Padma Vibhushan Osamu Suzuki: The Man Who Gave India Maruti 800 Car

Osamu Suzuki, Suzuki Motor Corp's patriarch and long-time chairman who has been conferred Padma Vibhushan posthumously, headed the company for more than 40 years and revolutionised India's car market with the introduction of the popular Maruti 800 car.

Osamu Suzuki is among seven personalities who were conferred Padma Vibhushans, one of the highest civilian honours in the country, on Saturday.

Osamu Suzuki, who died in late December last year at the age of 94, shared a good rapport with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

According to PM Modi, Osamu Suzuki was a legendary figure in the global automotive industry.

“His visionary work reshaped global perceptions of mobility. Under his leadership, Suzuki Motor Corporation became a global powerhouse, successfully navigating challenges, driving innovation and expansion. He had a profound affection for India and his collaboration with Maruti revolutionised the Indian automobile market,” the Prime Minister had posted on X social media platform.

A former bank employee, Osamu Suzuki got his break in the automotive business after his marriage to Shoko Suzuki, granddaughter of Michio Suzuki, who founded Suzuki Motor's predecessor company in 1909. Osamu Suzuki took his wife's surname, in accordance with the Japanese custom when there are no male heirs.

His entry into India turned out to be a game-changer as the subcontinent-sized market, saddled with the mid-60s technology Ambassador and Fiat cars, drove up demand for the Maruti 800 small car. The waiting lists of customers stretched for as long as up to three years with the car selling at a premium in the second-hand market.

Suzuki Motor agreed to set up a venture with the Indian government outside New Delhi and acquired a 26 per cent stake in the state-owned carmaker Maruti Udyog in 1982. In December 1983, the venture rolled out the Maruti 800 small car which was an instant hit.

Maruti, now a unit of Suzuki Motor, quickly became the biggest car manufacturer in India and still commands more than 40 per cent share of the market.

Osamu Suzuki's more than 28 years as president made him the longest-serving head of a global automaker. After stepping down as president in 2000, he became Suzuki Motor's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. He came back as president at the age of 78 in December 2008, when Suzuki Motor was expecting its first profit decline in eight years amid the global recession to lead from the front.

Suzuki then passed on the presidency to his son in June 2015 and took over as Chairman and CEO, but then resigned as CEO over an embarrassing fuel-economy misstatement.

Suzuki was a man of spartan habits and was known to fly economy class even during his old age as part of his frugal lifestyle.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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If Russia Sells Crude Oil On Discount India Will Buy It: Hardeep Singh Puri

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday said that India would continue buying crude oil from Russia if it is available at a discount emphasising that the government is "committed" to buying the most economically-priced crude oil.

"We used to buy less than 0.2 per cent from Russia in February 2022. Now, we are buying 30 per cent. If it's available at good discounts, we will buy it. If it (crude oil) is available elsewhere (at a discounted price), we will buy (from that market)," Hardeep Singh Puri, who is Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, said during a media interaction here.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "commitment is to make energy available round the clock in the most affordable manner, along with the transition to green energy", the minister said.

"We are not committed to buying any quantity from anyone. We are committed to buying the most economically priced energy of a grade of crude that you (refineries) want." He said that the government was open to entering both long terms as well as spot deals with oil-producing countries.

"We float tenders at the point of importation. What that means is if we have a requirement for a particular route, we'll float a tender and then whoever can supply it .. supply. Payment terms will always follow from that will follow. Sometimes special situations arise where you are able to do it, mostly transactions are denominated in Dollars and as you go forward you try some local currency," he said.

"Energy is available in abundance supply. More and more crude is coming to the market in spite of the cutbacks that came from some of the producers," he said.

Responding to a question on the refinery project in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, the minister said the project was not viable on account of its size (60-million metric tons per annum capacity).

"I think our position as of now is that instead of 60 million metric tons per annum we are looking at the possibility of three (refineries) into 20 million metric tons per annum for which discussions are going on behind the scenes." Notably, the Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (RRPCL), a joint venture company, was formed in 2017 by three national oil companies, namely Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited.

It proposes to implement an integrated refinery and petrochemicals complex on the west coast of Maharashtra.

Saudi Aramco (SA) and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, the two global oil and gas majors, have also expressed their intent to partner in this project.

