Sri Lankan ruling party loses majority in Parliament

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Sri Lankan ruling party loses majority in Parliament

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s ruling party, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) on Tuesday lost its majority in Parliament as 42 MPs announced they would sit independently.

Among the 42 MPs, 14 are from Sri Lanka Freedom Party, 10 belong to constituent parties of the government, and 12 are SLPP MPs, among others, reports Xinhua news agency.

The ruling SLPP-led alliance won 146 seats in the 225-member Parliament in the 2020 general election.

Tuesday’s development comes amid an ongoing turmoil in the island nation due to the country’s worst-ever economic crisis, triggering widespread anti-government protests.

On Monday night, Rajapaksa had said that he will not resign but was ready to hand over the government to whichever party holds 113 seats in Parliament.

On Monday, he held back-to-back political meetings amidst public protests throughout the nation, calling on the President and government to resign, reports the Daily Mirror newspaper.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a former Defence Secretary in his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government, played a crucial role to end the 26-year-long war against Tamil rebel Tigers.

In the 2019 Presidential election, he was elected President with a sweeping 2/3 majority with over 6.9 million votes.

Lack of dollar reserves and depreciation forced an economic crisis to lead to severe shortages of fuel, LPG, electricity, and essential food, and people are demanding Rajapaksa give up power immediately.

Sonia accuses BJP of misusing probe agencies to target opposition

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Sonia accuses BJP of misusing probe agencies to target opposition

Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday accused the BJP of playing divisive politics and misusing probe agencies to target the opposition parties.

She was speaking at the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting.

“The divisive and polarising agenda of the ruling party and its leaders has now become a regular feature of the political discourse in state after state.”

She said history — not just ancient but also contemporary — is being mischievously distorted and facts are maliciously invented to add fuel to the agenda. It is for everyone to stand up and confront these forces of “hate and prejudice”.

“We will not allow them to damage the bonds of amity and harmony that have sustained and enriched our diverse society for centuries,” she added.

The veteran leader accused the ruling establishment of continuously targeting the opposition, its leaders, and workers. The full might of the state machinery is unleashed against them.

“Maximum governance to those in power clearly means spreading maximum fear and intimidation. Such blatant threats and tactics will neither frighten nor silence us nor cow us down.” She said.

Sonia alleged that the MSMEs are in the most precarious condition. There is no sign whatsoever that the commitments made to the farmers are going to be fulfilled in any significant manner. Prices of cooking gas and oil, petrol, diesel, fertilizers and other essential commodities have risen to an unbearable limit — and continue to rise.

“A few days back, our party launched a nationwide Mehngai-mukt Bharat campaign in which many of you took part. This must be sustained.”

She praised the Congress-led UPA government’s National Food Security Act and MGNREGA and alleged that though the minister concerned has denied it, inordinately delayed wage payments, however, continue to be a serious issue.

“In spite of repeated attempts, we have been unable to get the Government to agree to a discussion on the situation on our borders, a discussion that could only have deepened the sense of collective resolve. The value of non-alignment as a foundational principle of the nation’s foreign policy that was criticized so much has now, I am glad to note, been rediscovered even though it may not be acknowledged as such,” she added.

She expressed concern about the future of the thousands of students who have been evacuated from Ukraine. She charged the government with diluting the labor laws at a time of growing unemployment and livelihood insecurity. Interest rates on employee provident fund accumulations have been reduced considerably.

“Public sector enterprises, the one important avenue for employment of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes are being sold off under the fancy name “asset monetization”. This will be another disaster as demonetization turned out to be,” she said.

Modi, Bennett discuss prevailing situation in Ukraine

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Modi, Bennett discuss prevailing situation in Ukraine

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke with his Israeli counterpart Naftali Bennett over the phone and discussed the recent geopolitical developments, including the situation in Ukraine.

The Russia-Ukraine war has entered its 40th day. Explosions were heard on Monday in the cities of Kherson and Odesa, in the south, while air raid sirens sounded across the east.

Modi conveyed his best wishes to Bennett for early recovery after his Covid-19 diagnosis. The Prime Minister also expressed his condolences for the loss of lives in the recent terrorist attacks in Israel.

“The leaders had a detailed discussion on recent geopolitical developments, including the situation in Ukraine. They also reviewed the ongoing bilateral cooperation initiatives,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Modi also conveyed his eagerness to welcome Bennett to India at an early date.

In the Russia-Ukraine war, India has called for “restraint on all sides” and said that all issues between both countries can only be resolved through “diplomatic dialogue”.

Earlier, Modi had spoken to both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in an attempt to resolve the issue through “dialogue”.

