9,300 kg seized drugs worth Rs 1,235 cr to be destroyed in presence of Amit Shah in Bengaluru
New Delhi, Mar 23: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will oversee destruction of 9,298 kilograms of seized drugs valued at Rs 1,235 crore in Bengaluru on Friday as part of the Modi government's zero tolerance policy against narcotics.
The drugs will be destroyed on the sidelines of a regional conference on 'Drug Trafficking and National Security' to be held in the Karnataka's capital, an official statement said.
A target to destroy 75,000 kg drugs was set during a 75-day campaign beginning June 1, 2022 but a total of 5,94,620 kg of drugs valued at Rs 8,409 crore have been destroyed so far, overachieving the target, the statement said.
Out of the total drugs destroyed, 1,29,363 kg of seized drugs valued at Rs 3,138 crore has been destroyed by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) alone while the rest of the narcotics were seized by other agencies and state police forces.
Shah will chair the conference which will be attended by representatives from five southern states and three Union territories.
During the meeting, due emphasis will be laid on aspects like ways to curtail drug trafficking through maritime route, stringent punitive action on drug traffickers resulting into zero tolerance, seamless coordination and cooperation between state and central drug law enforcement agencies and containment of spread of drug abuse through concerted awareness programmes.
On the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ministry of Home Affairs has adopted a three-pronged formula of strengthening the institutional structure, empowerment and coordination of all narcotics agencies and a comprehensive awareness campaign to crack down on narcotics.
The government of India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, has adopted a policy of zero tolerance against drugs to make a drug-free India, the statement said.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
