Andaman's tribal delegation meets Rahul Gandhi, raises concern over Great Nicobar project
Sri Vijaya Puram (PTI): A tribal delegation from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi and raised concern over the proposed Great Nicobar Infrastructure project.
During the interaction on Thursday, the delegation expressed apprehensions about the potential adverse impact of the project on the fragile ecosystem of Great Nicobar Island and its indigenous tribal communities, according to a Congress statement issued here.
The delegation stressed that while development is essential, it must not come at the cost of ecological degradation or displacement and marginalisation of the tribal population. The members sought a balanced and sustainable approach that prioritises environmental conservation and safeguards the traditional rights and livelihoods of the native communities.
The delegation comprises members of the Tribal Council from Nicobar District, while Dr Vikrant Bhuria, national chairman of the All India Adivasi Congress, was also present at the meeting with Gandhi.
"The Leader of the Opposition (in Lok Sabha) gave a patient hearing to the delegation, acknowledging the gravity of the issues presented. He assured them that the concerns would be raised at appropriate fora," one of the tribal leaders from Great Nicobar said.
Gandhi also conveyed his intention to visit the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to directly engage with the people and better understand the ground realities, he said.
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Surat spiritual guru among seven held in Rs 2.38 crore fake currency racket in Ahmedabad
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Ahmedabad (PTI): City police has seized high-quality counterfeit Indian currency with a face value of Rs 2.38 crore and apprehended seven persons, officials said on Thursday.
Acting on a tip-off, the crime branch apprehended the accused, including a Surat-based spiritual and yoga teacher, when they arrived here on Wednesday, and seized 42,000 fake notes Rs 500 denomination.
Mukesh Thummar, Ashok Mavani, Ramesh Bhalar, Divyesh Rana, Pradip Jotangiya, Bharat Kakadiya and a woman allegedly brought the high-quality Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) in an SUV which was intercepted near Amraiwadi area, said Deputy Commissioner of Police Ajit Rajian.
Pradip Jotangiya is a 'spiritual and yoga teacher' at Shree Satyam Yog Foundation in Surat. The SUV had a "VVVIP" sticker and a plate reading "Shri Satyam Yog Foundation Recognized by Ayush Mantralay, Govt. of India".
Currency bundles were recovered from a black bag and concealed packaging inside the vehicle, the official said, adding that the process to arrest the accused was underway.
A crime branch team was immediately sent to Surat, and in coordination with the Surat crime branch, another Rs 28 lakh in fake currency was seized from a house where notes were being printed. Some equipment was also seized, DCP Rajian added.
Mukesh Thummar was allegedly the kingpin of the racket and arranged equipment and raw material including printers and paper cutting machines, as per an official release. Counterfeit currency was being printed at the place for the last four months, it added.
The accused had procured security thread paper resembling RBI markings from Chinese sources through e-commerce platforms such as Alibaba, it said.
Probe also revealed that photo-editing software and AI-based platforms such as ChatGPT were used to refine the design, layout, and visual features of counterfeit notes. One of the accused had expertise in graphic editing and printing processes.
The accused initially tested the counterfeit notes by using them in a few transactions. After gaining confidence that the fake currency was not being detected, they engaged agents to produce additional notes, Rajian said.
The accused will be produced before a court later on Thursday and police will seek their custody, he said.
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