PM opens Maitri Setu between Tripura-B’desh, hails new trade corridor

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that the eastern and northeastern regions of India along with Bangladesh are being developed as a trade corridor.

Addressing a virtual gathering from Delhi via video-conferencing, Modi said the infrastructure for developing roads, railways, airways, and waterways has been developed and new projects are being launched to develop the eastern and northeastern regions of India along with Bangladesh as a trade corridor.

“With the development of the varied infrastructure, economic opportunities would increase to a large extent, not only in eastern and northeastern regions of India but also in Bangladesh,” Modi said after inaugurating five development projects and laying the foundation stones for four projects with a total investment of Rs 3,518 crore.

Of the nine projects, a 1.9 km long bridge built at a cost of Rs 133 crore over river Feni is the most significant venture to link India and Bangladesh by road and to access the Chittagong international seaport in Bangladesh from the northeastern states of India.

Modi said the connectivity-related infrastructure has seen tremendous improvement in the last three years. Referring to the development of HIRA (Highways, I-ways, Railways, and Airways), the Prime Minister cited the rapid work for the airport and sea-link in Tripura.

Speaking about Tripura, Modi said that now people would not have to depend only on roads for any kind of supply to northeast India.

“Efforts are underway to connect Chittagong port of Bangladesh with the northeast through an alternative route via the river. The ICP (Integrated Check Post) in Sabroom would work as a full-fledged logistic hub with warehouses and container trans-shipment facilities,” he said.

Modi said the connectivity is not only strengthening the friendship between India and Bangladesh but also proving to be a strong link for business.

“The Feni bridge would improve the connectivity to south Assam, Mizoram, Manipur, and Tripura with Bangladesh and south-east Asia, Modi said, adding that the bridge would give an impetus to the economic opportunities in Bangladesh as well.

The Prime Minister thanked the Bangladesh government and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the cooperation in the completion of the bridge project. Sheikh Hasina also virtually addressed the function organized to inaugurate the double-lane Feni bridge named Maitri Setu (friendship bridge).

Modi said that he, along with the Bangladesh Prime Minister, had jointly laid the foundation stone for the Feni river bridge a few years ago and today (Tuesday) they jointly opened the bridge for movement of traffic.

Hasina, while addressing the function virtually from Dhaka, said the Bangladesh government has already announced allowing the northeastern states of India to get access not only to the Chittagong and Mongla seaports, but also the Chittagong airport.

The Bangladesh Prime Minister said, “Bangladesh had extended the necessary support to construct the Maitri Setu. With the use of the Chittagong and Mongla seaports, the distance between Tripura and Kolkata ports would be reduced to less than 100 km from the existing 1,600 km.”

The Feni bridge has connected India’s border town of Sabroom in Tripura with Ramgarh in Bangladesh. Sabroom is 72 km by road from the Chittagong seaport.

“We want to remove the political boundary. Political boundaries should not become physical barriers to trade. There should not be any political and economic barriers between us. A cross-border transport system would boost the socio-economic condition of the north-eastern states of India. Together we are keen to develop our region as a prosperous one. Trade and commerce must be improved and extended to a large extent,” Hasina said.

The Bangladesh Prime Minister said her country is keen to develop connectivity with Nepal and Bhutan, too. She said Bangladesh had not forgotten Tripura’s contribution, help, and support during the 1971 Liberation War.

“India has helped a lot during the Bangladesh Liberation War,” Hasina said, referring to the observation of the 50 years of the Liberation war, also called “Mukti Yuddha”.

Prime Minister Modi on Tuesday inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of nine mega projects worth Rs 3,518 crore. Besides, the Feni bridge, he inaugurated the Integrated Command and Control Centre in Agartala (Rs 135 crore), 48 km portions of National Highway-8 between Agartala and Udaipur (Rs 765 crore), 4,000 urban houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Urban) (Rs 813 crore) and Public Works Department (PWD) roads (Rs 63 crore).

