National News
Goal of ‘Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0’ is to make cities garbage-free: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the goal of ‘Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0’ is to make the cities garbage-free. He was speaking after launching the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation 2.0.
“In 2014, the countrymen took a pledge to make India open defecation free – ODF and they fulfilled this pledge with the construction of more than 10 crore toilets. Now the goal of ‘Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0’ is to make the city garbage-free, completely free of garbage,” the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister underlined the scope of the country’s target in the next phase of Mission AMRUT as ‘Improving sewage and septic management, making our cities water safe and ensuring that no sewage drains anywhere in our rivers’.
The Prime Minister dedicated the successes of transformation in urban regeneration and cleanliness to Mahatma Gandhi. “These missions are the result of inspiration by Mahatma Gandhi and are being realized through his ideals only,” he said.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the ease for mothers and daughters due to the construction of toilets.
Saluting the spirit of the nation, the Prime Minister said that the journey of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and AMRUT Mission so far makes every countryman proud. “In this, there is a mission, there is respect, there is dignity, there is also the ambition of a country and there is also the unmatched love for the motherland,” he said.
Noting that today’s event was taking place in the Ambedkar International Centre, the Prime Minister said that Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar believed in urban development as a great means of removing inequality and many people from villages come to cities with an aspiration for a better life.
“They get employment but their standard of living remains in a difficult situation even compared to their lives in the villages. This is like double jeopardy of staying away from home, and after that to stay in such a difficult situation. Babasaheb’s emphasis was on changing this situation by removing this inequality. The next phase of Swachh Bharat Mission and Mission Amrit is an important step towards fulfilling the dreams of Babasaheb,” said the Prime Minister.
He said, along with Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas are critical for the campaign of cleanliness.
Talking about the level of public participation with regard to cleanliness, the Prime Minister expressed happiness that the present generation has taken the initiative to strengthen the cleanliness campaign, and the toffee wrappers are no longer thrown on the ground but kept in pockets by children. Small children now ask the elders to avoid mess.
“We have to remember that cleanliness is not a task just for a day, a fortnight, a year or for just a few people. Cleanliness is a great campaign for everyone, every day, every fortnight, every year, generation after generation. Cleanliness is a lifestyle, cleanliness is a life mantra,” said the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister recalled his efforts as the Chief Minister of Gujarat for enhancing the tourist potential of Gujarat where he turned the quest for cleanliness into Jan Andolan by the Nirmal Gujarat Programme.
The Prime Minister pointed out that today India is processing about one lakh tonnes of waste every day. “When the country started the campaign in 2014, less than 20 per cent of the waste generated every day in the country was processed. Today we are processing about 70 per cent of daily waste. Now we have to take it to 100 per cent,” he said.
The Prime Minister also talked about enhanced allocations for the Urban Development Ministry. “In the preceding seven years before 2014, the Ministry was given about Rs 1.25 lakh crore while in seven years from 2014 almost Rs four lakh crore were allocated to the Ministry,” the Prime Minister said.
The use of modern technology is also continuously increasing for the development of cities in the country. The Prime Minister mentioned the recently launched National Automobile Scrappage Policy, and pointed out that this new scrapping policy strengthens the campaign of Waste to Wealth and a circular economy.
Crime
Accused in air hostess sexual assault case was porn addict: Gurugram Police

Gurugram, April 19: Gurugram Police said on Saturday that the accused in the air hostess sexual assault case was a porn addict, an official said.
Gurugram Police Spokesperson Sandeep Kumar said that the accused used to watch porn videos habitually, which was also confirmed from the mobile phone recovered from him.
He said that during police interrogation, it was found that the accused has a B.Sc. (OT) degree from a private institute from the years 2019-2022, and he was an average student in studies.
“For the last five months, he was working as a treatment machine technician in the ICU of the hospital. The accused going to the victim at the time of the incident was confirmed from the CCTV cameras installed in the hospital,” he said.
The Spokesperson said that during interrogation of the accused, it was also found that he had watched porn videos before the incident and even after committing the crime.
“Which is also being confirmed from the search history of the accused’s mobile phone. He was produced before the court on Saturday, from where he was sent to judicial custody for further proceedings,” he said.
Meanwhile, the SIT on Friday nabbed the accused, after analysing at least 800 CCTV cameras installed inside and outside of the hospital, who sexually assaulted the woman when she was on a ventilator.
The accused was identified as Deepak (25), a native of Muzaffarpur in Bihar. The accused had been working as a treatment machine technician in the ICU of the hospital for the past five months and was arrested in the Sadar police station area on Friday.
An official privy to the investigation said that the accused has confessed to his crime in the matter.
“While investigating the incident, eight police teams checked the footage of 800 CCTV cameras installed in the hospital, and around 50 hospital staff, including doctors, were questioned about the incident. Keeping in mind the seriousness of the incident, the police teams investigated from every angle and collected a lot of information related to the incident, as a result of which the police got great success in identifying the accused who committed the crime,” said Arpit Jain, DCP (Headquarters).
On Thursday, Vikas Kumar Arora, Commissioner of Police, Gurugram, had constituted an SIT and ordered the identification and arrest of the accused.
As per the order of the Police Commissioner, an SIT was constituted under the leadership of Arpit Jain, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Headquarters, Gurugram, in which a total of eight different police teams were given special directions and deployed to collect information and evidence related to the incident.
Dr. Sanjay Durani, Medical Superintendent of the hospital, said in a statement that: “We have been informed that the police have identified a suspect who has been taken into custody in connection with the ongoing investigation concerning allegations of sexual assault on a patient. On the basis of information provided to us by the police, we have suspended the suspect employee. As we await the final outcome of the investigation, we will continue to provide full support to the police.”
Business
FM Sitharaman to showcase India’s economic dynamism during US, Peru visit

