Rahul Gandhi tries his hand at chocolate-making in Tamil Nadu's Ooty
New Delhi, Aug 27: Creating industrial hubs and implementing a single GST rate are imperative measures to shield MSMEs which collectively possess the power to drive India's growth engine, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Sunday as he shared a video of his recent visit to a chocolate-making factory in Ooty.
Gandhi had visited "one of Ooty's most celebrated brands" Moddys Chocolates earlier this month while on his way to his parliamentary constituency Wayanad after his Lok Sabha membership was restored.
Nestled amidst the picturesque Nilgiris lies a globally renowned Indian industry -- the chocolate-makers of Ooty, a statement issued by the Congress said.
"On my way to Wayanad, recently, I had the delightful experience of visiting one of Ooty's most celebrated brands: Moddys Chocolates. The entrepreneurial spirit of the couple behind this small business, Muralidhar Rao and Swati, is inspiring," Gandhi was quoted as saying in the statement.
Equally remarkable is the all-women team which works alongside them, he said. "This dedicated team of 70 women crafts some of the most exquisite couverture chocolates I've ever tasted," he said.
"However, like countless other small and medium businesses across India, Moddys is grappling with the burden of the same adversary - the Gabbar Singh Tax," he said.
"In a landscape where the government appears to favour larger corporations to the detriment of the MSME sector, it is the pure grit of hardworking Indians like the women I met here that sustains India's growth," he said.
Creating industrial hubs and implementing a single GST rate stand as imperative measures to shield these MSMEs, which collectively possess the power to drive India's growth engine, Gandhi asserted. He said women-led teams like this deserve all the support that can be given.
Muralidhar and Swati's children deserve an India where their future thrives, the Congress leader said.
In the video shared by Gandhi, he can also be seen trying his hand at chocolate-making and interacting with the all-women staff at the chocolate factory.
A team of 70 incredible women drives one of Ooty’s famous chocolate factories!
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 27, 2023
The story of Moddys Chocolates is a remarkable testament to the great potential of India's MSMEs.
Here's what unfolded during my recent visit to the Nilgiris:https://t.co/yNdM37M01M pic.twitter.com/UfPvLryBuC
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Two arrested in K'taka for assaulting minors, uploading CSAM content
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls, recording the acts on mobile phones and uploading the videos online as child sexual abuse material, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Kiran Kumar (29), hailing from Chitradurga district, and Aditya M K (20), hailing from Shivamogga district, they said.
A probe was initiated after information was received from the NCRP portal regarding a suspected instance of creation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) for online dissemination, police said.
Accordingly, a case was registered at Kaggalipura Police Station under relevant sections of the IT Act on May 10, they added.
Investigation revealed that two minor girl victims were exploited and videos were created and uploaded to the internet. The child victims have subsequently recorded their statements as per procedure and further necessary legal steps have been taken, Pronab Mohanty Director General of Police, Cyber Command, said in a statement.
Based on the statements of the victims, the accused persons, who allegedly assaulted the minors, recorded the acts on mobile phones and uploaded the videos online, were arrested, he said.
Following the probe, sections 65(2) (rape) and 70 (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the POCSO Act, have been added to the FIR, police said.
Officials collected relevant information and on May 12, arrested the accused persons and seized three mobile phones belonging to them, in which the videos had allegedly been recorded, he said.
The accused were later produced before the court and taken into police custody for further investigation, he added.
According to him, in CSAM cases, police usually apprehend offenders who have downloaded such content or have kept them in their possession after obtaining them from elsewhere, usually the internet.
"The present case is one of the very few instances where content creators and uploaders have been apprehended," Mohanty added.