Modi also laid the foundation stone for four projects — Integrated Check Posts in southern Tripura’s border town Sabroom (worth Rs 232 crore), Kailashahar-Khowai National Highway-208 (worth Rs 1,078 crore), Multilevel car parking-cum-commercial complex (worth Rs 200 crore), and up-gradation and widening of existing airport road from two lanes to four lanes (worth Rs 96 crore).

Tripura Governor Ramesh Bais and Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, among others also spoke at the gathering. The Tuesday’s rally and the function were organized to mark the completion of three years of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) government in the state.

Ruling party intimidating voters of graduate MLC polls: Telangana Cong chief

With campaigning on at full swing for the two graduate MLC constituencies that go to polls on March 8, the opposition Congress party has accused the ruling TRS of intimidating voters.

Speaking to media persons here on Monday, Telangana Congress president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that TRS leaders are forcing voters to swear that they will vote only for the ruling party candidates.

Stating that such tactics are illegal, Reddy said that they would submit video evidence to the election commission, and demand stern action. “Failure to act would raise suspicions,” he said.

Reddy claimed that a Congress victory in the two constituencies would force the TRS government in the state, and BJP-led government at the center, to solve problems faced by Telangana’s graduates.

Recalling the horrific daylight murder of a lawyer couple recently in the state, the Congress leader demanded to know why Brahmins should vote for the ruling party.

There is now awareness about crime against women: Yogi

UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, on Monday, said that there was now awareness about crime against women.

He said that when he formed the government, there was a lack of awareness on this issue.

“We began by expanding Women Power Line to 75 districts from four districts. Helpline number 181 for domestic violence was also integrated with other helpline numbers to make it effective,” he said.

Launching the second phase of the ongoing Safe City project to provide an environment free of fear to women, the chief minister honored women for their contribution in various fields and inaugurated various schemes as part of ‘Mission Shakti’ in the state capital.

“Today, 20 percent of women are inducted in 3 PAC Battalion in Gorakhpur, Lucknow, and Badaun. For girl education, we launched ‘Kanya Sumangla Yojana’ with Rs 15,000 benefit for a maximum of five times,” he added.

The Uttar Pradesh government had launched the ‘Mission Shakti’ program on October 17 last year for the security of women in the state and to further strengthen the safety mechanism for the girls and women.

In the first phase, under the Safe City project in Lucknow, 100 pink booths are being constructed for women’s safety in different areas of the city.

Out of this, 70 pink booths have been completed.

At the same time, 100 two-wheelers pink petrol and 10 four-wheelers pink petrol have been given to women policemen for the safety of women and girls.

These pink patrols are constantly patrolling around the girls’ schools, colleges, and markets.

For the facilities of women, Pink Toilets with special facilities are also being constructed at 74 places in the city, out of which 18 Pink Toilets are ready.

Under the Safe City project, lights are installed after identifying the dark spots in the city.

So far, 3625 dark spots have been identified and lights have been provided at 660 places while 2965 other spots will be taken up by the end of March. This will curb crimes against women at night.

The Women Power Line 1090 operated under the Safe City Project is also proving to be a boon for women. After getting better results, the work on increasing the capacity of the women’s power line is also being done.

Apart from this, the integration of women’s power line with 112 cyber forensics facility, data analytics centers has also been established through enhancement in the technology.

The hot spots are being monitored through CCTV cameras, drones, and control rooms. The installation of panic buttons, CCTV cameras, and GPL in city buses will also be completed by December 2021.

No tax or duty hikes in Karnataka budget for 2021-22

The Karnataka budget for fiscal 2021-22 has not proposed an increase in sales tax on petrol and diesel or excise duty on liquor or in registration fee on transport vehicles, said Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Monday.

“As the Covid pandemic has caused untold miseries to the people in the year 2020-21, I am not willing to put the burden of additional taxes on them. No taxes, including sales tax on petrol or diesel, has been increased for the year 2021-22,” said Yediyurappa while presenting the state Budget for the ensuing fiscal in the legislative assembly.