Hardeep Singh Puri, however, said that the refining capacity is going up with the current at around 268-270-million metric tons per annum, adding that "we already have plans in motion to go up to 310-million metric tons per annum."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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No Leader Other Than Modi Can "Bend It Like Beckham": Industrialist At Davos

Exuding confidence in the India growth story, industrialist Shobhana Kamineni said on Thursday there is no leader in the world other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi who can 'bend it like Beckham' when it comes to promoting economic growth.

She made the comment during a session here during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in the backdrop of the legendary footballer David Beckham given Crystal Award on the first day of WEF summit on Monday.

Apollo Hospitals' Shobhana Kamineni further said what can India be, excites everyone.

"We are in a really tough situation around the world that there is so much uncertainty. So just think, you know, since David Beckham got the Crystal Award. So you're in a playoff. There's no other leader that can bend it like Beckham like (Narendra) Modiji with this.

"So, I think that, you know, we're betting really on the fact that we have a great player who's leading this team and that's serious... And I love the fact that the government is thinking like an owner that that they don't think about quarter by quarter, except when you're trying to push private sector." She said that digitisation, availability of cheap data and IT services and growing entrepreneurship is boosting India story.

"We can see business after business glowing with optimism. Now we are moving towards AI and it is India that has helped us get the cheapest of data and best business atmosphere," she said.

"Another India story is that everything is not concentrated in Delhi and other metros. People can become a billionaire by doing business in any city of the country," Ms Kamineni added.

She further said India will be one billion new employable people by 2030 and that could be everyone's problem as there could be a lot more aged people also who would need a job at that time and that requires a lot of work starting right now.

"We as an industry, need to work how we can create more jobs. Nobody wants subsidy, everyone wants a job," she cautioned.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Gujarat's Republic Day Tableau To Showcase State's Cultural Heritage, Development

The tableau of Gujarat which will be part of the 76th Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi merges the state's rich cultural heritage and development with the nation's growth and progress, officials said Wednesday.

The tableau, themed "From Anartpur to Ektanagar - A Confluence of Heritage and Development" has the 12th-century Solanki-era 'Kirti Toran' of Vadnagar placed alongside the towering 'Statue of Unity', the world's tallest 182-metre statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, displaying its "historical legacy alongside contemporary achievements", an official release said.

It also illustrates Gujarat's advancements in sectors such as defence, technology, automobiles and manufacturing, highlighting its role in realising the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India), it said.

The tableau also displays Gujarat's tribal culture with Pithora paintings, and commemorates the 100th birth anniversary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee with the 'Atal Bridge' - a footover bridge on Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad, it said.

Besides that, it highlights Gujarat's emerging underwater sports initiatives at Dwarka and Shivrajpur beach.

Among other displays are key Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives, such as the C-295 aircraft manufacturing unit of Tata Advanced Systems Limited in Vadodara, and showcases its semiconductor manufacturing initiative and its emergence as an automobile production hub, the release said.

"Enhancing the tableau's visual appeal will be Gujarat's vibrant Maniyara Raas, brought to life with the dynamic rhythm of traditional yet modern Duha music," it said.

The tableau has been produced by the Information Department of the Gujarat government.

This year, a total of 30 tableaus will be featured in the Republic Day parade, including 14 from states and Union Territories, as well as contributions from various central government departments, it said.

The President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, will grace the 76th Republic Day celebrations as the chief guest. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Top Court To Hear RG Kar Rape Case Tomorrow, 2 Days After Convict's Sentencing

The Supreme Court is slated to hear on Wednesday the matter where it has taken suo moto cognisance of the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

As per the causelist published on the website of the supreme court, a bench of CJI Sanjiv Khanna comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and KV Viswanathan will resume hearing the suo moto case on January 22.

Meanwhile, the West Bengal government on Tuesday approached the Calcutta High Court, challenging the verdict of a Kolkata special court awarding life imprisonment to Sanjay Roy, the sole accused and convict in the rape and murder case of the woman doctor.

A division bench of Justices Debangshu Basak and Justice Shabbar Rashidi of the Calcutta High Court admitted the state government's appeal seeking a death penalty for the convict.

A day before, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that the Bengal government would move the Calcutta High Court challenging the quantum of the sentence and the state government would be seeking the death penalty for the convict.

