This is Not a Time For Conflicts In World: PM Modi Addresses Guyana's Parliament Historic Session

India said on Thursday that it will not accept any effort by developed countries to shift the focus away from climate finance for developing countries and place it on emissions reductions in the Global South. 

It also said that without adequate support in terms of finance, technology, and capacity building, the fight against climate change would be severely impacted.

The Odisha government on Thursday commenced the celebration of the 125th birth anniversary of Utkal Keshari Harekrushna Mahtab, the state's first chief minister.The state government has decided to commemorate Mahtab's birth anniversary throughout the year beginning with a three-day celebration from Thursday.

Central pollution watchdog CAQM has issued a series of directives to address critical gaps in enforcement of mitigation efforts, including expediting fire incident verifications and intensifying action against violators of pollution control measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

The National Green Tribunal has sought a response from all states and Union Territories regarding the loss of trees, saying it is a "pan-India" issue.The green body was hearing the issue of the alleged loss of 2.33 million hectares of tree cover in the country since 2000.

The turnout in Maharashtra assembly polls was 66 per cent as per EVM votes, up from 61.1 per cent in 2019, Election Commission officials said on Thursday. Polls to the 288-member state assembly were held on Wednesday, while votes will be counted on Saturday."The official figures for each assembly constituency will depend on the count of postal ballots reported. The 66 per cent turnout figure refers specifically to the votes cast on electronic voting machines," the chief electoral officer said in a statement.

The Army launched probe into alleged ill-treatment of civilians during anti-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district. According to reports, allegations have been levelled against some soldiers for beating five civilians resulting in injuries to them during anti-terror operations in Mughal Maidan area on November 20.

Women voters outnumbered men in both phases of Jharkhand assembly polls, with 68 out of the 81 seats recording a higher female turnout, according to election officials on Thursday.The state witnessed an overall voter turnout of 67.74 per cent, which was 1.65 per cent higher than the 2019 poll figures. Voting took place in two phases - November 13 for 43 seats and November 20 for 38 seats.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday announced the initiation of a “total reshuffle” in the state CID, accusing a section of police personnel in the lower ranks of indulging in corrupt practices.She also directed DGP Rajeev Kumar to look into “complaints” received against some CID officers and take action in case those were found to be genuine.

Offering the mantra of 'Democracy First, Humanity First' for global good, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that space and sea should be subjects of "universal cooperation", not universal conflict.In his address at a Special Session of Parliament of Guyana here, Modi also said India has "never moved forward with selfishness, expansionist attitude", and it has always been away from harbouring any feeling of seizing resources.

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday asserted the network of national highways in Bihar will be comparable to that of the US by the time the BJP-led NDA completes 15 years in power at the Centre in 2029.          Gadkari, who holds the Road Transport and Highways portfolio, made the averment in Bodh Gaya, while addressing back-to-back functions.

"It is time for the awakening of Global South to come together to create a new global order, said PM Modi in Guyana. 

“During the G20 Summit, India made women-led development a major agenda. In India, we have launched a major campaign to give leadership roles to women in every sector, at every level. Today women are coming forward in every sector in India. Out of all the pilots in the whole world, only 5 percent are women, whereas in India, 15 percent of the pilots are women,” PM Modi. 

“This is not a time for conflict in the world. This is the time to identify the conditions that create conflict and remove them. Today there are so many challenges like terrorism, drugs, cyber crime… only by fighting them we will be able to shape the future of our coming generations,” PM Modi said in a special session of the Parliament of Guyana.

“There is no greater medium than Democracy to create an inclusive society. Democracy is in our DNA, in our vision, in our behavior. So when it came to uniting the world, India gave the mantra of one earth, one family, one future during its G20 Presidency. When the Corona crisis came, a challenge came before the entire humanity, then India gave the message of one earth, one health,” PM Modi said while addressing Special Session of the Parliament of Guyana. 
 