Yediyurappa, who also holds the finance portfolio, said that though sales tax on petrol and diesel in the state was lesser compared to other southern states, he was not increasing it (tax) on fuels.

“The Budget has been formulated in such a way so as not to increase the burden on the common man,” said Yediyurappa in Kannada while presenting his 8th budget during his tenure as Chief Minister.

The Budget has also not increased excise duty on Indian-made foreign liquor or beer for the ensuing fiscal.

“The revenue target from excise duty on liquor and beer has been fixed at Rs 24,580 crore for the ensuing fiscal (2021-22).

The state Excise Department has collected Rs 20,900 crore till February as against the fixed target of Rs 22,700 crore for the current fiscal (2020-21).

With no increase in registration fees on transport vehicles, the budget has set a Rs 7,515 crore target for 2021-22.

“The state transport department has collected Rs 4,294 crore till February as against the annual target of Rs 7,115 crore for this fiscal (2020-21),” said the Chief Minister amid boycott and walkout by opposition Congress members.

The State Budget has, however, reduced stamp duty on apartments priced Rs 35-45 lakh to 3 percent from 5 percent.

“To promote affordable housing, the stamp duty for registering apartments valued Rs 35-45 lakh is proposed to be reduced to 3 percent from 5 percent for fiscal 20231-22,” said Yediyurappa on the occasion.

The Budget has set a Rs 12,655-crore target for the coming fiscal (2021-22) from the state stamps and registrations department.

“The department has collected Rs 9,014-crore from stamps and registrations till February from across the state as against the annual target of Rs 12,655 crore for this fiscal (2020-21),” said Yediyurappa.

The Budget has reduced the revenue target from commercial taxes to Rs 76,473 crore for fiscal 2021-22 from Rs 82,443 crore set for fiscal 2020-21.

“The state commercial taxes department has collected Rs 71,833 crore till February as against the annual target of Rs 82,443 crore,” said Yediyurappa.

The Chief Minister also told the lawmakers that the southern state (Karnataka) was second in the country in overall Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection despite the Covid pandemic fallout in this fiscal (2020-21).

Yogi govt to spend Women’s Day in big way

The Yogi Adityanath government will celebrate International Women’s Day in the most special way under its ambitious ‘Mission Shakti’ campaign across Uttar Pradesh.

The main event of the second phase of the ‘Mission Shakti Abhiyan’ will be held in the state capital Lucknow and it will be live-streamed in all districts.

Yogi said in a statement that the government is committed to the safety, honor, and empowerment of women for which various programs have been initiated in the state.

To mark the day, ‘Chaupals’ will be held at various primary schools as well as the Kasturba Gandhi schools across villages to spread awareness about the safety, dignity, and empowerment of women.

Apart from this, the government will also allow free-of-cost visits of women to the ancient and historical places in the state.

The government has also issued directives to organize a pledge-taking ceremony of the guardians for the safety of girls for which an amount of Rs 1,000 has been released to each school.

With the aim of making the new generation the carrier of culture that guarantees respect and protection for women, many campaigns and awareness programs are being run by the Yogi-led government.

In this series, mass public meetings will be conducted to ensure women’s security and empowerment on the occasion of Women’s Day in all schools of the state.

Apart from this, the school’s headmasters, wardens, facilitators, will promote these awareness activities in their respective villages, gram panchayats, etc.

The programs are designed to educate girls about ‘Good-Touch Bad-Touch’.

Information about the government’s women helplines will also be given to parents and children.

All the winners of the various competitions organized at the schools will also be honored.

A poster exhibition will also be organized to make children aware of social issues like domestic violence, child marriage, gender discrimination, and child rights.

In Lucknow as a gift from Yogi on International Women’s Day, women can visit historical places including Bara Imambara, Bhool Bhulaiya, Picture Gallery, Rumi Gate, and Ghantaghar for free.

An order in this regard has been issued by the Hussainabad Trust.

