Mumbai, May 21 (IANS) In an unusual turn of events on Tuesday, an IndiGo flight operating from Mumbai to Varanasi was forced to return to the aerobridge at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) after the crew spotted an overbooked passenger in the flight just before take-off.

As the aircraft prepared to take off at around 7:50 a.m. on Tuesday, a crew member on flight 6E 6543 noticed a male passenger standing at the rear of the plane.

“There was an error in the passenger boarding process from Mumbai to Varanasi, wherein a standby passenger was allotted a seat reserved for a confirmed passenger,” the airline said in a statement.

“The error was noticed before departure, and the standby passenger was de-boarded. This led to a slight delay. IndiGo will take all measures to strengthen its operational processes. It regrets the inconvenience caused to the customers,” the statement added.

–IANS

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Chennai, May 21 (IANS) The police in Chennai are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the hope of cracking a missing girl child’s case.

The girl, Kavitha, had gone missing 13 years ago and the police are now using AI to determine how she would look now.

A composite image of Kavitha when she was two years old and a new picture of how she would look now has been generated using AI.

The police have printed pamphlets containing the pictures which will be distributed among the public to gather information on the missing girl.

Kavitha had gone missing while playing outside her home near the Valampuri Vinayagar temple at Saligramam on September 19, 2011.

–IANS

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Panaji, May 21 (IANS) Goa Forward MLA Vijai Sardesai on Tuesday said that his party will not allow Konkan Railway to come up with its tourism projects, which are against the principles of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Addressing a press conference in South Goa, Goa Forward Party Supremo Vijai Sardesai said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s principle is that “government has no business to be in business”, hence Konkan Railway should focus on running trains on time and not venturing into tourism business.

“Konkan Railways’ responsibility is to provide transportation to commuters and see railways run on time. But it is trying to venture into the business of renting a bike and cab, which are already run by locals of Goa, and also in pod hotels.

“Instead of running trains on time, it is trying to enter the tourism business. This will affect the business of the people of Goa. We will agitate and will not allow Konkan Railway to go ahead with its plan. This issue is of the livelihood of people,” Sardesai said, adding locals will suffer if this plan comes into reality.

“I oppose and condemn the plan of Konkan Railway. I will raise this issue in the monsoon assembly session. The BJP government should come clear over this issue,” Sardesai said.

–IANS

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New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the Mahila Sammelan event in Varanasi on Tuesday, enumerated various pro-women measures and welfare policies launched under NDA to bring improvement in their lives.

The program titled Naari Shakti Samvad, saw the presence of more than 25,000 women supporters at the rally venue.

Prime Minister, started off his speech by extending gratitude to the Matrushakti and went on to enlighten them on how the NDA government’s various schemes were making their life easier and better.

“We have built 11 crore toilets for the comfort and convenience of women, we have built 4 crore houses and got them registered in the name of women members,” PM Modi told the gathering.

Mocking the Congress regimes for their ignorance of ‘matrushakti’, he said, “If a household can’t run without women folk, how could they think that a country can run without women’s power?”

PM Modi also informed the gathering about how various schemes were helping people save money.

He said that the free ration scheme helps them save about Rs 12,000 every year, Ujjawala Yojana helps a household save Rs 300 monthly and informed that close to 90,000 pregnant women in Varanasi alone got Rs 6,000 in their bank accounts under the government-run scheme.

“More than 3 lakh people got operated for cataract for free,” he further informed.

He further said that many residents of Varanasi are benefitting from Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana and in the third term, his government will help them install solar panels, thus enabling them to make their electricity bill zero and also make earnings from it.

“Women folks of Self-help group (SHG) are being trained to become drone pilots and they will lead the revolution in agriculture,” PM Modi stated.

He said that women have always taken precedence in NDA’s policies in the past ten years and they remain a testimony of India’s success story.

He also spoke about the unprecedented surge of pilgrims at the Kashi Vishwanath and how the adjoining food and restaurant, hotel and homestays businesses have seen their businesses flourish.

PM Modi’s address to the thousands of women participants was also laced with an emotional touch.

“It’s for the first time that I am filing my nomination without taking the blessings of my mother. I always said that I came to Varanasi on the call of Maa Ganga, today it has adopted me,” PM Modi told the gathering.

Giving some valuable tips on improving the poll percentage in elections, PM Modi urged the ‘naari shakti’ to lead the electorate by setting examples.

“You should form groups, take out processions and marches, playing thaalis and singing songs to encourage and inspire others to follow suit,” he said while urging them to ensure that BJP wins every booth.

PM Modi also lambasted the INDIA bloc for their regressive policies, which kept women under shackles.

“The mindset of INDI bloc anti-women. Leave aside talks of emancipation, their focus has been suppression of women’s freedom and rights,” he said, recalling the statement of tall SP leader,” Ladke hain, galti ho jaati hai”.

Prime Minister also issued a warning of sorts to ruffians, with alleged affiliations to SP, and said, “Don’t even think of belittling or hurting women because Yogi government will give the right treatment to your misdeeds.”

–IANS

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Guwahati, May 21 (IANS) Assam Congress President Bhupen Borah asserted that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi is still relevant among the people of the state as he thought about bringing peace to the region by signing the Assam Accord.

Borah told reporters here on Tuesday, “Rajiv Gandhi signed the Assam Accord with All Assam Students Union (AASU) to end six-year-long agitation in the state. The accord gave powers to the people of Assam.”

He claimed that at the present time when the BJP brought the CAA to undermine the provisions laid down in the Assam Accord to give safeguard to the indigenous community, Assamese people are fondly remembering former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

The Congress leader alleged that BJP passed CAA in the parliament as the ruling party had a majority. But people have never accepted this “undemocratic” law.

“Congress party’s stand is very clear on CAA. We have been opposing this act since the beginning and we will continue to do so. CAA has killed the soul of the Assam Accord. As Rajiv Gandhi was one of the signatories of the accord, we can never accept the CAA,” he added.

Borah said that after the declaration of Lok Sabha poll results on June 4, the situation will change in the entire nation.

Meanwhile, he also took a jibe at the BJP saying that the ruling party initially claimed to win 13 LS seats in Assam but now they have dropped their numbers.

“BJP leaders went into a defensive mood and they have changed their numbers. I am sure that they have sensed the defeat. The poll results for the Congress party will come as a blow to the BJP,” Borah claimed.

–IANS

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