After Cong, BJP & SP cancel programmes in UP

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After Cong, BJP & SP cancel programmes in UP

After the Congress cancelled its Pink Marathons and rallies in view of the surge in the cases of Covid, the BJP and the Samajwadi Party (SP) have also cancelled their election programmes.

According to official sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposed rally in Lucknow on January 9 is likely to be cancelled in view of the Covid situation and also inclement weather conditions.

“We have been informed of the cancellation through an official communication in this regard is awaited,” said a party functionary.

The Samajwadi Party has also cancelled its Vijay Rath Yatra on January 7, 8 and 9 which was to be led by party chief Akhilesh.

As per the schedule, Akhilesh was to address public meetings in Gonda, Basti and Ayodhya on January 7, 8 and 9, respectively.

The SP leaders said that the decision on meetings scheduled after January 9 will be taken after assessing the spread of Covid-19 in the next couple of days.

Akhilesh’s Ayodhya visit had generated a lot of curiosity in the political circles as it was his first visit to the temple town this election season.

Recently, during his visit to Ayodhya on December 26, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had claimed that Akhilesh was planning to stop the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya if voted to power in the 2022 Assembly polls.

The Samajwadi Party had, however, dismissed Shah’s allegations as baseless. “Ram temple in Ayodhya is being constructed in Ayodhya on the orders of the Supreme Court. No individual, party or authority in India has the guts to stop the construction. The BJP knows it will be voted out and are desperately targeting SP every day,” Akhilesh had said in response to the charge.

TN announces complete lockdown on Sunday, night curfew from Jan 6

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TN announces complete lockdown on Sunday, night curfew from Jan 6

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday announced night curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. from Thursday and a complete lockdown on Sunday in the wake of surging Covid-19 cases.

No physical classes will be allowed for students of Classes 1 to 9. Creches, kindergarten classes, and play schools will not be allowed to function, the Chief Minister’s Office said in a statement.

However, physical classes for students of classes 10th, 11th, and 12th will be allowed.

During the complete lockdown on Sunday, essential services like medical shops, distribution of milk, newspapers, fuel pumps, ATM, freight transport will be allowed.

e-commerce services will not be allowed during lockdown while restaurants will be allowed to provide food delivery services and takeaways from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

For reaching the airport, railway and bus stations, people will have to show valid tickets for the journey during night curfew from Thursday and during complete lockdown on Sunday.

PM’s security is most important, says Congress

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PM’s security is most important, says Congress

After a major security breach on Prime Minister’s convoy, the Congress reacting to the series of events, said the security of the Prime Minister is foremost and Punjab Government has setup an inquiry on the whole issue.

Congress spokesperson Gaurav Vallabh reacting to reports said, “we have lost two leaders and we know that security is most important issue of the Prime Minister.”

The Congress sources said that the last minute change in program or late information by the MHA to the state government may have led to the lapse and it will be ascertained by the report. The security breach of the Prime Minister is unpardonable and Punjab government has sought a report from officials.

Vallabh said the Prime Minister was scheduled to fly on chopper but the program was changed last minute so the report will ascertain if it was a lapse on the part of the MHA or state officials.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday cancelled his visit to Ferozepur town in Punjab, where he was scheduled to lay the foundation stones of Rs 42,750 crore projects, at the last minute due to security breach.

Earlier, the Prime Minister landed at Bhaisiana Air Force station in Bathinda town from where he was supposed to travel to Ferozepur by road.

As per the Ministry of Home Affairs’ statement on the PM Modi’s Punjab visit, “Today morning PM landed at Bathinda from where he was to go to National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala by helicopter. Due to rain and poor visibility, PM waited for about 20 minutes for the weather to clear out.

Around 30 km away from the National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala, when the PM’s convoy reached a flyover, it was found that the road was blocked by some protesters. The PM was stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes. This was a major lapse in the security of PM.

“The PM’s schedule and travel plan was communicated well in advance to Punjab Government. As per procedure, they have to make necessary arrangements for logistics, security as well as keep a contingency plan ready. Also in view of the contingency plan, the Punjab Government has to deploy additional security to secure any movement by road, which was clearly not deployed.

“After this security lapse, it was decided to head back to Bathinda airport.”

Roadmap to build new Bengaluru with all amenities: K’taka CM Bommai

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Roadmap to build new Bengaluru with all amenities: K’taka CM Bommai

A blueprint to build new Bengaluru with all amenities is being prepared and the government would provide special grants for its implementation, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said here on Wednesday.

The minister was speaking at the foundation laying ceremony of an IT park project from GM and Advitiya Group.

