No obstacles to screening of ‘James’: K’taka CM

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No obstacles to screening of ‘James’: K’taka CM

Countering the allegations leveled by a section of Congress leaders, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Wednesday that there are no hurdles to the screening of the Kannada movie ‘James’ starring late superstar Puneet Rajkumar.

Speaking to mediapersons here, Bommai said that he has discussed the matter with the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce.

“I have spoken to the Film Chamber in this regard. If there is any trouble with the screening of ‘James’, the concerned producers and theaters have the power to sort it out. I have spoken to actor Shivarajkumar too. I have requested him to bring it to my notice or to the notice of the Film Chamber if they face any problem. They too have agreed.”

The controversy was triggered on Tuesday after Congress leader Siddaramaiah alleged that ‘James’, which released on March 17, was being nudged off theatre screens in the state to make way for ‘The Kashmir Files’ at the behest of some BJP leaders.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Assembly session, Siddaramaiah had alleged that the producer of ‘James’ had confided in him about the issue.

“Since the producers of ‘James’ has booked theatres by paying advance amounts, forcing the theatres to screen ‘The Kashmir Files’ is nothing but harassment,” Siddaramaiah had told mediapersons.

On Wednesday, state Congress chief D.K. Shivakumar too repeated the charges.

Dismissing the allegations, Bommai said, “Congress leaders have stooped to the level of politicking even on screening of cinemas.”

‘James’ is Puneeth Rajkumar’s last film as an actor. The highly-popular actor and the youngest son of thespian Rajkumar died of cardiac arrest in October last year.

PM congratulates Dhami on taking oath as Uttarakhand CM

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PM congratulates Dhami on taking oath as Uttarakhand CM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Pushkar Singh Dhami on taking oath as Chief Minister of Uttrakhand.

In a tweet, the Prime Minister said, “Many congratulations to Pushkar Singh Dhami for taking oath as Chief Minister. In the last five years, ‘Devbhoomi’ has progressed rapidly in all parameters. I am sure that you and your ministers will further give impetus to it and the new government will establish a new paradigm of development in line with people’s aspirations.”

Congratulating Dhami and his cabinet, Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted, “The journey of public welfare and development going on in Uttarakhand under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi will be continued by this government with full commitment, dedication, and energy.”

BJP chief J.P. Nadda tweeted, “I am confident that under the able leadership of Prime Minister Modi, Dhami will set a new paradigm of development of ‘Devbhoomi’.”

TRS protest at BJP office in Hyderabad triggers tension

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TRS protest at BJP office in Hyderabad triggers tension

Supporters of Telangana’s ruling party TRS on Wednesday staged a protest in front of the state BJP office in Hyderabad triggering tension as the saffron party workers also came out to counter them.

Leaders and workers of various frontal organizations of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) staged a sit-in in front of the BJP office in Nampally to protest against the Centre for misleading the Parliament on reservation for Scheduled Tribes.

Demanding the sacking of Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Er. Bishweswar Tudu, the protesters raised slogans against the BJP government at the Centre.

The BJP workers also came out of the office and tried to counter the TRS men. The two groups almost came to blows but the police intervened to control the situation.

Police detained the TRS men and shifted them to different police stations in the city.

Those detained include TRS student wing president G. Srinivas Yadav, youth wing leader P. Praveen Reddy and tribal leader Rambabu Nayak.

They alleged that the central minister misled the Parliament by stating that no proposal was received from Telangana for increasing the quantum of reservation for Scheduled Tribes (STs).

They said the minister has uttered a lie as the State Legislature passed a Bill in 2017 for increasing the reservations to STs from 6.8 percent to 10 and sent it to the Centre.

The TRS leaders alleged that the Centre’s stand amount to insulting the tribals.

The TRS and ST groups also organized protests at Suryapet and other places on Wednesday. At Suryapet, the protestors, including women, set afire the effigy of the Central government.

The leaders said the Centre’s statement was shocking as the Ministry of Tribal Affairs had written back to the state government that it has no objection to raising the quantum of ST reservation.

They said instead of giving its nod to increase the ST reservation, the Centre misled the Parliament.

The TRS on Wednesday gave a notice for moving a privilege motion in Lok Sabha against Bishweswar Tudu for misleading Lok Sabha while answering a question.

Will make efforts for martyr status to Bhagat Singh: Punjab CM

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Will make efforts for martyr status to Bhagat Singh: Punjab CM

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said the state government would make strenuous efforts for getting martyr status for Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Shaheed Rajguru, and Shaheed Sukhdev.

Interacting with family members of martyr Bhagat Singh, including Teji Sandhu, the wife of his nephew, Abhay Sandhu, the Chief Minister assured them that all efforts would be made to get status of the martyr for the legendary hero of Indian freedom struggle, who laid his life at a tender age.

He bemoaned that it was unfortunate that even after more than 70 years of Independence this status has not been bestowed to him. Mann said the entire nation would ever remain indebted to this great martyr for steering the country out of the clutches of British imperialism.

