Rahul Gandhi Forms Key Panels for 2019 Polls, Banks on Old Guard

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Govt clears dailypick procurement of 111 NORTH naval helicopters at Court rejects a cost of Rs 21K cr Kejriwal’s plea; order New Delhi In a major decision, the Defence Ministry on Saturday gave its nod to acquisi- on issuing summons tion of 111 utility helicopters for the Navy at a 05 cost of over Rs 21,000 crore besides approving on Sept 18 separate procurement proposals worth nearly Rs 25,000 crore, according to officials. A meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council Amulya Ganguli (DAC), the ministry’s highest decision-making body on procurement, cleared the proposals. Rahul Gandhi The procurement of the naval utility helicop- ters will be the first project under the ambitious has to choose strategic partnership (SP) model which provides his words with for roping in private firm to build select military platforms in India in partnership with foreign care 06 defence manufacturers. “The DAC, in a landmark decision today, ap- proved procurement of 111 Utility Helicopters Rashtriya Janata for the Indian Navy at a cost of over Rs 21,000 Pakistan bans Dal (RJD) chief crore,” the Defence Ministry said. Lalu Prasad Ya- The utility helicopters will be used in attack discretionary use dav arrives at Jai missions as well as for search and rescue and Prakash Narayan surveillance operations. of state funds, airport after a heart treatment, The ministry said the DAC also granted ap- in Patna on proval to a few other procurement proposals first-class air travel Saturday, August amounting to Rs 24,879.16 crore, which included 25, 2018. / PTI one on buying 150 indigenously designed and by govt officials developed 155 mm advanced towed artillery gun Islamabad Pakistan’s new government has systems for the Indian Army at an approximate banned the discretionary use of state funds cost of Rs 3,364.78 crore. page 5 > and first-class air travel by officials and lead- ers, including the president and the prime minister, as part of its austerity drive. The Rahul Gandhi forms key panels for decisions were made at a Cabinet meeting, Satheesh Reddy chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan yes- terday, according to Information Minister is new DRDO Fawad Chaudhry. 2019 polls, banks on old guard “It has been decided that all the top gov- Chairman ernment officials, including the president, New Delhi Gearing up for the 2019 publicity and manifesto committees the party’s Backward class depart- Shergill, party’s social media head New Delhi Distinguished aerospace scientist prime minister, chief justice, senate chair- Lok Sabha election, the Congress comprise old-timers as well as some ment chief, are also part of the panel. Divya Spandana and former Rajya G. Satheesh Reddy was on Saturday appointed man, speaker national assembly and the on Saturday formed three crucial fresh faces. The others are Bindu Krishnan, Sabha member Pramod Tiwari. the Chairman of the Defence Research Devel- chief ministers will travel in club/business,” committees to look after coordina- The 19-member Manifesto Commit- Raghuveer Meena, Bhalchandra Announcing the committees, opment Organisation (DRDO) and Secretary he told media. tion, manifesto and publicity in the tee comprises veterans like former Mungekar, Meenakshi Natarajan, Gehlot said with the constitution of in the Department of Defence Research and To a question, Chaudhry said that the Army polls, with the old guard maintaining finance minister P Chidambaram, Rajni Patil, Sam Pitroda, Sachin Rao these panels, the party is in election Development (DDR&D). chief was not allowed first class travel and its position in the core set up under former Haryana chief minister Bhu- and Lalithesh Tripathi. Gandhi also mode and will start the work of put- Reddy succeeds S. Christopher, who retired always used business class. party president Rahul Gandhi. Gan- pinder Singh Hooda, former union formed a committee comprising 13 ting up a manifesto and draw strategy in June. The Appointment Committee of the He said that the discretionary allocation of dhi formed the key nine-member ministers Jairam Ramesh, Salman leaders who will look after the party’s for publicity and coordination. Cabinet approved Reddy’s appointment for a funds by the prime minister and the presi- Core Group Committee comprising Khurshid, Shashi Tharoor and Kumari publicity during the elections, AICC The decision by Rahul Gandhi period of two years from the date of assumption dent and other officials was also stopped A K Antony, Ghulam Nabi Azad, P Selja, besides former Meghalaya chief general secretary Organisation Ashok shows he has chosen against any of charge or until further orders, whichever is by the Cabinet. Chidambaram, Ashok Gehlot, Mal- minister Mukul Sangma. Gehlot said. The Publicity Committee drastic overhaul. Party leaders said earlier, an official statement said. Chaudhry claimed that former prime likarjun Kharge, Ahmed Patel, Jairam Congress chief spokesperson includes Randeep Surjewala, former he has opted for a blend of young Reddy, renowned for his research and devel- minister Nawaz Sharif used Rs 51 billion Ramesh, Randeep Surjewala and K Randeep Surjewala, Punjab finance ministers Anand Sharma, Manish and old leaders, taking the experi- opment in missile systems and sustained con- discretionary funds in a year. C Veugopal. minister Manpreet Badal, party’s Tewari and Rajeev Shukla, besides ence of the veterans and the energy tributions towards advancement of aerospace The prime minister also decided to stop us- While all those in the Core Com- women’s wing head Sushmita Dev, Bhakta Charan Das, Praveen Chakra- of the youth together. Sources said technologies and industries, is now employed ing special plane for foreign visits or domestic mittee have worked under the lead- party Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Gowda varty, Milind Deora, Kumar Ketkar, that convenors of these panels will as the Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister travelling and use business class. page 7 > ership of Sonia Gandhi, those in the and Tamradhwaj Sahu, who is also Pawan Khera, VD Satheesan, Jaiveer be announced later. / PTI / Nirmala Sitharaman. page 5 > dailyheadlines Govt ignored defence procurement Explosives haul: ATS arrests man from Mumbai; 5 held so far 07 procedure in Rafale deal: PC Belt and Road Initiative no Marshall Plan:Wang 08

