News Analysis India

Tag: Pioneer

  • Impending shake up in MEA: Extension for Shringla, Tirumurti

    Impending shake up in MEA

    Extension for Shringla, Tirumurti

    Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan is abuzz with the possibility of an extension for foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and permanent representative of India to the United Nations, T S Tirumurti. These two top officers of the Ministry for External Affairs (MEA) are set to retire next month. With international relations entering a sensitive phase, there is a possibility of the government favouring continuity over change. However, names of their possible replacement are also being discussed. There are about half-a-dozen senior officers under consideration to replace Shringla. Among these are the ambassador in US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Sanjay Chandra (ambassador in Japan), Vinay Kwatra (Nepal), Jaidee Sarkar (South Africa) and Ruchira Kamboj (Bhutan). One of them may also be picked up as a replacement for Tirumurti. Meanwhile, the government has decided to elevate ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ausaf Sayeed to the rank of secretary. He is likely to take charge in the middle of March and will handle the CPV (Consular, Passport, Visa) division. He will also handle the West Asia and North Africa divisions. Sayeed will replace Sanjay Bhattacharyya who has been appointed as ambassador to Switzerland. With the post of ambassador set to fall vacant in Riyadh, intense lobbying has started. Among the frontrunners are India’s ambassador in Lebanon Suhel Ajaz Khan and Principal Secretary in Madhya Pradesh government Faiz Ahmad Kidwai. Both these officers have served in Riyadh as consul general.

    Media matters

    Sibal, Bhushan jump into Pioneer potboiler

    Battle for the control of Pioneer, the 150-year-old newspaper, has reached the penultimate stage with top lawyers Prashant Bhushan and Kapil Sibal now jumping into the fray. Albeit both are on the same side this time, this tug of war seems to have escalated to a new level altogether. The family of Pioneer’s late oner and editor Chandan Mitra, and the present editor, printer and publisher who had lost the case in NCLT and NCLAT, appealed through two separate petitions in the Supreme Court before the bench of Justice Nageswara Rao, which granted them ex-parte stay. The newspaper has been facing acute shortage of funds for the last few years. It has huge accumulated dues. Payments are pending towards employees, suppliers, franchisees, IT department, Noida authority, and many others. The paper was taken to court by its editorial director Amit Goel for non-payment of dues by way of salaries and unsecured loans. NCLT ruled in favour of Goel on January 19, 2021 and appointed a Resolution Professional. The Mitras and their Printer & Publisher Narender Kumar appealed against the NCLT order in NCLAT. NCLAT again ruled in Goel’s favour dismissing the appeal in December 2021. The entry of Sibal for the Mitras is interesting as it shows his interest in media hasn’t died down.

    Back to Booze-ness

    Ponty’s son may enter liquor business

    One of the most abiding rags-to-riches stories in Delhi-NCR is that of Gurdeep Singh Chadha, better known as Ponty Chadha. The Sardar who came out of nowhere dominated the liquor distribution business in north India and built malls and multiplexes and a real estate empire worth thousands of crores of rupees. His untimely death thrust the mantle on his young son Manpreet Chadha (a.k.a Monty Chadha) and brother Rajinder Chadha (a.k.a Raju Chadha). The two soon parted ways and divided the empire between themselves, with Raju getting film and liquor businesses and Monty taking over real estate, malls and multiplexes. But with the real estate business collapsing and Covid destroying malls and multiplexes, Monty is said to be looking at entering the group’s original money spinner – the liquor business. Insiders say Ajay Bijli’s PVR group is all set to buy Monty Chadha’s multiplexes which run over three dozen screens under the Wave brand. The proceeds of the sale would most likely be used to set up a liquor business. The decision would pit him directly against uncle Raju as both share contacts built by late Ponty Chadha.

  • DMF brings new light to the lives of mining affected people in Chhattisgarh

    The state of Chhattisgarh holds the leading position in the country in terms of mineral resources. While production of minerals leads to development of the area through mineral based industries, new employment opportunities also arise. The government is ensuring the participation of mining lease holders for the interests and welfare of the people living in the area affected by the mining operations. For this, provision was made in the previous government to constitute the District Mineral Trust in the Minerals Act. However, many shortcomings in this provision were being felt by experts as participation of public representatives was not being ensured. In addition, the participation of local people was also minimal. Furthermore, the funds were not being properly utilized for the welfare of directly affected people. In simple words, the needy were not benefiting from the allocated funds. Several other similar deficiencies in the preceding provision were also noticed.
    To address these shortcomings, and to provide appropriate benefits to the affected local people in the fields of health, education, environment and sanitation, the State Government has made several important reforms in the old provision.

  • Anju Bobby George, the long jump pioneer, competed with one kidney

    Remember the giant leap of Indian athletics at the Paris World Championships in 2003? After opening with 6.61m, Anju Bobby George, then 26, went on to win the long jump bronze with a season’s best of 6.70m to become the first and only Indian to climb the podium at a World athletics meet.
    Seventeen years later, Anju took to twitter to reveal one of the best-kept secrets: she competed all through her career with just one kidney!
    “Believe it or not, I’m one of the fortunate, among the very few who reached the world top with a single KIDNEY, allergic to even a painkiller, with a dead take-off leg.. Many limitations. still made it. Can we call, magic of a coach or his talent (sic),” Anju tweeted.

  • US House Passes Bill To Decriminalise Cannabis In Historic Vote

    In a pioneering move, US Congress, on December 4, voted to decriminalize cannabis. If passed by both the houses, the bill would remove marijuana from the list of dangerous narcotic substances listed under the Federal Controlled Substances Act. In addendum, it also eliminates criminal penalties for any individual who manufactures, distributes, or possesses marijuana. Cannabis is used by over 94 million people across the American territory and has been a long drawn subject of discussion in the American parliament.  

    Formally known as ‘Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act’, or MORE Act, the bill was easily passed in the House of Representative by 228 votes to 164 votes. While six Democrats voted against the bill, an independent member and five Republican voted in its favour. However, experts predict that it stands little chance to win a majority in Senate which is controlled by Republicans.