Modi had also welcomed the ongoing negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and expressed hope that they would lead to a cessation of the conflict.

Similarly, Bennett plays a peacemaker’s role in the war and has made numerous calls to both Putin and Zelensky in an attempt to assist the efforts to resolve the conflict,

SL Prez invites oppn parties to join cabinet to resolve crisis

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SL Prez invites oppn parties to join cabinet to resolve crisis

Following the resignation of the Sri Lankan Cabinet amid anti-government protests, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has invited all political parties, including the opposition, to accept ministerial posts and to help to resolve the ongoing economic crisis.

Issuing a statement, President Rajapaksa invited the parties to come together to find solutions.

“The current crisis is a result of several economic factors and global developments. As one of the leading democratic countries in Asia, solutions should be found to this within a democratic framework,” the statement noted.

“Considering this a national need, the time has come to work together for the sake of all the citizens and future generations.”

As the island-wide protests defying curfew and emergency laws imposed by Rajapaksa took place on Sunday, the government decided to dissolve the cabinet with the plan to have an all-party interim government.

Grappled by a severe economic crisis, the island nation has been going through a crisis where people are suffered without fuel, LPG, electricity, and food for months.

Extensive loans and unlimited money printing which exceeded 1.2 trillion LKR ($4 billion) in 2021 have led to the current economic crisis.

Meanwhile, Governor of the Central Bank Ajith Nivard Cabraal, who was blamed by the opposition parties and activists as responsible for extensive money printing, has resigned.

Another round of district bifurcation in Bengal likely next year

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Another round of district bifurcation in Bengal likely next year

Speculation is rife that West Bengal is heading for a fresh round of district bifurcation by 2023.

Reportedly a brainchild of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the preparatory planning for this proposed fresh district bifurcation has already started and the plan is currently restricted among selected members of the cabinet and the top bureaucrats of the state. Although none of the top cabinet members and bureaucrats were willing to make any official comment on this matter, highly placed sources said if the fresh bifurcation is done the total number of districts in West Bengal will increase to 27 from the existing 23.

The planned three new districts will be forked out of the two big districts of North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas. To recall, the two existing districts of North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas were formed by bifurcating the erstwhile undivided 24 Parganas district on March 1, 1980.

A state government official, aware of the planning for the formation of the three new districts, told to an interviewer on condition of anonymity, that the proposed three districts would be Sunderbans, Basirhat, and Alipur.

Of the three, the formation of the Sunderbans district will be the most complicated process and it will have to be formed by forking out pockets from both North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas districts. According to him, the proposed Sunderbans district might be forked out mainly out of Gosaba, Basanti, and Kultali areas in South 24 Parganas district as well as Hingalganj and Sandeshkhali blocks in the current North 24 Parganas district.

The state government official also said that the formation process of the planned Basirhat and Alipur districts will be comparatively simple. Alipur might be formed with the pockets forked out of the Kolkata adjacent pockets in South 24 Parganas districts as well as the Assembly constituencies under Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, wherefrom the MP is the Trinamool Congress’s national general secretary and the chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee.

On the other hand, the state government official said the proposed Basirhat district would be formed from pockets forked out of the existing Basirhat and Bangaon sub-divisions in the North 24 Parganas district.

Since 1980, West Bengal has witnessed district bifurcations seven times, out of which three developments were during the previous Left Front regime and four developments took place during the current Trinamool Congress regime.

The first event of district bifurcation in the state was on March 1, 1980, when the previous Left Front government was in force with late nonagenarian Indian Marxist, Jyoti Basu as the state chief minister.

The second phase of district bifurcation was on April 1, 1992, when the erstwhile West Dinajpur district was bifurcated into the existing North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur districts. At that point in time, the Jyoti Basu-led Left Front government was in power in the state.

The third phase of bifurcation was on January 1, 2002, when the undivided Midnapore district was divided into the existing two districts of East Midnapore and West Midnapore. Mamata Banerjee’s predecessor, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was the chief minister of West Bengal then.

On June 25, 2014, when the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress regime came to power, the new Alipurduar district was formed by bifurcating Jalpaiguri district.

Again, on February 14, 2017, the hill district of Kalimpong was formed by bifurcating the Darjeeling district.

On April 4, 2017, the formation of the new Jhargram district was formed by bifurcating the West Midnapore district.

Finally, on April 7, 2017, two districts of West Burdwan and East Burdwan were created by bifurcating the erstwhile undivided Burdwan district.

Commenting on the practical justification of the bifurcation of districts, senior political analyst and former registrar of Calcutta University, Raja Gopal Dhar Chakraborty told in an interview that the formation of smaller districts through the bifurcation of bigger districts is always a welcome move.

