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A post-graduate in history from the Delhi University, he has become the first bureaucrat in Mint Street in five years.
New Delhi: Shaktikanta Das on Wednesday assumed charge as the new governor of the Reserve Bank of India after Urjit Patel’s sudden resignation from the post.
Das is the 25th Governor of the 83-year-old institution, and will be at the RBI helm for three years. After assuming charge, Das thanked everyone via tweet and sought their good wishes.
He tweeted:
“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Shaktikanta Das, former Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, as Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a period of three years,” an official order said yesterday.
Das, a 1980-batch IAS officer from the Tamil Nadu cadre, retired as Economic Affairs Secretary in May 2017 and was since appointed India’s Sherpa to the G-20 and a member of the Finance Commission.
Having worked equally at ease under three different finance ministers — P Chidambaram, Pranab Mukherjee and Arun Jaitley — he is described as a person who prefers to take a non-confrontational approach to problem solving.
Das, who was the economic affairs secretary from 2015 to 2017, worked closely with the central bank and oversaw the demonetisation exercise in late 2016.
Having worked on five consecutive budgets under Chidambaram and Mukherjee between 2008 and 2013, Das was brought back into the Finance Ministry when the BJP government swept to power in mid-2014. He initially headed the revenue department but was later moved to the economic affairs department, which oversaw the demonetisation exercise.
A post-graduate in history from the Delhi University, he has become the first bureaucrat in Mint Street in five years.

The accused often ate in community kitchens and slept in parks and on the streets. He had no mobile phone, making it easy for him to prey on little children.
NEW DELHI: Days after a three-year-old child was raped and murdered in Gurugram Sector 66, a 20-year-old man was arrested for the brutal crime.
Gory details shared by police stated that the minor was mercilessly tortured, a long wooden stick inserted in her vagina and her skull bludgeoned by a brick. The victim had multiple injuries all over her body. A plastic bag covered her dead face.
Sunil Kumar was arrested for the heinous crime following a massive manhunt by the police spread across three states.
Within hours of the arrest, the accused had confessed to nine crimes, all involving raping and murdering little girls aged between three and seven. Four of the cases are in Delhi, three in Gurugram, and one each in Jhansi and Gwalior.
“He used to first break the legs of the victims before attempting rape,” said Subhash Boken, an assistant sub-inspector and public relations officer with the Gurugram police told Reuters. “Then he would murder them.”
Kumar was unemployed and occasionally worked as a daily labourer. His modus operandi was targeting young girls who went to pick up food at community kitchens, offering them sweets or money, and abduct them, Boken quoted him as having told police.
Using the same methodology, the accused lured the three-year-old toddler in Gurugram on November 11 with chocolates and took her to an empty room at a labourers` colony in Sector 66. A day later, a neighbour discovered the naked body of the child, lying in a pool of blood, inside a room in the slum.
The accused had come to Gurugram to visit his mother and sisters and later fled to his native village in Jhansi district from where he was arrested.
Kumar, often ate in community kitchens such as bhandaras and langars, and slept in parks and on the streets. He had no mobile phone, making it easy for him to prey on little children, said reports.
A court on Tuesday granted police remand of the man for eight days, Boken said, adding that he did not yet have a lawyer.
Police have already linked three cases of dead children to his statement and are investigating the rest, Boken added.
One of first of known victims was a four-year-old girl in Gurugram in November 2016. Her brutalised body was found near a garbage dump in the bushes behind Omaxe Mall on Sohna Road. Two months later, in January 2017, another five-year-old’s decaying, with similar injuries, was found in a water tank near Rajiv Chowk, said reports.