Instructions have been given to organize women empowerment-related programs in all districts up to tehsil, block, and village level even after one week of International Women’s Day.

President stresses on timely justice delivery

President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday emphasized on implementation of a judicial system in which obstacles behind the delay in delivery of justice could be removed to ensure timely justice.

Supporting his recommendation, Kovind said that the objective of the judicial system is not merely to resolve disputes, but also to uphold justice.

“The objective of the judicial system is not merely to resolve disputes, but also to uphold justice and one way to uphold justice is to remove obstacles like delay in the delivery of justice. Justice is not delayed only by lack of court’s functioning or system,” said the President while speaking at the inauguration of the All-India State Judicial Academies Directors’ Retreat at Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh.

Noting the rapid increase of technology in the judicial system, the President stressed the need to introduce the use of technology in all judicial processes for “speedy delivery of justice”.

“To provide speedy delivery of justice, it is essential that besides extensive judicial training, there is a need to introduce the use of technology in our judicial processes.

“Due to the increasing number of cases, it becomes necessary to understand the issues’ incorrect perspectives and take accurate decisions in a short time. The introduction of new laws, extensive changes in the nature of litigation, and the need to settle cases in a time-bound manner have also made it imperative for judges to have up-to-date knowledge of the law and procedures,” said the President.

More than 18,000 courts have been computerized in the country. Till January, including the lockdown period, around 76 lakh cases were heard in virtual courts across the country.

The President said that initiatives like National Judicial Data Grid, Unique Identification Code, and QR Code are being appreciated globally. With the help of e-courts, video conferencing, e-proceedings, e-filing, and e-Seva centers, it is easier for the judicial administration to dispense justice.

“Another benefit of this technological intervention is that due to these initiatives, use of paper has decreased, which helps conserve the natural resources,” Kovind said.

Discussing that the lower judiciary is the core of the country’s judicial system and mentioning that our judicial academies are doing an important job by training law students into learned judges, the President said there is a need to increase the scope of training of judges as well as other judicial and quasi-judicial officers for speedy disposal of pending cases in our courts, especially in the district courts.

The President said: ‘We, the people of India’, have high expectations from the judiciary. Society expects judges to be knowledgeable, prudent, affectionate, dignified and impartial.”

“Quality is given more importance than numbers in the judicial system. And, to meet these requirements, it is very important to keep updating the training procedures, knowledge, technology, and judicial skills. Thus, even at the induction level and in-service training, the role of state judicial academies becomes very important in educating judges in a manner to measure up to expectation.”

Himachal CM sees boom in legalising hemp cultivation

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur is projecting an economic boom in legalizing hemp cultivation as thousands of families depend on it.

In his Budget speech on Saturday, Thakur said, “Commercial hemp cultivation is permitted and regulated in many countries and in some states in India.”

“This creates investment and employment opportunities. The state government proposes to frame a policy to permit commercial hemp cultivation with the proper regulatory framework,” Thakur, who holds a finance portfolio too, said.

He presented a Rs 50,192-crore populist but deficit Budget for 2021-22 with no new taxes despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Experts told IANS there is a huge demand for opium, an extract of the poppy grown widely in high mountains of the state, mainly the Kullu Valley, in the pharmaceutical industry.

They say the selective cultivation of cannabis and poppy on the lines of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh could annually generate revenue of Rs 800 crore to Rs 900 crore.

According to police officials, over 60 percent of the poppy and cannabis produced in Himachal is smuggled to countries such as Israel, Italy, Holland, and other European countries. The rest finds its way to Nepal or other Indian states like Goa, Punjab, and Delhi.

They say cannabis and poppy (opium) plants are grown illegally on vast tracts in Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, and Chamba districts. Police records show that 50,000 acres in Kullu Valley alone are under cannabis cultivation.

Lured by cheap hashish, the police admit foreigners settled illegally in remote villages have been actively involved in smuggling narcotics. They have been indulged in providing high-yield variety cannabis seeds to local growers for planting in various high-altitude areas.

