Shah congratulates Delhi Police for ‘fair probe’ of Delhi riots

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Shah congratulates Delhi Police for ‘fair probe’ of Delhi riots

Union Home Minister Amit Shah Wednesday congratulated the Delhi Police for a fair investigation into the Delhi riots.

“I congratulate Delhi Police for the role it played during the Covid pandemic and the Delhi riots, particularly for the fair and strict investigation of the riots,” the Home Minister said at the 75th Raising Day parade of Delhi Police.

He said that the Delhi Police has done the job of presenting the rioters before the Courts with strictness and justice.

Communal riots broke out in the national capital in February 2020, during which over 50 people were killed. Since then the Delhi Police has been investigating the riots and has detained and produced several accused people before the Courts.

A total of 695 cases are being investigated by North-East District police while 62 cases such as murders were transferred to the Crime Branch, where three dedicated Special Investigation Teams investigated the cases under continuous monitoring of superior officers.

On January 20, a Delhi Court sentenced a man for 5 years, convicted for burning down the house of a 73-year-old woman. it was the firstAjail term in Delhi riots cases.

KCR to meet Uddhav Thackeray on Feb 20 to discuss anti-BJP front

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KCR to meet Uddhav Thackeray on Feb 20 to discuss anti-BJP front

As part of his efforts to forge an anti-BJP alliance at the national level, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will be meeting his Maharashtra counterpart Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai on February 20.

Thackeray spoke to Chandrasekhar Rao over the phone on Wednesday and invited him to Mumbai.

According to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), the Maharashtra chief minister extended his full support to the efforts of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief to fight “anti-people” policies of the BJP government at the Centre and for federal justice.

The Shiv Sena leader was all praise for KCR’s fight and told him that to protect the country from “divisive” forces, he has raised his voice at the right time. “You continue the fight for the rights of the states and to protect the unity of the country. March ahead with the same spirit. You will have our full support. In this regard, we will extend all possible help to you to mobilise public support,” the CMO quoted Thackeray as saying.

Inviting KCR to Mumbai, Thackeray requested him to agree to be his guest. “On this occasion, we will discuss the future course of action,” Thackeray said.

KCR has already announced his plans to play a key role in forging a national alliance against BJP. He had told reporters on Sunday that he would soon visit Mumbai to meet Thackeray. He said he would also meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee soon.

The Maharashtra chief minister is the second leader to speak to KCR over the phone in two days. Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader Deve Gowda had called up the TRS chief on Tuesday seeking KCR’s support to the fight launched by him against the “religious polarisation” of politics by the BJP government at the Centre.

Deve Gowda congratulated KCR for fighting against the communal politics in the country. “Rao Saab, you are fighting very well. Everyone should fight against the communal elements. To protect our country’s secularism, culture, and diverse culture we will be with you and support you. Continue your fight and our total support will be there for you,” the CMO quoted the former Prime Minister as saying.

KCR told Deve Gowda that he would visit Bangalore in this regard and meet him personally.

Union minister challenges KCR for debate on performance of Modi govt

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Union minister challenges KCR for debate on performance of Modi govt

Union Minister for tourism and culture G. Kishan Reddy on Tuesday challenged Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for a debate on the performance of the Narendra Modi government during the last seven years.

Kishan Reddy said he was ready for an open debate with the chief minister at Gun Park in the presence of senior journalists.

Addressing a news conference here, the BJP leader took strong exception to KCR’s allegation that the Modi government has done nothing in the last seven years. Claiming that the government has many achievements to its credit during the period, he said he was ready to prove this during the debate.

Kishan Reddy, who is a member of the Lok Sabha from Secunderabad, hit back at KCR for what he calls objectionable language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He alleged that the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief was spewing venom against the Prime Minister out of frustration. “The language used by KCR is unbecoming of a chief minister,” he said.

On KCR’s assertion that he will drive out the BJP from the country, the BJP leader remarked that no force on earth can do this. He said the BJP would continue to remain a strong political force even if it loses power tomorrow.

The central minister condemned KCR’s statement demanding proof of surgical strikes carried out on Pakistan in 2016 after the terrorist attack on the Army camp at Uri.

Kishan Reddy said the chief minister’s remarks were detrimental to the security and integrity of the country. “He has insulted the martyrs, demoralized our brave Army, and hurt the sentiments of families of those who made the supreme sacrifice,” he said, adding that even Pakistan does not use such language.

He claimed that Pakistan and all the countries confirmed surgical strikes. He said even the terror group which was targeted admitted that they came under attack.

