qadri, who had killed Salman Taseer, a governor who campaigned for changes in the country's blasphemy laws, in January 2011.

Sunday was the 40th day since Qadri's execution, a mourning observance called chehlum in Pakistan, and drew his supporters into the streets of a number of cities, including Rawalpindi, one of the country's largest urban areas.

Taseer had tried to soften the blasphemy laws, which he said had been used to persecute religious minorities. But to many in Pakistan, the idea of altering the blasphemy laws was itself criminal, and to his supporters Qadri has become a revered figure.

Protesters clashed throughout the day with police in Islamabad, marching on the main avenues of the city and trying to force their way into the Red Zone, a high-security area that includes the parliament building, the Supreme Court and many diplomatic missions.

Police used tear gas to disperse the protesters, but appeared to be overwhelmed by their numbers. The protesters said they planned to hold a sit-in on Sunday night in front of the parliament building. Army was called in to secure government buildings.

A state of emergency was imposed on hospitals in Lahore after the blast. Television footage showed rescue workers and ambulances rushing to the park and ferrying victims to hospitals.

Distraught relatives milled about in hospital corridors as the wounded were treated.

"There was no prior intelligence report about the attack," Muhammad Usman, the district coordination officer in Lahore, told reporters.

Usman rebutted some reports that Christians were targeted in the blast. "The park belongs to all," he was quoted as saying.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced a three-day mourning in the province.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi telephoned his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif and expressed his grief over the blast.

"The coward terrorists attacked children and women," Modi said.

"It's condemnable to attack innocent children and women. We are with the Pakistani nation at the time of this grief movement," Express News quoted Modi as saying.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf leader Imran Khan strongly condemned the blast. "Strongly condemn the terror attack in Lahore in which our innocent citizens including women & children lost their lives."

The US condemned as "cowardly" the suicide attack, vowing to work with Pakistan to defeat those sowing terror in the country.

"The United States condemns in the strongest terms today's appalling terrorist attack in Lahore, Pakistan," National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a White House statement.

British Prime Minister David Cameron also expressed shock over the deadly attack and expressed his desire to give all possible support in the hour of grief.

Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation of 190 million people, is plagued by a Taliban insurgency, criminal gangs and sectarian violence. Punjab is its biggest and wealthiest province but has traditionally been more peaceful than other parts of Pakistan.

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Sri Sri extravaganza: Ravi Shankar says Modi attending, NGT threatens to revoke permission if Rs 5 cr fine is not paid

He also said that it was not a wrong decision on their part to organise the event on the banks of Yamuna.

The controversy surrounding the National Green Tribunal is threatening to blow up with the National Green Tribunal telling the Art of Living foundation that if they don’t pay a fine of Rs 5,00,00,000 by 4 PM, it will revoke the clearance for the event. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar however refused to accept the report saying that a three-team delegation couldn’t gauge environmental damage in half an hour. He added that PM Modi was coming to the event and that President (who dropped out) had sent a letter wishing them.

Earlier, in an interview with NDTV, he said his organisation would appeal the fine in court and he’d rather got to jail than pay the amount. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has refused to entertain a plea seeking a stay on the World Cultural Festival of AOL.

Sri Sri says Modi is coming

Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Thursday confirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be attending the three-day ‘World Culture Festival’ being organised by the Art of Living Foundation beginning on Friday.

Talking to ANI, he said that Prime Minister Modi would be attending the event and added that he has received a letter from President Pranab Mukherjee wishing good luck. Asserting that the Art of Living has very high grounds, he said that the organisation would contest the fine of Rs. five crore imposed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ahead of the mega festival on the banks of the River Yamuna in Delhi amid environmental concerns. ‘We have very high grounds and we will contest on that,’ Sri Sri told ANI. The 59-year-old also said that it was not a wrong decision on their part to organise the event on the banks of Yamuna.

‘We went there and cleaned the place. The smell that used to come from that place is not coming anymore so much as it used to. So, we are for environment. And I appeal to all the environmentalists, let us all together make this a beautiful place. This cultural festival for few days is not going to damage and is not damaging the Yamuna,’ he added.

Speaking on the report sent by three individual specialists on the three-day World Culture Festival, he said, ‘We won't accept the report given by three people, who went there for half-an-hour. They should tell us what damage has been done. They should be sent again and they should tell us the extent of damage. They should tell us what was there before the construction.’

