+ * F#1 " G " G G SIDISrtVUU@IB!&!!"&#S@B9IV69P99I !%! %! ' +,&-+./01 -%-%1 ,-)./0 2-)30# H AB1H/@ <#@<@=C<-C<-B(=@ 7(<=@#@/#J 1@B=B<CA 0=C(B0=0(<@A(/ 0@(#@%@/#C<.4+ /(<=/(/ =(<1-(/= J<1/C7@ (=@(1CH=<(I?,#=(<<%@/(/J 1@=/(1< =J1@/(0(1%6(JA(1( B )*+.++( 2&& K( @ ( 2" # 23 45 ! 03 <@A1@B= ! 4 ! ihar is facing a deluge like Bsituation with nearly twen- ! ty four people losing their lives after buildings collapsed and # K !0 trees fell on them due to inces- K sant rain across the State. Boats are now ferrying people in Patna and people are faced with / harrowing time to meet their daily needs. The three districts — Patna, Bhagalpur and Kaimur dis- fter the retail prices of tricts — are among over a Aonion shot up to 60-70 dozen in the State that were per kg across the country due per metric tonnes to discour- vailed in other parts of the lashed by incessant rain for to floods in major onion pro- age onion export. country as well. close to 48 hours bringing nor- ducing States Maharashtra and The moves come in the The Centre has a buffer mal business to a grinding halt Karnataka, the Centre on wake of the rising prices of onion stock of 56,000 tonnes of onion, and disrupting rail and road Sunday banned export of that has led to public outcry. of which 16,000 tonnes has traffic in most places. onion and imposed stock lim- Wholesale suppliers of onion been offloaded so far. Central According to weather its of 100 quintals on the retail claim that price rise in onion was agencies like Nafed and the department, the State Capital traders and 500 quintals on due to anticipation of shortfall National Cooperative has received more than 200 wholesale traders. in kharif crops production. Consumers’ Federation of India mm rainfall since Friday The Centre has also asked Traders suggest onion prices see have been selling onion from evening. Principal Secretary, State Governments to enforce a spike during this time of the the buffer stock at 22-23/kg, Disaster Management depart- the stock limits and carry out year because of floods and ille- while Mother Dairy’s Safal ment, Pratyay Amrit described anti-hoarding operations gal hoarding of onion ahead of stores are selling at 23.90 per this as “totally unexpected”. against unscrupulous traders. the festive season. Presently kg in the national Capital. All schools and college in Patna In a related development, onion from cold storage is avail- Besides, Afganistan is also sup- have been shut and alert issued the Director General of Foreign able in the market. plying nion to India via Attari in five districts. ! " # " & Trade (DGFT) on Sunday The retail prices of onion, borders. Several State-run hospi- banned export of all varieties of a key kitchen staple, shot up to The wholesale price of tals and private nursing homes Bihar. The heavy rainfall has and Uttar Pradesh. While people waded headquartered in Hajipur, said onion with immediate effect till 70-80 per kg in Delhi and onion has touched 4500-5500 are submerged. Patients are affected railway traffic, health- In badly hit Bihar, a bird’s through the waterlogged close to 30 trains have been further orders. Mumbai in wake of excess per quintal (as per the stranded in flooded hospital care services, schools and dis- eye view of Patna made the city streets, boats of Nation cancelled and many others “Export of all varieties of monsoon rains in major grow- Lasalgaon’s wholesale market rooms and nursing facilities ruption of power supply. appear like a huge lake dotted Disaster Response Force short-terminated or diverted onion is prohibited with imme- ing States like Karnataka, data), recording a hike of about have been badly hit. The State Meanwhile, IMD Director with concrete structures. Posh (NDRF) were also out in some on account of the flooding of diate effect,” the DGFT said in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, 1,000 per quintal in the recent Government has pressed in General Mritunjay Mohapatra low-lying areas like Rajendra areas of the city to rescue the Patna and Danapur junctions a notification. The Centre also Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar months. The onion price hike 32 boats in Patna to evacuate on Sunday said the four-month Nagar and Pataliputra Colony residents. and many other smaller sta- made it clear that strict action Pradesh and Bihar. is the highest in the past four trapped people. monsoon season which is offi- are flooded due to the contin- Amrit expressed concern tions. Chief Minister Nitish will be taken against those In cities like Bengaluru, years. In the past six months The weather department cially ending on Monday is uous spell of rain. Private hos- over water having entered Kumar, emerging from a video found exporting below mini- Pune, Patna and Chennai, alone, the onion prices have said it could be the longest unlikely