“First this will provide a relief to the common people from traveling long distances to reach government offices. Secondly, the formation of new districts means the creation of new government offices which enhances the scope of fresh employment. However, at the same time, I would also like to say that like the formation of new and smaller districts I also do not find any harm in the creation of new and smaller states through the bifurcation of bigger states. There might be some sentimental issues involved with the bifurcation of states but the creation of smaller states enhances administrative advantage,” Dhar Chakraborty said.

PM Modi’s speech on April 6 to have maximum coverage

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PM Modi’s speech on April 6 to have maximum coverage

Elaborate arrangements are being made to ensure that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech on April 6, which is BJP’s Foundation Day, reached out to every nook and corner of Uttar Pradesh.

Since this will be the first event for the state BJP after its victory in the recent state Assembly elections, the party is going all out to ensure its maximum coverage.

Special LED screens are being set up at BJP offices and arrangements are being made at village panchayat levels of the party organization to ensure the telecast of the event virtually.

The party’s foundation day, the first of the six annual events that the BJP celebrates all over the country, will be a mega show this year.

Besides the foundation day, the party will also celebrate Ambedkar Jayanti on April 14 as ‘Samrasta Diwas’ to highlight its initiatives to achieve social inclusion.

The entire week following the foundation day will be celebrated as ‘Seva Saptah’ (week dedicated to public service).

Uttar Pradesh BJP General Secretary and party’s Lucknow in-charge, Govind Narayan Shukla, said, “We will organize blood donation camps, health camps, plantation drives, and other public welfare activities. Programs will be organized in every division of the state BJP. Party workers will carry placards mentioning the government’s welfare schemes like the free ration scheme, and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, among others.”

LED screens will be put up at various sites where party workers will listen to the Prime Minister’s speech.

Other party workers will listen to the address through the medium available to them.

Ministers, MPs, MLAs, and office-bearers from the party will be present in the programs in all districts.

Nepal PM’s visit further strengthens neighbourly ties, says Jaishankar

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Nepal PM’s visit further strengthens neighbourly ties, says Jaishankar

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who called on visiting Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Friday evening, said he was confident that this visit will further strengthen our close relations.

“I am confident that this visit will further strengthen our close neighborly ties,” he said.

Before that, Deuba, who is on a three-day visit, visited the BJP headquarters and met party chief J.P. Nadda.

Deuba, his wife, and four cabinet ministers of Nepal were part of the delegation that met Nadda, and the meeting lasted for around half an hour.

After the meeting, BJP overseas affairs cell chief Vijay Chauthaiwale said that at the party chief’s invitation, Deuba, his wife, and four cabinet ministers visited BJP headquarters.

“Discussion was held in a very cordial environment and the BJP chief briefed Nepal Prime Minister about the social works done by party workers during the Covid period,” Chauthaiwale said.

Deuba on Friday arrived in New Delhi on a three days visit to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He is accompanied by a 50-member delegation. The team will also include secretaries in the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Water Resources, Health and Population, Agriculture, and Physical Planning.

Shah inaugurates birth anniversary of Lingayat pontiff in K’taka

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Shah inaugurates birth anniversary of Lingayat pontiff in K’taka

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday inaugurated the 115th birth anniversary of Lingayat pontiff, late Shivakumara Swamiji at Siddaganga Mutt in Karnataka’s Tumakuru district.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has adopted the Lingayat seer’s philosophy.

At Siddaganga Mutt, more than 10,000 poor children from all sections of the society get to stay, study and have food.

The Modi government has also implemented this service spirit in its governance, Shah added.

“During the Covid crisis, 80 crore people were given 5 kg food for two years. Through the National Education Policy, PM Modi has enabled the students to get technical education, engineering, and medicine in their own languages. The Modi government has provided a home to 3 crore people in seven years of its rule. All three principles of late pontiff Shivakumar Swamiji, which are education, shelter, and free food, have been implemented by PM Modi too,” the Union Home Minister said.

“I have come to Siddaganga Mutt for the third time in my lifetime. Whenever I come here, I have gone back with enlightenment. Former Prime Minister, late Atal Bihari Vajpayee stated that ‘Uttar mein Ganga Aur Dakshin mein Siddaganga’, referring to this Mutt,” he added.

Former Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa demanded the inclusion of the life history of Shivakumara Swamiji in the school syllabus for children.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said he would consider naming the government mid-day scheme after Shivakumar Swamiji.

Union Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy, Bhagwanth Khutba said he was a student of the Mutt and now he is a devotee.

Congress leader G. Parameshwara was also present at the function.

