PM, CMs greet KCR on 67th birthday

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PM, CMs greet KCR on 67th birthday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Ministers of various states greeted Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao on his 67th birthday on Wednesday.

“Greetings to Telangana CM KCR Garu on his birthday. Praying for his long and healthy life,” tweeted Modi.

KCR, as Rao is popularly known, also received birthday greetings from Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan. She expressed her best wishes for his healthy and long life so that he can continue to serve people.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also greeted KCR on his birthday. “Warm birthday greetings to Chief Minister of Telangana Shri K. Chandrasekhar Rao Ji. I wish you good health and long life in service of the people,” Om Birla tweeted.

KCR’s son K.T. Rama Rao and daughter K. Kavitha also took to Twitter to express his feelings.

“To a warrior who fought against all odds to make Telangana state a reality… To a leader who was an awe-inspiring agitator & now a fabulous administrator… To a living legend who epitomizes the word Visionary… To a man I am privileged to call my Father, #HappyBirthdayKCR Garu,” tweeted Rama Rao who is the minister for industry, information technology, municipal administration, and urban development.

Kavitha, who is a member of the Telangana Legislative Council, also greeted her father.

Chief ministers of various states and leaders of different parties also greeted Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief.

“Birthday greetings to Telangana CM Shri K Chandrasekhar Rao Ji. Wishing for your happy and healthy life,” wrote Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan conveyed his greetings to his Telangana counterpart and prayed for his good health and long life.

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and union minister for chemicals and fertilizers Sadananda Gowda were among the other leaders who greeted KCR.

DDA receives 30,979 applications on last day of housing scheme

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DDA receives 30,979 applications on last day of housing scheme

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) received 30,979 applications for its Housing Scheme 2021 offering 1,350 flats on Tuesday, the last day for submission of applications.

Out of the total applications, the DDA received payment from 19,972 applicants, a senior official told IANS.

Under its new housing scheme, the DDA is offering flats in Dwarka, Jasola, Manglapuri, Rohini, and Vasant Kunj.

As per the information, a total of 254 HIG (higher income group) flats are on offer, the majority of which are located in Jasola.

Pocket 9B flats in the HIG category are available in the price range of Rs 1.97 crore to Rs 2.14 crore while 13 flats are on sale in Vasant Kunj in the price range of Rs 1.43 crore to Rs 1.72 crore.

As many as 352 MIG (middle-income group) flats located in Dwarka Sector 19-B, 348 in Dwarka Sector 16, and four in Vasant Kunj are on sale under the scheme while as many as 276 EWS flats in Dwarka’s Manglapuri area are being offered.

When asked whether the last date would be extended, the official said, “No, as of now.”

BJP govt is rectifying the mistakes of history, says PM Modi

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BJP govt is rectifying the mistakes of history, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the government is correcting irregularities in the writing of history which did not give importance to most of the people who sacrificed their lives for the nation.

The correction is being done as the country approaches the 75th year of its independence, said the Prime Minister while addressing people after laying the foundation stone of Maharaja Suheldev Memorial and development work of Chittaura Lake at Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich via video conference.

It is more important to remember the contribution of the historical heroes and heroines that have made an immense contribution to the country, the Prime Minister said.

He lamented the fact that the people who sacrificed everything for India and Indianness have not been given their due in history books.

“These irregularities and injustice against the makers of Indian history by the writers of Indian history are now being corrected as we are entering the 75th year of Independence.”

The Prime Minister emphasised that the history of India is not just the history written by colonial powers or those with colonial mindsets. “Indian History is what has been nurtured by the common people in their folklore and taken forward by generations.”

The Prime Minister asked whether the first Prime Minister of Azad Hind Government, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, has been given the place that he deserves.

Modi said that the ruling government had recognized Neta ji by strengthening his identity from Red fort to Andaman Nicobar.

Similarly, the Prime Minister said, that the treatment of the unifier of more than 500 princely states, Sardar Patel is also well-known. “Today, the Statue of Unity, the world’s tallest statue is of Sardar Patel.”

The key architect of the Constitution and voice of the exploited, deprived, and downtrodden, Baba Saheb Ambedkar, was always looked through the political prism. Today, the Prime Minister said, all places associated with Dr. Ambedkar from India to England are being developed as PanchTeerth.