Bengaluru which is witnessing rapid growth needs a roadmap to develop it in a planned and integrated manner. “We are drafting new projects to deliver civic amenities to all sections of the society. We have taken up 4-5 programmes which are part of the ‘Bengaluru Vision 2022’ which was presented during the tenure of former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. Several measures have been taken for their speedy execution,” Bommai said.

The GM group belonging to BJP MP GM Siddeshwar’s second and third generation has made immense contributions for education and commerce. The Group which has carved a niche for itself in northern Karnataka has built a hospital in Bengaluru offering quality medical services. They have made a mark in all the sectors by their hard work, he said.

Now the Group has built an IT hub with a potential to provide employment for 10,000 people. Bengaluru has emerged as a global hub in IT and it is spreading in all four directions of the city. Successive governments including our government have offered immense encouragement for the growth of the IT sector. “The IT sector has emerged as the biggest employer for our educated youth,” Bommai said.

A country can develop and its economy can grow only when its people are employed. In this regard IT services are playing a major role. IT sector is notching the highest exports in the country. Bengaluru contributes the highest, 40% of India’s exports in the IT sector. So Bengaluru is an important engine of the country’s economy, the CM said.

Setting up of this IT hub at a time when the economy is recovering after the Covid setback is like another feather in Bengaluru’s cap, Bommai said.

Former CM BS Yediyurappa, ministers Murugesh Nirani, BA Basavaraj, R Ashok, MP GM Siddeshwar and others were present.

Sounding poll bugle, PM Modi to lay foundation stone of Rs 42,750 Cr worth projects in Punjab

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Sounding poll bugle, PM Modi to lay foundation stone of Rs 42,750 Cr worth projects in Punjab

Sounding the bugle in Punjab’s poll season, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday will lay the foundation stone of development projects of Rs 42,750 crore comprising two mega road corridors to enhance accessibility to prominent religious centres and three health institutions in this town bordering Pakistan.

One of the road corridors will halve the travel time from 12 hours from the national capital to religious sites in Punjab, comprising Amritsar and Sultanpur Lodhi, and to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Jammu and Kashmir’s Katra.

Just hours ahead of his visit, Modi tweeted, “I look forward to being among my sisters and brothers of Punjab today. At a programme in Ferozepur, the foundation stone of development works worth Rs 42,750 crore would be laid, which will improve the quality of life for the people.”

After paying obeisance to freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev at the memorial in Hussainiwala, about 260 km from the state capital Chandigarh, the Prime Minister will lay the stones and address a public meeting.

Modi last visited Hussainiwala in March 2015, where the last rites of the three freedom fighters were held after they were hanged in Lahore on March 23, 1931.

The Prime Minister will be accompanied by his Cabinet colleagues — Nitin Gadkari and Hardeep Singh Puri, besides Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit, Chief Ministers of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, Charanjit Channi, Manohar Lal and Jairam Thakur, respectively, and Lieutenant Government of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha.

As per the official programme, Prime Minister Modi around 1 p.m. will lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects that include the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway; four laning of Amritsar-Una road section; Mukerian-Talwara new broad gauge railway line; PGI Satellite Centre in Ferozepur and two medical colleges in Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur.

The consistent endeavour of the Prime Minister to improve connectivity all across the country has led to multiple national highway development initiatives being taken up in Punjab, said an official statement.

It has resulted in more than doubling the total length of national highways in the state from about 1,700 km in 2014 to more than 4,100 km in 2021.

In continuation of such efforts the foundation stone of two major road corridors will be laid in Punjab. This will also be a step towards fulfilling the Prime Minister’s vision to enhance accessibility to major religious centres.

The 669 km-long Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway will be developed at a total cost of about Rs 39,500 crore. It will halve travel time from Delhi to Amritsar and Delhi to Katra.

The Greenfield Expressway will connect key Sikh religious sites at Sultanpur Lodhi, Goindwal Sahib, Khadoor Sahib, Tarn Taran and the holy Hindu shrine of Vaishno Devi in Katra.

The expressway will also connect key economic centres like Ambala Chandigarh, Mohali, Sangrur, Patiala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Kathua and Samba in the states and UTs of Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.

The four-laning of Amritsar-Una section will be done at the cost of around Rs 1,700 crore. The 77-km long section is part of the larger Amritsar to Bhota corridor spanning across the longitudinal expanse of northern Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, connecting four major national highways, namely Amritsar-Bhatinda-Jamnagar Economic Corridor, Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, North-South Corridor and Kangra-Hamirpur-Bilaspur-Shimla Corridor.

It will help in improving the connectivity of religious sites at Ghoman, Shri Hargobindpur and Pulpukta Town (home to the famous Gurdwara Pulpukta Sahib).