“We don’t need KCR’s certificate. There is no need to give proof to him. People know this,” he said

The central minister dismissed KCR’s allegation that there is communal disharmony in the country under Modi rule. He claimed that during the last seven years incidents of communal riots have come down while the activities of ISI and terror groups were under control.

Kishan Reddy alleged that KCR is frustrated due to the defeat of TRS in Huzurabad by-election and urged intellectuals and people to understand this. He said the TRS chief could not digest the defeat in the bypoll and hence was making baseless allegations against the BJP government.

The BJP leader said that the TRS leader does not like anybody criticising or questioning him. “He wants people to be his servants and continue his dynastic rule,” Kishan Reddy said.

NHA collaborating with ministries to strengthen AB-PMJAY implementation

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NHA collaborating with ministries to strengthen AB-PMJAY implementation

The National Health Authority (NHA) has collaborated with various ministries implementing welfare schemes to strengthen the different aspects of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) scheme implementation including inter alia beneficiary awareness campaigns, beneficiary database (SECC 2011) enrichment etc.

The beneficiary database enrichment under AB PM-JAY would mean adding additional parameters to the database for ease of search.

The NHA is mandated with the implementation of PM Jan Arogya Yojana and a total of 10.74 crore beneficiary families have been identified from the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) of 2011 basis 6 deprivation and 11 occupational criteria across rural and urban areas, respectively under the scheme.

The NHA is working on integrating the SECC 2011 beneficiary database with NFSA, which will enable beneficiaries to seek information regarding their entitlement under the AB PM-JAY using their ration card number. The health authority is also working on a proposal to use Fair Price Shops or Ration shops for providing information related to the scheme and entitlement under the scheme to eligible beneficiaries.

Aadhaar being a common identity across the majority of government databases will enable this integration.

“In this direction, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) issued Operational Manuals (OM) on October 27, December 6, and 14, 2021. These OMs have enabled sharing of Aadhaar among different departments of the government. As per the OM, different departments of the Central government administering Section 7 can be treated as a single entity under the Aadhaar Act, 2016,” said the NHA in a statement.

The Department of Food and Public Distribution has also issued OM wherein states and UTs were requested to provide necessary assistance and cooperation for sharing of the NFSA ration card data along with the corresponding Aadhaar with NHA.

The NHA said that the onus of ensuring the compliance of various provisions and regulations regarding data protection, data storage, data privacy, etc, and in particular, seeking consent will lie with the user departments i.e., in this case, NHA.

States and UTs are providing necessary assistance in this regard and none of the states or UTs has expressed any reservation to NHA in sharing the data, said NHA in a statement.

KCR’s daughter, Cong leader engage in war of words over T’gana

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KCR’s daughter, Cong leader engage in war of words over T’gana

A day after Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao came out openly in defense of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, there was a war of words between the former’s daughter K. Kavitha and Congress MP Manickam Tagore on who should get the credit for the formation of Telangana state.

Kavitha, a member of the Telangana state legislative council, tweeted that Telangana was not a gift and it was achieved by the people’s movement under the leadership of Chandrasekhar Rao.

Kavitha stated this in response to a tweet by Congress leader Manickam Tagore, who is in charge of the party affairs in Telangana.

Tagore had described Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) as a chameleon and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as communal. He termed them as two sides of the same coin. The Congress leader said the party will continue to work for a Telangana which millions of Telangana youth wanted which Sonia Gandhi wanted. “In 7 years it never happened to make that happen, we need to defeat the chameleon TRS & communal BJP. Both are 2 sides of the same coin. Congress can & will,” he wrote.

“Just setting the record state Manickam Ji once and for all. KCR Garu and TRS Party led the people’s movement for Telangana, it was not a gift. It was a fight and truth won,” responded Kavitha.

The Congress MP then hit back at Kavitha reminding her that Telangana wasn’t a one leader movement. “It was a people’s movement. Everyone stood hand in hand and fought for it. But it was Sonia Amma’s resolve that made a million dream’s possible. Recently Modiji blamed Congress for the creation of Telangana. Don’t forget,” he said.

Tagore also reminded Kavitha that her father called Sonia Gandhi ‘Amma of Telangana’ but changed his words and supported BJP in all the anti-people decisions like land bill, GST, demonetization, Rafale, and CAA for seven years.

“Again yesterday, he changed his stand, How can we believe he won’t change his stand again?” the Congress leader asked. “Congress will never change its stand on BJP as communal politics,” he added.

KCR at his news conference on Sunday had slammed Assam Chief Minister Hemanta Biswa Sarma for his offensive remarks against Rahul Gandhi for demanding proof of surgical strikes and demanded his dismissal.

