Budget to give new momentum to women-led development: PM

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Budget to give new momentum to women-led development: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that this year’s budget will give new momentum to the efforts of women-led development.

Addressing a post-budget webinar on “Economic Empowerment of Women”, he said that the “country is seeing this year’s budget as an auspicious beginning for achieving the target of a developed nation by 2047”.

“The results of efforts for women empowerment are visible and we are feeling a revolutionary change in the social life of the country.”

The Prime Minister informed girls’ enrolment in science, technology, engineering, and maths is at 43 percent today, which he claimed was more than countries like the US, UK, and Germany.

Referring to the Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana, Modi said that the scheme has given women a new voice in the economic decisions of the household.

The Prime Minister reiterated that in the last nine years, the country has moved with a vision of women-led development.

He added that India has taken these efforts to the global stage as it is figuring prominently in the G20 meeting presided over by India.

Congress not to join Kavitha’s one-day hunger strike in Delhi

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Congress not to join Kavitha’s one-day hunger strike in Delhi

Congress will not participate in the one-day hunger strike called by BRS MLC K. Kavitha on Friday at the Jantar Mantar, said party leader Jairam Ramesh.

Kavitha, on Thursday, while praising Sonia Gandhi for pushing the Women Reservation Bill during the UPA’s tenure criticized the party for “arrogance” on the issue of the alliance, and added that the Congress “should be a team player”. She had said that she had spoken with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and general secretary K.C. Venugopal to send a representative to the protest.

The BRS said that they have got confirmation from AAP – Sanjay Singh and Chitra Sarwara; Shiv Sena (Uddhav) delegation; Akali Dal – Naresh Gujral; PDP – Anjum Javed Mirza; NC- Dr. Shami Firdous; Trinamool Congress – Sushmita Dev; JD(U)- K.C. Tyagi; NCP – Dr. Seema Malik; CPI – Narayana K.; Sitaram Yechury – CPI(M); Samajwadi party – Pooja Shukla, RJD – Shyam Rajak; and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal.

Earlier, she had invited 18 political parties, including the Congress to join the one-day hunger strike to press the demand for the Women’s Reservation Bill. She said around 6,000 people will be present and her organization, Bharat Jagruti Manch has reached out to like-minded parties and organizations.

Case registered after Tikait family gets threat call

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Case registered after Tikait family gets threat call

A case has been registered against an unknown caller after the family of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesman Rakesh Tikait allegedly received a call threatening to blow him up and his family for their “anti-government campaign”.

Akshay Sharma, SHO, Bhairakalan police station, said: “A case has been under Section 507 of the IPC and an investigation is underway to identify the caller.”

The BKU spokesman’s nephew, Gaurav Tikait, had received the call on Wednesday night.

Gaurav, son of the organization’s chief Naresh Tikait, said: “Initially, I didn’t take it seriously and disconnected the call.”

He said he took it seriously after the person called again and said: “Rakesh Tikait is going around the country and you people are campaigning against the government.”

Panel on OBC quota for municipal polls submits report to UP CM

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Panel on OBC quota for municipal polls submits report to UP CM

The five-member dedicated OBC commission that was set up to look into the issue of reservation for the other backward classes (OBCs) in the Uttar Pradesh urban local bodies polls, has submitted its 350-page report to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The report has been submitted about three weeks ahead of the Supreme Court’s stipulated deadline of March 31.

According to a government spokesman, on the basis of this report, the OBC reservation for the civic polls would be done afresh in all the 75 districts of the state, paving the way for the much-delayed civic polls.

All five members of the OBC commission met Yogi Adityanath at his official residence on Thursday evening to submit the report.

The panel is headed by Justice Ram Avtar Singh, a retired High Court judge. Its members include Chob Singh Verma and Mahendra Kumar, both retired IAS officers, Santosh Kumar Vishwakarma, former additional legal advisor, and Brajesh Kumar Soni, former additional district judge.

Kavitha praises Sonia, invites 18 parties to join 1-day hunger strike

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Kavitha praises Sonia, invites 18 parties to join 1-day hunger strike

A day ahead of the hunger strike here to demand for the introduction of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the current session of Parliament, BRS leader K. Kavitha on Thursday praised Sonia Gandhi for pushing the bill during the UPA tenure.

Kavitha has invited 18 political parties, including Congress to join the one-day hunger strike to press the demand. She said around 6,000 people will come and her organization Bharat Jagruti Manch has reached out to like-minded parties and organizations.

“I salute Madam Sonia Gandhi for having backed the Women’s Reservation Bill despite leading a coalition govt at the Centre,” she said.

Kavitha said she has spoken to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and General Secretary K.C. Venugopal to send a representative to the protest.

The BRS leader, who is pushing for the women’s reservation bill, has to appear before the ED in the Delhi excise policy scam case. She has written to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that she will appear before the agency on March 11.

