Two ministers inducted into Khattar govt in Haryana

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Two ministers inducted into Khattar govt in Haryana

The Manohar Lal Khattar-led Haryana’s council of ministers was expanded on Tuesday with the induction of BJP’s Kamal Gupta and Jannayak Janata Party’s (JJP) Devendra Babli as Cabinet ministers.

The induction takes the strength of Khattar’s council of ministers to 14, comprising the Chief Minister and his deputy Dushyant Chautala.

Governor Bandaru Dattatraya administered the oath of office and secrecy to them at the swearing-in ceremony held at Raj Bhavan here.

While Gupta took oath in Sanskrit, Babli took it in Hindi.

Besides Khattar and Chautala, other ministers, Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta, Deputy Speaker Ranbir Gangwa, senior leaders, administrative and police officers, besides family members of the ministers who took oath, were present on the occasion.

Excel in technology but remember human element: Modi

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Excel in technology but remember human element: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked the students and the youth to excel in technology but not to forget the human element.

Speaking at the 54th convocation of IIT Kanpur, the Prime Minister said, “Technology has its own strength but you should not forget the human element. Do not become a robotic version of yourself. Do not forget emotions and there should be no password for kindness. Artificial intelligence is fine but human intelligence must also be given importance.”

He said that in life, there will be a choice between comfort and challenge but you must always opt for challenge because that is what that will take you forward.

“It is a great moment that when India will celebrate 100 years of Independence, you will be a part of its journey. In the past seven years, there have been startups, stand-ups and Atal Innovation Mission that provides immense opportunities. We have removed policy blockades. Today, India is the second biggest nation with 50,000 startups and third with 75 unicorns.”

The Prime Minister said that nearly every sector today is driven by technology and you have a vast canvas to realise your dreams. You can give direction and momentum to the nation.

“You can play a key role in the future of the country. Now is the time to be ‘aatmanirbhar’-even your parents will want you to stand on your own feet,” he said.

The Prime Minister conveyed his good wishes to the students for a bright future and said that his government would be ever ready to help them.

The students were issued digital degrees through an in-house blockchain-driven technology developed at the institute under the National Blockchain Project.

PM reviews ‘Made in India’ low-cost landslide monitoring system at Mandi

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PM reviews ‘Made in India’ low-cost landslide monitoring system at Mandi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reviewed the Landslide Monitoring and Early Warning System developed by the Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi during his visit to Himachal Pradesh.

Developed by IIT Mandi’s Associate Professor, School of Computing and Electrical Engineering, Dr Varun Dutt and Assistant Professor, School of Engineering, Dr K.V. Uday, the device is a low-cost alternative to conventionally used monitoring systems and reduces landslides by predicting the soil movement in advance.

“The Landslide Monitoring System provides soil movement alerts via hooters and blinkers installed on the road remotely via text message. Additionally, the system sends rainfall alerts in advance if more than 5 mm of rain is predicted. Landslides are predicted 10 minutes before they actually occur by monitoring changes in soil movement. The system also predicts extreme weather events with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning,” said a release from IIT, Mandi.

The prototypical device was first deployed in July-August 2017 at an active landslide area on the Gharpa hill near IIT Mandi’s Kamand campus. The first field deployment was at Kotropi Landslide in 2018 with the support from the Mandi district administration.

The device’s utility was witnessed on July 27, 2018, when a tragedy was averted at Kotropi along the Mandi-Joginder Nagar national highway due to rains and a flash flood by the system.

Minutes before the disaster, the system issued a warning prompting the police to stop road traffic before a flash flood. The road was washed away due to the flash flood, but no one on the road was affected due to the timely warning, the release said.

The selling price of the system with its sensors and alerting mechanism is about Rs 1 lakh, which is nearly 200 times lower than a conventional counterpart that runs into crores of rupees. Four patents have been filed on the developed system and it will be made commercially available via a faculty-led startup, Intiot Services Pvt Ltd, India.

Until now, 18 systems have been deployed in Mandi district apart from three systems in Balianala (Nainital district), Uttarakhand, three at Dharampur along the Kalka-Shimla track of the Indian Railways, and, three systems at Sirmaur district, Himachal Pradesh.

Several other deployments are in the pipeline in several districts in Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Landslides are the third biggest natural disasters in the world, with India experiencing the biggest bulk of them – 15 per cent of India is prone to landslides. More than 5,000 people are buried alive every year globally.

Telangana HC reserves orders on MP’s plea to cancel Jagan’s bail

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Telangana HC reserves orders on MP’s plea to cancel Jagan’s bail

The Telangana High Court on Monday reserved its orders on a petition to cancel the bail given to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and MP V. Vijaya Sai Reddy in the quid pro quo case.

