Criminals should leave UP or go to jail, says CM Yogi

Facing criticism over the law and order situation, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said criminal elements, who had a free run over the last 15 years, were trying to create “mischief” and warned of strict action against those taking the law into their hands.

Addressing a function here, he claimed that the crime graph had come down after his government took charge and the situation will improve further in the coming days. He said those violating the law will not be spared, regardless of their political affiliation.

“Our main priority is to establish rule of law in the state. I want to assure the people of the state that if someone tries to take the law into their hands, the government and the administration will deal with them firmly. Some people have been spoilt over the last fifteen years, and their habits will not change in a day. They are still trying to do mischief in some areas,” he said.

“I want to warn them again that they should mend their ways or be ready to face the consequences. We will not let any farmer, labourer, trader or daughter suffer,” the chief minister added. PTI Indian businessman in Kuwait, Matthunny Mathews, who was instrumental in the safe evacuation of stranded Indians during the Iraqi invasion in 1990, passed away in Kuwait.

81-year-old Mathews, who hailed from Kumbanad in Pathnamthitta district, was ailing for some time and passed away on Saturday, media reports said.

Expressing his condolence, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said during the 1990 Gulf war Mathews had helped thousands of Indians flee the gulf nation and his services would always be remembered.

By not taking efforts to save his own life and property, Mathews had done yeoman service to bring his countrymen, who had lost everything in the war, safely back, Vijayan said. “He provided food and drinking water to the stranded Indians and we remember it with gratitude,” Vijayan said. The VP Singh government had in 1990 carried out the biggest evacuation during the gulf war when over 1.50 lakh standard Indians had been safely brought back by flight. At that time Mathews had functioned as the Central Government’s “unofficial representative” in Kuwait to coordinate the evacuation process, the chief minister said.

Popularly known as ‘Toyota Sunny’, Mathews was said to be the inspiration of Akshay Kumar’s character in Bollywood film ‘Airlift’. Mathews, left for Kuwait 1956 at the age of 20 in search of job. He joined as a typist in the Toyota company and rose to become its managing director when he retired in 1989. Tamil Nadu Karnataka Kerala Mackerel Sardine Cephalopod Ribbon fish Prawn Mackerel

Gujarat has retained the first position in marine fish landing in the country. Among the fish varieties, mackerel topped the catch list but sardine declined considerably. There was also some good news for Bengalis — their favourite fish hilsa recorded a high catch.

The county’s marine fish catch registered a slight increase of 6.6% in 2016 compared to the previous year, said the annual report on fish landing prepared by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) in Kochi.

According to CMFRI’s estimate, the total marine fish landings for 2016 was 3.63 million tonnes, with Gujarat remaining at the top for the fourth consecutive year followed by Tamil Nadu. Kerala, with its vast coastline, for the first time dropped out of the top three and ranked fourth behind Karnataka.

Mackerel, the national fish, stood first among all the varieties after a long interval with an overall production of 2.50 lakh tonnes ahead of sardine (2.44 lakh tonnes). A huge difference of 32.8 % was recorded in the landing of sardine, known as poor man’s fish that contains good quantity of Omega 3 fatty acid that propels HDL (good cholesterol).

A hike in the production of hilsa helped West Bengal increase its marine fish production to 2.72 lakh tonnes. The upsurge in hilsa catch helped the state increase its marine fish production to 2.72 lakh tonnes in 2016 from a 1.18 lakh tonnes in 2015. The catch dropped significantly in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha due to cyclone that reduced fishing days.

The estimated value of marine fish landings in 2016 at the landing centre level in the country was ₹ 48,381 crore, registering an increase of 20.67% compared to 2015. At the retail level, the estimated value was ₹73,289 crore with an increase of 12.44%over the previous year.

Marine scientists say fisheries sector is experiencing more pressure and there is an urgent need to implement control measures to maintain the harvest at sustainable level.

“We have to explore the utilisation of untapped and unconventional resources to quench the demand. Further, climate change, particularly the increase of sea surface temperature and mean sea level rise are factors affecting the marine fisheries,” CMFRI director Dr A Gopalakrishnan said.

MACKEREL STOOD FIRST AMONG VARIETIES WITH OVERALL PRODUCTION OF 2.50 LAKH TONNES, AHEAD OF SARDINE