Man arrested on allegations of injuring cow by feeding explosive-mixed eatables: Police
Shimla: A man was arrested in Bilaspur district near here on Saturday on an allegation by the owner of a pregnant cow that he injured the bovine by feeding her some eatables mixed with explosives, said police.
The incident follows the shocking death of a pregnant elephant dying of drowning after collapsing in Velliyar river in Palakkad district of Kerala due to starvation and exhaustion. She had been found dead with major injuries in her oral cavities, possibly suffered after eating or having been fed firecrackers-stuffed pineapple.
The arrest was made after a video footage by cow owner Gurdial Singh, accusing his neighbour Nand Lal Dhiman of Dahad village in Bilaspur district, of being behind injuries to the pregnant animal last month, went viral on social media.
Bilaspur Superintendent of Police Dewakar Sharma said Nand Lal was arrested on Saturday from his village Dahad.
Police had visited the crime spot in the village along with a medical team, which examined the cow whose mouth and jaw were found heavily injured, the SP said, adding the cow was given prompt medical aid .
The wounds appeared to have been inflicted by some explosive material that people in rural areas use to deter animals from damaging their crops, said Sharma, adding the medical team has collected some samples of the cow's blood and injured skin near the jaw for further forensic tests.
The SP said the police had registered a case in this regard on May 26 itself in response to cow owner Gurdial Singh's complaint dated May 25 that his pregnant cow was grazing in a field at a distance of 20 meters from his house at 8.15 pm when he heard an explosion.
On reaching the explosion site, he (Singh) found that his cow's jaw was injured in the explosion, the SP said separately in a letter, apprising the state police chief of the sensitive incident.
The cow owner had added in his complaint that he suspected his neighbour Nand Lal being behind the mischief, the SP wrote to the Himachal DGP.
On Gurdial Singh's complaint, also endorsed by deputy chief of Dahad village panchayat, police had registered a case under Indian Penal Code section 429, involving the mischief of maiming or killing cattle, and other relevant sections of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act, the SP wrote to the state DGP.
SP Dewakar Sharma also informed the DGP that the cow was given prompt medical aid. Days after the incident, the cow also gave birth to a baby calf, he wrote to the DGP.
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India, New Zealand ink free trade agreement
New Delhi (PTI): India and New Zealand on Monday inked a free trade agreement, aimed at boosting two-way commerce and investments.
The pact was signed by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and visiting New Zealand's Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay.
The FTA provides duty-free access for 100 per cent of India's exports to New Zealand, covering all tariff lines or produce categories, and is expected to significantly boost MSMEs and employment by enhancing competitiveness in labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, apparel, leather, footwear, gems and jewellery, engineering goods, and processed foods.
Earlier, New Zealand maintained peak tariffs of up to 10 per cent on key Indian exports, including ceramics, carpets, automobiles, and auto components.
With zero-duty market access from entry into force as New Zealand's other trade partners, Indian products will be fully competitive in that country, enjoying a level playing field.
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Significantly, India also secured duty-free inputs for its manufacturing sector, including wooden logs, coking coal, and waste and scraps of metals, lowering production costs and enhancing the global competitiveness of the Indian industry.
On the other hand, India has offered tariff liberalisation on 70.03 per cent of tariff lines covering 95 per cent of bilateral trade value, while keeping 29.97 per cent of tariff lines excluded to protect India's sensitive sectors.
The products that are kept in exclusion are mainly -- dairy (milk, cream, whey, yoghurt, cheese etc.), animal products (other than sheep meat), agricultural products (onions, chana, peas, corn, almonds), sugar, artificial honey, animal, vegetable or microbial fats and oils, arms and ammunition, gems and jewellery, copper and articles thereof (cathodes, cartridges, rods, bars, coils), aluminium and articles thereof (ingots, billets, wire bars) among others.
On 30 per cent of tariff lines of New Zealand, India will provide duty elimination on goods such as wood, wool, sheep meat, and leather-raw hides.
Similarly, 35.60 per cent of tariff lines are subject to phased elimination over 3, 5, 7, and 10 years, including petroleum oil, malt extract, vegetable oils, selected electrical and mechanical machinery, and peptones.
New Zealand products which enjoy tariff reductions include wine, pharmaceutical drugs, polymers, aluminum, iron and steel articles, and goods that only 0.06 per cent fall under tariff rate quotas, including Manuka honey, apples, kiwi fruit, and albumins, including milk albumin.
The FTA also includes a commitment to facilitate USD 20 billion in investment into India.
A rebalancing clause is incorporated into the Agreement to provide a framework for addressing any shortfall in investment delivery, thereby ensuring robust and tangible economic outcomes.
Total bilateral trade in goods and services reached USD 2.4 billion in 2024.