The court was hearing a petition filed by rebel YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) MP K. Raghu Ramakrishna Raju, challenging the CBI court’s order dismissing his petition for cancelling the bail of Jagan Mohan Reddy.

The MP’s counsel argued that Jagan Mohan Reddy is in a position where he can influence the witnesses.

During the hearing, the High Court enquired about the Central Bureau of Investigation’s stand on the issue. The agency, however, submitted that there is no change in the situation since the CBI court pronounced its orders. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court reserved its orders.

In September, the CBI court had dismissed the petitions of Raju seeking cancellation of bail of Jagan and his close aide Vijaya Sai on the ground of alleged violation of bail conditions.

Raju, a member of Lok Sabha from Narsapur, had also voiced the apprehension that Jagan Mohan Reddy may try to influence the witnesses in the case.

However, both Jagan Mohan Reddy and Vijaya Sai Reddy had submitted to the court that they did not violate any bail conditions. They claimed that Raju filed the petitions for political and personal gains.

In his counter-affidavit, Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged that Raju is trying to use the court as a platform to settle personal scores. He described the MP as a dishonest man, who defrauded banks.

Describing Raju’s petition as an attempt to tarnish his reputation, Jagan had claimed that the petitioner failed to make out a case for cancellation of bail.

Central govt freezes bank accounts of Missionaries of Charity

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Central govt freezes bank accounts of Missionaries of Charity

In a significant development, the central government has frozen all the bank accounts of Missionaries of Charity — the non-profit organisation formed by Mother Teresa to help the people.

The central authorities issued orders on Sunday evening to cease all transactions through these bank accounts across India, leaving 22,000 patients and people without any treatment and food.

Though the authorities of Missionaries of Charity were not ready to say anything, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed shock at the behaviour of the central government.

“Shocked to hear that on Christmas, the Union Ministry FROZE ALL BANK ACCOUNTS of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in India! Their 22,000 patients & employees have been left without food & medicines.

“While the law is paramount, humanitarian efforts must not be compromised,” she wrote on her verified Twitter account.

CPM leader Surya Kanta Mishra wrote on Twitter, “Yesterday, Christmas Day the Union Ministry FROZED ALL BANK ACCOUNTS of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. The Govt has frozen all the accounts in India, including cash in hand. Their 22,000 patients, including employees, are left without food and medicines.”

Though the Missionaries of Charity was not ready to say anything, sources privy to the development said that there were some complaints against the organisation and the central government was keeping an eye on some of its bank accounts. The central government froze all the accounts of the organisation to carry on with the investigation.

Telangana Congress chief held ahead of protest at CM’s farmhouse

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Telangana Congress chief held ahead of protest at CM’s farmhouse

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee chief A. Revanth Reddy was arrested here on Monday as he was leaving for Erravalli village to lead a protest at the farmhouse of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

High tension prevailed outside the residence of Revanth Reddy at Jubilee Hills as scores of his supporters tried to resist their leader’s arrest.

As soon as the TPCC chief emerged from his house, police officers stopped him. They forcibly took him to a police vehicle, leading to strong protest from Congress workers who had gathered there. They tried to stop a police vehicle carrying their leader. This led to pushing and jostling between the two sides.

Amid the melee, police shifted Revanth Reddy to a police station.

Revanth Reddy, who is also a Member of Parliament, was placed under house arrest early Monday. Large number of policemen were deployed around Revanth Reddy’s house in view of the call given by him to organise Rachabanda programme over what he calls the failure of the state and central governments in procuring paddy from farmers.

Several Congress leaders were either placed under house arrest or were detained while they were heading to Erravalli in Siddipet district from various parts of the state.

Earlier, Revanth Reddy vowed to go ahead with the protest despite restrictions imposed by the police. “Is Erravalli a prohibited area? Why are we being prevented from going to that village?” the Congress leader asked. He claimed that the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government was afraid of their visit.

The TPCC chief slammed both the TRS and BJP over the issue of paddy procurement. He said both the parties have a secret understanding to mislead the farmers.

He claimed that the visit by a delegation of state ministers to Delhi and BJP state president Bandi Sanjay’s hunger strike over unemployment were part of the secret understanding between the two parties.

Revanth Reddy had on Sunday released photographs of paddy cultivated at the chief minister’s farmhouse. “On one hand the chief minister is saying that the government will not procure paddy from farmers while on the other he has taken up paddy cultivation over 150 acres at his farmhouse,” the Congress leader said.

Senior Congress leader Mallu Ravi clarified that they were not going to Erravalli to lay siege to the chief minister’s farmhouse but they were still stopped. He said the protest at the village was part of the state-wide programme being organised by the party.

He condemned the arrests of Congress leaders and alleged that the police were acting as KCR’s private army.