Seeking fulsome support of people to realize the dreams of Shaheed-e-Aazam Bhagat Singh, the Chief Minister said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government is committed to cherishing the aspirations of Bhagat Singh and carving out a harmonious and egalitarian society.

PM Modi lauds goods export worth $400 bn ahead of schedule

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PM Modi lauds goods export worth $400 bn ahead of schedule

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday lauded the farmers, weavers, MSMEs, manufacturers, exporters as India has achieved the ambitious target of $400 billion of goods exports nine days ahead of schedule.

In a tweet, Prime Minister Modi said, “India set an ambitious target of $400 Billion of goods exports & achieves this target for the first time ever. I congratulate our farmers, weavers, MSMEs, manufacturers, exporters for this success. This is a key milestone in our Aatmanirbhar Bharat journey. #LocalGoesGlobal.”

Prime Minister Modi also shared infographics that stated that every month goods worth $33 billion are exported and goods worth $46 million are exported every hour. “In 2020-21, India exported goods worth $292 billion and reported 37 per cent growth in 2021-22,” it said.

Quoting Prime Minister Modi’s tweet, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, “The nation’s forward march towards #AtmanirbharBharat continues as India achieves the target of $400 billion of goods exports. It is a landmark achievement for the country. Under the astute leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi, the Nation has scripted history.”

Lauding the achievement, union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted, “New India under the leadership of PM @narendramodi Ji is known for scripting history. Extremely proud that India has achieved its highest ever goods exports target of $400Bn. This reflects the boost in the Indian economy post-Covid due to PM Modi’s resolve of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.”

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari tweeted, “Under the dynamic leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi ji, we have achieved the target of a record $400 billion merchandise exports in one fiscal year.”

Unification of municipal bodies will restore importance of Mayor in Delhi

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Unification of municipal bodies will restore importance of Mayor in Delhi

The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday approved the Unification Bill, which paves the way for the merger of Delhi’s three municipal corporations — north, south, and east — into one. The Bill is likely to be tabled in the Parliament soon.

The move will once again make the office of ‘Mayor’ an important one like it used to be before the trifurcation of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in 2012, a profile that could be compared to that of the Chief Minister, sources said.

Former Councillor Subhash Ayra, who was the leader of the house in the unified MCD from 2007-12, told in an interview that the decision of trifurcating the MCD by the then Sheila Dikshit government was wrong, which was an attempt to cut the stature of the Mayor.

“With the unification and the proposed ‘One Mayor’ for Delhi, the office will regain its lost glory and the person occupying it will once again receive the stature of ‘first citizen’ of the national capital. Earlier, the Mayor of Delhi used to receive foreign dignitaries at the airport as the first citizen of the city. After trifurcation, the office of Mayor lost its importance,” Arya said.

Old-timers said that before the trifurcation, the Mayor of Delhi was seen at par with the Chief Minister of the national capital.

“When the MCD was unified, the post of Mayor was considered as a powerful one. But after the trifurcation, it lost all its gravity and significance,” said a former member of the unified corporation.

Kanwar Sain, who was the Mayor of Delhi in 2009-10, told in an interview that the trifurcation of MCD was a political decision taken by the Sheila Dikshit government without any reasonable logic.

“Being the first citizen of Delhi, the Mayor used to challenge the authority of then Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. To cut the Mayor’s office down to size, the MCD was trifurcated without giving any logical reason.

“The Mayor’s position was and will remain powerful with authority. Senior officials with experience will be appointed as municipal commissioners, and the expenditure will also decrease,” Sain said.

Arya added that after the unification, the Mayor will have more power.

“More responsibilities which were earlier taken back from the corporation are likely to be given back to MCD after the unification,” Arya said.

The unified MCD had 272 wards distributed among 12 administrative zones, with 22 departments and a single municipal commissioner.

After the trifurcation, it had three commissioners, 66 heads of departments, and three Mayors.

“Expenditure incurred in running three offices will come down, saving the taxpayers’ money,” Sain added.

TN milking Cauvery issue for political reasons: Bommai

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TN milking Cauvery issue for political reasons: Bommai

Tamil Nadu is regularly raking up the issue of the Cauvery river with political reasons Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai accused on Tuesday.

Karnataka CM has reacted to the neighboring state’s moves for the proposed Mekedatu project in Karnataka.

Talking to the media Bommai said “To get political profits Tamil Nadu is taking Cauvery issue since India won independence ”

Stating out that the Cauvery Tribunal has given its judgment on the river water share for the states, Bommai said that Mekedatu has been envisioned to cater to the state’s drinking water requirements.

“While all this happening, Tamil Nadu was creating issues and addressing the court”, Bommai said.

Bommai said that the state government can pick up detailed project reports, and take neccessary steps to execute the project.

