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.

Cong trying to bring hijab in schools of Devbhoomi: BJP

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Cong trying to bring hijab in schools of Devbhoomi: BJP

Days before polling in Uttarakhand, the BJP has claimed that Congress is trying to bring hijab in schools of ‘Devbhoomi’.

The ruling BJP has already claimed that the ‘Muslim University’ controversy has been intentionally created by Congress to polarise the minority votes ahead of February 14 Assembly polls.

The BJP claimed that Congress is trying to make hijab a part of school uniform in ‘Devbhoomi’. National secretary Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) and in-charge of party youth wing in Uttarakhand, Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga told to interview that if the Congress party came to power in Devbhoomi, hijab will be worn in schools.

“If the Congress comes to power in Uttarakhand, they will do what they are trying to do in Karnataka. Hijab will be worn in the schools in Devbhoomi. We will not allow such an act in Devbhoomi and the Congress party must be kept away from Devbhoomi,” he said.

Bagga further said that whatever Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Harish Rawat do, hijab will not be allowed in the schools of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand.

Bagga further claimed that seeing the defeat in Assembly polls in Uttarakhand Congress party and his leader Rahul Gandhi and Harish Rawat is indulging in politics of appeasement.

“To get Muslim votes in Uttarakhand, Congress and its leadership is doing everything to appease them,” he said.

Earlier, the BJP had alleged that Congress has created controversy over Muslim universities to polarise minority votes. Uttarakhand Congress vice-president Akil Ahmad claimed former chief minister Harish Rawat assured that a Muslim university would be set up in Uttarakhand.

The Congress party and former Chief Minister Harish Rawat have denied Ahmad’s claims, the BJP has said that the opposition party is trying to ‘polarise Muslim voters’ in certain Assembly segments by promising to set up a Muslim University in the state for the community.

BJP Rajya Sabha member from Uttarkhand Naresh Bansal had said that Congress is treating the Muslim community as a ‘vote bank’ and by promising a university they are trying to appease the minority community.

Pay Rs 1,788 cr penalty amount to rubber producers: farmers’ group to PM

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Pay Rs 1,788 cr penalty amount to rubber producers: farmers’ group to PM

The All India Kisan Sabha, a farmers’ group aligned with Left parties, on Thursday demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi provide Rs 1,788 crore, equal to the penalty amount imposed by regulator CCI on tyre corporates, as a grant to rubber farmers to set up a tyre manufacturing unit.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) had imposed a penalty of Rs 622.09 crore on MRF, Rs 425.53 crore on Apollo Tyres, Rs 252.16 crore on CEAT Ltd, Rs 309.95 crore on JK Tyre, and Rs 178.33 crore on Birla Tyres and the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA), after it, in August 2018, having held them guilty of contravention of the provisions of Section 3 of the Competition Act, which prohibits anti-competitive agreements including cartels, during 2011-12. The tire manufacturers had approached the Supreme Court, which dismissed their petition recently.

The tire manufacturers had exchanged price-sensitive data amongst themselves through ATMA and had taken collective decisions on the prices of tires, which the CCI had termed as a gross violation with the intention of amassing profit by cheating both the rubber producers as well as the consumers.

“In this context, we demand Government of India to provide a grant of Rs 1,788 crore, equal to the sum of the monetary penalty imposed by the CCI on the above said five major private tire manufacturing corporate companies to producer cooperative of rubber farmers to establish world-class tire manufacturing unit under associated ownership,” General Secretary of AIKS, part of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha agitating against the now-repealed farm laws, Hannan Mollah said in his letter to the Prime Minister.

Terming that this is a classic example of “how the corporate companies under the Free Trade Agreements and neo-liberal policies being actively pursued by your government are looting and plundering the farmers as well as the people – as the consumers”, Mollah said: “We want to strongly point out that supporting the farmers to develop farmers’ producer cooperatives to establish crop-based agro-processing industries and marketing networks under their associated ownership is the only possible alternative to this corporate loot.”

