Top stories on November 12 in a capsule
PM Modi launches first multi-modal terminal in Ganga river
In a first for the gigantic Ganga river, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated a multi-modal terminal connecting the river to Varanasi under the Central government’s Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP). Built at a cost of Rs 206 crores, the terminal has a capacity of 1.26 metric tonnes per annum and will ease the movement of large vessels along the route. The terminal is a part of three terminals built on the newly built National Waterway-1 which is an inland water transport route between Haldia in West Bengal to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. Furthermore, PM Modi also launched 9 mega projects, including two national highways worth Rs 1,571.95 crore. Earlier in the day, addressing a rally in the poll-bound city of Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh, PM Modi launched a scathing attack on Congress President Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and said he is surprised that the ‘mother-son duo’ are themselves out on bail but are trading guns at him for demonetization.
_________________70% voter turn-out in 1st phase of Chhattisgarh assembly elections
Chhattisgarh witnessed the first phase of assembly elections for 18 constituencies on Monday. Voting began at 7 AM and the voter turn-out, despite Maoist threats, was 70%. Violent incidents were reported from the state as a protest to the elections by Maoists. Minutes before polling began, an improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated in Dantewada district by Naxals, who had called for a boycott of the polls. In another incident, five CRPF personnel were injured in a gun battle with the rebels in Pamed area in Bijapur district. Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh Congress Vice President Ghanaram Sahu resigned from the party just hours before polling and joined the BJP in presence of Party President Amit Shah.
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IMD issues 'Cyclone Gaja' alert for south India
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday issued warning for the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh on the onset of 'Cyclone Gaja' as it is expected to hit Chennai on November 15. “Heavy to very heavy rain at a few places with extremely heavy rain at isolated places likely over north Tamil Nadu &; Puducherry, heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places over South Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema and south Tamil Nadu and heavy rain at isolated places over Kerala,” an official statement from the central weather forecasting body said. As per news reports, Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan met members of natural disaster management and rescue operations to prepare for the landfall.
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Centre submits affidavit on Rafale to SC, says followed all procedure
The Central government on Monday submitted its affidavit on the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France to Supreme Court while defending its actions saying the deal-making process had gone about for a year. In a nine-page long affidavit, the government emphasized that they followed all guidelines under the ‘Defence Procurement Procedure’ of 2013 and held 74 meetings with the French government over the same. The Centre also stressed that the deal between French aviation company, Dassault and its Indian offset partner was a completely independent decision. The pricing of the aircraft, however, was submitted in a sealed cover. The top court on October 31 had asked the Centre to provide details of the deal after three petitioners moved against the NDA government’s decision.
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Twitter CEO meets Rahul Gandhi, discuss steps to curb fake news
CEO and co-founder of microblogging site Twitter, Jack Dorsey on Monday met Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Delhi and discussed steps to curb fake news. Posting pictures of their meeting on social media platforms, Gandhi said, “Twitter has grown into the most dominant ‘conversation’ platform globally. Jack explained some of the steps being taken to keep those conversations healthy and measures being taken to tackle the menace of fake news.” Dorsey who is visiting India for the first time is also scheduled to meet Union Minister of IT and Broadcasting, Ravi Shankar Prasad ahead of the crucial Assembly polls in 5 states and the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.
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Senior Air India pilot suspended for 3 years for failing alcohol test
Senior Air India pilot Arvind Kathpalia who failed a pre-flight breathalyser test on Sunday has been barred from flying for three years by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday. Captain Arvind Kathpalia, who is also the Director of Operations at Air India and has also flown former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the past, was found to have an unacceptably high blood alcohol content shortly before his flight from New Delhi to London. This is the second time that he has failed the breathalyser test, he was grounded for three months for skipping the test before a flight in January 2017. Meanwhile, in a separate incident, another Air India flight was forced to return to Delhi 30 minutes after take off as the co-pilot allegedly missed his breathalyser test on Monday.
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