"I am convinced that it is indeed a rarest of rare cases which demands capital punishment. We want to insist upon the death penalty in this most sinister and sensitive case," the Chief Minister said in a statement.

While pronouncing the quantum of the sentence, special court judge Anirban Das said that the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) contention that Roy's offence in the matter was "the rarest and rare crimes" was not tenable. Hence, the judge observed that instead of the "death penalty", Roy, an erstwhile civic volunteer attached to Kolkata Police, be sentenced to "life imprisonment".

Apart from that a fine of Rs 50,000 was also imposed on Roy. The special court, at the same time, directed the West Bengal government to pay a compensation of Rs 17 lakh to the family of the victim. It observed that since the victim was raped and murdered at her workplace, which is a state-government entity, the West Bengal government is legally bound to pay compensation to the victim's family.

In an earlier hearing held in November 2024, the Supreme Court had remarked that it would not pass any direction to transfer the trial of the ghastly rape and murder case outside West Bengal. A bench, headed by then CJI D.Y. Chandrachud, turned down the oral prayer made by a lawyer seeking transfer of trial outside West Bengal.

"Yes, we have transferred cases (of gender violence) in Manipur. But we are not doing anything like that here," it had remarked. The supreme court had noted that the trial will commence on November 11 at a special court in Kolkata after charges were framed against the "sole prime accused" in the case, Sanjay Roy.

The process of the framing of charges was completed on November 4, exactly 87 days after the body of the woman junior doctor was discovered at a seminar hall within the state-run R.G. Kar premises on the morning of August 9, 2024.

In October, the CBI filed its first charge sheet against Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer with Kolkata Police, in the alleged rape and murder case. In the charge sheet, the CBI did not rule out the possibilities of a larger conspiracy behind the macabre crime that prompted alleged events of tampering and altering of evidence during the initial phase of the investigation which was carried out by Kolkata Police.

Besides Sanjay Roy, two others arrested by the CBI officials in the matter are RG Kar Medical College and Hospital's former Principal, Sandip Ghosh, and the former SHO of Tala Police Station, Abhijit Mondal. RG Kar comes under the jurisdiction of Tala Police Station.

The main charges against Ghosh and Mondal are for misleading the investigation when the Kolkata Police were probing the matter before it was handed over to CBI by the Calcutta High Court. Both have been accused of tampering with evidence in the case.

Taking suo moto cognisance of the rape and murder case of the junior doctor at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, the Supreme Court had termed the incident "horrific," which raises the "systemic issue of safety of doctors across the country". "We are deeply concerned about the fact that there is an absence of safe conditions of work for young doctors across the country, particularly, public hospitals," it had said.

The supreme court had ordered the formation of the NTF (National Task Force) to suggest measures for the security of medical professionals across the country, observing that the safety of doctors is the "highest national concern".

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Toddler Runs In Front Of Car Owned By School In Punjab, Gets Run Over

A two-year-old girl was killed after she was run over by a vehicle belonging to the management of a private school in Punjab's Barnala, police said on Tuesday.

The incident, which was captured on CCTV, took place at Sacred Heart Church on Monday, when the child, Zoya, was playing on the premises. Visuals show the girl running in front of the car just as it begins to move. The distraught family said the death was caused by the driver's negligence. 

Police said the driver has been arrested and a detailed probe is underway. 

Speaking to reporters, Zoya's father, Suraj Kumar, said he and his wife, Anupama, were visiting the church with their daughter. "My daughter was playing but was run over due to the driver's negligence. She died on the spot. She was my only child," he said. 

"The area was small and the driver was at a high speed. How could he do that inside such a small space? He should have been careful. When he first ran over her, you should have stopped the car. The car did not stop and the rear wheels also went over her," he added.

Mr Kumar alleged that the occupants of the vehicle, believed to be employees of the school, neither apologised for the incident nor helped them rush their daughter to the hospital.

"Couldn't the driver see my child? The car ran over her entirely. I want justice. I cannot treat this incident as an accident. The driver and the school staff did not even come to me to apologise. Who hired him as a driver? Whom will I feed now? Whom will I play with now? Why has no action been taken so far," Ms Kumar asked, crying inconsolably.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Satbir Singh said the accused driver, Jaswinder Singh, has been arrested. "He is a resident of Sirsa in Haryana. The vehicle has also been seized. A probe is underway," the officer said. 