The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of a new broad gauge railway line between Mukerian and Talwara of around 27 Km in length, to be built at a cost of over Rs 410 crore.

The railway line will be an extension of Nangal Dam-Daulatpur Chowk railway section. It will provide an all-weathered means of transportation in the area.

This project also holds strategic importance as it will serve as an alternative route to Jammu and Kashmir, joining the existing Jalandhar-Jammu Railway line at Mukerian.

The project will prove especially beneficial for the people of Hoshiarpur in Punjab and Una in Himachal Pradesh. It will give a boost to tourism in the region, and provide ease of connectivity to hill stations as well as to places of religious importance.

Modi will also lay the foundation stone of new medical infrastructure in three towns of Punjab. The 100 bedded PGI Satellite Centre in Ferozepur, will be built at a cost of more than Rs 490 crore.

Two medical colleges at Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur will be developed at a cost of around Rs 325 crore each and with a capacity of about 100 seats.

Ahead of polls, BJP presenting Goa govt’s report card to people

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Ahead of polls, BJP presenting Goa govt’s report card to people

For winning the third election in a row in the state, the Goa BJP has started presenting a report card of state government to people.

The party workers are visiting every household with the works of the BJP government in the last ten years.

A well placed source said that a campaign has been launched to reach every house in the state with the works of the BJP government in 10 years.

“We have started presenting our report cards to people. Report card contains works of the BJP government in the state since 2012. The campaign started on January 1 and will continue till January 10. In these 10 days, BJP workers will reach out to each and every household in the state and tell the voters what our government has done in the last 10 years,” he said.

Goa Assembly polls will be held in February- March next year along with Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Manipur. The BJP has been in power in the coastal state since 2012.

Apart from knocking each door in the state, the BJP workers and leaders are also meeting eminent personalities with the report card and taking their suggestions. “We are meeting eminent personalities and influencers giving details of our government in the last two terms,” a party leader said.

The saffron party, meanwhile, is organising meetings at different levels to activate its cadres. “Assembly level convention of the party has started and workers’ meetings are also being organised across the state,” he said.

It has set a target to win over 25 seats in the 40-member Goa Assembly. BJP national general secretary and state in-charge, CT Ravi said that BJP will form the government for third term by winning more than 25 seats.

“People have seen development in the last ten years under the BJP government and will once again elect a BJP government to further accelerate the pace of development of the state. We are going to win over 25 seats,” Ravi said.

New education policy follows Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘Nai Talim’: Venkaiah Naidu

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New education policy follows Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘Nai Talim’: Venkaiah Naidu

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said that the New Education Policy (NEP) follows the ‘Nai Talim’ (new education) of Mahatma Gandhi by giving importance to the mother tongue as the medium of instruction at school level.

Addressing the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University, Wardha, the Vice President recalled that the ‘Nai Talim’ proposed by Mahatma Gandhi in Wardha in 1937 laid emphasis on making mother tongue as the medium of instruction in addition to free compulsory education and skill training to the students.

“Our Constituent Assembly, after a long debate, accepted Hindi as the official language and also accorded constitutional status to other Indian languages in the eighth schedule. Noting that every Indian language has a glorious history and rich literature. We are fortunate to have linguistic diversity in our country. Our linguistic diversity is our strength as our languages symbolise our cultural unity,” Naidu said.

Referring to Mahatma Gandhi’s views on language, he said that for Mahatma Gandhi, the question of language was a question of national unity.

“Even after insisting on Hindi, Mahatma Gandhi understood the sensitivity of every citizen to his mother tongue. Gandhiji associated mother tongue with Swaraj and called for according due importance to it,” he said.

He also said that Indian languages have played an important role in keeping the overseas Indian community connected with the motherland India,he observed.

The Vice President said that it is expected of a civilised society that its language should be gentle, cultured and creative. “Let us exercise our freedom of expression with the decency of language and the discipline of words,” he said.

Describing our linguistic diversity as the strength of the country, the Vice President urged to strengthen this thread of unity in diversity and stressed the need for enhanced dialogue between Indian languages.

He suggested the language departments of universities play an important role in this regard. “There should be constant contact and intellectual dialogue between the language departments of the universities,” he said.

The Vice President also unveiled the statue of the architect of the Constitution, Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar. The Vice President also inaugurated Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhawan and Chandrashekhar Azad Hostel in the university as part of its Silver Jubilee celebrations.

Arvind Kejriwal tests Covid-19 positive

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Arvind Kejriwal tests Covid-19 positive

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday announced that he has tested positive for Covid-19, adding that he has “mild symptoms”.