New Delhi, April 19: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to embark on an official visit to the US and Peru, beginning April 20, where she is slated to participate in multilateral dialogues to showcase India’s economic dynamism, as the country prepares a bilateral trade agreement (BTA) with the US, it was announced on Saturday.
During her visit to the US, the Finance Minister will visit San Francisco and Washington, DC, from April 20-25, according to a Ministry of Finance statement.
In San Francisco, FM Sitharaman would deliver a keynote address at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, titled ‘Laying the foundations of Viksit Bharat 2047,’ followed by a fireside chat session.
The Finance Minister will also interact with top CEOs from prominent fund management firms during a roundtable meeting with investors, besides holding bilateral meetings with CEOs from top information technology (IT) firms based in San Francisco.
She will also participate in an event featuring the Indian diaspora in San Francisco and interact with the Indian community settled there, said the ministry.
In Washington, DC, FM Sitharaman will participate in the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the 2nd G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) Meetings, the Development Committee Plenary, IMFC Plenary, and Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable (GSDR) meeting.
On the sidelines of the Spring Meetings, she will hold bilateral meetings with her counterparts from several countries, including Argentina, Bahrain, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, and the US; besides meeting EU Commissioner for Financial Services; President, Asian Development Bank (ADB); President, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB); United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Financial Health (UNSGSA); and First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
During her maiden visit to Peru from April 26-30, the Finance Minister will lead an Indian delegation of officials from the Ministry of Finance and business leaders, highlighting the strengthening bilateral economic and trade relations between the two nations.
Beginning her visit in Lima, she is expected to call on the President of Peru, Dina Boluarte, and Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzen, besides holding bilateral meetings with the Peruvian Ministers of Finance and Economy, Defence, Energy and Mines, and also holding interaction with local public representatives.
The Finance Minister will chair the India-Peru Business Forum meeting with prominent business representatives in attendance from both India and Peru.
FM Sitharaman will also hold an interaction with the Indian investors and businesses currently operating in Peru, as well as the Indian business delegation visiting Peru. The Finance Minister will also participate in a community event in Lima, where she will interact with the Indian diaspora living in Peru, according to the ministry statement.
National News
We can’t live like this: Women break down before NCW chief in riot-hit Murshidabad

Kolkata, April 19: Women in Dhuliyan, one of the worst-affected areas in West Bengal’s minority-dominated Murshidabad district, have urged the Centre to set up permanent Border Security Force (BSF) camps in violence-hit pockets to ensure their safety following recent communal unrest over protests against the Waqf Act.
On Saturday, a delegation from the National Commission for Women (NCW), led by its chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, visited Dhuliyan to meet those affected by last week’s violence, most of whom are Hindus.
Several women broke down during their interaction with the delegation and pleaded for the permanent deployment of central forces.
“We won’t survive without permanent BSF camps here. If needed, we are ready to offer our own land and homes for setting them up,” said a woman, sobbing and touching the feet of a delegation member.
The NCW team assured locals that their concerns would be conveyed to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
“We are here to stand with you in this moment of crisis. The whole country is watching and supporting you. We will submit a detailed report to the Centre and include the demand for permanent BSF presence in this region,” a delegation member told the women.
Even before Saturday’s visit, NCW member Archana Majumdar had stressed the need for permanent Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) camps in the region.
“The women victims in Murshidabad have clearly expressed the need for permanent CAPF deployment to ensure their dignity and safety. We will raise the issue with the Union government,” Majumdar said on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Murshidabad district administration has prepared a preliminary report on property damage. According to initial estimates, over 250 houses and 100 shops — mostly owned by Hindus — were vandalized during the unrest.
“This is just the initial estimate. The actual figure may rise as we complete the detailed assessment,” said a senior district official.
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