Malana, a village in the Kullu Valley, has long been notorious for cultivating the prized ‘Malana Cream’ hashish, a purified resinous extract of the cannabis.

Of late, the increasing involvement of Nepalese nationals in the narcotic trade is a matter of concern. They are procuring cheap charas from Nepal and selling them in the name of ‘Malana Cream’ in India.

DMK hopes for minority votes, but Owaisi may spoil the party

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam(DMK) and its leader MK Stalin have been on a high with the possibility of support from the state’s Muslim vote bank in the upcoming assembly polls. The DMK’s alliance with the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML)and Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam(MMK), the two major Muslim political parties, has made them optimistic.

But the announcement by Asaddudin Owaisi that his party, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AiMIM) will contest elections on 25 seats may turn out to be a concern for the DMK.

The AIMIM had contested elections to the Tamil Nadu assembly in 2016 and had garnered 10,000 votes from the Vanniyambadi constituency.

IUML national president Khader Mohideen told IANS: “Owaisi will not make much of a difference. His brand of divisive politics will not work in either Tamil Nadu or Kerala.”

Political observers believe Owaisi and his brand of politics works among the Urdu-speaking Muslims of Tamil Nadu who are more in number in Northern Tamil Nadu.

MMK leader Jawaharullah, while speaking to IANS, said: “I don’t think that Owaisi and his brand of politics have any role to play in Tamil Nadu. He may get some votes which could split the Muslim votes thus helping the AIADMK-BJP combine and we are educating Muslims about this menace.”

However, a section of the DMK leadership feels that the AIMIM may eat into the Muslim votes of the alliance.

Said DMK General secretary Duraimurugan, “Owaisi and his politics will not be a major threat to the secular political alliance of DMK. The Muslim politics of Tamil Nadu is different and that politics is supporting us and we don’t feel any heat over the arrival of Asadudin Owaisi and his party in Tamil Nadu.”

Added Elias Syed Mohammed Khan, state office-bearer of the AIMIM: “The DMK is terrified at our entry. We are for protecting the interests of the community and to speak on behalf of the community. We don’t have any other interests and in this election, we will make a major difference.”

With elections a month away, political parties have started working on the permutations and combinations that would garner votes.

Odisha CM inaugurates World Skill Centre

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Friday inaugurated the World Skill Centre (WSC), a premier advanced skill training institute, here.

It has been set up at a budget of nearly Rs 1,342.2 crore.

World Skill Centre is being modeled around leading TVET Institute, ITE (Institute of Technical Education) Singapore and seeks inspiration from World Skills, Russia, and GIFTS (Global Institute for Transferring Skills), South Korea, said a statement.

WSC is established under the Odisha Skill Development Project assisted by the Asian Development Bank with ITE Education Services (ITEES), Singapore as the knowledge partner.

Inaugurating the centre, the Chief Minister said, “Odisha has made rapid strides in skill development in the last five years. We have created new avenues for our youth to compete with their counterparts anywhere. Our aim is to meet their aspirations, to make them globally employable.”

He also said that the state government is intensely investing in the future of youth by creating infrastructure and mechanisms for making them future-ready.

“WSC will significantly accelerate this endeavor by providing advance skill training to our youth and prepare them for competing at a global level,” he added.

Subroto Bagchi, Chairman of Odisha Skill Development Authority (OSDA) highlighted the achievements of “Skilled-in-Odisha” during the last five years and emphasized the need to expand skill development efforts to the next level, reaching every village.

He emphasized the need for a holistic approach in providing better opportunities for skill development to make the children aware of career choices and youth globally employable.

He also said that the state will create Odisha Skill Vision 2030 and the same will guide future efforts of all implementing departments.

World Skill Centre would run long-term manufacturing and services programs as a finishing school for the best among the ITI and Polytechnic students as well as serve as a center for capacity building for ITI and Polytechnic teachers.