He also reminded that the BJP in its 2014 election manifesto had promised to implement better remunerative price (MSP@C2+50 percent) for all crops if it was elected, but failed to keep that promise yet.

“You have also promised to double the income of farmers by 2022. However, considering the inflation, farmers’ income has declined in real terms during this period,” he said, and added, “Hence I hope you will take this open letter in its true spirit and take a decision with determination in favor of protecting the interests of the Rubber farmers across India.”

UP polls phase-1: 20.03% voting till 11.00 am

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UP polls phase-1: 20.03% voting till 11.00 am

The first phase of polling for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on Thursday saw 20.03 percent voting till 11.00 a.m., according to the Election Commission of India (ECI).

“Phase I has seen 20.03 percent polling till 11.00 a.m.,” said the ECI statement.

The Commission also put a disclaimer saying these are approximate figures as data from some polling stations takes time to be incorporated.

Agra saw 20.42 percent, Aligarh 17.91 per cent, Baghpat 22.24 percent, Bulandshahar 21.63 per cent, Gautam Buddha Nagar 18.43 saw per cent, Ghaziabad 17.26 per cent, Hapur 22.78 per cent, Mathura 20.39 per cent, Meerut 18.92 per cent, Muzaffarnagar 22.56 per cent and Shamli 22.84 saw per cent, the EC statistics showed.

Of the total 403 seats in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, voting for 58 seats of phase I of the seven-phase elections is being held on Thursday.

There are a total of 634 candidates in the fray, 73 of them women.

As many as 2.28 crore voters (1.04 of them female) will exercise their franchise at 26,027 polling booths across 10,853 polling stations in 11 districts.

‘New India is China-nirbhar?’ Rahul queries PM on ‘Statue of Equality’

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‘New India is China-nirbhar?’ Rahul queries PM on ‘Statue of Equality’

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has used the ‘Statue of Equality as ammunition for his latest salvo against the Prime Minister and his ‘New India’ and ‘Atma Nirbhar’ slogans. The Prime Minister had on Saturday dedicated to the nation the 216-foot tall statue of Swami Ramanujacharya at Hyderabad.

Drawing attention to the giant statue manufactured in China and assembled in Hyderabad, Rahul tweeted, “Statue of Equality is Made in China. ‘New India’ is China-nirbhar?”

According to sources, a China-based company had been issued the contract in 2015 for manufacturing the five-metal alloy statue. After completion of the production phase in China, it shipped in 1600 components which were assembled over a year and a half at the venue on Hyderabad outskirts.

The giant statue of the medieval saint and social reformer has been inaugurated as part of the 1000th birth anniversary celebrations of Ramanujacharya, by Hindu seer Chinna Jeeyar Swami.

The statue is considered the world’s second-largest statue in sitting position.

SC grants pre-arrest bail to Bengal CM’s poll agent in murder case

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SC grants pre-arrest bail to Bengal CM’s poll agent in murder case

The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted pre-arrest bail to S.K. Supiyan, the election agent of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in a murder case probed by the CBI.

Pronouncing the judgment, Justice Abhay S.Oka said the court is granting pre-arrest bail to Supiyan, but imposed several conditions. The detailed judgment in the matter will be out later in the day.

On February 4, a bench comprising Justices L. Nageswara Rao and Abhay S. Oka reserved the judgment after hearing arguments on the plea moved by Supiyan against the Calcutta High Court order, which refused to entertain his bail plea. Last month, the top court had granted him interim protection from arrest in the matter.

The CBI, in its affidavit opposing the pre-arrest bail plea of Supiyan in connection with the alleged murder of a BJP supporter after poll results were declared, said he hatched a criminal conspiracy to teach a lesson to Hindus, who voted for BJP resulting in loss of the Trinamool Congress candidate in the Nandigram Assembly constituency. The agency claimed that Supian allegedly carried out violent attacks on local villagers, causing the death of one Debabrata Maity.

