Top Events For Today : From MVA's Maharashtra Bandh To Amit Shah's Meeting

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Top events today : There are a host of developments, updates and events expected in India and internationally in the political, educational, sports and general spheres on August 23. We take a look:

The Maha Vikas Aghadi has withdrawn its call for a Maharashtra bandh, following a Bombay High Court ruling. Opposition leaders and workers in the coastal state will now hold peaceful demonstrations and tie black bands around their mouth to protest against the Badlapur school sexual abuse case .

“We have called off August 24 Maharashtra bandh but opposition leaders will protest with black bands around their mouth. We don't agree with the Bombay High Court order on bandh,” confirmed Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray.

The bandh, supported by the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Nationalist Congress Party, had been announced after massive protests in Badlapur halted local train services in the city.

Today marks the second day of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's visit to the US, to meet Austin Lloyd, the US Secretary of Defence.

Rajnath Singh, in his official visit to the US , highlighted the various co-development and co-production opportunities in India in the areas identified in the India-US Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap, which was adopted last year, the Ministry of Defence stated in a press release.

The two leaders also appreciated the progress made in operationalising the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness, a Quad initiative and the ongoing efforts by India to enhance the Maritime Domain Awareness for the partners in the Indian Ocean Region.

They welcomed the ongoing Indian participation in the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and noted that India will deploy Indian Navy personnel to CMF's Combined Task Force 150 headquarters in 2025.

The Defence Minister and Secretary Austin also commended the efforts of the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) for establishing the Defence Innovation bridge between the two countries.

The upcoming INDUS X Silicon Valley Summit in September 2024 will further witness announcements of several key initiatives, the Ministry of Defence stated.

According to official sources, Amit Shah will assess both the measures taken against Naxal insurgency and the advancement of infrastructure projects in regions known as Red corridors within nine states troubled by Left Wing Extremism (LWE).

The meeting will also witness the participation of chief secretaries and director generals of police from neighbouring states including police chiefs of Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana and West Bengal. These are the states where Naxalism has been constricted, as per the latest data collated by the Ministry of Home Affairs, reported ANI.

The Home Minister will also chair a meeting on the expansion of Cooperation in Chhattisgarh on Saturday. On August 25, the Home Minister will inaugurate Raipur Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) office following a review meeting in the morning

Saptarishi Chatterjee, Medical Superintendent and Vice President of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, held a meeting with students and teachers to discuss ways to make the hospital a better place and to enhance the institution's services.

Chatterjee said that discussions were underway on how RG Kar could be made a better place. "There is nothing like protesting doctors. We had a meeting today with the students and the teachers. We are discussing on the course on how soon we can make RG KAR a better place because we have to give service to several patients and their relatives," the superintendent told ANI.

The city has been witnessing massive peaceful protests after a trainee resident doctor was brutally raped, and murdered in the seminar hall of R.G Kar Medical College and Hospital , Kolkata, on August 9.

The Supreme Court had taken suo moto cognizance of the case, in which the Chief Justice hauled up the Bengal government for the delay in registering FIRs and autopsy, after the victim's death was reported.

(with inputs from agencies)

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