The NGT gave its consent for the event, but imposed a penalty of Rs. five crore on the Art of Living foundation for damaging the environment. A bench headed by NGT chairperson Swantanter Kumar yesterday asked Ministry of Environment and Forests to file an affidavit and spell out why no environmental clearance is needed for raising temporary structures.

The direction came after the counsel appearing for the Ministry of Environment and Forests said that they have found no debris when an expert team visited the site. The counsel added that as per Environment Impact Assessment notification 2006, no environment clearance is needed for temporary structures

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Live: JNU row, Rohith Vemula case to be discussed today

Modi asks NDA constituents to remain aggressive in the face of the Opposition’s attack on the govt.’s handling of the JNU issue

A discussion on higher education institutions, dealing with the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula and the JNU sedition case, is expected to happen today, where the first showdown between the government and the Opposition is expected to take place.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday exhorted his party and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) constituents to remain united and aggressive in the face of the Opposition’s attack on the government’s handling of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) issue, terming it an attempt to “distract” the government.

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India, Nepal sign nine agreements

India and Nepal on Saturday signed nine agreements following delegation-level talks led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart K.P. Sharma Oli. 

"India and Nepal exchange nine agreements for partnership and progress," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted. 

These include agreements on utilisation of Indian grant of $250 million for post-earthquake reconstruction, improving of road infrasxtructure in Nepal's Terai area, cultural cooperation, transit between Nepal and Bagladesh through Kakarbitta-Banglabandh corridor, operationalisation of Vishakapatnam port and rail transport to and from Vishakapatnam. 

The visit of Oli, who arrived here on Friday, is the first bilateral visit by a prime minister from the Himalayan nation since 2011 when Baburam Bhattarai visited India. 

In 2014, then prime minister Sushil Koirala visited India for the swearing-in ceremony of the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance ( NDA) government. 

In August 2014, Modi paid a bilateral visit to Nepal, the first by an Indian prime minister in 17 years. 

Modi again went in November 2014 for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit in Kathmandu. 

Earlier on Saturday, Oli was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, where he inspected a guard of honour. 

Following this, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on the visiting dignitary. 

During the meeting, Oli told Sushma Swaraj that India and Nepal have a natural and civilisational relationship, according to Swarup. 

Oli's visit assumes significance as ties between the two South Asian neighbours in the last few months soured after the adoption of a new constitution in the Himalayan nation sparked violent protests in the country's southern plains. 

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JNU row: Rahul Gandhi says Modi government 'terrified of weak Indian people who raise their voice' Modi and Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi, hit out at the Modi government as he spoke in JNU and accused the government of being anti-national. He was quoted saying by ANI: "They are terrified of weak Indian people raising their voice. They do not understand that by crushing you they are making you stronger. People who showed black flag on my face, I feel proud that in my country they have the right to show black flag in front of my face."

He added: "You must question them at every single step. Question yourselves also. Look inside yourselves & question yourselves. Later, a Minister turns around and says he was not even a Dalit. Sushma Swarajji nobody askd whether he ws Dalit or nt,ques is why wasn't Indian students allowed to say &fight for what he believes

When we fought the British, we fought them for our land and we fought them for our voice I came here to tell you, there are more than billion people in country who believe what you believe in & standing right behind you. The most important thing we have is the voice of our people."

He was also quoted saying: "What is anti-national? Most anti-national people are those suppressing the voice of students in JNU."

Earlier, the Congress hit back in the JNU row, accusing the Narendra Modi government of being anti-JNU and targetting Left and progressive forces. "This govt is anti-JNU & wants to shut down the Univ. They're using this as a trigger to target Left-liberal & progressive forces," Congress spokesman Manish Tewari tweeted. In an apparent reference to the arrest of JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar, Tewari said, "Law of sedition is very clear & they'll never be able to substantiate charges under the sedition law."

Tiwari insisted that "freedom of speech and expression is circumscribed by reasonable restriction". Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders who have criticised the arrest of the JNU student leader, BJP had earlier alleged that they were speaking in the voice of terror outfit LeT which was an "insult" to the martyrs and would boost the morale of anti-national forces.

ABVP members at JNU didn't take too kindly to Rahul Gandhi's visit as they waved black flags at the Congress VP. They also shouted: "Rahul Gandhi go back." Earlier, Rahul Gandhi added his voice to the debate saying that while 'anti-India sentiment is unacceptable, debate is part of a democracy.