The affidavit said: “As per the records of the investigations conducted so far all of this was done by the petitioner to send a political message that any political opposition would be punished with death, grievous injuries, and with extreme mental trauma. It is submitted that the aforesaid acts of the commission constitute heinous offenses against the society and destroy the very fabric of the body polity of the state”.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Supiyan, argued that his client’s name was not mentioned either in the FIR registered by the authorities in May last year, or in the complaint and also, he was not named in the chargesheets filed by the CBI.

Mamata Banerjee, who had contested from Nandigram, lost the election to her former aide-turned-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Suvendu Adhikari. The Calcutta High Court had ordered a CBI probe into various incidents of killings and sexual assault, which occurred in the state after election results were declared.

PM Modi dares Cong to change ‘national’ to ‘federal’ in its name INC

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PM Modi dares Cong to change ‘national’ to ‘federal’ in its name INC

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday continued his tirade against Congress in the Parliament, reiterating his oft-repeated point of how dynastic parties are the biggest threat to democracy and suggested the grand old party change its middle name from ‘national’ to ‘federal’.

PM Modi was speaking in the Rajya Sabha in reply to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s speech and continued his barbs against Congress as he had done on Monday in the Lok Sabha.

After stating how Congress had doubted the country’s ability to deliver on vaccination for all, welfare measures for the poor by his government, etc, Modi said in a direct attack on Congress how one can never learn lessons in democracy from “those who trampled over democracy in 1975.”

“When one family prevails over others in a political party, it is the political talent that suffers. Dynastic politics is the biggest threat to our democracy. I would suggest all parties, especially starting with Congress, to let go of dynastic politics,” Modi said.

Recalling remarks by Congress leaders, Modi said some members asked, if there was no Congress, what would happen? and went on a longish tirade: “I would like to state, if there was no Congress, there would have been no Emergency. If there was no Congress, there would have been no caste politics. If there had been no Congress, there would have been no Sikh massacre. If there was no Congress, Kashmiri Pundits would not have been thrown out of their homes.”

Modi took on the word ‘federalism’ as mentioned by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in his speech in the Parliament and said, “People talk of federalism, but they have forgotten, when Congress was in power, they did not allow India’s development. Now when they are in opposition, they are obstructing development.”

Continuing with the pronoun ‘they’ (Woh in Hindi as the Prime Minister spoke in Hindi) without taking any particular person’s name, Modi said, “Now they are objecting to the idea of the nation. If they find the very idea of ‘nation’ as unconstitutional, why is their party called Indian National Congress? Why not change ‘national’ to ‘federal’?”

Earlier on Monday in the Lok Sabha, PM Modi had launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party stating that the party had not lost its arrogance even when it had been out of power for so long. He also said that Congress seems to have decided to not come back to power for 100 years, and he too is prepared for it.

Nitish govt to conduct census of people who gave up liquor

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Nitish govt to conduct census of people who gave up liquor

The Nitish Kumar government has decided to conduct a census of those people who have managed to give up liquor since the Prohibition Act was imposed in Bihar in April 2016.

“As per the previous survey, 1.64 crore people have left liquor. Now, we have decided to conduct the same to find out the exact number of people who left the liquor,” Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Monday evening.

“We have directed the liquor prohibition department as well as police and district administrations to continue their action against liquor mafias. They should take help of drones, motorboats, sniffer dogs, etc., to detect manufacturing units and dismantle them as much as possible,” Kumar said.

The government is facing criticism for imposing the liquor ban in the state, especially a large number of people who died due to consumption of poisonous liquor.

Three liquor tragedies happened in January this year in which 37 people died and over 50 lost their eyesight.

“The consumption of milk, sweets, vegetables, fruits have significantly increased in Bihar, which is an encouraging sign for us,” he said.

“We have directed the officials to speed up prosecution against the liquor operators,” the Chief Minister said.

“Liquor ban was imposed in Bihar in April 2016. Following that, some other states also want to implement the same.”