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Washington A former Trump But the third page of the 26 children Ex-Trump World Tower doorman has said agreement shows that about a killed by that he knows of an alleged af- month later, the parties signed fair between President Donald an amendment that states that coalition World Tower Trump and a former house- Sajudin would be paid $30,000 strikes in keeper which resulted in a child within five days of receiving the doorman out of wedlock, according to his amendment. Yemen: UN attorney. It says the “exclusivity period” United Nations Two Saudi-led On Friday, Marc Held -- the laid out in the agreement “is coalition air strikes in Yemen have Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram interacts with the media as West Bengal Pradesh Congress presi- reveals attorney for Dino Sajudin, the extended in perpetuity and shall killed at least 26 children, UN of- dent Adhir Chowdhury(L) looks on, at Pradesh Congress office in Kolkata on Saturday, August 25, 2018./ PTI former doorman -- said his cli- not expire”. ficials have said, renewing calls President’s ent had been released from a The amendment also estab- for an independent investigation Kolkata Stepping up attack he said. The contract was an- contract that he entered with lishes a $1 million payment that of attacks targeting civilians in on the government over the The former finance minister nounced in April 2015 by keep- American Media Inc. that had Sajudin would be responsible the three-year war. Rafale fighter jet issue, senior alleged that the Cabinet Com- ing everybody in the dark, new affair prohibited him from discussing for making to AMI “in the event At least 22 children and four Congress leader P Chidam- mittee on Security was not Chidambaram alleged. the matter with anyone, “recent- source breaches this provision”. women died in an attack on baram on Saturday accused taken into confidence by the “The UPA contract priced ly” after back-and-forth discus- “Sajudin has been unable to Thursday while fleeing fighting the Centre of ignoring the government before signing the Rafale jets at Rs 526 crore sions with AMI, reports CNN. discuss the circumstances re- in the Al-Durayhimi district, south defence procurement proce- the deal. per aircraft and the NDA con- AMI is the parent company of garding his deal with American of the rebel-held city of Hodeida, dure and “bypassing” several “There are several ques- tract priced them at Rs 1,670 the National Enquirer, Media Inc. and the story that he UN aid chief Mark Lowcock said committees to secure the deal. tions, which need to be an- crore per aircraft. The contract appears to have sold to them, due to a significant yesterday. In addition to that He also called for a detailed swered. There is a defence If these numbers are cor- been signed on November 15, financial penalty,” Held told CNN. strike, four other children were inquiry into the contract. procurement procedure that rect, will someone explain 2015, and states that AMI has “Just recently, AMI released killed in a separate air strike in Chidambaram demanded was completely bypassed. why the prices jumped three exclusive rights to Sajudin’s story Sajudin from the terms of his Al-Durayhimi, also on Thursday. that there should be a public There was a Contract Negotia- times? The government says but does not mention the details agreement and he is now able “This is the second time in two debate on how the prices ne- tion Committee that never met it is a secret agreement. But a of the story itself beyond saying, to speak about his personal ex- weeks that an air strike by the gotiated for each aircraft by for this deal. There is a Price Dassault Aviation report has “Source shall provide AMI with perience with them, as well as Saudi-led coalition has resulted the Congress-led UPA govern- Negotiation Committee which already quoted the price,” he information regarding Donald his story, which is now known in dozens of civilian casualties,” ment “have gone up by three was never called to meet. said. Trump’s illegitimate child...” to be one of the ‘catch and kill’ Lowcock, the undersecretary-gen- times” in the deal negotiated “Above all, there is a Cabi- Chidambaram said the deal The contract states that “AMI pieces. Sajudin hopes the truth eral for humanitarian affairs, said by the BJP-led NDA dispen- net Committee on Security, was made by stating that the will not owe source any compen- will come out in the very near in a statement. A coalition attack sation. which has to approve any de- aircraft were being brought sation if AMI does not publish the future.” on a bus in the northern rebel “We think the matter is seri- fence purchase of this size. in a fly-away condition on exclusive...” and the top of the In April, Sajudin told CNN he stronghold of Saada on August ous enough that there should None of these committees “emergency purpose” as the agreement shows that Sajudin claims to have knowledge of a 9 killed 40 children, prompting be a public debate and a de- were involved, the ministers squadrons of the Indian Air could receive a sum of $30,000 relationship Trump had with his UN Secretary-General Antonio tailed inquiry into it. That is didn’t know about it,” he told Force are depleting, but “not “payable upon publication as set former housekeeper that resulted Guterres to call for an indepen- why the Congress president reporters at the Congress of- a single aircraft” has arrived forth below”. in a child. / IANS / dent investigation. page 10 > (Rahul Gandhi) has raised it,” fice here. in India so far. / PTI /