Tripura CM has announced to distribute cows to 5,000 families to motivate cattle rearing in the northeastern state.
AGARTALA: Days after advising the youths to milk cows for livelihood, Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has announced that he will distribute cows to 5,000 families to motivate cattle rearing in the northeastern state.
Deb further announced that he will introduce cows at the Chief Minister’s official residence and so that his families’ milk demand is fulfilled from it.
”Today, I am announcing that I will start domestication of cows at the CM residence along with my family and will consume its milk. This will also inspire people of Tripura to do the same and would help fight malnutrition,”the Tripura CM said.
”We’re about to launch a scheme for distributing cows among 5,000 families. I’m not against setting big industries but in that one has to invest Rs 10,000 crores for employing 2,000 people but if I give 10,000 cows to 5,000 families they’ll start earning in 6 months, Deb said.
”Is there any industry that starts giving income in six month’s time, it takes six months for purchasing land,” he asked.
Deb said this at the end of the valedictory program of the three-day ‘Chintan Shibir’ at Pragna Bhavan in Agartala on Sunday.
The young Tripura CM had sometimes back advised the youths of his state to milk cows instead of running after politicians for a government job.
“There should be a cow in every house. Why run after ‘netas’ for government jobs? Milk is being sold at Rs 50 per litre. Graduates should get cows and milk them to earn Rs 10 lakh in 10 years instead of running after political parties,” Deb said.
Deb made these remarks while speaking at a seminar organised by the Tripura Veterinary Council at Agartala.
The Chief Minister had earlier been in the news for criticisng model-actor Diana Hayden and his views on the existence of internet during Mahabharat.
He went further to suggest that if milking cows does not work, opening a ‘paan’ shop, too, could be a good career choice.

Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah held talks with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat at the sidelines of a Sangh executive meet in Mumbai on Friday.
MUMBAI: Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah held talks with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat at the sidelines of a Sangh executive meet in Mumbai on Friday.
According to sources, the two held talks over the Ram Mandir issue. Shah also met several other RSS leaders and is scheduled to speak at the Sangh event later in the day.
The three-day meeting of the Sangh’s Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal at Bhayander will end on Friday.
Last month, the Supreme Court said an appropriate bench would decide in January when to hear the politically sensitive Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute cases.
RSS has been demanding an Ordinance for early construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya following the top court order.
“With this in view, the Supreme Court should make an early decision and if there are any difficulties, the government should make a law to remove all hurdles in the way of giving land for temple at the Ram Janmabhoomi site,” RSS spokesperson Arun Kumar had said on Monday.
Pitching for building a Ram temple in Ayodhya at the earliest, the RSS said the government should enact a law to acquire the land for the construction, just like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had rebuilt the Somnath temple in Gujarat.
BJP ally Shiv Sena has also made similar demands. Part chief Uddhav Thackeray will visit Ayodhya on November 25 to remind PM Modi about constructing the Ram Mandir.