KTR warns Centre of big agitation over move to privatise Singareni

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KTR warns Centre of big agitation over move to privatise Singareni

Alleging a conspiracy to privatize Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), Telangana’s Industry Minister K.T. Rama Rao on Monday warned the BJP government at the Centre of an agitation that will be much bigger than the farmers’ protest over three farm laws.

Stating that the coal of Singareni is a big asset for Telangana, he warned that the people of Telangana will give a befitting reply to BJP for their act of privatizing the public sector undertaking.

“Employees of Singareni and the people of Telangana will show their power in Delhi if the BJP continues its attempts to privatize the company. This agitation will be much bigger than the agitation staged against the three farm laws,” said Rama Rao, who dashed off a letter to union coal minister Prahlad Joshi.

KTR, as the state minister is popularly known, expressed anger over the Centre asking the SCCL to participate in the auction for JBROC-3, KK-6, Shravana Pally OC, Koyagudem coal mines instead of allocating them directly to the company.

“The Centre is supposed to allocate coal mines to strengthen the Singareni which is running in profits. Instead, they are asking the company to take part in an auction for mines. This is nothing but creating hurdles for Telangana and its development,” said KTR.

KTR, who is the son of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, stated that SCCL is not just a coal mine but a gold mine that is giving employment to thousands of youth of Telangana.

He said that the Telangana leaders will stand by the Singareni employees in this fight against BJP.

KTR stated that Singareni supplies coal to about 2,000 industries in Telangana and privatization of Singareni will hamper the growth of the industrial sector in Telangana.

The minister opined that the Centre is not auctioning just the four mines of Singareni, but is auctioning the lives of Singareni workers in the open market. He expressed concern that if privatized, Singareni will completely disappear soon.

KTR also questioned the Centre as to why the coal mines were not allocated to Singareni directly like the Lignite mines allocated to Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation in Gujarat.

“Under the BJP governance, there is one rule for Gujarat and another rule for Telangana! Is Telangana not a part of India?” he asked.

KTR said that this was not just discrimination against the Singareni organization, it is discrimination against the Telangana state and its people.

He pointed out that in the past seven years Singareni has increased the production from 450 lakh tonnes to 670 lakh tonnes. He also added that coal mining, revenue increase, profits, and expansion of the company also took place highlighting the growth of the company.

The minister said that the thermal power plant run by Singareni has the best Plant Load Factor (PLF) in the country. He added that the Singareni is providing coal not just within Telangana but also to various thermal power plants in Maharashtra and other south Indian states. Singareni is the only public sector undertaking in the country to contribute 29 percent of the profits, he said.

Minister KTR also stated that with the efforts of the Telangana government, Singareni workers, and management, the company was in news for making huge profits. But once the company gets privatized, the only news would be the company’s downfall, he said.

He alleged that the BJP is planning to push Singareni into losses and then privatize it. Similarly, in Andhra Pradesh, the iron ore mines required for the Vizag Steel Plant were not provided, which led to losses of the plant, and that plant will be privatized soon. About 27 requisition letters related to the Steel Plant were still pending with the Union government, he said.

KTR alleged that the BJP government at the Centre is conspiring to kill the Singareni also in a similar fashion by refusing to allocate the coal mines.

He claimed that since the Telangana state formation, about 16,000 jobs have been created by Singareni. He stated that the privatization of PSUs was a threat to the future of thousands of youth, Dalits, and tribals. He described the privatization of public sector enterprises by the Centre as a move against Dalits and Bahujans in the country.

This sector plays a key role in jobs creation and privatization of this sector is nothing but diluting the principles of BR Ambedkar and going against reservations. “We will not let this happen at any cost,” he said.

Privatization of Singareni will impact the dependent jobs for the families of existing employees, he said.

The employees will also lose all kinds of rights and opportunities and the employees will be removed gradually as the mines get closed in a phased manner, he added.

