New Delhi, Dec 05: Gold prices jumped by Rs 1,300 to Rs 1,32,900 per 10 grams in the national capital on Friday amid firm global trends, according to the All India Sarafa Association.

The precious metal of 99.9 per cent purity had closed at Rs 1,31,600 per 10 grams on Thursday.

In the local bullion market, silver surged by Rs 3,500 to Rs 1,83,500 per kilogram (inclusive of all taxes) from previous close of Rs 1,80,000 per kg.

In the international market, spot gold increased by USD 15.10, or 0.36 per cent, to USD 4,223.76 per ounce, while silver was trading 1.82 per cent higher at USD 58.17 per ounce.

Gandhinagar, Dec 05: Union Minister for Cooperation Amit Shah on Friday said that as part of its “definite strategy”, the government aims to triple the contribution of the cooperative sector to the country’s GDP in the next few years and create more than 50 crore active cooperative members.

The government has also set the target of raising India’s share in the global organic market to 20 per cent by 2030 and 40 per cent by 2035, Shah said in his address at the Earth Summit held at Mahatma Mandir Convention Centre in Gandhinagar.

The government wants to strengthen the cooperative sector across the country, he said.

Earth Summit is a national initiative led by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).

Shah said that after Narendra Modi became the prime minister, rural development, agriculture, animal husbandry, and cooperative sectors were recognised as the crucial components of the country’s economic system and overall development.

“The vision of a fully developed India includes the well-being of every citizen, and in order to achieve that goal, focusing on the cooperative, agriculture, animal husbandry, and rural development sectors is essential,” said Shah.

“Under a definite strategy, we have decided that in just a few years, we will establish a cooperative institution in every panchayat. We will create more than 50 crore active cooperative members and triple the contribution of cooperatives to the country’s GDP,” he added.

The Union Home Minister informed the audience that Banas Dairy in Gujarat has developed a model for a circular economy in the dairy sector and that model is now available for replication across the country.

Now, the cooperation ministry is working on developing a similar circular economy model for the sugarcane sector in the country, Shah announced on the occasion.

On the ministry’s focus on the organic farming sector, Shah said the latest figures suggest that nearly 49 lakh farmers in the country have already adopted natural farming and there is a huge potential for the farmers.

“With the support of Bharat Organics and Amul, we are creating a chain of laboratories for conducting organic testing of farmers’ land and produce as per international standards so that farmers can sell their organic food items easily. At present, nearly 40 such organic products, like wheat and rice, are already sold online,” Shah said.

“We have set a target that India will have more than 20 per cent share in the huge global organic market by 2030 and 40 per cent share by 2035. For this purpose, we have established two multi-state cooperatives. While one of them will buy organic products from farmers, another will sell them. Money will be directly deposited into the bank accounts of farmers,” he said.

About the Sahkar Taxi service, a cooperative sector initiative launched on trial basis in Delhi recently, Shah said nearly 51,000 drivers have already registered for the service.

“Our taxi drivers will receive their full earnings into their bank accounts. I am confident that in due course, this taxi service will become the largest taxi company in the country running on cooperative basis,” Shah said.

“We are also bringing a cooperative insurance service – whether it’s health insurance, life insurance, agriculture, or accident insurance – all types of insurance on a cooperative basis. And in every village, three young people will work as ambassadors for cooperative insurance. In a way, we want to strengthen the cooperative sector across the country,” he said.

New Delhi, Dec 05: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday offered floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat, asserting that as one of the founders of the modern Indian state, he made an “invaluable contribution” to world peace.

While signing the book of honorary visitors to the Raj Ghat complex, Putin stated that Mahatma Gandhi anticipated the new, more just, multipolar world order that is now in its infancy.

Mahatma Gandhi had several connections with Russia which form part of the shared history of both countries.

“One of the founders of the modern Indian state, the great philosopher and humanist Mahatma Gandhi made an invaluable contribution to world peace. His ideas on freedom, virtue, and humanity remain relevant to this day,” wrote Putin.

“Mahatma Gandhi, in fact, anticipated the new, more just, multipolar world order that is now in its infancy. In his letters to Leo Tolstoy, he spoke extensively about the future of the world—free from dictates and hegemony, based on the principles of equality, mutual respect, and cooperation among peoples. And it is precisely these principles and values ​​that Russia and India jointly defend on the international stage today,” he added.

Flanked by Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, President Putin paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at the Rajghat.

Taking the India-Russia Special and Privileged Partnership ahead, PM Modi then warmly welcomed President Putin at the Hyderabad House to participate in the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit.

With both countries sharing a longlasting and time-tested bond, the two leaders are holding comprehensive and detailed discussions aimed at further strengthening the bilateral relations.

The Russian President’s itinerary on the second and final day of this State Visit remains packed as he is scheduled to attend a business event and will be hosted by President Droupadi Murmu for a banquet in the evening.

Putin will also participate in a business event at Bharat Mandapam, aimed at strengthening commercial and investment engagement.

New Delhi, Dec 05: In the Red Fort blast case in which 13 people were killed and dozens were injured, a Delhi court on Friday extended the National Investigation Agency (NIA) custody of accused Soyab by 10 days.

Soyab, arrested in connection with the November 10 blast in the national Capital, was produced before the NIA court at Patiala House after his earlier custodial remand expired. He had been sent to 10 days’ NIA custody on November 26.

According to the NIA, Soyab allegedly sheltered key conspirator Dr Umar Mohammad, also known as Umar un Nabi, and arranged logistical support shortly before the blast. He is the seventh person arrested in the case.

According to the NIA, Soyab not only harboured Umar before the attack but also provided logistical support crucial to the execution of the November 10 car bombing near the Red Fort that killed 13 people and left many others injured.

According to the officials, Soyab worked as a lab assistant at Al-Falah University in Faridabad and allegedly helped Umar procure chemicals from the university lab. Shoaib, who resides in the Dauj area of Faridabad, also arranged a rented accommodation for Umar at his sister-in-law’s house in Hidayat Colony, Nuh, shortly before the blast.

Earlier on December 3, A Delhi court had extended the NIA custody of Jasir Bilal Wani, an accused in the Delhi terror blast case, by seven days.

Wani was produced in a Special NIA court in Patiala House Court after his previous seven-day custody ended on Wednesday.

On November 10, a car explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort killed 13 people and injured dozens of others, triggering a high-level investigation that revealed the existence of a sophisticated ‘white-collar’ terror network with ties to Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Even before the blast, several arrests had been made across multiple states, and investigators had begun to piece together evidence of an interstate terror module.

Following the explosion, the NIA found that the incident was connected to earlier arrests, leading to a series of new revelations as the probe deepened.

Meanwhile, ongoing investigations have revealed chilling details about terrorist Umar’s methods and preparations.

According to interrogation inputs from arrested members of the terror module, Umar maintained what investigators describe as a “mobile workstation” — a large suitcase containing bomb-making tools, chemical compounds and containers. He carried it with him wherever he went.

Umar, a medical professional associated with Al-Falah University in Faridabad, reportedly conducted chemical tests in his room on campus before creating the final Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

One of the arrested suspects, Dr Muzamil Shakeel, also affiliated with the same university, confirmed to interrogators that Umar experimented with substances that were later used in the blast.