Uttar Pradesh police chief Mukul Goel was on May 11 removed from his post for neglecting his work.

He has been made the Director General (DG) of the Civil Defence department.

The statement added that Goel was removed from the post of DGP for neglecting official work and not taking interest in departmental work.

Goel, a 1987-batch IPS officer, was appointed the Uttar Pradesh director general of police (DGP) in June last year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit the Mayadevi temple at Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, on May 16 which happens to be Buddha Purnima.

However, instead of flying to Gautam Buddha International Airport, also known as Bhairahawa airport (12 miles from Lumbini), he is taking a helicopter from Kushinagar international airport in India directly to Lumbini for which the Nepalese government has made helipads inside the premises of the World Heritage Site.

PM Modi is likely to speak at the Buddha Memorial Ceremony organised by the Lumbini Development Trust and also lay the foundation stone of a Buddhist monastery that will be made with India’s support.

Meanwhile, the opening of more cross border routes from India to Nepal is likely to figure in the talks between PM Modi and PM Deuba.

Many Nepalese consider PM Modi's overflying the new airport a diplomatic failure on behalf of the Nepalese government.

This will be PM Modi’s fifth visit to Nepal since 2014. The last Ambassador of India to Nepal, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, has become India’s Foreign Secretary and the position in Nepal is vacant.

Meanwhile, PM Deuba is likely to hold talks with PM Modi for development of the West Seti Hydropower Project.

While addressing a gathering in his hometown Dadheldhura on May 10 , Deuba had said that he would discuss the West Seti project with PM Modi.

A Bengali folk culture researcher and writer returned an award given by the Pashimbanga Bangla Academy as a mark of protest against the academy’s decision to confer a special award to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her contribution to Bengali literature.

Ratna Rashid Banerjee returned the Annada Shankar Smarak Samman with which she was honoured by the Academy in 2019 saying she felt 'insulted' by the Academy’s move to give a literary award to the CM.

The special award, introduced this year, was announced for the Chief Minister’s book Kabita Bitan, a collection of over 900 poems at an event organised by the state government on the occasion of Rabindranath Tagore’s 161st birth centenary. Though Mamata was present at the event, the award was handed over to Academy chairman Bratya Basu.

The special award is conferred every three years.

Ratna from Burdwan district has written over 30 books of articles and short stories. She has also done research on Bengal’s folk culture highlighting the marginalised sections of society. 

Bengali poet Subodh Sarkar, who is also a member of the board that selects the panel of awardees, said it was an individual's choice whether he or she would return the award conferred by the Academy.

Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande on May 11  spoke to his Bangladeshi counterpart Gen SM Shafiuddin Ahmed with a focus on enhancing bilateral defence cooperation.

It is learnt that the two Army chiefs also exchanged views on evolving geopolitical situation as well as its possible impact on regional security.

The defence and security ties between India and Bangladesh are on an upswing in the last few years. The year 2021 marked the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Bangladesh.

In reflection of close ties, India is also hosting a number of events to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1971 war that led to the liberation of Bangladesh.

Around 93,000 Pakistani troops had surrendered before the joint forces of the Indian Army and the "Mukti Bahini" on December 16, 1971, which paved way for the birth of Bangladesh.

Gen Pande held a telephonic conversation with his Nepalese counterpart Gen Prabhu Ram Sharma last week.

In a milestone achievement, the RailTel-one of the premier PSUs of the Ministry of Railway, has launched the Prime Minister Wi-Fi Access Network Interface, which is also called the ‘PM-WANI’ on May 9  evening in common parlance,  in one go at 100 railway stations in country’s 22 states.

Sharing details, Puneet Chawala-chairman-cum- MD of RailTel said that the RailTel as the country’s most widespread integrated Wi-Fi networks has taken responsibility of installing the PM-WANI eco-system.

At present, it has launched the PM-WANI services across 100 railway stations which have 2384 Wi-Fi hotspots in 22 states. Among these 100 railway stations, 71 fall under the categories of A1 and A while 29 stations come under other categories of railways.

Dwelling upon details of the PM WANI Wi-Fi service, Chawala said that one will have to download the android based app –Wi-DOT” from Google pay to make access to this PM –WANI wi- fi service at railway stations.