Priyanka takes swipe at Goa Cong leaders over ticket allocation to women

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Priyanka takes swipe at Goa Cong leaders over ticket allocation to women

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Monday took a gentle swipe at her own male party leaders in Goa while trying to highlight the significance of the party’s decision to allocate a large number of tickets in the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh to women.

Addressing an election rally in South Goa district, Gandhi also said that introduction of more women in electoral politics would bring down the tone of hatred in electioneering, while also lending a touch of compassion to the manner in which politics is conducted in India.

Earlier, in the course of her speech, the Congress leader, while trying to impress upon the audience the importance of women’s participation in Uttar Pradesh politics, responded to a nod from one of the participants in the rally inviting the person to Uttar Pradesh.

“You are nodding. Come to Uttar Pradesh. And come (back) and work hard on convincing these men here,” Gandhi said while referring to senior Congress leaders on the dais which included former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, All India Congress Committee official in-charge of Goa Dinesh Gundu Rao, state Congress president Girish Chodankar, Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat, among others.

“The first and foremost (reason) is that as women and 50 percent of the population, it is our right to have 50 percent of the representation. It is not something anyone is doing us a favor. It is our right and we want to fight for our rights. but more than that politics today has become filled with hatred, it has become filled with anger. You hear speeches… 90 percent of the speech is negative,” she said. Vadra is the party’s general secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh.

“I firmly believe that us women being the practical people that we are and having to handle so much, can actually bring that positivity and compassion in politics as well. It is my belief that all of us women should also be helped to stand up on our feet,” she also said.

Shah requests Owaisi to accept security cover

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Shah requests Owaisi to accept security cover

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday requested AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi to take the central security cover, accorded to him after evaluation of threat perception.

Making a statement in the Rajya Sabha on Monday over the incident of firing at the carcade of Owaisi on February 3, Amit Shah further said that two people have been arrested and the Union Home Ministry has sought a report from the Uttar Pradesh government.

“An FIR has been lodged in the Pilakhua Police station in UP and the local police is investigating the case with all seriousness and minutely. Two unidentified people had fired on the carcade. He came out safe but there were three bullet marks on the lower portion of the vehicle,” Shah said in his statement. The incident was seen by three witnesses, he added.

The Home Minister also said that Owaisi did not have a planned event in Hapur and the district authorities were not informed of his trip.

“We have assessed his security threat and decided to give him security. I request him to accept the security cover, Shah said, adding that in the past too, he was accorded with the central security but he refused,” he said.

“I request him to take Security cover provided by the Central Reserve Police Force in which he will have a bulletproof car and round-the-clock security cover in Delhi and in Telangana,” the Home Minister added further in his statement.

On February 4, the Centre had accorded the ‘Z’ category of security to the AIMIM Chief following a firing incident that occurred when he was returning to Delhi from Meerut. The firing incident took place at a toll plaza in Hapur in Western Uttar Pradesh on February 3, 2022.

Modi to respond to Oppn’s allegations in 2nd week of Budget Session

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Modi to respond to Oppn’s allegations in 2nd week of Budget Session

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to hit back to the allegations and issues raised by the Opposition leaders including Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, in the second week of the Parliament’s Budget Session, in Rajya Sabha as well as in Lok Sabha.

A discussion was underway in both the houses on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address and during this, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, and many MPs of opposition parties have criticized the Narendra Modi-led Central government fiercely on the floor of the House.

Starting the discussion on behalf of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha on February 2, Rahul Gandhi had fiercely targeted the Central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Congress leader has accused the Modi government of ending employment opportunities in the country, eliminating small and medium industries, increasing the inequality gap between the poor and the rich, posing a serious threat to national security due to “wrong policies” on China and Pakistan border.

Besides making allegations, questions were also raised on the economic, industrial, strategic, foreign, internal, and external security policies of the government.

Rahul Gandhi had also made a scathing attack on the Prime Minister over the issues related to federalism and constitutional institutions.