“There are innumerable personalities who were not recognized due to various reasons. Can we forget what happened with the Bravehearts of Chauri Chaura?” asked the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister said that Maharaja Suheldev’s contribution to protecting Indianness was similarly ignored.

The Prime Minister recalled Maharaja Suheldev’s contribution as a sensitive and development-oriented ruler.

“Maharaja Suheldev has been kept alive in the hearts of people by the folklore of Awadh, Tarai, and Poorvanchal despite being ignored by textbooks.”

YSRCP to undertake ‘padayatra’ against steel plant privatisation

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YSRCP to undertake ‘padayatra’ against steel plant privatisation

In the face of the protests by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) against the privatization of the Vizag Steel Plant, the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leaders have decided to undertake a ‘padayatra’ for the plant on Saturday.

“At 8:30 a.m. on February 20, we will undertake a padayatra from Mahatma Gandhi’s statue at GVMC, covering all the constituencies (in Visakhapatnam) from south, east, west, north, and Gajuwaka to protect the prospects of the steel plant,” said senior YSRCP leader and Rajya Sabha MP V. Vijayasai Reddy.

He said this padayatra will be called ‘steel plant parirakshana porata yatra’, which will cover a distance of 23-25 km.

Reddy said the padayatra will terminate at the steel plant to voice the ruling party’s protest against the Central government’s privatisation plan. The MP said the padayatra will be conducted in such a fashion that it will be heard in Delhi.

“YSRCP is ready to take up any program required to oppose the steel plant’s privatization without compromising,” he said, attacking TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu.

He claimed that the YSRCP leaders do not enact dramas like Naidu, and said that YSRCP supremo Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy speaks the truth as it is.

“Please do not believe his (Naidu’s) dramas. We will do it (hinting at salvaging the steel plant),” claimed Reddy.

Similarly, senior YSRCP leader Muttamsetti Srinivas Rao criticized Naidu and his party leaders for allegedly speaking what they want and making claims that the state government met with POSCO officials.

“I want to tell one thing. So many industrialists come to the state to meet the Chief Minister and to India to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is wicked to say that we have a dark understanding of everyone we meet. There is no such need for Jagan Mohan Reddy or the government,” asserted Rao.

Rao claimed that Naidu has a fancy for foreign investments and overseas industrialists, compared to Indian businessmen.

Meanwhile, the police in Visakhapatnam forcibly ended the indefinite fast of TDP leader Palla Srinivas, protesting the privatisation of the steel plant.

YSRCP leader Srikanth Reddy claimed that Srinivas was shifted to a hospital in the interest of his family’s welfare, which TDP was allegedly politicizing.

He questioned Naidu as to why he didn’t encourage his son Nara Lokesh or Gitam University founder M.V.V.S. Murthy’s grandson to go on an indefinite fast to protect the steel plant.

Srikanth Reddy drew an analogy that APSRTC has been merged into the government for its welfare and proper functioning but still some people are allegedly targeting the CM.

Meanwhile, Naidu reached the port city on Tuesday and addressed a large gathering of people protesting the privatisation of the steel plant.

“Visakhapatnam is the heart of new Andhra Pradesh. The steel plant is like the heart of Visakhapatnam. If there is no steel plant, then we have no name,” said Naidu, reminding that 32 people sacrificed their lives decades ago for the plant.

Naidu said the CM will come to Visakhapatnam because he came there but will visit Saradapeetam, a spiritual center, to allegedly meet fake ‘babas’ (godmen).

He was accompanied by TDP state president Kinjarapu Atchannaidu and other leaders.

However, Naidu’s plans of meeting Srinivas got canceled as the police had forcibly ended the latter’s fast.

UP to boost herbal cultivation along Ganga banks

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UP to boost herbal cultivation along Ganga banks

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has issued directives to boost herbal and organic cultivation along the banks of the Ganga. He has said that the area for herbal cultivation will be increased to over 10 lakh hectares.

According to a government spokesman, the state government has prepared a unique plan with the allocation of Rs 4,000 crore to step up organic and zero budget farming in the state and also support its distribution with a dedicated market, which in turn will help farmers living in the adjoining regions by increasing their income up to Rs 500 crore.

At present, the National Medicinal Plants’ Board (NMPB) is supporting the cultivation of medicinal plants in an area of 2.25 lakh hectares in the state. Nearly 800 hectares of land along the Ganga river will be put under cultivation with NMPB.