Kavitha has written the letter in response to the notice issued by the ED asking her to appear before it on March 9.

The daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Kavitha had earlier apparently requested a week’s time to appear, but the ED rejected her request, and subsequently, she sent another letter.

A statement in this regard was issued from Kavitha’s office late Wednesday night.

“I, being a responsible Indian citizen, and as a woman of this Nation wish to exercise my rights provided under the law,” she wrote.

“Further, I fail to understand why I have been summoned at such short notice. It seems that certain political motives have been masquerading in the name of investigation. I categorically say that I have nothing to do with the present investigation.

“As stated, being a social worker and having prior commitments, I had already planned my schedule for the upcoming week, and the abrupt rejection of my request seems to be motivated by reasons best known to you, which demonstrates that it is nothing but ‘political victimization’,” Kavitha said.

Goa CM orders FIRs against those lighting fires in forests

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Goa CM orders FIRs against those lighting fires in forests

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday directed government officials to register FIRs against those miscreants, who light a fire in forest areas intentionally.

Sawant on Tuesday held a high-level meeting of the State Disaster Management Authority and ordered a thorough investigation into the forest fire that spread in the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary in the last six days.

Apart from fire in the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary, fire incidents from other places in the coastal state have also been reported.

“Fire incidents are taking place at various places. I have instructed officials to register an FIR against those who lit fire intentionally. We will not tolerate such cases,” the Chief Minister said.

He added that along with forest officials, police and fire personnel are keeping a strict vigil on such incidents.

“We will take strict action. Monitoring of the situation is going on,” Sawant said.

The state government has taken the help of the Navy and succeeded in controlling the fire in some areas.

“People who lit the fire in their cashew plantation to clean the areas should stop such practices, or else we will take action against them. Action would be taken against forest guards if they are found negligent in carrying out their duties. A thorough investigation in connection with such cases will be conducted. We will not tolerate the loss of forest,” the Chief Minister added.

Sources informed that the forest department is yet to assess the loss due to fire incidents and instead has focussed on controlling the fire.

Unprecedented: Congress on V-P Dhankhar attaching personal staff in RS committees

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Unprecedented: Congress on V-P Dhankhar attaching personal staff in RS committees

The Congress has termed the appointment of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s personal staff in Rajya Sabha committees as “unprecedented” and said this shows the lack of confidence in the existing staff.

Digvijaya Singh, the Congress Rajya Sabha MP, said on Thursday, “Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar appoints his staff on Standing Committees Yes it is unprecedented. But the explanation given is also quite inappropriate. Doesn’t it reflect Chairman Rajya Sabha’s lack of confidence in the existing staff of the RS Secretariat?”

“VP is Chairperson of Council of States Ex-officio. He is not a Member of the House like a Vice-Chairperson or Panel of Vice-Chairpersons. How can he appoint personal staff on Parliamentary Standing Committees? Would this not be tantamount to institutional subversion? Manish Tewari, Congress Lok Sabha MP said.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s personal staff was attached to Parliament committees according to an order by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat on Tuesday.

The attachment is in 12 standing committees and eight departments related to the standing committees.

According to the Tuesday order, “following officers have been attached With the committee mentioned against their names with immediate effect and until further order.”

The OSD to the V-P, Rajesh N. Naik has been attached to the Important Business Advisory Committee which decides Parliament business, and in the General Purpose Committee and the committee on Home Affairs.

Another OSD Abhyuday Singh Shekawat has been attached to the House Committee which allows accommodation to the MPs, and along with it he has been attached to the petitions and Health committee.

Kaustubh Sudhakar Bhalekhar is attached to the Transport, Tourism, and Rules committee. Dinesh D. has been attached to the personnel and law committee.

Senior Personal Secretary to the Vice President Aditi Chaudhary has also been given a place in the committee of Subordinate legislation, women, and Education.

Sanjay Verma, APS to the V-P has been attached to the government assurance committee. And, personal secretary Sujeet Kumar is in the Commerce committee.

Charges on Skill Development project baseless: says TDP

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Charges on Skill Development project baseless: says TDP

Andhra Pradesh’s main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has said that the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy-led state government is leveling baseless charges against the earlier TDP regime with regard to the Skill Development project.

TDP MLA and Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Payyavula Kesav announced that his party will wage a legal battle to bring the facts to light.

Kesav asked whether the Crime Investigation Department (CID), which is claiming that funds have been deposited with the accounts of the TDP leaders, can give the details to whose accounts the funds were deposited, when, and from where.

Claiming that the project was aimed at paving a bright future for the youth, he alleged that Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy destroyed it and is shamelessly making baseless charges against the TDP.

“If Siemens organization commits a mistake how the former Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, is responsible for that,” Kesav asked and pointed out that the same Siemens organization had entered into agreements with six state governments before signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Andhra Pradesh.