Taking to Twitter, he said: “I have tested positive for Covid. Mild symptoms. Have isolated myself at home. Those who came in touch wid me in last few days, kindly isolate urself and get urself tested.”

This comes as Delhi is witnessing a Covid-19 resurgence triggered by the new highly-transmissible Omicron variant.

The national capital on Monday reported 4,099 fresh Covid cases, the highest single-day rise after May 18, 2021 when the tally was 4,482, and one death.

The new cases have pushed up the infection tally to 14,58,220, while the toll is 25,110 now.

The Covid infection rate has climbed to 6.46 per cent, highest in last seven months. According to the Delhi Health Department, the city had recorded 6.89 per cent positivity rate on May 18.

The capital has, so far, detected 351 Omicron cases, of which 57 have been discharged from the hospital.

Jagan meets Modi; discusses funds release, pending issues

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Jagan meets Modi; discusses funds release, pending issues

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence here on Monday, and discussed several key issues related to the state.

The Chief Minister requested Modi to approve the revised cost estimates of Rs 55,657 crore at 2017-18 price level, which includes drinking water component of Rs 4,000 crore, and also to release the pending payments of Rs 2,100 crore already incurred by the state government towards the Polavaram project.

Pointing out while state’s total revenue deficit for 2014-15 financial year stands at Rs 22,948.76 crore, Jagan Reddy said only Rs 4,117.89 crore has been released.

He requested the Prime Minister that the remaining Rs 18,830.87 crore be released at the earliest, to support the state during this hour of need.

The Chief Minister said an amount of Rs 6,284 crore is receivable by Andhra Pradesh Generation Corporation Limited (APGENCO) from the Telangana State Distribution Utilities and Telangana DISCOMs have recognized the amount as payables but are yet to make the actual payment.

He requested the Prime Minister to direct the concerned authorities to settle these dues at the earliest so that the state power sector will be financially strengthened and the state’s payables to power suppliers can also be discharged.

The Chief Minister said there is inadequate coverage of beneficiaries under NFSA (National Food Security) Act, and large number of needy and deserving persons being uncovered and requested the Prime Minister to direct the concerned officials that the State’s data be reviewed and corrected. He also urged that a comprehensive view be taken on the poverty levels in the State, wider coverage of population of Andhra Pradesh under TPDS be ensured and the anomaly be corrected.

The Chief Minister said the NBC (net borrowing ceiling) for the financial year 2021-22 was originally fixed at Rs 42,472 crore as per the FRBM norms fixed by the Central Government and made applicable to every State.

The Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, has subsequently informed that an amount of Rs 17,923.24 crore is to be adjusted against the NBC fixed for this year on account of the so called overborrowing of the state during earlier years of the previous government in the state.

The Chief Minister emphasised that the so called over-drawal was only a borrowing and not a grant and the borrowing is also being serviced without any default. He has requested the Prime Minister that the state’s NBC be restored to its original level of Rs 42,472 crore.

The Chief Minister has urged the Prime Minister to look into the renewal of the approvals of site clearances for greenfield international airport at Bhogapuram.

In regard to setting up an Integrated Steel Plant in YSR Kadapa district, he said MECON, a Central Government undertaking, has not yet concluded its report as to the feasibility of the integrated steel plant, and urged the Prime Minister to direct the concerned officials to expedite it.

He said the state government has incorporated ‘YSR Steel Corporation Ltd’ for establishing the steel plant in YSR Kadapa district. For securing iron ore mineral for the proposed steel plant, requests have been made to the Ministry of Mines to reserve iron ore mineral areas in favour of a government of Andhra Pradesh undertaking, AP Mineral Development Corporation Ltd.

Such reservation is permitted by the extant legal framework.

Later, the Chief Minister also called on Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and discussed the issues related to the state.

President appoints 5 Judges, additional Judges in Calcutta, Bombay HCs

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President appoints 5 Judges, additional Judges in Calcutta, Bombay HCs

President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday appointed four new judges in the Calcutta and Bombay High Courts while extending the tenure of one additional judge of the latter high court by one year.

While Calcutta High Court’s Additional Judge Aniruddha Roy and Bombay High Court’s Additional Judges Madhav Jayajirao Jamdar, Amit Bhalchandra Borkar, and Shrikant Dattatray Kulkarni have been elevated as full judges, the term of Bombay High Court’s Additional Judge, Abhay Ahuja, has been extended by one year, with effect from March 4, 2022.

“In exercise of the power conferred by clause (l) of Article 217 and by clause (l) of Article 224 of the Constitution of India, the President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint the following as Judges/Additional Judge of the following High Courts, w.e.f. the date they assume charge of their respective offices, vide notifications dated 03.01.2022,” a Law and Justice Ministry statement said.

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