Odisha extends free rice scheme for 6 more months

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Odisha extends free rice scheme for 6 more months

On the occasion of Utkal Dibasa, the Odisha government has extended the distribution of free rice to the beneficiaries covered under its own State Food Security Scheme (SFSS) for six more months.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has directed concerned officials to extend the distribution of an additional 5 kg of rice per month free of cost to beneficiaries of the SFSS from April 2022, Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said in a statement on Friday.

Earlier, the benefit of 5 kg of free rice was extended for the beneficiaries of the SFSS from December 2021 to March 2022.

About 8.09 lakh beneficiaries covered under the scheme will be benefited from this move.

For this purpose, the state government will distribute 24,270 tonnes of rice from the State pool with an expenditure of Rs 91.70 crore from its own fund, it said.

This will facilitate beneficiaries enrolled in the SFSS to remain at par with beneficiaries under National Food Security Act (NFSA), the CMO said.

Notably, the Union government has recently extended the free foodgrains distribution scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for six more months from March 2022.

Under the PMGKAY, the Centre gives an additional five kg of rice or wheat per month to beneficiaries of the (NFSA) over and above their usual monthly quota for free.

Will spell out stand after studying objections to halal meat: K’taka CM

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Will spell out stand after studying objections to halal meat: K’taka CM

After calls for ban on halal products in Karnataka grew, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday said that the state government would spell out its stand after studying the issue.

In the latest campaign targeting Muslims, Hindu organisations and BJP leaders in the state have begun raising objections to sale of halal meat to Hindus. The development comes in the wake of the recent ban calls made by the right wing groups on Muslim shops and stalls at Hindu religious fairs and temple premises in the coastal regions of Karnataka.

Halal meat is prepared as per Muslim religious rites and all Muslims are supposed to consume only halal meat. With the meat and poultry sold in Muslim shops also prepared as per halal customs, right wing organisations are calling on Hindus to boycott such shops. They describe sale of halal meat to Hindus as a form of economic jihad.

“The issue has to be studied in its entirety,” Bommai told media persons on Wednesday. The Chief Minister said that the state government will examine the serious objections raised in some quarters over the issue.

“There are no rules as such. It was a practice that was going on. Now, serious objections are raised. We will look into it,” he said.

Bommai refused to be drawn into the controversial calls for boycott of halal meat, being raised by Hindu right wing groups in the state. Pointing out that similar campaigns have been organised. “We’ll respond to those who need a response,” he said.

Nitish govt to introduce Bihar Liquor Prohibition Bill in Assembly

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Nitish govt to introduce Bihar Liquor Prohibition Bill in Assembly

Facing criticism over the liquor ban, the Nitish Kumar government has decided to introduce the Bihar Liquor Prohibition Bill 2022 in the state Assembly on Wednesday.

Under the amendment, there is a provision for the first-time offenders to get bail from the duty magistrate after depositing a fine. In case the offender is not able to deposit the fine, he/she is liable to face one month in jail.

There is also a provision that when an offender is nabbed by the police for the ban violation, the accused has to disclose the name of the person from where liquor was obtained.

The Nitish Kumar government seeks to pass the Bill in the Vidhan Sabha smoothly and has distributed copies of the amendment Bill to every MLA to read it.

The Bihar Chief Minister imposed a liquor ban in April 2016 in the state through the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act. After the ban, a large number of people have been lodged in jails only for liquor consumption. The majority of the violators belong to economically weaker sections and the poor people. Even hearing for bail in simple cases is taking one year time in the courts.

Chief Justice of India (CJI) N.V. Ramana had said last year that the decisions like the liquor ban of the Bihar government in 2016 have put a huge burden on courts. “There are three lakh cases pending in the courts. People are waiting for justice for a long time and now the excessive cases related to liquor violations put an additional burden on courts,” the CJI had said.

KTR hits back at Rahul Gandhi over paddy issue

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KTR hits back at Rahul Gandhi over paddy issue

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) working president K. T. Rama Rao has hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his criticism of the TRS government over the paddy procurement issue.

Rama Rao listed the steps taken by the TRS government for the welfare of farmers and claimed that it delivered in seven years what Congress governments could not deliver in 50 years.

“Your party has been given the opportunity to govern this country for over 50+ years. When in power INC couldn’t provide even 6 hours of electricity to farmers causing distress and suicides in Telangana,” tweeted KTR, as Rama Rao is popularly known.