Slamming the government, he also said that the UPA government had brought 27 crores, people, out of poverty during its 10-year tenure while the NDA government pushed 23 crore people back into poverty.

In the Rajya Sabha too, MPs of all opposition parties including Congress, Trinamool Congress, NCP, RJD had targeted the policies of the Modi government in the first week of the budget session.

In the second week of the budget session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to respond to the leaders of all Opposition parties including Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

According to sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi might reply to the discussion on the Motion of Thanks at the President’s address in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

During his speech, PM Modi, referring to the history of the tenure of the Congress-led government, will make a sharp counterattack on the allegations of Rahul Gandhi, as well as respond to the allegations of MPs of other opposition parties.

Referring to the achievements of his government on all fronts including economic, strategic, foreign, security, and industrial policy, PM Modi might answer each and every charge of the opposition parties.

On Tuesday, the very next day after his speech in the Lok Sabha on Monday, Modi may also reply to the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address in the Rajya Sabha.

He will also be seen trying to deliver a political message to the voters of the five poll-bound states — Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur, and Goa.

President Ram Nath Kovind addressed the joint session of both the Houses of Parliament on January 31, the first day of the budget session.

Battleground Uttarakhand: BJP banking on ‘Brand Modi’

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Battleground Uttarakhand: BJP banking on ‘Brand Modi’

In the run-up to the Assembly elections in Uttarakhand scheduled on February 14, the BJP is banking heavily on ‘Brand Modi.

The saffron party is prominently using Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image in several publicity videos, theme songs,s, and hoardings across the state, projecting him and his government’s achievements.

Modi and the images of his visit to Uttarakhand are prominently displayed in all the campaign videos, including the theme song for the Assembly polls.

The party is highlighting the Central government’s development and welfare initiatives taken under the leadership of Modi, such as ‘Kisan Samman Nidhi’ and several other schemes.

The BJP is also reminding the people that it was the government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee that ensured the formation of the state.

At the start of one video, the Prime Minister could be heard mentioning how Vajpayee ensured the formation of Uttarakhand.

The BJP is also highlighting the redevelopment of Kedarnath, showing images of the Prime Minister’s several visits to the holy shrines of the state.

On November 5 last year, the Prime Minister had inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for multiple key infrastructure projects in Kedarnath.

Uttarakhand BJP spokesperson Ravinder Jugran told in an interview that Modi is a ‘brand’ of trust in today’s politics.

“People believe that the BJP and ‘Brand Modi’ are delivering and will continue to deliver. The Prime Minister has built this trust by continuously serving the people for over two decades. He is also the most popular leader in the country. So there is nothing wrong in using Prime Minister Modi’s images or words because he is the most popular leader and the lead campaigner of the BJP,” Jagran said.

Another party leader said that people easily connect with Modi and ‘Kamal’ (Lotus, BJP symbol).

“The Prime Minister is more popular than any of the candidates fielded by the party. And the party is using this popularity of the Prime Minister to come out trumps in the polls,” a party insider said.

The 70-member Uttarakhand Assembly will go to the polls on February 14, while the counting of votes will be taken up on March 10

PM Modi reaches Hyderabad, Telangana CM stays away

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PM Modi reaches Hyderabad, Telangana CM stays away

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Saturday on a six-hour visit but Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao stayed away from welcoming him.

Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, union minister for tourism and culture G. Kishan Reddy, and state minister for animal husbandry Talasani Srinivas Yadav received the Prime Minister at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport.

Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, Director General of Police M. Mahender Reddy, and other top officials welcomed Modi.

Chandrasekhar Rao, who has been openly attacking the Prime Minister, stayed away from receiving him.

Rao had nominated minister Srinivas Yadav as the Minister-in-Waiting to receive and see off the Prime Minister.

KCR, as Rao is popularly known, is also not likely to share the stage with Modi when the latter will unveil the 216-feet-high Statue of Equality at Muchintal near Shamshabad in the evening.