The Supreme Court said Wednesday that embattled realtor Amrapali Group of companies has played a “big fraud” by diverting money collected from home buyers to other firms and the “big racket” behind this has to be unearthed.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court said Wednesday that embattled realtor Amrapali Group of companies has played a “big fraud” by diverting money collected from home buyers to other firms and the “big racket” behind this has to be unearthed.
A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and U U Lalit was told by the forensic auditors that from the documents of the group, it appeared that over Rs 100 crore was diverted to a company — GauriSuta Infrastructures Pvt Ltd — by one of the group firms and there were “various malfunctionings” by statutory auditors, who have totally failed in their duties.
“The money (diverted by the group) has to be retrieved. Forensic audit is for this purpose and also how to catch the persons behind this and send them behind the bars if needed,” the bench said.
“This is a big racket that needs to be unearthed. They (Amrapali group) have done a big fraud. Let us see what can be done,” it added.
At the outset, forensic auditors Ravi Bhatia and Pawan Kumar Aggarwal told the court that they have found diversion of money collected from home buyers by some of the group firms, and some shell companies were also created for this purpose.
During the hearing, the forensic auditors said they have not received any threats till now in the matter.
“If there is even a slightest of doubt (of threat), you tell us,” the bench said, adding, “whosoever high, you tell us. We will take care of that”.
The forensic auditors further said that Ashish Jain and Vivek Mittal were the Directors of GauriSuta Infrastructures Pvt Ltd and they were stated to be relatives of statutory auditors of the group.
The forensic auditors also informed the bench that Chander Wadhwa, chief financial officer (CFO) of Amrapali Group, was not co-operating with them and he had said that he “does not remember when he joined the company as its CFO”.
“He (Wadhwa) remembers when he got married and other personal details,” the auditors told the court which directed Wadhwa to remain present before it on October 26, the next date of hearing.
The auditors also told the court that they have taken possession of documents from six out of the seven properties of the group in Noida and Greater Noida and one property in Rajgir in Bihar.
They said they have not received the documents stashed in a property at Buxar in Bihar.
The auditors said that they have got the account records of the group companies but some of the documents were not available yet.
To this, the bench said, “The primary idea why we want a forensic audit is that we want to know about money deposited by flat buyers and how the group has dealt with it. Has the money gone out of the company? We would like you (auditors) to see the trail of money and where the money has finally reached and in whose account”.
The forensic auditors told the bench that they have found diversion of money by some of the group companies and the statutory auditors and their relatives were also given flats by the group.
“The main problem is that money received from the home buyers were spent partly and was diverted to other firms. They (some group firms) were transferring money to sister concern companies. We will find out everything and everything will be crystal clear,” the auditors said.
The bench asked the forensic auditors to submit an interim report by Thursday with respect to role of statutory auditors of the group, whether they were co-operating or not and as to their involvement in the matter.
“We permit the forensic auditors to tape record the questions which they put to the Directors etc and record their answers also and to submit that in this court along with their report,” the bench said.
The counsel appearing for the home buyers claimed that there was non-cooperation of Amrapali Group in the proceedings pending before the Debts Recovery Tribunal (DRT).
“Let the order sheets of the DRT be placed on record. It is made clear to the Amrapali Group of Companies that they have to abide by the orders of this court and cooperate with the DRT,” the bench said.
The bench also observed that the group has been enjoying holding the leased properties of Noida and Greater Noida authorities and they have pocketed the money collected from the home buyers.
“They (Group) have been hoodwinking this court. They are hoodwinking the DRT and also the forensic auditors,” the court said.
The bench also said that three directors, including CMD of Amrapali Group, who were placed under police surveillance under the apex court’s order cannot be allowed to work from their home till October 26.
The top court had earlier fixed a 15-day limit for the forensic auditors to collect, collate and catalogue the documents from 2008 till now with regard to the 46 companies of the group from the nine properties situated in Noida, Greater Noida of Delhi-NCR and Rajgir and Buxar in Bihar.
It had also initiated contempt proceedings against the group’s Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Anil Kumar Sharma and its directors Shiv Priya and Ajay Kumar for prima facie violating court’s order and thwarting the course of justice.
The court is seized of a batch of petitions filed by home buyers who are seeking possession of around 42,000 flats booked in projects of the Amrapali group.

The sanctum sacrosanct of the famed temple closed at 10 PM on Monday till and will reopen on November 4.
NEW DELHI: The brief pilgrimage season in Kerala’s revered Sabarimala temple failed to make history as women in the 10-50 age group were stopped from entering the holy shrine despite the Supreme Court order allowing women of all ages to pray at the Lord Ayyaappa temple.
The sanctum sacrosanct of the famed temple closed at 10 PM on Monday, the day that saw five women making an unsuccessful effort to pray at the hill temple, where tradition had barred women aged between 10 and 50.
Since Wednesday, Kerala had been on the boil after the temple opened for its customary monthly pujas, the first time after the September 28 verdict by the top court which overturned a centuries-old practice that barred women of menstrual age from entering the hill temple.
Celibate deity Lord Ayyappa is worshipped at the Sabarimala temple where the last pilgrim went up the hill around 7 PM on Monday.
None of the dozen women who tried to have a darshan in the last five days succeeded in entering the temple for prayers as thousands of devotees were determined not to allow them.
The police appeared most relieved for the time being as they had a tough time in trying to implement the apex court`s orders in the face of strong protests which at times turned violent.
Given the present situation, they may have a tougher time when the temple again opens for its annual two-month-long pilgrimage season which begins on November 17.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is set to decide on Tuesday as to when the petitions, seeking review of its landmark but controversial Sabarimala verdict allowing entry of women of all age groups into the temple, will be listed for hearing.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice SK Kaul considered the submissions of lawyer Mathews J Nedumpara on Monday that his petition seeking review of the constitutional bench judgement be listed for urgent hearing.
“We know that there are 19 review petitions pending. By tomorrow (Tuesday) we will decide,” the bench said.
Nedumpara was mentioning the petition filed by National Ayyappa Devotees Association.
A five-judge constitution bench by a ratio of 4:1 had held that women of all age groups should be allowed entry inside Kerala’s Sabarimala Temple.
The court had on October 9 declined an urgent hearing on Nedumpara’s plea which had contended that the five-judge Constitution bench verdict lifting the ban was “absolutely untenable and irrational”.
The bench had said that the review petitions could only be taken up after the Dussehra vacation, adding that in any case, it will be heard in chamber and not in open court.
The petition filed by Shylaja Vijayan, president, National Ayyappa Devotees Association through Nedumpara, had submitted that, “Faith cannot be judged by scientific or rationale reasons or logic”.