“Today, the strongest mantra for moving forward in world is- Democracy First, Humanity First. The spirit of Democracy First teaches us to take everyone along, to take everyone along and participate in everyone's development. The feeling of Humanity First determines the direction of our decisions. When we make Humanity First the basis of our decisions, the results are also in the interest of humanity. The spirit of Democracy First teaches us to take everyone along, take everyone along and participate in everyone's development,” PM Modi said while addressing the Special Session of the Parliament of Guyana

“Guyana has given me the highest honour just yesterday. I express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you, to every citizen of Guyana, for this honour. Thank you very much to all the citizens here.I dedicate this honour to every citizen of India,” PM Modi said at a special session. 
 

Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav on Thursday called for an increase in the city's green cover, as Delhi and adjoining areas continue to breathe an inordinately polluted air. 

Speaking at FICCI's 97th AGM and Annual Convention themed 'Our Actions for Viksit Bharat,' Yadav also called for strict implementation of Central Pollution Control Board guidelines to address the region's persistent air pollution.

The RBI and the Maldives Monetary Authority on Thursday signed an agreement here for establishing a framework to promote the use of local currencies -- the Indian Rupee and the Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR) for cross-border transactions. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Governor of Reserve Bank of India Shaktikanta Das and Governor of Maldives Monetary Authority Ahmed Munawar.

The chairman of the Joint Committee of Parliament scrutinising the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Jagdambika Pal, said on Thursday that the panel's draft report is ready amid opposition members' demand for an extension of its November 29 deadline for more deliberations.

"Our draft report is ready. We will soon give a date for clause by clause discussion on its recommendations," Pal told reporters after an almost six-hour meeting of the committee during which the Minority Affairs ministry presented a detailed justification for the amendments proposed by the government in the Waqf Act.

The Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to stay for now the proceedings against former CM and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal in a money laundering case linked to irregularities in the state Excise Policy 2021-22. Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri issued notice and sought the response of the Enforcement Directorate on a plea by the former Delhi chief minister challenging a trial court's order taking cognisance of a chargesheet in the case.

A Delhi court on Thursday urged the District Judge to transfer the Jammu and Kashmir terror-funding case to a court designated to try lawmakers after observing one of the accused, Engineer Rashid, was now a member of Parliament.

 Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh, who was also scheduled to pass an order on Rashid's application seeking regular bail, sent the case file to the District Judge, who would likely hear matter on November 25.

Nepal President Ramchandra Paudel on Thursday conferred the Honorary Rank of General of the Nepal Army to Indian Army chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi, in continuation of an age-old tradition that first started in 1950, reflecting the strong ties between the two militaries. Gen Dwivedi, who is leading a five-member delegation, arrived here on Wednesday for a five-day official visit at the invitation of his Nepalese counterpart Gen Ashok Sigdel.

 The Election Commission of India Thursday approved the appointment of senior IAS officer R Alice Vaz as the chief electoral officer (CEO) of Delhi, ahead of the assembly elections in the city due next February .Vaz, a 2005 batch IAS officer of the AGMUT cadre, is serving as secretary in Delhi's Directorate of Higher Education. She will replace P Krishnamurthy, who was appointed as Delhi CEO in August 2023.

"The exit poll will be proven wrong. I went to Maharashtra. Maha Vikas Aghadi is going to form its government in Maharashtra and the INDIA alliance will form its government in Jharkhand," said UP Congress chief Ajay Rai. 

Tensions flared at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on Thursday after a group of students staged a protest, demanding the resumption of student union elections. The protestors barged into the Administrative Block near the Vice Chancellor's office, raising slogans. Security personnel intervened to prevent them from entering the VC's office.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday declared Hindi film 'The Sabarmati Report', based on the train burning incident at Godhra in Gujarat in 2002, 'tax free' in the state. UP becomes the sixth BJP-ruled state after Haryana, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat to declare lead actors Vikrant Massey and Raashii Khanna's film tax-free (free from entertainment tax).

Former Union minister Smriti Irani has embarked on a four-nation tour to promote a latest book 'MODIALOGUE – Conversations for a Viksit Bharat'. The tour, which began on November 20, aims to connect Irani with Indian diaspora communities in the Middle East, Oman and the UK.