After landing at the airport, the Prime Minister left for Patancheru in a helicopter.

He will inaugurate the golden jubilee celebrations of the International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). He will also launch ICRISAT’s Climate Change Research Facility on Plant Protection and Rapid Generation Advancement Facility and unveil a specially designed logo and a commemorative postal stamp.

After the program at ICRISAT, Modi will arrive at the airport at 4.50 p.m. and leave for Chinna Jeer Swamy’s ashram at Muchintal by road. He will spend three hours there to participate in pooja and dedicate the statue of Saint Ramanujacharya.

Modi calls J&K L-G after quake

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Modi calls J&K L-G after quake

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday to inquire about the situation following the earthquake that hit the Union Territory earlier in the day.

Officials said the Prime Minister called Sinha immediately after the moderate intensity earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale jolted Jammu and Kashmir.

Information collection on any casualty or damage to property that might have occurred due to the temblor, is still going on by the officials.

The quake also led to the tilting of the minaret of the famous Sufi Shrine at Chrar-e-Sharief town in Budgam district.

Telangana CM not likely to receive PM on Hyderabad visit

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Telangana CM not likely to receive PM on Hyderabad visit

In what is being seen as a politically significant move, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is not likely to receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the latter’s visit to Hyderabad on Saturday.

The Chief Minister has nominated Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Dairy Development, and Cinematography Minister T. Srinivas Yadav to receive and see off the Prime Minister during his visit.

According to a communication from the Chief Minister’s office to the Principal Secretary, General Administration Department (Political), the Chief Minister has agreed to the proposal for nominating Srinivas Yadav to be the minister-in-waiting to receive and see off the Prime Minister on arrival and departure.

This may be the first time since he became Chief Minister in 2014 that KCR will not be receiving the Prime Minister on his visit to Hyderabad.

The last time Modi had visited Hyderabad was on November 28, 2020, when he went to Bharat Biotech, the pharma company that developed India’s first Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin. However, at that time the Chief Minister was informed by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) that he need not come to the airport to receive the PM.

The Telangana Chief Secretary, the DGP, and a couple of other officials had received the Prime Minister. The visit had come amid the elections for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) which saw a bitter war of words between BJP and TRS leaders.

Modi is visiting Hyderabad on Saturday to attend two programs, both on the outskirts of the city. He will visit the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) campus in Patancheru to launch its 50th-anniversary celebrations.

Later, he will dedicate to the nation the ‘Statue of Equality at a ceremony to be held at Ramanujacharya Ashram at Muchintal. The 216-feet tall statue commemorates the 11th-century Bhakti Saint Sri Ramanujacharya.

The Chief Minister is also not likely to share a dais with the Prime Minister at the ashram. Dropping hints to this effect, he visited the ashram on Thursday to participate in Ramanuja Sahasrabdi Samaroh celebrations and went around the giant statue.

KCR’s move not to receive the Prime Minister is significant in view of his scathing attack on the latter after the presentation of Union Budget 2022-23 in Parliament on Monday.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief went ballistic while lashing out at the Centre for ignoring all the demands of the state and termed the budget “golmal” and “useless”.

At the same news conference when KCR was asked whether he would receive the Prime Minister, he remarked “it’s automatic. It goes without saying”.

“Whenever the Prime Minister is there in any state, the Chief Minister goes and welcomes. It’s a routine thing. It’s a protocol requirement. Nothing special about it,” he had said.

KCR, however, was evasive when asked if he would be sharing the dais with the PM. The TRS leader had defended his attack on PM. “This is my policy. Even while sitting along with Mr. Narendra Modi in his helicopter, I will say the same thing,” he said.

At his two-and-half hour-long news conference, KCR had made a bitter attack on Modi, mocking his ‘Gujarat Model’ and the different outfits he chose for elections in different states.

The TRS chief has also announced that he would play a role in national politics to bring a qualitative change in the country as both Congress and BJP have failed to meet the aspirations of people.

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