Gobind Singh Longowal said Giani Harpreet Singh will remain on the post till permanent jathedar is appointed.
Amritsar : The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) executive on Monday appointed young Sikh scholar Giani Harpreet Singh, 45, as the acting jathedar of Akal Takht — the highest temporal seat of Sikhism. Giani Harpreet Singh is pursuing PhD from Punjabi University, Patiala.
Giani Harpreet Singh, who was serving as the jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib, another Sikh temporal seat situated at Talwandi Sabo (Bathinda), has been given the additional charge of the post till the permanent jathedar is appointed, said SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal, who chaired the executive meeting at the Teja Singh Samundri Hall on Monday.
Prior to this, the executive committee accepted the resignation of Giani Gurbachan Singh. He had resigned on October 18 from the post citing health issues and age factor. He was under fire from the Sikh community for pardoning Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in 2015 in a blasphemy case after the latter appeared in a robe similar to that of Guru Gobind Singh. However, the jathedar had to revoke the pardon after facing a backlash from the Panth.
The issue of pardon came to forefront again after the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission report on sacrilege incidents was tabled in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in the last week of August. The report had pointed out the role of Badals (Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Singh Badal) in pressuring the jathedar to grant pardon to the dera head.
Longowal said the permanent jathedar will be appointed after consulting the Sikh organisation. He said the installation ceremony will be held at the Takht and hoped that Giani Harpreet Singh, as acting jathedar, will work for ‘chardi kala’ (high spirit) of the community.
Commenting on the appointment, Amrik Singh Shahpur, who is a representative of the opposition in the executive committee, said, “The SGPC has appointed the acting jathedar as no person of good reputation in the Panth is ready to be the permanent jathedar as his conscience doesn’t allow him to work under pressure of Badals. But I remind the SGPC’s 2000 resolution on setting norms for appointment of Takht jathedars.”
Giani Harpreet Singh is pursuing the PhD from department of religious studies, Punjabi University. “As a PhD scholar in our department, he is researching on the topic ‘Concept of ultimate truth in holy Quran and Guru Granth Sahib’. Besides, he has translated the Quran into Punjabi. Although, we have already Punjabi translation of Quran, his translation is unique as it is in Punjabi idiom and looks like original texts,” said Gurmeet Singh Sidhu, head of the department.

Applauding Shah for his hard work, PM Modi called his leadership an asset for the party.
NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president turned 54 on Monday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP leaders and several chief ministers joined the queue to wish him on his birthday.
Applauding Shah for his hard work, PM Modi called his leadership an asset for the party. “Greetings to @BJP4India President Shri @AmitShah on his birthday. Under Amit Bhai’s leadership, the Party has expanded significantly across India. His rigour and hard work are great assets for the Party. I wish him a long and healthy life,” the PM tweeted.
Along with the PM, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also wished him on Monday.
“Warm wishes to BJP National President Shri @AmitShah on his birthday. Amitji is known for his hard work and amazing organising skills. Under his leadership, the party has risen to new heights. I pray for his healthy and long life,” Rajnath tweeted.
“Warm birthday greetings to Shri Amit Shah ji, my party colleague and esteemed President of the Bharatiya Janata Party. May he be blessed with good health, long life and a successful year ahead” Jaitley tweeted.
“Wishing Bharatiya Janata Party President Shri @AmitShah Ji a very Happy Birthday. Under his dynamic leadership BJP has become the world’s largest political party with growing popularity among people of India. I wish him a long and healthy life,” Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad tweeted.
Several CMs also took to Twitter to greet him on his birthday.
“Heartiest Birthday greetings from Maharashtra to the National President of world’s largest political Party, Bharatiya Janta Party, Shri @AmitShah ji! Under his able leadership, today, @BJP4India is winning almost every election in the nation and every karyakarta is proud of him,” Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis tweeted.
Yogi Adityanath wished him a good and long life.
Amit Shah was born on 22 October 1964 in Mumbai. With him at the helm of the party, the BJP has won in Legislative Assembly elections in Maharashtra, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand and Assam in 2016. He also led the party to a landslide victory in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat.