" You can see the situation, farmers lands' are being snatched...today this protest is being held in Kalaburagi...we are protesting against Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan and Congress govt," said Chalavadi Narayanswamy, LoP, Karnataka legislative council. 

Armenia became the 104th full member of the International Solar Alliance, said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Manipur Assembly's 10 Kuki MLAs, including seven of the state’s ruling BJP-led alliance, have demanded that AFSPA be extended to the entire state to recover looted arms.The Centre on November 14 reimposed the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Manipur's six police station areas, including the violence-hit Jiribam, with the Union Home Ministry asserting that the decision was taken given the "continuous volatile situation" there due to ethnic strife.

The BJP on Thursday dubbed Rahul Gandhi's attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the US prosecutors' indictment of Gautam Adani on alleged bribery and fraud charges as part of his long-running efforts to target its leader, and noted that none of the four states named in American courts had a BJP government.

Addressing a press conference, BJP spokesperson and MP Sambit Patra made it clear that as far as allegations against the Adani group are concerned it is for the company to issue a clarification and defend itself.

"Law will take its own course," he said, while keeping the focus on Gandhi's allegations against the prime minister and the BJP government at the Centre.

 A voter turnout of around 63.91 per cent was recorded in the by-elections to Punjab's four assembly segments with the Gidderbaha segment recording the highest polling at 81.90 per cent, officials said on Thursday. Polling for the bypolls to the Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal (SC) and Barnala assembly segments took place on Wednesday. The by-elections were necessitated after the incumbent legislators were elected to the Lok Sabha.

Most places in Kashmir reeled under sub-zero night temperature as the winter chill gripped the Valley due to the recent snowfall in the higher reaches, officials said on Thursday. Srinagar and other places in Kashmir experienced sub-zero minimum temperature for the second straight night as the mercury settled below the freezing point, officials said. Many areas in the higher reaches of Kashmir experienced snowfall last week, resulting in the cold conditions across the Valley.

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Centre to hold a meeting with all the states and union territories and formulate a proposal to address the issue of inter-state trafficking of bonded labourers, including minors. A bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan termed as "alarming" after figures placed before it showed in Uttar Pradesh of the 5,264 bonded labourers released, only 1,101 had received immediate financial assistance.
 

BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra in a press conference on Thursday said, "Today, since morning, we have been seeing in the media an issue regarding a company. There is a case against that company in the US. There are allegations and counter-allegations. We clearly believe that as far as the company and the case against it are concerned, the company will issue a statement and defend itself on its own. Law will take its own course."

Days after joining BJP, Kailash Gehlot is also staging a protest with the saffron party near Kejriwal's residence saying, "We have come here to protest over the 'Sheesh Mahal' issue. When I wrote a letter to Arvind Kejriwal, I wrote clearly that a controversy has been created over Sheesh Mahal is truly unfortunate. This is an example of compromise with the core principles of AAP..."

"I think this time BJP will form the Government in Delhi this time. People are troubled because work was not done in Delhi - sewers are overflowing, drinking water is not being supplied, roads are damaged. I am confident that the people of Delhi will make BJP win this time."

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday is protesting against AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, alleging "extravagant luxurious items" were used for the renovation of the official bungalow that was earlier occupied by him as Delhi chief minister.

Referring to the bungalow at 6, Flagstaff Road, as "Sheshmahal", BJP leaders claimed the extravagantly expensive items found there were not provided by the Public Works Department (PWD) that owns the property.

(Inputs from PTI)

The Karnataka government in a big move increased the fees of government hospitals by 10 to 15 per cent under the Bengaluru Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI).

The list includes some prominent names like Victoria Hospital, Minto, Vani Vilas and Super speciality hospitals.

The key changes include doubling the price of outpatient department (OPD) registration from Rs 10 to Rs 20. A similar increase was made in inpatient admission charges, which will now cost Rs 50 instead of Rs 25. 

At least 3 people were killed after their motorcycle collided with a parked tractor in UP's Bijnor. According to Additional Superintendent of Police Dharm Singh Marchhal, the accident occurred on Wednesday night on the Haldaur-Nahtaur road.

