PM Modi conferred Ghana's national honour
Accra (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with ‘The Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana’, the country's national honour, for his "distinguished statesmanship and influential global leadership".
Modi received the award on Wednesday from the Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama.
"Honoured to be conferred with ‘The Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana’," the prime minister said in an X post.
In his acceptance speech, Modi said the award was a matter of great pride and honour for him.
"I humbly accept the award on behalf of the 140 crore Indians," he said, dedicating it to the aspirations and bright future of the youth of the two countries, the historical ties between Ghana and India, and their rich cultural traditions and diversity.
"This honour is also a responsibility; to keep working towards stronger India-Ghana friendship. India will always stand with the people of Ghana and continue to contribute as a trusted friend and development partner," he said in an X post.
The award was conferred on the prime minister in recognition of his "distinguished statesmanship and influential global leadership," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a press release.
Thanking the people and government of Ghana for the special gesture, the prime minister noted that the "shared democratic values and traditions of the two countries would continue to nurture the partnership".
He said the award "further deepens the friendship between the two countries and places new responsibility on him to embrace and advance bilateral ties."
Modi asserted his confidence that his "historic" state visit to Ghana would impart a new momentum to India-Ghana ties, according to the MEA.
"A testament to the deep & long-standing India-Ghana ties, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.
Earlier, Modi held wide-ranging talks with Mahama, after which India and Ghana elevated their ties to the level of a comprehensive partnership.
The prime minister is in Ghana on the first leg of his five-nation tour.
It is the first prime ministerial visit from India to Ghana in three decades.
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Parag fined 25 percent of match fees for vaping incident, BCCI exploring 'stringent action' on RR
New Delhi (PTI): Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag was on Thursday fined 25 per cent of his match fee for bringing the game into "disrepute" after being caught vaping on camera during the IPL game against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur.
Parag's actions during the Royals' chase on Tuesday night drew condemnation on social media.
PTI has learned that on field umpires Tanmay Srivastava and Nitin Menon had not reported the matter to match referee Amit Sharma right after the game. They only did that after seeing visual proof and Sharma found Parag guilty for a code of conduct breach as per the IPL guidelines.
The Level 1 offence carries 25 per cent deduction from match fees and one demerit point.
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"Riyan admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction imposed by the Match Referee, Amit Sharma," said the IPL in a statement.
"The BCCI is also exploring other options to initiate proceedings for stringent action against the erring team, its officials and players to ensure that the reputation of IPL remains intact," the statement added.
When PTI reached out to BCCI secretary Devajit Saika on possible action on Rajasthan Royals, he said: "As it is written clearly in the statement, we are exploring what action to take on the team. It is not decided yet."
The Indian government had banned e-cigarettes back in 2019, prohibiting their production, sale and distribution. As per the law, the offender faces imprisonment up to one year and/or a Rs one lakh fine for a first time offence.
"Article 2.21 of IPL Code of Conduct is intended to cover all types of conduct that bring the game into disrepute and which is not specifically and adequately covered by the specific offences set out elsewhere in this Code of Conduct, including Article 2.20," the IPL Code of Conduct states.
"By way of example, Article 2.21 may (depending upon the seriousness and context of the breach) prohibit, without limitation, the following: (a) public acts of misconduct; (b) unruly public behaviour; and (c) inappropriate comments which are detrimental to the interests of the game.
"When assessing the seriousness of the offence, the context of the particular situation, and whether it was deliberate, reckless, negligent, avoidable and/or accidental, shall be considered.
"Further, the person lodging the Report shall determine where on the range of severity the conduct lays (with the range of severity starting at conduct of a minor nature (and hence a Level 1 Offence) up to conduct of an extremely serious nature (and hence a Level 4 Offence)."
Since it is a Level 1 offence there was no need for a hearing.
Parag, who has not had the best of times with the bat this IPL, was seen inhaling an e-cigarette, also known as vaping, in the dressing room during the live broadcast of their game against Punjab Kings. Royals won the game to end Kings' unbeaten run in the tournament.
This is not the first controversy to hit the Royals this season. Earlier this month, team manager Romi Bhinder was fined Rs one lakh for breaching PMOA protocol after being found using his phone in the dugout.
IPL and BCCI officials involved in the conduct of the IPL termed it as a careless act in the age of social media and prying TV cameras.
Royals next host Delhi Capitals in Jaipur on Friday night.