ਨਰਿੰਦਰ ਮੋਦੀ ਅਤੇ ਵਲਾਦੀਮੀਰ ਪੁਤਿਨ ਜੱਫੀ ਪਾ ਕੇ ਮਿਲੇ
ਨਵੀਂ ਦਿੱਲੀ : ਭਾਰਤ ਅਤੇ ਰੂਸ ਵਿਚਾਲੇ ਐਸ-400 ਮਿਜ਼ਾਈਲ ਰੱਖਿਆ ਪ੍ਰਣਾਲੀ ਸੌਦੇ ਤੇ ਹੋਰ ਕਈ ਅਹਿਮ ਸਮਝੌਤਿਆਂ ‘ਤੇ ਦਸਤਖਤ ਹੋਏ ਹਨ। ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਨਰਿੰਦਰ ਮੋਦੀ ਅਤੇ ਰੂਸ ਦੇ ਰਾਸ਼ਟਰਪਤੀ ਵਲਾਦੀਮੀਰ ਪੁਤੀਨ ਨੇ ਇਸ ਸੌਦੇ ਨੂੰ ਅਮਲੀ ਜਾਮਾ ਪਹਿਨਾਇਆ। ਇਸ ਤੋਂ ਇਲਾਵਾ ਅੰਤਰਿਕਸ਼ ਖੇਤਰ ਵਿਚ ਵੀ ਆਪਸੀ ਸਹਿਯੋਗ ਨੂੰ ਲੈ ਕੇ ਦੋਵੇਂ ਦੇਸ਼ ਸਹਿਮਤ ਹੋਏ। ਇਸ ਮੌਕੇ ਰੱਖਿਆ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਨਿਰਮਲਾ ਸੀਤਾਰਮਨ, ਰਾਸ਼ਟਰੀ ਸੁਰੱਖਿਆ ਸਲਾਹਕਾਰ ਅਜੀਤ ਡੋਵਾਲ ਅਤੇ ਵਿਦੇਸ਼ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਸੁਸ਼ਮਾ ਸਵਰਾਜ ਵੀ ਹਾਜ਼ਰ ਸਨ। ਜ਼ਿਕਰਯੋਗ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਦੋ ਦਿਨਾਂ ਲਈ ਭਾਰਤ ਦੌਰੇ ‘ਤੇ ਪਹੁੰਚੇ ਪੁਤਿਨ ਨੇ ਦਿੱਲੀ ਦੇ ਹੈਦਰਾਬਾਦ ਹਾਊਸ ਵਿਖੇ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਨਰਿੰਦਰ ਮੋਦੀ ਨਾਲ ਮੁਲਾਕਾਤ ਕੀਤੀ। ਇਸ ਤੋਂ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਦੋਵਾਂ ਨੇ ਇੱਕ-ਦੂਜੇ ਨੂੰ ਜੱਫੀ ਵੀ ਪਾਈ।

Prime Minister Narendra Modi turns 68 on Monday. The Prime Minister is slated to celebrate his birthday in Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency. According to reports, Prime Minister Modi will celebrate his birthday with children from schools in the district.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi turns 68 on Monday. The Prime Minister is slated to celebrate his birthday in Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency. According to reports, Prime Minister Modi will celebrate his birthday with children from schools in the district.
He is expected to reach Varanasi by Monday afternoon and the preparations are in full swing to welcome the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongman.
During the day, the Prime Minister will also visit Jayapur, Nagepur and Kakrahia – villages adopted by him. Chalo Jeete Hain, a film based on the life of Prime Minister Modi, will also reportedly be screened during the event.
On Tuesday, the Prime Minister will visit the Banaras Hindu University.
President Ram Nath Kovind, among others, took to microblogging site Twitter to wish the Prime Minister on his birthday. Others who wished him on Twitter included Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, Miss World Manushi Chillar, former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa and Bollywood actor Anupam Kher.
Prime Minister Modi was born in Vadnagar in Gujarat on September 17, 1950. He rose from being a tea seller to the Prime Minister of the country. Modi became a full time worker of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1971, and was assigned to the BJP more than a decade later, in 1985.
His first major political achievement was in 2001 when he was appointed the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Modi became the Prime Minister of the country in 2014 when the BJP got a thumping majority in the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP-led NDA won the elections riding on Modi wave.