He was reacting to a tweet by Rahul Gandhi, who alleged that the BJP government at the Centre and TRS government in the state were playing politics over farmers’ issues and escaping from their moral duty to procure paddy from farmers.

Information Technology, Industries, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KTR, who is the son of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, claimed that with innovative schemes like Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bhima, Mission Kakatiya, 24 hours of free power supply, and with focus on irrigation, the Chandrasekhar Rao government has ushered in an agricultural revolution.

“What your party couldn’t deliver in 50 years, our Govt has delivered in 7 years. Comparing the performance of TRS Govt with past INC Govts will put your party to shame,” wrote the TRS leader.

Rahul Gandhi’s tweets had Tuesday sparked a war of words between between CM KCR’s daughter K. Kavitha and Congress MP in charge of Telangana Manickam Tagore.

Kavitha, who is a member of the State Legislative Council, had advised Rahul Gandhi not to just resort to tweets for political mileage but extend support to the TRS demand for a uniform procurement policy for the entire country.

Manickam Tagore hit back at Kavitha, asking her not to play with Telangana farmers by ‘one nation one procurement’ demand. He reminded Kavitha that she was defeated in the Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency in 2019 as she couldn’t keep the promise made to farmers of setting up a turmeric board.

Tagore warned Kavitha that “if TRS will play with farmers, then it will meet the same fate in 2023 as she did Nizamabad”.

Kavitha then hit back, this time targeting Rahul Gandhi. “This arrogance reduced your party into double digits in the same Parliament. Win or lose, I did not run away from my constituency as your ex-CP Rahul Gandhi did. Also, I did not contest two seats like your ex-CP,” the former MP said, tagging Rahul Gandhi.

‘Shaadi Mahals’ will be closed, scholarships to continue: Bommai

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‘Shaadi Mahals’ will be closed, scholarships to continue: Bommai

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai stated on Tuesday that ‘Shaadi Mahals’ which have been established for conducting the marriages of the poor people belonging to the minority communities would be closed. He also clarified that there is no proposal to stop scholarships for students from such communities.

Replying in the Legislative Council to a question in this regard by the opposition Congress leader B.K. Hariprasad, Bommai clarified that there was an attempt made earlier to stop scholarships for school children and for higher education. But, nothing will be stopped, he assured.

Hariprasad had told Bommai that let the government do anything over the hijab issue, but it should not stop scholarships to minority students. “The scholarships to minority students are being stopped,” he claimed.

Bommai stated that he would allocate Rs 100 crores for the scholarships and won’t stop them. There will be no discrimination among students in this regard. Barring the ‘Shaadi Mahals’ (marriage halls) no other scheme for the minorities will be stopped, he said.

The ‘Shaadi Mahal’ scheme was introduced during the tenure of the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the BJP in the opposition had opposed it tooth and nail.

Punjab to appoint nodal officers to redress issues of NRIs

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Punjab to appoint nodal officers to redress issues of NRIs

Punjab NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal on Tuesday said the government has decided to appoint nodal officers in all 23 districts for the ease of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), besides setting up special courts in Amritsar, Patiala, Ludhiana, and Bathinda districts.

Chairing a high-level review meeting with officials of the NRI Affairs Department and members of the NRI Commission, he issued directions that the appointment of the nodal officers should be made in a transparent manner and the working of these officers should be reviewed by the Deputy Commissioners on a regular basis.

Dhaliwal said the government has continuously been working with full zeal and commitment to resolving the issues of Punjabis residing in foreign countries and requisite directions have also been issued to the Special Chief Secretary of the department.

Special courts will be set up in the districts of Amritsar, Patiala, Ludhiana, and Bathinda to resolve cases related to NRIs in a time-bound manner and directions have been issued to the department to initiate the process, he added.

Dhaliwal said the state would also coordinate with the Union government and embassies to resolve the problems of NRIs. The government would honor the NRIs who have done commendable work in various walks of life, he said.

Modi participates in ‘grih pravesham of 5.21L beneficiaries in MP

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Modi participates in ‘grih pravesham of 5.21L beneficiaries in MP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday virtually participated in the ‘grih pravesham’ of about 5.21 lakh beneficiaries under PMAY-G (Pradhanmantri Aawas Yojana- gramin) in Madhya Pradesh.