Along with this, the agriculture and horticulture department is also aiding the ambitious plan of the government by providing grants for selected crops on basis of acreage per hectare.

Uttar Pradesh is extremely prosperous in terms of agro-climatic conditions. It has the presence of nine kinds of agro-climatic zones, abundant water, human wealth, and the immensely fertile land of the Indo-Gangetic region.

Considering the large market demand for organic products in the country as well as abroad, this step of the state government is expected to emerge as a special benefit scheme for the farmers.

The department of agriculture has taken major steps to boost medicinal farming in the state. It recently started a scheme- ‘Amrita’ with the help of the Uttar Pradesh Ayush Society.

Under the scheme, an Ayush Vatika (model herbal nursery) consisting of medicinal plants has been set up in an area of about 20 hectares in Dehwa, an agricultural sector of Mohanlalganj, Lucknow.

The nursery will facilitate the process of seed production, transplanting, and cultivation of several herbs like Shirish, Ghritkumari, Neem, Shatavari, Punarnava, Sahajan, Jatamanashi, Tulasi, Ratanjot Ginsenga, Giloy, and Aonla.

The spokesman said that farmers will also be trained and quality seeds and saplings from the nursery will be provided to them at the lowest price. Units will be set up to process individual products in the future. The government will also help farmers in grading and packing of the products.

Additional Director (Publicity), agriculture department, Anand Tripathi said that during the training of the farmers, they will also be made to visit the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) for a better understanding of herbal farming.

The government will also make arrangements for the farmers to grasp a practical knowledge of the cultivation techniques by making them interact with scientists and experts at their own expense.

In addition to this, farmers will also be connected to well-established Ayurvedic companies and exporters to enable them to get fair prices for their produce.

According to WHO, even today, about 80 percent of the people in developing countries depend on medicinal herbs for primary health care. The annual demand of up to 15 percent for medicinal plants confirms that people still rely on them for health purposes.

The demand for herbal medicines because of the resistance they provide to life-threatening viruses, witnessed a whopping increase during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bengal polls: Cong to hold seat sharing talks with Left

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Bengal polls: Cong to hold seat sharing talks with Left

The Congress will hold seat sharing talks with the Left parties on Tuesday, ahead of the West Bengal Assembly polls.

Sources said it is likely that an agreement will be reached on Tuesday about the number of seats to be contested by each side.

The Congress and Left had missed the earlier seat-sharing deadline, which was January 31. The party is now pressing its state unit to finalize the seat-sharing agreement so that the preparations for the election could be started immediately.

Sources privy to the talks said that the Congress’ main focus will be on the quality of seats and not quantity, unlike in Bihar where the party contested too many seats but won only 19.

The Congress has set up a committee to chalk out a seat-sharing agreement with the Left parties, which includes Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Abdul Mannan, Pradeep Bhattacharya, and Nepal Mahato.

The committee has identified strong seats and is talking to the Left with all prospects on the table. One of the panel members said, “We are focusing on strong seats only.”

Congress sources said that the results of the Bihar Assembly polls will not have a bearing on West Bengal as every state is different. In the 2016 Bengal Assembly election, the Left had contested more seats but it was the Congress that came second with 44 seats.

PM to address 3-day NASSCOM event on February 17

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PM to address 3-day NASSCOM event on February 17

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the NASSCOM Technology and Leadership Forum (NTLF) on Wednesday via video-conferencing.

Modi will deliver his speech at the three-day event at 12.30 p.m. It is the flagship event of the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM).

The 29th edition of NTLF is being organized from February 17 to 19. The theme of this year’s event is ‘Shaping the future towards a better normal’. The event will see 1,600 participants from more than 30 countries showcasing more than 30 products.

As per the NTLF, it is a platform that has been the voice of the 190 billion dollar industry ecosystem.

The NASSCOM website mentions that the focus is to create a platform for an immersive learning experience through NTLF 2021 as it embraces the hyper virtual world.

NTLF 2021 with the overarching theme ‘Shaping the future towards a better normal’ aims to achieve three key objectives — mark a celebration of technology that has served as a backbone to boost businesses during the crisis, drawing a roadmap for the way ahead towards building a better future and bringing out the importance of trust and responsible technology in this hyper virtual world.

All 75 UP districts to have medical colleges, announces CM

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All 75 UP districts to have medical colleges, announces CM

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath plans to construct a medical college in each of the 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh.