The TRS chief also defended Rahul Gandhi over the Rafale deal and announced that he will approach the Supreme Court over the massive corruption.

Uttar Pradesh sees over 60% polling till 5 p.m., Uttarakhand 59%, Goa 75%

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Uttar Pradesh sees over 60% polling till 5 p.m., Uttarakhand 59%, Goa 75%

Uttar Pradesh saw a 60.31 percent turnout, till 5 p.m., in the second phase of Assembly polls on Monday, while there was 59.37 per cent polling in Uttarakhand and 75.29 per cent in Goa in their single-phase elections.

The final figures would be available after some time.

As per the Election Commission data, North Goa registered 75.33 per cent polling while South Goa registered 75.26 percent till 5 p.m.

In Uttar Pradesh, Saharanpur saw the highest turnout, so far, at 67.05 percent, while Shahjahanpur was the lowest at 55.20 percent.

Amroha district registered 66.15 per cent, Bareilly 57.68 per cent, Bijnor 61.44 per cent, Badaun 55.98 per cent, Moradabad 64.52 per cent, Rampur 60.10 per cent, and Sambhal 56.88 per cent.

In Uttarakhand, Almora district registered 50.65 per cent, Bageshwar 57.83 per cent, Chamoli 59.28 per cent, Champawat 59.97 per cent, Dehradun 52.93 per cent, Haridwar 67.58 per cent, Nainital 63.12 per cent, Pauri Garhwal 51.93 per cent, Pithoragarh 57.49 per cent, Rudraprayag 60.36 per cent, Tehri Garhwal 52.66 per cent, Udham Singh Nagar 65.14 per cent and Uttarkashi 65.55 per cent.

The EC clarified that the data made available is an approximate trend as data from some polling stations takes time.

Uttarakhand is holding single-phase polling for all its 70 Assembly seats together, with 82,66,644 voters to decide the fate of 632 candidates.

In Goa, as many as 11,56,464 voters will cast ballots to decide the fate of 301 candidates for its 40 seats.

In Uttar Pradesh, nearly 2.02 crore voters will decide the fate of 586 contestants in 55 Assembly constituencies across the nine districts are: Saharanpur, Bijnor, Moradabad, Sambhal, Rampur, Amroha, Badaun, Bareilly, and Shahjahanpur.

Digital learning should not lead to digital divide: V-P

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Digital learning should not lead to digital divide: V-P

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Monday said that digital learning should not lead to a digital divide. He said that it is important to ensure that there is no digital divide.

He called for increased access to the internet especially in rural areas and remote places to “keep inclusivity at the heart of the educational experience”. “The mantra should be – embrace, engage, enlighten and empower”, he said.

He said that school closures affected girls, children from disadvantaged backgrounds, those living in rural areas, children with disabilities, and children from ethnic minorities more than their peers.

Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the Sports Centre at the National Institute of Technical Teachers Training & Research (NITTTR) in Chennai on Monday, Naidu expressed concern about the impact of the pandemic on education.

The Vice President also inaugurated the NITTTR Open Educational Resource (OER). Calling it an important step in improving inclusivity through distance education, he observed that it would help teachers improve their knowledge base and teaching methodology.

Calling for corrective action from the governments, Naidu suggested that one of the important measures is to upgrade the skills of teachers in e-learning.

Naidu further stressed the need to create teachers who are “learners and creators of knowledge – teachers who touch lives and seek to uplift the human condition”. “We need inspirational, transformational leaders in our classrooms, especially in rural India”, he added.

Talking about India’s demographic dividend, he said that teachers have greater responsibility in molding India’s huge youth population into responsible citizens. “Education does not mean just degrees,” he said and opined that the true purpose of education is enlightenment, empowerment, and wisdom.

The Vice President lauded the role of teachers as ‘Covid warriors’ for doing their best to ensure the academic continuity of their students during the pandemic.

Referring to the National Education Policy 2020 as a visionary document, the Vice President said that it seeks to transform the education ecosystem in our country.

Emphasizing the need to promote and preserve Indian languages, Naidu appreciated AICTE for starting technical courses in Indian languages.

Calling upon NITTTR to take the lead in producing outstanding teachers through well-structured and scientifically designed training programs, he appreciated its efforts in training more than 60,000 learners in the past two years.

Telangana Cong leaders lodge police complaint against Assam CM

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Telangana Cong leaders lodge police complaint against Assam CM

The Congress party in Telangana on Monday filed complaints against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for his derogatory comments on party leader Rahul Gandhi.

Congress leaders at various police stations in the state lodged complaints against Sarma, demanding his arrest.