The World Skill Centre is going to be the nodal agency for preparing Odisha’s youth for the World Skills Competition. The other key role for WSC will be to act as the center for industry partnerships and a landing point for industries in Odisha for their employment needs.

Finally, the World Skill Centre will be the nodal agency of the state for the state chapter of world skills and will prepare Odisha’s youth for global glory.

Centre doing injustice to Telangana, alleges KTR

Continuing his attacks on the Centre, Telangana’s industry minister K. T. Rama Rao said on Friday that it has been doing injustice to Telangana since its inception.

Though Telangana has been performing well in all the sectors, the Centre neither supported the state, nor allotted funds for projects.

Rama Rao stated this while addressing the annual meeting of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Telangana Council.

KTR, as Rao is popularly known, mentioned that revolutionary policies like TS-iPASS succeeded in attracting major investments to the state. Through this policy, 15,000 companies were set up, creating about 15 lakh jobs in the region. A total of about Rs. 2,00,000 crore investment was brought to the State through TS-iPass. Many states have emulated this policy, he added.

“In the past six years, the Telangana Government has received recognition from across the world for its innovative and progressive policies. Though many global companies in IT, Pharma, Life Sciences, Aerospace and Defence sectors have invested in Telangana, the Centre never encouraged the State,” said KTR.

He pointed out that Telangana has been among the top states in the Ease of Doing Business ranks consecutively for the past six years. The state has topped the GSDP growth in the country.

KTR, who is the son of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, said that whenever union ministers come to Telangana, they praise the welfare and development of the state but never give funds.

He alleged that BJP-led NDA Government failed to fulfill the assurances given to Telangana under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.

Promises made to Telangana such as setting up a steel plant, a railway coach factory and educational institutions have been completely ignored. The Centre has once again demonstrated its opposition to Telangana when it announced that establishment of Kazipet Railway Coach Factory is not even necessary.

Apart from this, the Centre is not responding to the requests of Telangana to strengthen the railway network which is vital for industrial development. The construction of eight railway lines is already pending while the survey of another three lines is also yet to begin.

Despite the Telangana government’s assurance about providing all kinds of assistance, there is no response from the Centre on setting up the Bayyaram Steel Factory.

KTR, who also holds the portfolio of information technology, said the Centre also canceled the Information Technology and Investment Region (ITIR) for Hyderabad which was sanctioned before the formation of the state. This has stifled the growth of the IT industry, investments, and job creation.

Though there was an overwhelming response to the two electronic manufacturing clusters (EMCs) set up in Hyderabad, the Centre has not yet decided on Telangana’s request of setting up an additional EMC.

With an ambitious goal of making the country’s pharma and life sciences sector to a global level, Telangana initiated the Hyderabad Pharma City project, the largest single pharma cluster. However, there is no support from the central government which adopted the ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat,’ slogan. The Centre did not respond to Telangana’s repeated requests for fund allocation of Rs 3,900 crore for Pharma City infrastructure, he said.

The Central Government, instead of extending help to Pharma City, introduced a new scheme called Pharma Park Scheme which created unnecessary competition among 19 states and wasted valuable time, he alleged.

Despite having an excellent aerospace and defense ecosystem in Hyderabad, Telangana has not been allotted any of the Defence Industrial Corridors initiated by the Centre. “Bundelkhand in Uttar Pradesh, which has no ecosystem, has been given a defense corridor. This proves that the BJP Government is giving priority to politics over industrial development. Repeated requests to allot the Defence Industrial Corridor to Telangana, which has all the infrastructure, were ignored.”

The Centre had announced a Mega cluster policy under which the Telangana Government requested assistance in developing Kakatiya Mega Textile Park but there was no response.

He pointed out that the Centre never responded when asked for setting up a dry port in Telangana. In spite of not having a seaport, Telangana’s export rate is more than the national average. When compared to 2019-20, Telangana in 2020-21 has seen 15.5% growth in exports. Telangana plays a key role in exports, yet the center remained unwilling in setting up a dry port.