“Are the chief ministers of all these six States partners in this corruption charge?” he questioned the Jagan Government.

It is almost four years since Jagan Mohan Reddy came to power why all these years he is keeping silent and why the Chief Minister could not decide anything on this matter, Kesav asked.

Chandrababu Naidu had transformed Hyderabad city into an IT Hub and after the bifurcation, he also wanted to provide better job opportunities to the youth and thus the TDP government entered into an agreement with the Siemens organization, he added.

Referring to a report that the chairman of Siemens, Suman Bose, had benefited some politicians, Kesav asked in which way it is related to Chandrababu.

Siemens is a German-based company and it has offices in over 160 countries.

After learning that it is training the youth in Gujarat and after studying its activities, Chandrababu signed the MoU with the company, Kesav explained.

Stating that a document relating to Siemens is being produced before the public, he said Jagan, his Ministers besides the other ruling party leaders should respond after going through the paper.

The agreement entered into with Siemens clearly defined what it should do and what its sister concern, Design Tech should do, he stated.

Sending a strong warning to the ruling party leaders that they will have to pay a very heavy price if they make baseless charges and spread cooked-up stories against the TDP, Kesav felt that the YSRCP has brought onto the scene the Skill Development project issue only to divert the public attention from the ongoing investigation into the murder of Vivekananda Reddy, the paternal uncle of Jagan.

The Chief Minister is now worried as the YSRCP MP, Avinash Reddy, was summoned by the CBI in the case and thus leveling such charges against the TDP to divert the public and media attention, Kesav observed.

BJP getting rattled by series of lectures: Tharoor & Gogoi defend Rahul

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BJP getting rattled by series of lectures: Tharoor & Gogoi defend Rahul

The Congress on Thursday while defending Rahul Gandhi’s lectures in the UK attacked the BJP, saying that the party was rattled.

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said, “It is embarrassing to see the entire BJP machinery including senior ministers, media channels, and unofficial spokespersons getting rattled by a series of lectures by @RahulGandhi. All the Indians living in the UK who have attended these events have been extremely positive.”

The BJP has continued its attack on Rahul Gandhi while Congress has defended his statement on every issue.

Shashi Tharoor has too defended Rahul Gandhi’s statement on foreign policy, “What’s wrong w/what @rahulGandhi said? That foreign policy must serve national self-interest; our overriding priority is the domestic transformation the nation is undergoing, so our foreign policy should support that. That’s essentially one of my own arguments in “Pax Indica”,” he said in a tweet.

Ravi Shankar Prasad slammed Rahul Gandhi during a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, had said, “What happens to you when you visit abroad? All dignity, all decency, democratic shame, you forget everything. Now, when the people of the country neither listen to you nor understand you, you go abroad and lament that India’s democracy is in danger.

Prasad further stated, “Rahul Gandhi is saying that speaking is not allowed in India but he kept on speaking a lot in Bharat Jodo Yatra, abusing the PM. He gave a long speech in the Parliament itself. Now, what can be done in this that the people of India neither listen to him nor understand him.”

During his recent visit to London, Rahul Gandhi said at an event that the “US and Europe are not doing enough to restore democracy in India” as they are “getting trade and money” from the country.

Trinamool to raise LIC, SBI and cooking gas price hike issues in Parliament

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Trinamool to raise LIC, SBI and cooking gas price hike issues in Parliament

Trinamool Congress is all set to corner the Centre in the upcoming Parliament session on several issues, including investments by SBI and LIC in private entities besides the recent hike in the cooking gas price.

According to sources, the decision was taken at a closed-door meeting here on Wednesday evening. Chaired by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the meeting saw participation of the party’s national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, and the party leaders in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha — Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Derek O’Brien.

Although there was no official briefing on the proceedings of the meeting, one of the party Lok Sabha members said on condition of anonymity that the chief minister directed the party leaders in both houses to brief the respective MPs to debate on investments made by LIC and SBI in private entities.

“The second major issue that we have been asked to focus on during the three-day Parliament session that gets underway on March 13, is how the Union government arbitrarily resorted to hiking the price of cooking gas immediately after the polls for the three northeastern states of Tripura, Meghalaya, and Nagaland,” the Lok Sabha member added.

If time and situation permit, he added, the party MPs have also been asked to be vocal on other issues like denial of central dues to the state government and purported actions of the Union government that are contrary to the federal democratic system of the country. “The Women’s Reservation Bill is yet another issue that we have been asked to raise,” the party MP said.

However, Chief Minister Banerjee has given strict instructions to the party MPs not to voluntarily raise the issue of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) taking Anubrata Mondol to New Delhi in connection to the cattle-smuggling scam.

Sources said that the party leadership has for the time being decided to take a low-key approach in the matter, at least in the public domain.

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