Launching the ambitious project of his government in the state, the Prime Minister congratulated the beneficiaries saying that more than 24 lakh houses have been built so far in Madhya Pradesh. Modi said his government has set a target to provide pucca houses to each eligible beneficiary by 2024.

Modi said that his government has targeted to build 80 lakh houses under the PM Awaas Yojana in the current financial year and so far, Rs 2.25 lakh crore have been spent for this purpose. He said of the total houses allotted so far in the country, around two crores are women owners, which will help families to access the benefits of other schemes of the state and the Centre.

“This 5.21 lakh houses provided under PM Aawas Yojana is not just a number to count, but proof that poor people who are unable to build a pucca house, have lived their dream. It is also the determination of the BJP’s government’s endeavour to make the life of poor people better. Congratulations to all who have received their homes under PM Aawas Yojana in Madhya Pradesh,” the Prime Minister said.

Meanwhile, he also said that the previous government had only constructed a few lakh houses; on the other hand, his government had provided more than 2.5 crore built houses so far.

The Prime Minister was addressing the gathering via video conferencing from New Delhi, while the state government has organized a special event for this purpose in Chhatarpur district in the state. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also attended the program.

A large gathering was at the function, which saw some traditional celebrations with conch, lamp, flowers, and rangoli being organized in new houses.

President launches ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan’

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President launches ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan’

President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday launched the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain Campaign 2022’ here and sought people’s cooperation in making it the biggest water conservation drive in history.

Urging everyone to work on the focused interventions of this edition of the campaign, the President said that district magistrates and village sarpanches would have to play a crucial role in motivating the local populace for active participation of each individual in water conservation work.

He also urged everyone to take a pledge that just as the largest vaccination drive in history is being carried out in India, in the same way, “we all would make this campaign the biggest water conservation campaign in history.”

Noting the exemplary work done by the national water award-winners for water management in their respective fields, the President said that on the basis of such examples, “we could find hope for a water-secure future.”

He also expressed confidence that these awards would usher in water consciousness in the minds of the people and help in bringing about a behavioral change.

Stalin to take up development issues of TN with PM Modi in New Delhi

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Stalin to take up development issues of TN with PM Modi in New Delhi

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, during his four-day visit to New Delhi from March 30, will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and take up a host of issues related to the development of the state with him.

This will be his second meeting with the Prime Minister after he assumed office in May 2021 as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu.

In a statement, the Chief Minister’s office said that while the meeting with the Prime Minister on March 31 stands confirmed, that with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh awaits confirmation.

Stalin is expected to take up several issues concerning the state, including pending bills with the Governor and other infrastructure and development issues.

During his visit, the Chief Minister will inaugurate ‘Anna Kalaignar Arivalayam’, the DMK party office in New Delhi on April 2. DMK Parliamentary party leader and former Union Minister T.R. Baalu has met Congress president Sonia Gandhi, BJP president J.P. Nadda, and other senior leaders and extended the invitation of the DMK office inauguration.

Notably, the DMK is trying to catapult Stalin to the national stage as an alternative to the BJP during the 2024 polls and the Delhi office inauguration is considered a major meeting point with senior regional chieftains to take up the coordination for an anti-NDA front at the national level.

While West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao had traveled across the country and met senior opposition leaders for a joint front, Stalin is more acceptable as he maintains an excellent relationship with the Congress, CPM, and CPI which will be of use for a national anti-BJP front.

WB Guv meets Amit Shah, briefs him on ground situation in the state

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WB Guv meets Amit Shah, briefs him on ground situation in the state

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and reportedly apprised him about the ground situation in the state.

Though the details of the meeting which was held at Shah’s residence were not shared, it is understood that the West Bengal Governor has updated the Home Minister about the situation after eight persons including three women and two children were burnt alive in Baguti village in West Bengal’s Birbhum district on March 21.

He requested Shah for a speedy investigation of the case, a source in the Ministry said.

Dhankhar has been critical of the Mamata Banerjee-led state government in West Bengal and has been expressing his deep dissatisfaction with its work.

On March 24, Mamata Banerjee had visited Bogtui village where eight people were charred to death. The Trinamool Congress chief met the affected families and some villagers.

The case has been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by the Calcutta High Court despite the state government’s strong plea to get the case investigated by the state police.

The West Bengal Assembly on Monday witnessed unruly scenes when a clash erupted on the floor of the House between legislators of the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Opposition BJP when the BJP demanded that Mamata Banerjee speaks in the House on the state’s law and order situation.

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