State Congress chief Revanth Reddy and other leaders lodged a complaint at Jubilee Hills police station against the Assam chief minister over his offensive comments. He demanded that the police book a criminal case against Sarma and arrest him.

The Congress leaders urged the police to book the Assam chief minister under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 153A and 505 for promoting enmity between different groups.

Revanth Reddy called Sarma’s remarks an insult to the motherhood of every woman. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP president J.P. Nadda should respond and sack Sarma immediately.

Reddy, who is also a member of Parliament was accompanied by senior leader Mohammed Ali Shabbir, Anjan Kumar Yadav, Sampath Kumar, and others.

The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee chief said the police merely issued an acknowledgment. He said the police should register a First Information Report (FIR) and take criminal action against Sarma.

On a call given by Revanth Reddy, Congress leaders in various districts lodged police complaints against the Assam chief minister.

The MP demanded that the state police send a special team to arrest Sarma. He said if no action was taken on their complaints in 48 hours, the Congress party will stage protests in front of the offices of police commissioners and superintendents of police.

On Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao condemning his Assam counterpart’s offensive remarks, Revanth Reddy said he should go beyond mere condemnation and act by asking police to take action against Sarma.

Voter turnout in 1st 2 hrs: UP 9.45%, Uttarakhand 5.03% & Goa 10.86%

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Voter turnout in 1st 2 hrs: UP 9.45%, Uttarakhand 5.03% & Goa 10.86%

The voting percentage on Monday till 9 a.m. in the second phase Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh was 9.45 percent, 5.03 percent in Uttarakhand, and 10.86 percent in Goa.

As per the Election Commission data, North Goa registered 10.79 percent while South Goa registered 10.93 percent voting in the first two hours of polling which began at 7 a.m.

In Uttar Pradesh, Amroha district registered 10.83 percent, Bareilly 8.31 percent, Bijnor 10.01 percent, Budaun 9.18 percent. Moradabad 9.86 percent, Rampur 8.27 percent, Saharanpur 9.70 percent, Sambhal 10.76 percent, and Shahjahanpur registered 9.17 percent.

In Uttarakhand, Almora district registered 4.19 percent, Bageshwar 2.31 percent, Chamoli 3.49 percent, Champawat 4.51 percent, Dehradun 5.55 percent, Haridwar 6.36 percent, Nainital 5.50 percent, Pauri Garhwal 2.51 percent, Pithoragarh 4.55 percent, Rudraprayag 5.41 percent, Tehri Garhwal 4.36 percent, Udham Singh Nagar 6.64 percent and Uttarkashi district registered 2.68 percent.

The EC has put out a disclaimer that the data made available are an approximate trend as data from some polling stations takes time.

Uttarakhand is holding a single-phase polling for all its 70 Assembly seats. A total of 82,66,644 voters will decide the fate of 632 candidates. There are 11,697 booths across the states, of which 776 are critical and 1,050 vulnerable booths.

In Goa, as many as 11,56,464 voters will cast ballots in the single-phase polls to decide the fate of 301 candidates at booths spread over 1,600 polling stations.

For Uttar Pradesh, it is the second phase of voting where nearly 2.02 crore voters will decide the fate of 586 contestants in nine districts comprising 55 Assembly constituencies. The nine districts are Saharanpur, Bijnor, Muradabad, Sambhal, Rampur, Amroha, Budaun, Bareli, and Shahjanpur.

Now, NOTA option in urban polls in Odisha

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Now, NOTA option in urban polls in Odisha

None of the above (NOTA) options will be used for the first time in the upcoming election to the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in Odisha.

State Election Commission (SEC), Odisha has issued an order to implement the new provision on Friday.

“The State Election Commission, in the exercise of powers vested in it under Article 243-ZA of the Constitution, directs that the option NOTA (none of the above) will be provided to the electors for the general elections to Urban Local Bodies,” read the order.

The words NOTA will be printed in the last panel after the last candidate and the NOTA symbol will be printed on the symbol column, it said.

There is no provision of providing NOTA option to the electors under the Odisha Municipal Act, 1950 and the Odisha Municipal Corporation Act, 2003 and the Rules framed thereunder.

However, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has provided the option of NOTA to the electors for elections to legislative assemblies and Lok Sabha. So considering that, the SEC has decided to provide the NOTA option to the voters during the ULB poll, official sources said.

Elections for 107 Municipalities/NACs and three Corporations Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Berhampur are likely to be conducted soon after the Panchayat poll in Odisha. The delimitation of wards, reservation seats, and all other formalities required to conduct the ULB election has already been completed.

Recently, the Commission has also enhanced the spending limit of the candidates contesting for the post of Councillors, Corporators, Chairpersons, and Mayors in the civic bodies.

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