A Maoist was killed in Odisha's Malakangiri in an exchange of fire between security forces and the Maoists under Odisha-Chhattisgarh border limits, the police said. 

The political affairs committee (PAC) of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is expected to meet today to announce the first list of candidates for the Delhi Assembly polls due in February next year, PTI reported quoting party sources.

AAP supremo Kejriwal has said earlier that the tickets for the elections will be distributed based on the work, public opinion and winning chances of the probable.

The AAP won 62 of the 70 assembly seats in the last elections held in 2020.

Reacting on Sanjay Rawat's remark on exit polls, Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC said, "Sanjay Rawat is right in saying that 'exit polls are not exact polls' ... So I would like to advise him that, your boat has sunk, Mahayuti government is going to be formed... Mahayuti government is going to be formed one hundred per cent. There has been a track record of two and a half years of Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. I believe people will vote for progress. It is the politics of performance which works with the younger generation not the politics of destruction..."

As Delhi-NCR continues to grapple with toxic air quality over the past few days, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla took a sharp swipe at the AAP-led government in the national capital saying, "So, overall, due to the poisonous blame politics of Aam Aadmi Party, our health has come under threat..."

He said, "Today Delhi has become a gas chamber. AQI has crossed 350-400, GRAP-4 is in force and breathing here has become the most dangerous thing. 1 person in every family of Delhi NCR is suffering from air pollution, is sick or has respiratory problems. Kejriwal has brought Delhi to such a state in 10 years..."

"Earlier he used to say that it was Punjab's stubble, today there is a government in Punjab, more than 10 thousand incidents of stubble burning have occurred. Not a single word on this... Sometimes they blame UP and Haryana, sometimes they blame Diwali. Diwali has gone, if there is still pollution then why is it?... The question is that in 10 years the Aam Aadmi Party government did not do any work on the internal causes of pollution here, only corruption... Yamuna Ji is also in the same situation..."

"Delhi High Court also said that 8000 crores were wasted and Arvind Kejriwal used to say that I will make Yamuna suitable for taking a dip by 25, not a single word on that... In this too, people of UP are blamed," he added. 

At least seven people died and several were injured after a bus overturned in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address a Special Session of the Guyanese Parliament on November 21. This will be the 14th such instance when PM Modi will speak on behalf of the people of India in the Parliaments of foreign nations. 
 

President of Guyana Dr Irfaan Ali conferred the Order of Excellence, the country's highest civilian honour, on PM Narendra Modi on Thursday.

After receiving the honour, PM Modi said, "... I express my heartfelt gratitude to my friend President Irfaan Ali for conferring me with Guyana's highest award... This honour does not only belong to me but also to 1.4 billion Indians. This is living proof of our commitment towards our relations which will continue to inspire us to move forward in every field. India and Guyana relations are based on our shared history, cultural heritage and deep mutual trust..."

After 8 long days, the AQI in the Delhi-NCR region improved a little, settling in the ‘very poor’ category and was recorded at 379. 

As many as five people were killed while 15 people were injured in a collision between a truck and a double-decker bus in Algarh's in Tappal PS area.

(With inputs from ANI)

The National Investigative Agency (NIA) is conducting raids at eight different locations across Jammu and Kashmir in link with the "Infiltration of terrorists into India from Pakistan" case, as per the Republic's sources.

These raids are being carried out in Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Reasi and Udhampur

After being conferred with Dominica's highest honour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "This honour is not only mine but of 140 crore people of India, their efforts, their values and their tradition. We are two democracies, and we together are role models of women's empowerment for the world. It is a matter of deep satisfaction that we were able to help the people of Dominica during a pandemic like Covid-19."
 

On Thursday, November 21, a thin blanket of toxic smog continued to blanket Delhi-NCR with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded in the 'severe' zone.  

According to the latest bulletin of the Central Pollution Board Control (CPCB), as of 7 a.m., areas like Anand Vihar (406), Dwardka Sector-8 (404), Jahangirpuri (437), Mundka (416), and Punjabi Bagh (408) recorded AQI in the "severe " zone. Meanwhile, the IGI Airport recorded the air quality in the "very poor" category.