Authorities in Chhattisgarh have uncovered illegal opium cultivation, leading to seizures and political accusations. The discovery follows a previous incident involving a BJP leader, raising questions about the state government's role.
A BJP Kisan Morcha leader and two others have been arrested in Chhattisgarh for allegedly cultivating opium worth Rs 8 crore in a maize field. The illegal cultivation was discovered on farmland between Samoda, Jhenjhari, and Sirsa villages.
Authorities in Chhattisgarh's Durg district demolished an illegally constructed shop belonging to the brother of a suspended BJP leader arrested in connection with opium cultivation.
The Chhattisgarh assembly was disrupted by Congress protests over alleged illegal opium cultivation on a BJP functionary's farm, leading to the suspension of several MLAs.
A BJP Kisan Morcha leader has been detained for questioning in connection with the alleged cultivation of illegal opium on a farm in Durg district, Chhattisgarh. The leader has been suspended from the party amid the controversy.
Police in Jaipur arrested a man after discovering 363 opium plants illegally cultivated in his field, concealed among an onion crop.
A delegation of a Meitei civil society group from Manipur has conveyed its concerns to the Centre over an incident where the state's name written on a bus windshield was covered with white paper. The group, Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), expressed its commitment to peace and its willingness to cooperate in efforts to restore normalcy. They also raised concerns over the growing threats posed by narco-terrorism, cross border illegal immigration, and widespread illegal opium cultivation in the state.
The central government has for the first time allowed a private company, Bajaj Healthcare, to process opium to extract alkaloids used to make pain-killers, cough syrups, and even cancer drugs. Two government factories in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, and Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh, do the work yet, processing some 800 tonnes of opium gum annually to extract alkaloids. The government on Tuesday gave Thane-based Bajaj Healthcare an initial contract to process 500 tonnes of opium gum annually and wants production to be at 800 tonnes per annum (tpa) in the next five years, indicating the state's exit from the highly-regulated sector.
The US spent $1.5 million a day since 2001 fighting the opium war in Afghanistan. After hundreds of airstrikes failed to curtail the Taliban's $200-million-a-year opium trade, the US military quietly ended the campaign when the Trump administration officials engaged in direct peace talks with the Taliban, notes Atanu Biswas.
Facing protests from a section of the Rajput community over Union Minister Parshottam Rupala's remarks, the Bharatiya Janata Party in Rajasthan's Chittorgarh -- a Rajput-dominated seat -- is hoping that the 'Modi factor' and the development work undertaken by his government will help it retain the Lok Sabha constituency.
The Meitei group Arambai Tenggol surrendered 246 firearms to security forces in Manipur, bringing the total number of weapons surrendered to 307. The surrender follows a deadline set by Governor Ajay Bhalla for the return of illegal weapons. Arambai Tenggol's decision was influenced by assurances from the governor, including the eradication of opium poppy cultivation, implementation of border fencing, and a general amnesty for members of the group. Officials believe the surrender will contribute to restoring peace in the state, which has been rocked by ethnic violence for nearly two years. The police have urged others in possession of illegal firearms to surrender them before the deadline. Former Chief Minister N Biren Singh welcomed the surrender, calling it a "big step towards peace."
Rajkummar Rao and Adarsh Gourav get into the nutty mode easily and carry off the dark comedy without overacting, while Dulquer Salmaan looks bored, observes Deepa Gahlot.
The appointment of Col (retired) Nectar Sanjenbam for five years followed Union Home Minister Amit Shah statement last month that Kuki people started entering Manipur from Myanmar illegally following a military crackdown on militants.
"We have raided and destroyed poppy crops in 24 acres of land under the Imamganj police station," Omprakash Singh, a senior official of the Excise Department, told rediff.com. Singh said the Maoist had cultivated opium to make money for their illegal activities and continue their operations against the police.
In fact, the Taliban apparently collects about 10 per cent as cultivation tax from opium farmers and 15 per cent as heroin tax from laboratories and smugglers that smuggle narcotics into Pakistan. This, by itself, is a revenue stream estimated at USD 250-300 million.
The seizure of liquor has been a matter of concern for the EC since it apprehends that the liquor might be used to influence the voters.
India also called for crippling the illicit drug trade which provides financial sustenance to these terror outfits.
India's Muslims need to assert their educational and economic upliftment and political empowerment rather than be provoked by communal remarks, says Mohammad Sajjad, reflecting on the Malda riot.
'Pakistan's trump card is that it is the only credible guarantor on the horizon who can reasonably assure the Western world that Afghanistan will not again become the revolving door for international terrorism.' 'Trust Pakistan to play this card optimally,' explains Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The Bombay Hemp Company offers goods fashioned out of hemp, the lesser known cousin of ganja.
The 8-member team headed by Manjit Singh GK, president, DSGMC, met Eileen O' Connor, deputy assistant secretary.
Chouhan met some farmer leaders on Saturday, but failed to reach a compromise.
Bharati Dutt witnessed life-changing events that shaped India on the threshold of freedom. Her memories are an account of how ordinary Indians saw India change.
'It was the Mughals who first established standard units of measurement and maintained offices of meticulous record keepers and auditors, departing from the more haphazard methods of earlier regimes.' 'By the end of the 16th century, their revenue and judicial administrations exhibited an obsessive preoccupation with order, the efficient management of time, and a spirit of rational self-control -- all of them characteristics of early modernity,' point out Sheldon Pollock and Benjamin Ellman.
One mega success and the industry would be knocking on his door, camps be damned.
'People are tense. The morale of the perpetrators of the Kaliachak attack is very high.' 'People there fear that if the arsonists there could burn the police station today, they can burn the courts tomorrow; they will burn the collectorate.'
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