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With vision to serve India, Reliance contributes Rs 1,185 cr as CSR in FY22

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Diversified conglomerate Reliance Industries has contributed Rs 1,184.93 crore towards supporting a number of need-based and impactful Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives during the fiscal FY22.

The CSR initiatives were spearheaded by Reliance Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Reliance Industries, led by Founder and Chairperson of the foundation Nita M. Ambani.

The works included in areas such as rural transformation, health, education, disaster response along with sports for development initiatives.

Most importantly, its Covid-19 response to support the nation and the people, was rolled out through five missions, continued pivoted and intensified through the year, based on the urgent and emerging needs including Mission Oxygen and Mission Vaccine Suraksha.

The other missions, including Mission Anna Seva, Mission Covid Infra and Mission Employee Care, were strengthened and sustained, based on the emerging pandemic situation.

Through its wide range of initiatives, the foundation managed to reach out to over 5.75 crore people and served as many as 50,600 villages.

During the once in a century pandemic, it produced 1,000 tonne medical oxygen every day exclusively for patients, over 8.5 crore meals distributed among needy ones, over 1.4 crore reusable masks distributed, over 2,000 Covid care beds set up across various locations, provided Covid related advisories to over 44 people, over 27 lakh litre fuels dispensed for emergency response vehicles, among many others.

Providing crucial support to the nation to meet a sudden shortage of medical oxygen for Covid-19 patients, especially during the second wave, Reliance repurposed its factory in Jamnagar in record time to produce liquid medical oxygen. The infrastructure was ramped up to meet the life-saving needs of 100,000 patients on a daily basis, delivered free of cost to various states.

The Jamnagar facility contributed to 11 per cent of India’s total production of medical grade liquid oxygen. Even though Reliance was not a manufacturer of medical-grade liquid oxygen, it became India’s largest producer of this life-saving resource from a single location in order to stand with the country in its hour of need.

Besides, it enhanced India’s covid testing capabilities by developing its own confirmatory tests with 15,000+ daily testing capacity.

In education space, it had set up a Jio Institute Campus at Ulwe, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra in about 52 acres, which will commence its academic sessions in 2022 itself.

Further, it reached 2.15 crore youth and children through different sports initiatives since the inception of the foundation.

Reliance Foundation scholarship athletes put up outstanding performances at national and international events, winning 28 medals in all. Athletes have their sights set on multiple international events including the Commonwealth and Asian Games. AI enabled technologies deployed to identify footballing talent.

Started in 2016, Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RFYS) aims to lay a strong foundation for India’s sporting future through the development of sports in schools and colleges.

Further, it supported various other small-and-medium sized entrepreneurs in rural areas by holding their hands in making their endeavour success.

During cyclone Tauktae in 2021, which hit the Arabian Sea in the second week of May and affected the livelihoods of many by damaging property and infrastructure, Reliance Foundation Information Services, through its mobile audio services reached out to more than 435,000 people across states hit by the cyclone with information on heavy rainfall, high wind, high wave, thunderstorm and lightning, pre and post-cyclone cautionary measures on the management of agriculture, livestock and fisheries.

Business

Sensex plunges nearly 2 pc amid US reciprocal tariff concerns

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Mumbai, April 1: Indian stock markets on Tuesday witnessed a sharp decline on the first trading day of the new financial year. The fall came as investors reacted to global market concerns, especially the upcoming US reciprocal tariffs on April 2.

The Sensex, which represents 30 major companies, dropped by 1,390.41 points or 1.80 per cent to close at 76,024.51. During the trading session, it fluctuated between an intra-day high of 77,487.05 and a low of 75,912.18.

The Nifty index also tumbled 353.65 points or 1.50 per cent, ending at 23,165.70. It touched a high of 23,565.15 and a low of 23,136.40 during the intra-day.

Almost all stocks in the Sensex index ended lower, except Zomato, IndusInd Bank, and State Bank of India (SBI).

The biggest losers included HCL Technologies, Bajaj Finserv, HDFC Bank, Bajaj Finance, and Infosys, which saw their share prices decline by up to 3.66 per cent.

Midcap and smallcap stocks also faced pressure. The Nifty Midcap100 index closed 0.86 per cent lower, while the Nifty Smallcap100 index slipped 0.70 per cent.

The BSE Midcap index was down 0.9 per cent, whereas the Smallcap index managed to rise slightly by 0.2 per cent.

Sector-wise, most indices ended in the red, with IT, real estate, and consumer durables stocks falling by around 2 per cent each. Only media, oil & gas, and telecom stocks managed to stay positive.

Market volatility also surged as the India VIX, commonly known as the fear index, jumped 8.37 per cent to 13.78 points. This suggests that investors are increasingly cautious about the market’s direction.