Move to Hyderabad, KTR tells startup founder unhappy with B’luru infra

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Move to Hyderabad, KTR tells startup founder unhappy with B’luru infra

“Pack your bags and move to Hyderabad” was the advice of Telangana’s Information Technology and Industries Minister K.T. Rama Rao to a startup founder who highlighted the poor infrastructure in Bengaluru.

“Pack your bags & move to Hyderabad! We have better physical infrastructure & equally good social infrastructure. Our airport is 1 of the best & getting in & out of the city is a breeze More importantly our Govt’s focus is on 3 I Mantra; innovation, infrastructure & inclusive growth,” tweeted Rama Rao.

This was in response to a tweet by Khatabook founder Ravish Naresh, who flagged bad roads, power cuts, poor quality water supply, and other problems in the Karnataka capital.

“Startups in HSR/Koramangala (India’s Silicon Valley) are already generating billions of $ of taxes. Yet we have v bad roads, almost daily power cuts, poor quality water supply, unusable footpaths. Many rural areas now have better basic infra than India’s Silicon Valley,” tweeted Naresh.

“Also the nearest airport is 3hrs away in peak traffic,” added Naresh who tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP’s Karnataka unit, and MP Tejasvi Surya, seeking their help.

Many Twitter users urged Naresh to look at Hyderabad which has the best infrastructure, including an uninterrupted power supply to all sectors.

Some netizens also commented that the focus of Karnataka is on non-issues. “Sadly, the focus is on Hijab and removing Muslim vendors near temples. Karnataka, slowly but surely, is turning into Uttar Pradesh of South,” tweeted a user who goes by the name Anshul.

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.

Odisha’s economy contracted by 5.3% due to slowdown: CM

TB Team
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Odisha’s economy contracted by 5.3% due to slowdown: CM

Odisha’s economy contracted by 5.3 percent compared to the 7.3 percent contraction in the national economy during the financial year 2020-21 due to the slowdown, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said here on Monday.

While making his statement on the motion of thanks for the Governor’s speech in the state Assembly through video conferencing, Patnaik said: “Recovery of the economy from the impact of the pandemic was a huge challenge, and we have met this challenge with resolve and we have been able to successfully reboot our economy.”

Over the last 10 years, Odisha has grown at an average rate of 6.5 percent against the national average of 5.3 percent. During 2020-21, due to the slowdown, Odisha’s economy contracted by 5.3 percent compared to the 7.3 percent contraction in the national economy and that would mean, the state was comparatively less affected, he said.

As per advance estimates for 2021-22, the state registered 10.1 percent growth compared to the 8.8 percent growth in the national economy, he stated.

He said Odisha is the only state to be fully FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management) compliant since enactment. Fiscal prudence and inclusive development are “our twin policy objectives” that guide “our growth trajectory,” said the chief minister.

Claiming that Odisha is the pioneer state in implementing international best practices in public financial management, Patnaik said his government is providing complete budget information in user-friendly formats on the website of the finance department as well as the dedicated Odisha budget portal.

In spite of the pandemic, Odisha has emerged as a leading investment destination by attracting over Rs 4.4 lakh crore investment intents during the last three years with more than 1.53 lakh employment opportunities, he said.

The state government has provided special financial support to the MSME sector to tide over the Covid crisis. The government had continuous engagement with the industry to ensure that their production and logistics are not hampered by the pandemic, he pointed out.

The chief minister said: “We aim to saturate all rural households with tap water connection by 2024 with a capital outlay of Rs 50,263 crore under the state saturation plan. Odisha is a trendsetter in the country in achieving universal coverage of tap-water connections.”

“Our food security mission has secured 4th place among large states in the third State Food Safety Index for 2020-21.”

About various incentives and aid provided to the needy people during the Covid-19 pandemic, Patnaik said a cash incentive of Rs 2,000 (in two tranches) to each of the beneficiary families has also been provided by incurring an expenditure of Rs 960 crore.

The government has distributed financial assistance of Rs 3,000 under Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana to each beneficiary for the repair, renovation of their pucca houses sanctioned since 2014. It is further proposed to provide financial assistance of Rs 5,000 each to eligible but left-out households of the state who are yet to get any rural housing assistance, he added.

Speaking about sports development, Patnaik said Odisha is playing a key role in the turnaround of Indian sports scenario with its continuous support for players and investment in sports infrastructure.

In recognition of the brilliant performance of the Indian hockey team at the Tokyo Olympics-2020, the chief minister said his government has decided to sponsor Indian Hockey for another 10 years till 2033. Transforming the sports landscape and empowering athletes is the vision of the government, he added.

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