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File photo of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis

The four-day long festival to be held at Warud is being jointly organised by Maharashtra government and ‘Krishimitra Events’, an official release said.

State Agriculture Minister Eknath Khadse, Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Hansraj Ahir and others will be present on the occasion.

Nagpur-based orange grower Dhiraj Junghare and scientist SAMH Naqvi will be awarded Mohanrao Totey Santra Bhushan award for their remarkable achievements in orange production and orange pest control research respectively, it said.

Invoking PM Modi’s advice to India Inc, Dr Rajan said investors must take a plunge with a “hope and a prayer” and not wait for government actions.

“What we need to do is to back up his visits with action on the ground which reinforces the good impression that he has created,” Dr Rajan said in an exclusive interview to NDTV, acknowledging PM Modi’s initiative to market India as an investment destination. (Highlights)

52-year-old Dr Rajan, who has been called a “rockstar” central banker, also sought to dispel the notion that there was bad blood between the Mint Street (RBI) and North Block (Finance Ministry).

Dr Rajan said the relationship between the RBI and the government has been strong, but added that he did not always agree with the finance minister’s point of view.

“Otherwise, the public should start getting worried that the central bank is becoming too acquiescent. In a sense we have to be a gatekeeper and sometimes say no!” the Governor said.

Dr Rajan praised the government for effective food management, which he said helped keep food inflation in check despite two consecutive years of drought. The RBI chief said he will be “accommodative” if data permits, signaling the possibility of further easing in interest rates.

Invoking PM Modi’s advice to India Inc, Dr Rajan said investors must take a plunge with a “hope and a prayer” and not wait for government actions. (Also read: RBI chief answers 12 questions in rapid-fire round)

“Those who move early will reap the rewards,” Dr Rajan said.

His work may involve sustained interaction with the political class, but Dr Rajan seemed averse to taking up politics as a full-time career once his three-year term comes to an end next year.

“The key decision maker is my wife and she said no,” Dr Rajan said when asked whether he would end up being in politics.

Rescuers at the site of a stampede that killed and injured pilgrims in the holy city of Mina during the annual Hajj pilgrimage. (Associated Press photo)

Mufti Mohammed Farooq, who is in his mid 60s, has been missing after the stampede which killed at least 769 pilgrims from different countries, the Arab News reported.

Mr Farooq, a senior religious scholar, is a prolific writer and had authored over 50 books on a range of subjects, including Hadith and Fiqh, in Urdu and Hindi, it said.

“He has been missing for several days and his family in India and many of his students and well-wishers from across the world, including in South Africa, the UK, Canada and the US, are extremely worried and anxious about his well being,” said Mufti Javed Iqbal, imam of a mosque in Birmingham, UK.

Mr Farooq is the founder and principal of Jamia Mahmoodia in Meerut and which has been running for over 25 years and has over 700 students on its roll.

“We are fervently praying for his safe return and calling on anyone who may know of where he is to contact the following Saudi number at the earliest 0500150039,” he added.

The stampede broke out during Haj after two massive lines of pilgrims converged with each other from different directions at an intersection close to the five-storey Jamarat Bridge in Mina for symbolic stoning of the devil.

Hundreds of pilgrims, including those from Pakistan and Iran, are still missing.

In the order issued yesterday, Mr Mehta has asked all the 24 ward offices in the city to make the footpaths free of encroachments by unauthorised hawkers, hotels, furniture shops, among others.

Confirming the move, Mr Mehta told PTI, “Yes, I have issued an order to this effect and I feel with the support of citizens, we should be able to make a difference.”

A senior Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation or BMC officer said that ward officers have been instructed to prepare a list of encroachments on priority.

“All the assistant commissioners of the 24 wards have been given a stern order to create an inventory of unauthorised structures on footpaths across the city and demolish them,” the official added.

Another senior officer said, “Assistant commissioners will conduct a survey of illegal structures by keeping it’s photograph as record and then chalk out a plan to remove them.”

The survey will be carried out with the help of a special team of ward officers at each ward level, he added.

After the footpaths are cleared, the Additional Municipal Commissioners will keep checking whether there are no encroachments on the pavements again.



Welcoming the BMC chief’s order, RTI activist Anil Galgali, said, “Let’s hope and do our bit to support Mehta to implement the decision, which no other BMC commissioner had taken.”

File Photo: Scientists at ISRO (Reuters)

The delegation was led by Khalifa Al Rumaithi, Chairman of the UAE Space Agency, and Mohammed Nasser Al Ahbabi, its Director-General, according to statement released by official WAM news agency.

This is part of the agency’s efforts to build strategic partnerships and achieve goals of regional and international cooperation within the industry, it said.

The UAE delegation learnt about the Indian space sector and the different programmes that ISRO has led within space exploration, it said.

They also looked at satellite launching capabilities which have positioned India as a leading nation within the industry, as it provides a number of services across the space sector.

The visit also involved a tour of the Satellite Assembly and Testing Center for ISRO, where the final tests are made on satellites before they are launched.

“The UAE and India have deep bonds and connections that span across political, economic, commercial and cultural historic roots. Working together within the space sector will only strengthen these connections and bring benefits to the UAE that include knowledge transfer and human capital development,” Al Rumaithi said.

Al Ahbabi said India is one of the most advanced nations within the space sector and has a strong foundation and fascinating programmes.

“We therefore look at ways of working together to build partnership and transfer knowledge within this exciting industry,” he said.

The UAE Space Agency provided a detailed presentation on the space sector strategy in the UAE, focusing on its objectives, initiatives and programmes.

The agency also provided information on the Mars Probe mission that will be launched by the UAE in time for 2021.

BJP Chief Amit Shah addresses an election rally in Begusarai, Bihar.

Begusarai, Bihar:  In a comment that could be controversial, BJP president Amit Shah today referred to the Indian army’s strike on militant camps in Myanmar earlier this year to demonstrate that the Narendra Modi government was tougher than the Congress.

Mr Shah made the comment as he mocked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi while addressing a rally in Bihar’s Begusarai ahead of next month’s polls.

“Rahul ‘Baba’ – no one dares to slaughter anyone in our regime. If anyone tries, we enter Burma’s borders and our forces take them out, that is what Narendra Modi’s government is all about. You wouldn’t know how to protect a country. The BJP’s main agenda is the country’s security. What do you know – you have got your perspective from your mother’s side of the family,” Mr Shah said.

In June, the army launched a major counter-operation after 18 soldiers were killed in an ambush by militants in Manipur. In a joint operation with the Air Force, the Army attacked two militant camps in neighbouring Myanmar.

Days after that strike, opposition parties criticised the Modi government over statements made by its ministers.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had said that “those who fear India’s new posture have started reacting” and another union minister, former army officer Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said that the operation was “a message to other countries.”

Bihar will hold five-phase assembly polls on 12 October and the results will be announced on November 8.