There was no immediate statement from the school on the accident.

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शपथ में ट्रंप के चार जिगरी यार, चारों का है एक ही कनेक्शन

Trump Oath: अमेरिका के 47वें राष्ट्रपति पद की शपथ डोनाल्ड ट्रंप ने लिया तो ऐसे में सबकी नजर उनपर तो थी ही, उनके जिगरी चार यारों पर भी थी. आप सोच रहे होंगे कि ये कोई नेता होंगे. मगर नहीं ये सभी टेक कंपनियों के दिग्गज हैं. डोनाल्ड ट्रंप की इन सभी से बहुत ज्यादा बनती है और वे खास तौर पर उनके शपथ ग्रहण समारोह में पहुंचे. एक तो बकायदा ट्रंप प्रशासन में काम भी करेंगे. जी हां, वो एलन मस्क हैं. उनके अलावा मेटा के मार्क जुकरबर्ग, टिकटॉक सीईओ शाउ जी च्यू और गुगल सीईओ सुंदर पिचाई पर खास नजरें दुनिया की रही.

टिकटॉक सीईओ शाउ जी च्यू को ट्रंप से बहुत उम्मीदें हैं. कारण जो बाइडेन ने टिकटॉक को बैन कर दिया था. ट्रंप राष्ट्रपति पद की शपथ लेने के बाद इस बैन के हटाने वाले हैं.

मेटा वाले मार्क जुकरबर्ग भी डोनाल्ड ट्रंप के शपथ समारोह में खास अंदाज में नजर आए. ट्रंप के चुनाव जीतने के बाद इन्होंने मेटा और फेसबुक के नियमों में कई महत्वपूर्ण बदलाव किए हैं.

एलन मस्क इस शपथ समारोह में काफी खुश नजर आए. हो भी क्यों ना. आखिर उन्होंने न सिर्फ ट्रंप की जीत के लिए पैसा बहाया बल्कि खुद उनके चुनाव के काम को भी संभाला.

ट्रंप के शपथ समारोह में गुगल के सीईओ सुंदर पिचाई ज्यादातर समय एलन मस्क के पास ही दिखे. मस्क ट्रंप सरकार में महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका में हैं. ऐसे में हर बिजनेसमैन मस्क के संपर्क में रहना चाहता है.

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Top Court's "Last Chance" To Centre To Decide On Beant Singh Killer's Plea

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to take a decision by March 18 on the mercy petition of death row convict Balwant Singh Rajoana, convicted in the 1995 assassination case of then Punjab chief minister Beant Singh.

"We are granting you time by way of a last chance. Either you take a decision or otherwise we will hear it on merits," a bench of Justices B R Gavai, Prashant Kumar Mishra and K V Viswanathan told solicitor general Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre.

The bench was hearing Rajoana's plea seeking directions to commute his death sentence to life term due to the "inordinate delay" in deciding his mercy plea.

Mehta referred to the sensitivity involved in the matter and said the mercy petition was under consideration.

"It is a murder of a sitting chief minister in a terror attack. It is serious and has ramifications," Mehta said and requested six weeks time.

Rajoana's counsel said while his client spent about 29 years in jail, he spent over 15 years on death row.

"We will hear it on merits on March 18," the bench said, "by then if you can take a decision, well and good. Either way you decide it so that it could facilitate us. Otherwise we will hear it (plea seeking directions to commute death sentence) on merits." When Rajoana's counsel said he should be granted some relief and be released as the mercy petition was pending since long, Mehta said, "That is precisely the problem. Should he come back in the society?" The bench observed in many cases, the apex court had imposed the sentence of imprisonment till actual death.

"We will hear you. We will give them some time," said the bench.

On November 25 last year, the Centre informed the apex court that there was sensitivity involved in the matter related to the mercy petition of Rajoana.

While hearing the petition on November 18 last year, the apex court put on hold its order asking President Droupadi Murmu's secretary to place before her the mercy petition of Rajoana for consideration.

After the order was passed in the morning on November 18, 2024, the solicitor general urged the bench that it should not be given effect as there were "sensitivities" involved in the issue.

Mehta said the file was with the home ministry and not the President.

On September 25 last year, the top court sought responses from the Centre, the Punjab government and the administration of the Union Territory of Chandigarh on Rajoana's plea.