He said: "While Anti-India sentiment is unquestionably unacceptable, the right to dissent & debate is an essential ingredient of democracy. Modi Govt & ABVP bullying an institution like JNU simply because it won't toe their line is completely condemnable."

Agitated over the arrest of JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar in a case of sedition over an Afzal Guru event in the varsity, the students and teachers condemned the action against Kumar as "uncalled" for. Alleging that the students are being "witch-hunted" and police is targeting them mindlessly, the students continued with their protests outside the Vice Chancellor's office demanding the administration's intervention into the manner in which students are being compared to "terrorists" and picked up from campus by policemen in plain clothes. The students also claimed that their parents are asking them to quit the university in view of the "vitiating atmosphere" at Jawaharlal Nehru University(JNU).

"The police is mindlessly patrolling the campus and the students are being witch-hunted and demonised for doing nothing. What is the proof that Kanhaiya was there among those raising anti-India slogans? Has he been spotted in any picture or video? Why are all JNU students being given 'anti-national' certificates. We condemn the arrest," said JNUSU vice president Shehla Rashid Shora.

A member of the All India Students Association (AISA) said, "Why is the administration not protecting students against this selective targeting by ABVP. Why police have been given such a free hand to rashly pick students from campus? Why were the cops not uniformed? If there has to be an inquiry, why no protocols are being followed?" Shivani Behl, a student at varsity's School of Social Sciences said, "my parents today asked me to quit the university and go back to my hometown in Bihar as the varsity's atmosphere was very vitiating". JNU Teacher's Association (JNUTA) issued a statement terming the "excessive police action" as an attack on the varsity which is known for its democratic ethos.

"The JNU teaching community is extremely concerned at threat to democratic ethos, which has played a critical role in assuring that university serves its social function and secure its position as one of the premier institution of higher education," it said. President Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested in a sedition case over an event at the varsity's campus against hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, sparking massive outrage among students and criticism from non-BJP parties which dubbed it as an "emergency-like" situation. Meanwhile, after receiving an interim report from its disciplinary committee probing the involvement of the students at the event, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) debarred eight students from academic activities pending a disciplinary enquiry.

Earlier in the day, Union Ministers Smriti Irani and Rajnath Singh had advocated strong action against those who were involved in the alleged "anti-India" act even as the students continued with their protests on the campus for the third day, saying they are being "witch-hunted". The students said their parents are asking them to quit the university in view of the "vitiated atmosphere" at the varsity.

The arrest of Kanhaiya, a day after police filed a sedition and criminal conspiracy case on complaints from BJP MP Maheish Girri and ABVP members, was later remanded in three-day police custody by a local court. After the arrest, the varsity students and teachers protested outside the Vice Chancellor's office demanding the administration's intervention into the manner in which students are being compared to "terrorists" and picked up from campus by policemen in plain clothes during alleged raids.

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David Headley Revelations: BJP wants Sonia and Rahul to apologise for trying to 'fix' Modi

Leading the attack on opposition leaders for trying to 'fool the people', Home Minister Rajnath Singh led the clarion call for the Congress and other parties to apologise. He told ANI: "You must have heard what David Headley has just said in Court, that Ishrat Jahan was a suicide bomber. Ishrat Jahan regarding whom so many accusations were cast on our leaders. Tell me, will the accusing political parties now apologise to the nation for trying to fool the people?"He also asserted that the revelations made by David Coleman Headley before a Mumbai special court has exposed Pakistan, adding that New Delhi would still prefer cordial relations with Islamabad. "I think Pakistan has been exposed. Even then, we would like to have a very cordial relationship with Pakistan," Singh told the media.

Deposing from an undisclosed location in the US, Headley had so far told the special court that the ISI was helping different terror outfits in Pakistan and was providing financial, military and moral support. Headley, who had conducted recce of the places in Mumbai which were attacked by 10 LeT terrorists on November 26, 2008, also revealed that the outfit had initially planned to attack a conference of Indian defence scientists in Taj Mahal Hotel.