to withdraw even till pitals, medical stores and other many power sub-stations conference with district mag- mum export price to onion is being sold for up to been up by almost 25 per kg, delayed withdrawal of mon- the weekend. The IMD said shops were submerged in which may affect the func- istrates, told reporters, “We are Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The 60 per kg. In Kanpur, it is says the Consumer Affair soon as rains continued to active monsoon still prevails waist-deep water, bringing life tioning of sump houses. making all possible Government has fixed a min- being sold at 70-80 per kg. A Department’s price monitoring lash several States, including over parts of Rajasthan, Bihar to a standstill. The East Central Railway, efforts. imum export price of US $ 850 similar price trend has pre- cell data. '(R ( ) !""# O * ( L M <@A1@B= fter enforcing strict motor Apenalty rules, the Centre is he Army has red flagged all set to implement equally ! Tthe Home Ministry’s pro- stringent norms for the vehicle "# posal to take operational con- scrappage policy, which is like- trol of the Assam Rifles, saying ly to receive the Cabinet it will have serious national approval soon. Sources in the % &' security implications including Road Transport Ministry said adversely impacting vigil over under the policy there will be ( ! India’s disputed border with stringent registration and fit- " China. ness norms for the pre-2005 Strongly opposing the manufactured vehicles. move, the Army has instead As per estimates, there are sought overall responsibility about two crore pre-2005 vehi- ( ! of guarding the entire Sino- cles that are plying on Indian O ! India border in the Eastern sec- roads. The move is aimed at *+,, tor to effectively deal with any de-incentivising such vehicles ! Chinese transgression, top mil- on Security (CCS), headed by Government. in view of about 10 to 25 times itary sources said. Prime Minister Narendra The nearly 55,000-strong higher pollution emission by private vehicles and increased material available from scrap- erly, they will be polluting ! O At present, the Indo- Modi, is likely to examine the Assam Rifles has been guard- them under the new emission fitness certification charges for ping like steel, aluminium and more with more emissions and " Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Home Ministry’s proposal to ing India’s 1,640-km long bor- norms. transport vehicles. Given the plastic are bound to be recy- will prove to be a hazard for patrols several segments of the merge the Assam Rifles with der with Myanmar besides Road Transport and proposed stringent norms that cled, bringing down automo- road safety. ! " # border. the Indo-Tibetan Border Police providing operational and Highways Minister Nitin include fitness certificate bile prices by “20-30 per cent”. The Centre in this new MV $ The sources said con- (ITBP) and bring overall oper- logistics support to the Army Gadkari said a Cabinet note on requirement every year for Gadkari said the proposed Act had proposed amendments #- cerned over the proposal by the ational control under it. in keeping a strict vigil in sev- the proposed policy has been transport vehicles, a significant policy once approved will be to allow scrapping of vehicles Home Ministry to take oper- “Shifting the operational eral key sectors along the Sino- cleared by the Ministry and a number of such vehicles will cer- applicable on all vehicles older than 15 years in a bid to .,!,,, /0 ational control of the nearly control of the Assam Rifles India boundary in Arunachal decision is expected soon on it tainly opt for vehicle scrapping. including two and three-wheel- spur adoption of electrical 185 years old Assam Rifles, the from the Army to the Home Pradesh. after the Cabinet meets on Sources said the policy if ers. Earlier, the policy had vehicles. The notification also Army has taken up the issue Ministry will severely jeopar- The Assam Rifles, which this. Gadkari recently was in approved by the Cabinet may gone for a fresh round of con- provided that the newly pur- .". -1 with the Defence Ministry last dise the surveillance along the was raised in 1835, has also thick of controversy following have provision that on scrap- sultation with the stakeholders chased motor vehicles will be 2,+342,! " week seeking its immediate Line of Actual Control with been carrying out counter- the implementation of new ping of old vehicles, buyer of on the direction of the PMO. exempted for the payment of intervention in the matter. China,” a top military official insurgency operations in mil- Motor Vehicle Act allowing new vehicles could be given Indian vehicle market has fees for registration certificate % At present, the Home said on the condition of itancy-infested States in the higher penalties for offender.