oppn parties India Quick To Help Turkey But Must Also Learn Lessons From The Earthquake

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  • Allahabad HC said that the UP Police is acting as law unto themselves as they detained a person unlawfully even before his arrest
  • Kolkata witnesses traffic snarls on the first day of the Durga Puja festival as revellers start pnadal-hopping
  • Neha Bora was subsequently released and Dipke is to appear before a magistrate today at noon
  • Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, Neha Bora of AISA, student leaders and supporters ahead of a rally in Connaught Place demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. The protest followed the detention and jailing of two CJP leaders earlier in the week over demonstrations at Jantar Mantar
  • The Reserve Bank of India is considering further monetary tightening to counter capital outflows and increase the cost of betting against the rupee, according to bankers and analysts cited by Reuters. The measures follow recent rate increases and steps to drain liquidity as pressure on the currency and inflation concerns persist
  • India directed oil marketing companies to stop diverting sugar-based feedstocks for ethanol production in the 2026–27 supply year, according to a new tender issued on Friday. The companies have invited bids for 11 billion litres of ethanol made from alternatives including corn and broken rice, amid concerns about domestic sugar supplies and prices
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's trade imbalance with China was growing sharply and attributed the problem partly to restrictions on Indian goods and services entering the Chinese market. China subsequently said it was ready to work with India to address mutual economic and trade concerns; India's trade deficit with China reached $69 billion in the first half of FY2026–27, up 27% year-on-year
  • Indian equity benchmarks extended their recovery on Friday, with the Sensex rising 413.66 points to close at 74,729.27 and the Nifty 50 gaining 148.80 points to settle at 23,146.15. Information technology shares, including Tech Mahindra, Infosys and TCS, helped lift the indices
  • India defeated Zimbabwe by four wickets in the opening women's T20 International in Raipur, taking a 1–0 lead in the three-match series. Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad combined in an 82-run stand after India's top order collapsed, helping the hosts chase down Zimbabwe's total of 114 for five
  • Indian wrestler Komal won bronze in the women's 59 kg category at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, defeating Kazakhstan's Viktoriia Khusainova 7–2. Fellow Indian Amruta Pujari advanced to the women's 72 kg final after recording two pinfall victories
  • Indian shuttler Jagsher Singh Khangurra secured a bronze medal at the BWF World Junior Badminton Championships in Cairo
  • The Supreme Court of India upheld the Bombay High Court's decision quashing the 2020 write-off of ₹8,415 crore in additional tier-1 bonds issued by Yes Bank (Yes Bank). The court ruled that the bank's administrator lacked the authority to extinguish the bonds under the final reconstruction scheme, strengthening bondholders' claims
  • The Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission of India, Delhi Police and opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, in separate petitions concerning electoral-roll revision and protests held in Delhi on October 10–12. The court also directed the preservation of CCTV footage linked to allegations of police excesses
  • The Supreme Court ruled that a person converting from Hinduism to Islam cannot automatically claim backward-class reservation benefits in the new religious community solely on the basis of their previous caste status. The judgment upheld the Madras High Court's decision striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that permitted such certification for specified communities
  • The Election Commission of India ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three Union Territories, using January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on November 12, claims and objections will be accepted until December 11, and the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027
Delhi HC refuses to ban CJP's Tiranga rally at Central Park in Connaught Place today /////// Police says will control and regulate it /////// NDMC closes the park for the public on Friday and Saturday
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India Quick To Help Turkey But Must Also Learn Lessons From The Earthquake

By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2023-02-09 07:57:19

Large parts of Turkey and Syria have been ravaged by earthquakes and it has resulted in the death of more than 16000 people (more than 12000 in Turkey alone) and widespread destruction of public and private property and disruption of power, logistics and communication services. It has been the worst such series of earthquakes to hit the region in several decades. India has been quick to respond - it has already sent relief material (in several tranches) and has dispatched a unit of the elite disaster management force to Turkey to help in rescue and relief operations. Turkey has appreciated India's quick response and has said that India has stood by it in its hour of need like a true friend.

The Centre must be commended for helping Turkey. India's disaster management force is recognized worldwide as one of the best. They will obviously provide great strength to the local disaster management authorities and help them in tricky situations with their valuable inputs. Also, at this time of national calamity in Turkey, the relief materials in the form of medicines and daily necessities will go a long way in helping people who have lost their homes and livelihoods.

There is also a lesson for India in this. A large part of India also falls in seismically active zone. India, like Turkey, is also suffering from poor quality construction and rampant violation of building rules in these areas and this means that all buildings in such areas are prone to damage if an earthquake of a small magnitude hits and collapse and destruction in case of a stronger one. India must now make it mandatory for use of earthquake-resistant materials for building houses in these areas. It is necessary to take all measures to minimize loss of lives and property. But with rampant corruption in municipalities, it is doubtful whether the guidelines prescribed in the National Building Code of 2016 will be adhered to even if they are made mandatory in such areas. Builders often throw prudence to the winds in order to earn more and local officials help them by taking their cut.

Picture courtesy:  nature.com (caption ours)

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