He also said he had also conducted a recce of the famous Siddhivinayak Temple and Naval Air Station on directions of LeT commanders

Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley's deposition that Ishrat Jahan, who was killed in an encounter in Gujarat in 2004, was an LeT operative led to a political slugfest with BJP demanding that the Congress leadership should apologise for "targeting Narendra Modi over her killing at the cost of national security". BJP accused Congress of politicising the encounter as part of its "hate politics" against Modi, then Gujarat chief minister, and said if its chief Sonia Gandhi and her deputy Rahul Gandhi had any "shame" left, then they must apologise to the nation.

Police personnel who fought terrorists risking their lives were put behind bars by the then UPA government and security agencies like CBI and IB were politicised, party secretary Shrikant Sharma alleged, saying it was done to "defame and fix" Modi as part of a "political conspiracy".

"Headley's deposition that she was a LeT's suicide bomber has unmasked those who do politics over terrorism. We do not expect any morality from Congress. But if Sonia and her son Rahul Gandhi, who is a champion in politics of conspiracy, have any shame left, then they must apologise to the nation.

"They should apologise to the police personnel' families who had to suffer after they were put in jail for killing these terrorists in encounter. Congress and its allies linked terrorists with religion to mask their corrupt governance," he told a press conference.

Congress sought to dismiss BJP demands for an apology in the wake of David Headley's claims that Ishrat Jahan was an LeT operative, insisting that the "fundamental question" was whether she and her accomplices were killed in fake encounter.

Sharma also cited comments of Congress leaders questioning the Batla House encounter and their allusion to RSS hand in 26/11 Mumbai attack to attack the opposition party. "It has become clear that Congress played with national security. It is height of hate politics," he said.

Immediately after Headley's testimony, a battery of BJP leaders swung into action to attack Congress, claiming that its leaders dubbed Ishrat as a "martyr" only to "fix" Modi.

BJP cited a number of developments during the UPA's tenure, including "contradictory" affidavits filed in court over Ishrat case and NIA's reported decision to omit Headley's statement to it in which he allegedly said that she was an LeT terrorist, to argue that Congress used her killing to target Modi and Amit Shah, then a Gujarat minister and now party chief. Somebody had stated she was a college-going girl and somebody else said she was a martyr and all these people have been unmasked now, Sharma said.

It is clear that she and her associates were on a mission to kill Modi and attack religious places, he claimed.

BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain attacked the "secular brigade" and took a dig at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for using Ishrat's killing as an issue during then Bihar polls by terming her a 'Bihar ki beti'. Another party spokesperson, Nalin Kohli noted that LeT had portrayed her as a "martyr" on its website but "government agencies at that time were put at war with each other and attempts were made at fixing individuals... instead of finding the truth".

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With 75 Warships, Indian Navy Shows Off Strength At Biggest-Ever Event

President Pranab Mukherjee today inspected ships from 50 countries at the Navy's biggest-ever event off the coast of Andhra Pradesh. India alone paraded 75 warships for the ceremonial inspection at the International Fleet Review designed to display naval might and prowess. 24 international warships also took part. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar also accompanied President Mukherjee, the supreme commander of the armed forces, on board the Presidential Yacht 'INS Sumitra' as he reviewed the fleet.

Speaking after reviewing the fleet, President Mukherjee said the event has brought together navies from across the globe, signifying "our common desire to use the seas to promote peace, cooperation and friendship."

The second edition of the International Fleet Review kicked off on Thursday. The five-day event has brought together 50 countries, 99 ships, 24 foreign warships and 4,000 sailors.

With the President and PM on board, the 'INS Sumitra' sailed through a display of ships at the anchorage off Visakhapatnam. The President also reviewed the Indian naval air arm's spectacular fly-past, comprising of 15 formations of 45 aircraft.

In the final stage of the review, a mobile column of warships and submarines streamed past the Presidential Yacht. This display showcased the latest acquisitions of the Indian Navy.

The list of participating navies includes the US, China, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Canada, Russia, South Africa, Japan, South Korea, Peru, Chile, Colombia and Brazil.

The event was surrounded by grave security concerns, partly because of the deadly terror attack last month at the Pathankot air force base in Punjab, where seven military personnel were killed.

Sources in the Navy said a special concern was the threat of asymmetric warfare - the danger of a terror attack launched from small, fast boats.

The Navy had formed an elaborate matrix of defense with submarines, maritime reconnaissance aircraft and fast interceptor boats armed with heavy machine guns.

The first edition of the event was held off Mumbai in 2001. 29 countries had participated then.

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