The medical colleges will soon be opened on the Public-Private-Partnership model in 16 districts of the state that do not have any college till now while others will be upgraded. The Uttar Pradesh Government will soon introduce a new policy on this.

According to the government spokesman, the state government wants to strengthen health facilities at the grassroots level and the government will increase the number of health centers in rural and urban areas. Super-specialty hospitals will be constructed in districts including Gorakhpur, Agra, and Varanasi.

Two months ago, while interacting with some top businessmen in Mumbai, the chief minister had said, “Out of a total of 75 districts in Uttar Pradesh, many still require medical colleges. There is an opportunity for investors to make these medical colleges on the PPP model.”

He had said that the state needs super-specialty hospitals and the government will extend full support if somebody wants to set up these hospitals.

The state government now is working towards making Uttar Pradesh a hub of medical education, where not only the people of the state but people from other countries can get all types of medical facilities.

The establishment of AIIMS in Gorakhpur and Rae Bareli is already proving to be a milestone in terms of the state’s medical education and health facilities.

The government also plans to set up labs in hospitals of every district to deal with a situation like the COVID-19 pandemic.

For this, the Department of Medical and Health will seek the cooperation of Rs 20 lakh crore from the central government.

Liberal policies on geospatial data part of ‘Aatmanirbhar’ vision: PM

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Liberal policies on geospatial data part of ‘Aatmanirbhar’ vision: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the liberalizing of policies governing the acquisition and production of geospatial data is a massive step in the government’s vision for an ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India).

The Prime Minister said this will generate employment and accelerate economic growth.

In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister said these reforms will unlock tremendous opportunities for the country’s start-ups, private sector, public sector, and research institutions to drive innovation and build scalable solutions.

“Our government has taken a decision that will provide a huge impetus to ‘Digital India’. Liberalizing policies governing the acquisition and production of geospatial data is a massive step in our vision for an Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” said the Prime Minister.

Considering the ongoing farmers’ agitation against the three contentious farm laws which they have termed as “black laws” and “anti-farmer”, Modi further said that India’s farmers will also be benefited by leveraging the potential of geospatial and remote-sensing data.

“Democratising data will enable the rise of new technologies and platforms that will drive efficiencies in agriculture and allied sectors,” he said.

These reforms demonstrate our commitment to improving ease of doing business in India by deregulation, the Prime Minister added.

UP: Priyanka to boost Congress through ‘Kisan Panchayat’

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UP: Priyanka to boost Congress through ‘Kisan Panchayat’

Political parties in Uttar Pradesh are busy working to strengthen their base through the ongoing farmers’ agitation for the withdrawal of the three farm laws.

After holding a ‘Kisan Panchayat’ in Saharanpur, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is aiming to boost her party by holding a Panchayat meeting in the Bijnor district on Monday.

Priyanka Gandhi wrote on Facebook, saying, “Only dialogue with the farmers, who have fed this country for 75 years, will lead the country towards progress. Farm-related policies will be created by the farmers themselves. Today in the ‘Kisan Panchayat’ in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district, I will be present among the farmer sisters and brothers.”

Bijnor Congress District President Sherbaz Pathan said that Priyanka Gandhi would reach Chandpur on Monday. She would address the ‘Kisan Panchayat’ at the Ramlila Maidan where she along with other Congress leaders would spread awareness among farmers against the contentious farm laws. Party officials, workers, and farmers are being approached to join the ‘panchayat’.

Earlier, on February 10, Priyanka Gandhi had addressed the ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ at Chilkana in Saharanpur.

Huge crowds gathered at the ‘mahapanchayats’ held by the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). After Mathura and Baraut, crowds thronging the RLD panchayats in Shamli are making other political parties restless. Although, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) are silent the Congress is desperate to seek political mileage from the farmers’ agitation.

The regions in Uttar Pradesh with the lesser influence of the RLD are targeted by the Congress to influence the farmers. At the same time, a strategy has also been formed to prevent the RLD from denting its political fortunes in old Congress strongholds, so the party has started its Mahapanchayat from the stronghold in Saharanpur.

Ahead of the 2022 UP Assembly election, the Congress is trying to woo voters by effectively making its presence felt on the ground from Saharanpur to other nearby western UP districts and prepare its vote bank using the farmers’ agitation.

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