tiruchy l tuesday l august 13, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Pakistan’s influential former isi chief arrested by military The Pak Army on Monday said it arrested former Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed over a housing scheme scandal court martial proceedings initiated hameed was picked by imran to head ISI The Pakistan Army said court martial proceedings have been initiated against Hameed. Hameed is accused of extorting Rs 4 crore from the management of the Top City housing scheme. The arrest comes months after the army, on orders of the Supreme Court, set up a panel headed by a major general to investigate the allegations made against Hameed ■ ■ Hameed was appointed as the head of Pakistan intelligence in 2019 by Imran Khan who had sacked Lt Gen Asim Munir from the post The army replaced Hameed in 2021 overlooking Imran’s objections. Imran’s relations with the military soured over this and after his government fell in April 2022, Munir was made the Pak Army chief Nov 2022 when Faiz hameed took premature retirement from Pakistan army CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Hasina’s stay in India won’t hurt ties, says B’desh govt 3.54% Retail inflation at 5-year low MONIKA YADAV @ New Delhi y e s h i s e l i @ New Delhi Scores of women save part of Urimai Thogai B a n b u s e lv a n @ Chennai Of the nearly 10 lakh beneficiaries receiving a monthly honorarium of `1,000 through cooperative banks under the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai (KMUT) scheme, about 60% of them have not been withdrawing the full amount within the same month, indicating a healthy trend among these women to save part of the money for future use, official sources from the cooperative department said. As per officials, about 50,000 of these beneficiaries have opened recurring deposit (RD) accounts with their respective cooperative banks, with monthly savings ranging from `300 to `500. RDs offer higher interest rate than regular savings accounts. Cooperative banks are also offering 8% interest on RD accounts for KMUT beneficiaries, compared to the usual 7% offered to other RD account holders. An official said, “Nearly 60% of KMUT recipients did not withdraw their entitlements in full every month. A chunk of them withdrew funds partially once in two months or three to six months. So, we encouraged them to transfer these funds to RD accounts.” P5 Junior doctors protest against the rape and murder of a PG trainee doctor, in Kolkata on Monday | PTI Didi buys time on doc rape-murder probe Resident docs across India on indefinite stir for justice S u l a g n a S e n g u p ta @ Kolkata Amid national outrage over the rape and murder of a junior doctor at a government hospital in Kolkata three days ago, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday sought to buy time after calls for a CBI probe reached a crescendo. Resident doctors of government hospitals across the country went on an indefinite strike demanding justice for the victim, paralysing elective services, including OPDs and nonemerg ency surg eri e s. I n Kolkata, civil society members, including theatre personalities and poets, hit the streets. The body of the postgraduate trainee was found at the seminar hall in her place of work, the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on Friday morming. A civic volunteer was arrested on Saturday in connection with the case. After visiting the victim’s home, Mamata assured she would send the case to the CBI if the local police failed to solve express read Sheikh Hasina’s stay in New Delhi will not negatively affect the relations between India and Bangladesh, Mohamad Touhid Hossain, foreign secretary in the Bangladesh interim government said on Monday . “There will be no impact on the bilateral relationship between the two countries because of one individual’s stay in a country,” he said in his first briefing. “Bilateral relations are very big thing and involve mutual interests. Both sides have their interests. India has its interests, and Bangladesh has its interests,” he added. Hasina resigned as Bangladesh’s prime minister on August 5 and fled to India amid protests against her government. In his briefing, Hossain assured the international community that the interim government will adhere to all international, regional, and bilateral instruments that Bangladesh is a party to. The situation in Bangladesh continued to be volatile on Monday with the banks having run dry and the latest data showing inflation hitting a 12year high of 11.66% in July . Meanwhile, the Hindus continued their protests over various demands including security for the community and a ministry to look after minority affairs. The police have agreed to call off their strike and return to work. Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman said soldiers will return to barracks once the police resume nor mal operations. The situation along the border remained tense. A Bangladeshi smuggler was shot dead in West Bengal’s Malda district, the BSF said. it by this Sunday. “The suspicion of the girl’s parents on the role of insiders needs to be probed. If it is not cracked by Sunday the case will be handed , over to the CBI,” she said. However, protesters criticised Mamata’s attempt to delay the CBI probe. They also demanded a judicial inquiry, better security on the campus, capital punishment for the culprits, and adequate compensation for the victim’s family . Dr Sandip Ghosh, principal of the RG Kar Medical College resigned on Monday taking moral responsibility for the horrific incident. But hours later the state government transferred him to the Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital, triggering another round of uproar from the protesters and the Opposition. An orthopedic by training, Dr Ghosh was promoted as RG Kar principal in mid-2021. He was transferred out of the institution twice, but reinstated shortly thereafter, indicating his networking skills. success rate of CBI low: Mamata “I want the police to arrest the culprits as soon as possible. If they can’t solve it by Sunday, we will hand it over to the CBI... I don’t have any issue with the central probe agency. But the CBI’s its success rate is low,” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said SC reserves verdict on Balaji’s bail petition ‘Savukku’ Shankar held under Goondas Act again New Delhi: The SC reserved verdict on Senthil Balaji’s bail plea, questioning the ED to show how it can proceed with the PMLA case when trial for the predicate offence hasn’t started yet Madurai: Days after the Madras HC quashed the detention of ‘Savukku’ Shankar under the Goondas Act, Theni Collector has ordered his detention under the Act in a ganja case | P2 BASE effect and subdued food & beverage prices brought down retail inflation to a five-year low of 3.54% in July. According to government data released on Monday, food & beverage prices fell to 5.4% from a six-month high of 9.4% in June. The dip in retail inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, was also influenced by base effects from July 2023, when the rate was at 7.4% and the food index had risen by 11.5%. Vegetable prices in July rose 6.83% year-on-year compared to 30% in June. On a month-on-month basis, however, the prices shot up 14.2%. Cereal prices increased by 8.14%, a slight decrease from the 8.75% rise recorded in June. The prices of oils and fats saw a decline of 1.17%, an improvement from the 2.68% drop in the previous month. Inflation for pulses rose to 14.77% year-over-year, down from a 16.07% increase in June. In the non-food category clothing and , footwear prices rose 2.67%, while housing inflation stood at 2.68% compared to the year before. In July, urban inflation fell below 3%, down from 4.4% in June. Meanwhile, rural inflation came in at 4.1%, against 5.7% in the previous month.Food inflation was also more pronounced in rural areas, reaching 5.9% compared to 4.6% in urban regions. In June, rural food inflation was lower at 9.15%, while urban food prices had risen by 9.6%. Contentious draft broadcast bill out and a revised version would be introduced. The draft being THE Ministry of Information withdrawn was panned for its and Broadcasting (MI&B) on controversial provisions to laMonday said it is working on a bel influential digital media fresh draft of the Broadcasting creators, such as independent Services (Regulation) Bill, say- journalists sharing their opining the revised version would ion on YouTube or Instagram, be published after deand even ‘thought tailed consultations. leaders’ with mass folStakeholders can prolowing on LinkedIn, vide additional feedas either OTT broadback till October 15. casters or as digital “The Ministry of Innews broadcasters. formation & BroadThese ‘digital broadcasting is working on casters’ were required a Draft Broadcasting to set up a content Services (Regulation) evaluation committee Bill. The draft Bill was comprising eminent placed in public do- Ministry is holding individuals as memmain on November 10, consultations with bers to certify the pro2023 along with the ex- the stakeholders grammes before they on the draft bill. planatory notes for are aired. They were c o m m e n t s o f t h e Further additional also supposed to nomitime is being stakeholders and the nate ‘grievance redresprovided to solicit general public. In re- comments till 15th sal officers’ to deal sponse, multiple recwith the complaints October 2024 ommendations/ comabout the content. I&B ministry ments/ suggestions DigiPub News India were received includFoundation, an organing from various Associations. isation representing 90 digital Ministry is holding a series of news publishers, earlier month consultations with the stake- wrote to Union information holders on the draft bill,” the and broadcasting minister Ashministry’s statement read. wini Vaishnaw requesting conThe clarification came after sultation on the bill. However, reports suggested the conten- it reportedly did not get any retious draft had been withdrawn sponse from the ministry . PARVEZ SULTAN @ New Delhi
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