At present across the Indian Railways (IR), the Wi-Fi network is spread across 6,102 railway stations in the country with 17,792 Wi-Fi hotspots. The PM-WANI based access of RailTel’s Wi-Fi services at 6,012 railway stations will be completed by June 30 this year.

Besides all this, Chawala-the RailTel’s Chairman, through a statement claimed that the PM-WANI Wi-Fi hotspots would prove effective in extending cost-effective Internet to passengers at rural and remote railway stations across the country.

Veteran Congress leader and former Union minister Sukh Ram has died. He was 94.

He had suffered a brain stroke in Manali in Himachal Pradesh on May 4, following which he was admitted at the regional hospital in Mandi.

Later, the Congress leader was airlifted to Delhi and admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for better treatment on May 7.

Sukh Ram was the Union minister of state communications (independent charge) from 1993 to 1996.

He was a member of the Lok Sabha from the Mandi constituency.

He won in five assembly elections and was thrice elected to Lok Sabha.

In 2011, Sukh Ram was sentenced to five years imprisonment for corruption when he was communications minister in 1996.

His son Anil Sharma is a BJP MLA from Mandi.

Sukh Ram had represented the Mandi assembly seat from 1963 to 1984.

He was elected to Lok Sabha in 1984 and served as a junior minister in the Rajiv Gandhi government.

Sukh Ram served as minister of state for defence production and supplies, planning and food and civil supplies.

Sukh Ram was the union minister of state (independent charge) holding the communications portfolio from 1993 to 1996.

While Sukh Ram represented the Mandi Lok Sabha constituency, his son Anil Sharma contested and won the assembly seat in 1993.

The Congress leader had won the Mandi Lok Sabha seat in 1996, but he and his son were expelled from the party after the telecom scam.

Subsequently, they floated the Himachal Vikas Congress Party, which entered into a post-poll alliance with the BJP and joined the government.

In 1998, Sukh Ram contested the assembly elections from Mandi Sadar and won by a huge margin.

His son Anil Sharma was elected to Rajya Sabha in 1998.

In the 2003 assembly poll, he retained the Mandi assembly seat but rejoined the Congress in the run-up to the 2004 Lok Sabha polls.

His son Anil Sharma won the Mandi assembly seat in 2007 and 2012 as a Congress candidate.

Prior to the 2017 assembly elections, Sukh Ram joined the BJP along with his son and grandson.

However, Sukh Ram along with his grandson rejoined the Congress right before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections to get a Congress ticket for Aashray Sharam but he could not win.

Sukh Ram was born on July 27, 1927.

President Ram Nath Kovind conferred 13 Shaurya Chakras which included six posthumous to the personnel of Indian Armed forces for their conspicuous courage displayed during operations.

Army Chief General Manoj Pande was conferred with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) for his distinguished service of exceptional order at a defence investiture ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

The Ministry of Defence in its statement said, “The Gallantry awards were given to the personnel for displaying conspicuous gallantry, indomitable courage and extreme devotion to duty."

The President also conferred 14 PVSM, four Uttam Yudh Seva Medals (UYSM) and 24 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals (AVSM) for distinguished service of exceptional order.

These awards of Gallantry and other defence decorations conferred were approved by the President in January on the eve of 73rd Republic Day celebrations this January.

Gen Manoj Pande assumed the charge of the 29th Chief of the Army Staff on April 30. Before that he was serving as the Vice Chief of Army Staff for three months and was the General Officer Commander in Chief, Eastern Command of the Army before that.

Sri Lanka's embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said  that he will appoint a new Prime Minister and a Cabinet this week which would introduce constitutional reforms, amid continuing widespread anti-government protests over the country's worst economic crisis.

In an address to the nation, President Gotabaya also said that after appointing the new Prime Minister, and Government a constitutional amendment will be moved to enact the content of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which will vest more powers with the Parliament.

Sri Lanka has been without a government since the last two days after his President Gotabaya's elder brother and prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned, making way to form an all party interim government.

The President is constitutionally empowered to run the country without a cabinet.