Analysts suggest that market fluctuations may continue until there is more clarity on global trade relations and economic policies as investors remain concern about Trump’s tariff policies and their impact on international trade.

“Amid heightened global volatility ahead of the anticipated US reciprocal tariff announcement tomorrow (US time), the domestic market witnessed a significant sell-off today. Investors are eagerly awaiting the specifics of these tariffs while also keeping a close eye on ongoing negotiations for a potential Indo-US trade agreement,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited.

The IT sector was among the hardest hit due to its substantial exposure to the US market, and real estate stocks fell following Maharashtra’s upward revision of ready reckoner rates, which affect property valuations.

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National

Bengal minister among 30 TMC MLAs asked to clarify absence on last day of Assembly session

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Kolkata, April 1: The internal disciplinary committee of Trinamool Congress’ legislative party in the West Bengal Assembly has finally shortlisted 30 party MLAs, including a member of the state cabinet for being absent on March 20, the last day of the second phase of the budget session, ignoring the party whip.

The absent MLAs had not even given prior intimation about their absence to the office of the Speaker, Biman Bandopadhyay.

These legislators, including the state minister, will have to personally appear in front of the disciplinary committee this month and justify why internal disciplinary action will not be initiated against them for ignoring the party whip.

The name of Manoj Tiwari, the cricketer-turned-politician and the current West Bengal Minister of State for Youth and Sports Affairs department, also figures in the list of those who will have to justify the reason behind their absence during House proceedings and ignoring party whip, said a member of the disciplinary committee who refused to be named.

Tiwari joined Trinamool Congress in 2021 before the state Assembly elections that year and was elected as a party legislator from the Shibpur Assembly constituency in the Kolkata-adjacent Howrah district. After the new state cabinet was announced, his name figured in the list.

Initially, it was decided that the meeting of the internal disciplinary committee would be conducted on March 29. However, the meeting on that date was cancelled because of the preoccupations of the MLAs including the members of the disciplinary committee because of the Eid festival.

The committee is chaired by the state Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Sovandeb Chattopadhyay. The other members of the committee include the West Bengal Minister of State for Finance (independent charge) Chandrima Bhattacharya, the state Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, state Power Minister Arup Biswas and the chief whip of Trinamool Congress’s legislative party in state Assembly, Nirmal Ghosh.

Trinamool Congress had issued a whip, making the presence of all party legislators mandatory on the last two days of the second phase of the budget session on March 19 and March 20.

Although the presence on the part of the legislators was almost 100 per cent on March 19, several legislators, including the minister, skipped attendance on March 20.

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National

SC refuses to entertain fresh PIL against Places of Worship Act 1991

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New Delhi, April 1: The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the constitutional validity of a provision of the Places of Worship Act, 1991.

In the alternative, a bench of CJI Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar suggested the PIL litigant to move an intervention application in the pending clutch of pleas challenging the validity of the contentious law, which prohibits the filing of a lawsuit to reclaim a place of worship or seek a change in its character from what prevailed on August 15, 1947.

The CJI Khanna-led Special Bench, in an interim order passed on December 12, 2024, ordered that no fresh suits would be registered under the Places of Worship Act in the country, and in the pending cases, no final or effective orders would be passed till further orders.

As per the latest petition filed through advocate Shweta Sinha, Section 4(2) of the 1991 Act is manifestly arbitrary, irrational and violative of Articles 14, 21, 25, and 26 of the Constitution.

“This provision not only closes the doors of mediation but also takes away the power of the judiciary. The legislature cannot take away the power of the judiciary to preside over disputes. This has been done through colourable legislation,” stated the plea.

In March 2021, a Bench headed by then Chief Justice of India S.A. Bobde sought the Centre’s response to the plea filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay challenging the validity of certain provisions of the law, prohibiting the filing of a lawsuit to reclaim a place of worship or seek a change in its character from what prevailed on August 15, 1947.

The plea said: “The 1991 Act was enacted in the garb of ‘public order’, which is a state subject (Schedule-7, List-II, Entry-1) and ‘places of pilgrimages within India’ is also a state subject (Schedule-7, List-II, Entry-7). So, the Centre can’t enact the Law. Moreover, Article 13(2) prohibits the State from making a law to take away fundamental rights, but the 1991 Act takes away the rights of Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs, to restore their ‘places of worship and pilgrimages’, destroyed by barbaric invaders.”

“The Act excludes the birthplace of Lord Rama but includes the birthplace of Lord Krishna, though both are incarnations of Lord Vishnu, the creator and equally worshipped throughout the world, hence, it is arbitrary,” it added.

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