President Kovind to visit Tajikistan from Oct 7-9
New Delhi, Oct 6: President Ram Nath Kovind will Sunday embark on a three-day visit to Tajikistan during which he will hold talks with the top leadership of the country to strengthen India's ties with the Central Asian country.
During his visit from October 7-9, he will meet his Tajik counterpart Emamoli Rahmon, Speaker of Parliament Shukurjon Zuhurov, and Speaker of the Lower House (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of Parliament. Tajik Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda will also call on the president, the Ministry of External Affairs said Saturday.
Kovind will also visit the Tajik National University where he will deliver an address on 'Countering Radicalization: Challenges in Modern Societies'.
He will address the members of the Indian diaspora in Tajikistan during his three-day visit.
The president will also pay his respects to Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore by visiting their memorials in Dushanbe and will offer floral tributes.
All areas of bilateral, regional and multilateral cooperation are expected to be discussed during Kovind's visit to Tajikistan, the MEA said.
Given the close relationship between the two countries, the visit is expected to lead to further strengthening of the Indo-Tajik bilateral relations, it said.
This will be the first visit of Kovind to Central Asia.
Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre and Rajya Sabha member Shamsher Singh Manhas will also be part of the president's official delegation.
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has visited India five times, his last visit being in December 2016.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