The former Punjab chief minister and 16 others were killed in a blast at the entrance of the civil secretariat in Chandigarh on August 31, 1995. A special court sentenced Rajoana to death in July, 2007.

Rajoana's plea, among other things, sought a direction for his release.

On May 3, 2023, the apex court refused to commute his death sentence and said the competent authority could deal with his mercy plea.

In his fresh plea, Rajoana highlighted having undergone 28.8 years in jail, of which he spent 17 years as a death row convict.

He said in March 2012, a mercy petition under Article 72 of the Constitution was preferred by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee seeking clemency on his behalf.

The plea said over a year had elapsed after the top court directed the competent authority, in due course of time, to deal with the mercy petition filed on his behalf and take further decision.

It referred to an April 2023 order of the top court in a separate matter in which the court directed all the states and appropriate authorities to decide the pending mercy petitions at the earliest and without any inordinate delay.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Another Member Of Bangladesh-Linked Terrorists Arrested In Assam

The Special Task Force (STF) of Assam Police has arrested another dreaded cadre of the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), a Bangladesh-based terror group affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), officials said on Sunday.

An Assam Police spokesperson said that the STF, in another successful operation against fundamentalists and Global Terrorist Organisations (GTO) arrested the most wanted Jaheer Ali from Dhubri, an Assam district that shares a border with Bangladesh and West Bengal.

With the latest arrest of Ali, the STF so far arrested 13 associates of the ABT.

"These 13 cadres, including a Bangladeshi national, were active in clandestine activities under the direction of Md Farhan Israk, a close associate of Jasimuddin Rahmani, the chief of ABT.

"They sent one Bangladeshi national, Md Sad Radi alias Shab Sheikh a resident of Rajshahi, Bangladesh, to India to spread their nefarious ideology amongst like-minded Indian nationals across India," the spokesperson said.

He said that under the direction of STF Chief Partha Sarathi Mahanta, 'Operation Praghat' was conducted.

The accused were arrested and recovery of arms, ammunition, explosives and other materials and various incriminating documents, mobile phones was made from their possession.

On December 30 last year, ABT cadre and the absconding prime accused, Gazi Rahman (35) was arrested with the assistance of Kokrajhar Police.

On December 27 last year, ABT associate Shahinur Islam (36) was arrested from Bandhabpara in Dhubri District while on December 24, the STF arrested Abdul Zaher Sheikh and Sabbir Mirdha from Namapara in Kokrajhar district and a huge cache of arms and ammunition and other war-like items were recovered from the hideout of one of the arrested accused persons.

The STF, as part of Operation Praghat on the intervening night of December 17-18, had apprehended eight ABT operatives across Assam, West Bengal and Kerala.

Among the eight, five were arrested in Assam's Kokrajhar and Dhubri districts, two in West Bengal, and one Bangladeshi national in Kerala. Of the eight arrests, Bangladeshi national Muhammad Sad Radi alias Md Shab Sheikh (32), a resident of Rajshahi in Bangladesh, was apprehended from Kerala.

After the questioning of the eight detainees, the remaining four accused persons were arrested from Dhubri and Kokrajhar, bordering Bhutan and West Bengal.

"With these 13 arrests, the STF achieved a huge success in averting a possible major terror act by fundamentalist/Jihadi elements of a Global Terrorist Organisation (GTO)," the spokesman said.

Assam Police Special Director General Harmeet Singh earlier said the eight persons (arrested on the intervening night of December 17-18) were handlers in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

They were working to form 'sleeper cells' in different parts of India and there were plans to assassinate leaders belonging to the Hindu community and RSS, besides undertaking violent and subversive activities in India, Singh had said.

The Special DGP had said that Operation Praghat was launched in November after a detailed and prolonged examination of intelligence input regarding the clandestine anti-national activities being carried out by a group of individuals under the direction of Md Farhan Israk, a close associate of Jasimuddin Rahmani, the ABT Chief.

The operation was launched under the direct supervision of STF Chief Mahanta.

In December last year, the Assam Police STF also arrested five Pakistan-linked terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) members from Kokrajhar and Dhubri.

Four JeM operatives have been arrested from Kokrajhar district, while one JeM linkman was arrested from Dhubri district, a police officer said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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