Objecting to the Karnataka government, The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Monday had unanimously approved a resolution moved by Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan

The decision was moved against Karnataka’s decision to build a dam at Mekedatu.

Telangana seeks uniform procurement policy

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Telangana seeks uniform procurement policy

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday demanded that the Centre procure the entire paddy crop from Telangana like it is doing from Punjab and also announce a uniform procurement policy for the entire country.

A delegation of state ministers and MPs will leave for Delhi on Tuesday to meet the Food Minister to press for their demands.

The decision was taken at a meeting of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) legislators presided over by KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known.

The TRS chief warned the Centre of a massive protest if it failed to procure the entire yield of 30 lakh tonnes of paddy during Rabi season.

He said during the last Rabi season, paddy production was 54-55 lakh tonnes and this time, it is likely to come down to 35 lakh tonnes due to the efforts of the state government to encourage farmers to go for crop diversification. Of this, 3 lakh tonnes of paddy will be used for seeds while 2 lakh tonnes will be kept by farmers for their own use.

KCR made it clear that the food security of the country is the Constitutional responsibility of the Central government. “It can’t run away from this responsibility citing surplus production. Even if there is surplus production, the government should keep it as buffer stock, process it, or even bear some losses,” he said.

Stating that paddy procurement is a matter of life and death of farmers, he said the Centre should not create hurdles as it did in the previous season.

“You take paddy and pay MSP as you are doing in Punjab. Nothing plus nothing minus,” he said.

KCR demanded a uniform procurement policy for the entire country. He said there should not be different policies for different states.

He made it clear that in case the Centre failed to respond positively to the state’s request, there will be ‘action-oriented’ protests.

He said gram panchayats, Mandal parishads, Zilla Parishad, and municipalities will pass resolutions and send them to the Prime Minister urging him to procure the entire paddy from Telangana.

KCR also demanded Constitutional protection for farmers. “Include farmers’ rights in the Constitution to save them. The MSP, procurement, production all should be covered by the Constitution,” he said.

He said the Modi government should bring a Constitutional amendment in this regard to show its love for farmers.

The TRS leader urged the government to bring the Constitutional amendment during the ongoing session of Parliament and said his party and the entire country would support it.

Jagan assures all help to Ukraine returnee students

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Jagan assures all help to Ukraine returnee students

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has assured all support for the students of the state who have returned from war-hit Ukraine.

A group of students who have returned from Ukraine called on Reddy here on Monday.

The Chief Minister interacted with the students and enquired about the alternatives to continue their studies.

Reddy also directed the state government officials to look for solutions to the problems being faced by the students currently and said he would write a letter to the Central government in this regard.

The students thanked the Chief Minister for the special efforts put in by the state government to bring back the students from Ukraine and said they were taken care of since they reached the neighboring countries of Ukraine and were provided food and accommodation and added that flight tickets to India and transportation to their native places were provided by the government.

In all, 918 students from Andhra Pradesh studying in Ukraine have made it back to their homes, officials said.

The chief minister complimented the state government officials who coordinated the students’ safe return from Ukraine safely. He said that it is the responsibility of the state government to help the students who were in crisis.

AP Ukraine Taskforce Committee Chairman MT Krishnababu, AP Bhavan Principal Resident Commissioner Praveen Prakash, APNRTS President Medapati Venkat, CEO K. Dinesh Kumar, Taskforce Committee Members Ahmed Babu, Andhra Pradesh Special Representative in North America Pandugayala Ratnakar, Special Representative in the UK, Ravi Reddy and other officials were present in the meeting.

World Cup not yet over, Modi tells Morrison after Aus women’s cricket team win

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World Cup not yet over, Modi tells Morrison after Aus women’s cricket team win

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated his Australian counterpart, Scott Morrison, for the excellent performance of the women’s cricket team in the world cup.

“Many congratulations to you for the excellent performance of the Australian women’s cricket team in the Cricket World Cup,” said Modi adding that in Saturday’s match, Australia won, but the tournament is not yet over.

“My best wishes to the teams of both the countries,” the Indian Prime Minister said during his address at the second India-Australia virtual summit.

Modi and Morrison interacted during the virtual summit on Monday.

Australia entered the semifinals of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup with a six-wicket win over India at Eden Park in Auckland in New Zealand on Saturday. With two games to go – one with South Africa and another with Bangladesh, Australia have the luxury to rest their key players, if they choose to do so, ahead of the knockout stages.

India posted a competitive 277/7 in 50 overs but Australia chased down the total with three balls to spare. With the win, Australia also broke the record for the highest successful run-chase in Women’s World Cup history, surpassing the one they set against Sri Lanka in the 2017 edition of the tournament.

Currently, India stands fourth with two wins in five games. While India’s wins came against Pakistan and West Indies, the team lost to England, New Zealand, and Australia.

India now has to win the remaining two games and hope for a few results to go their way if they are to make it to the semi-finals of the World Cup.

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