No need of night curfew in Bihar: Nitish Kumar

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No need of night curfew in Bihar: Nitish Kumar

Amid rising Covid-19 cases, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday announced that no night curfew is needed in Bihar as the situation in the state is much better than the rest of the country.

Addressing the media, he said: “The situation in Bihar is better than many states right now. There is no need to impose night curfew here.”

The Chief Minister had arrived to garland the statue of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary, when he put an end to the possibilities of a night curfew.

So far, Bihar has not reported any case of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

However, Health Minister Mangal Pandey said that all guidelines of the Centre are being fully followed in the state and the Nitish Kumar government is continuously urging people to follow Covid guidelines.

Sources in the Health Department have confirmed that even though night curfew will not be imposed at the moment, the Bihar government is planning to prepare Covid guidelines for everyone.

Odisha amends panchayat laws to punish candidates for submitting false affidavit

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Odisha amends panchayat laws to punish candidates for submitting false affidavit

Ahead of the panchayat polls, the Odisha government amended three laws to punish candidates who provide false information in the affidavit filed for the rural elections.

The ruling BJD government amended the Odisha Grama Panchayat Act, 1964, the Odisha Panchayat Samiti Act, 1959 and the Odisha Zilla Parishad Act, 1991 through an ordinance.

As per the ordinance, a candidate who himself or through his proposer, with intent to be elected in an election gives false information which he knows or has reason to believed to be false or conceals any information in his nomination paper or in his affidavit will be punishabed with imprisonment for a term which may extend up to six months, or be fined, or with both.

Similarly, any elected member of the three-tier Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) will be disqualified, if he/she has not furnished an affidavit containing particulars relating to his criminal antecedents, assets and liabilities and educational qualification at the time of filing nomination.

The state, which is impacted by facing natural disasters like cyclones, frequently, has given power to the Grama Panchayats and Panchayat Samities (blocks) for disaster management.

Now the gram panchayats and panchayat samities can prepare their own disaster management plans at village, panchayat and panchayat samiti level, carry out and facilitate relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction activities in disaster affected areas in accordance with state plan and district plan.

The two institutions can also undertake other measures necessary for disaster management. However, this provision has not been included in the Zilla Parishad Act.

Meanwhile, the state government issued a fresh draft seat reservation list for the post of Zilla Parishad (ZP) chairperson across 30 districts.

As per the draft notification, out of the 30 ZP chairperson seats, seven seats are reserved for ST candidates while five seats are reserved for SC candidates.

However, no seat has been kept reserved for Other Backward Classes as the Supreme Court recently directed not to reserve seats for them till proper enumerations of the community is done, sources said.

BJP govt in Manipur started innovation, integration ending instability: Nadda

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BJP govt in Manipur started innovation, integration ending instability: Nadda

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President, J.P. Nadda on Friday claimed that the present government in Manipur initiated “innovation, infrastructure and integration” by removing the previous Congress government’s “instability, insurgency and inequality”.

Referring to the decade-old Manipur’s “Ima Market”, Nadda said the northeastern state is a great example of women empowerment in the country.

The world’s largest all-women run ‘Ima Market’ or ‘Ima Keithal’ (‘Mother’s Market’), located in the Manipur state capital comprises 3,600 women traders.

Nadda referring to the Manipur BJP President, Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi said women development in the state is taking place under the leadership of women.

Women in Manipur have been the frontrunners in sports, freedom movement and literature, he said, adding that the state’s Olympic medallist and six-time world champion boxer M.C. Mary Kom, Olympian Mirabai Chanu and other women sports personalities have brought glory to the country.

Nadda hailed the current Biren Singh government for improving the sex ratio and implementing the Central government’s ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ programme in the state.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appointed India’s first women Defence, Education, External Affairs and Finance ministers.”

At present, there are 12 women ministers in the Union cabinet of the Modi government. “The BJP government always gave top priority to women’s empowerment in India,” he said while addressing a public gathering in Imphal.

The Centre had announced 33 per cent reservation for women in the CRPF and other paramilitary forces, Nadda said.

To lead the BJP’s campaign ahead of the ensuing Assembly elections, the BJP National President has visited Manipur four times during the past three months.

Elections to the 60-seat Manipur Assembly are likely to be held in February-March 2022 along with the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa.

Highlighting the development projects undertaken by the Centre and the state government for the all-round development of Manipur, the BJP leader said that nearly 330 projects are being taken up while railway infrastructure is being extended up to the capital city Imphal.

Nadda said that India’s first sports university being set up in Manipur would be the corridor of eastern India. He added that to take forward the northeastern region on priority, Modi visited the region 50 times in the past seven years.

“Manipur government headed by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh has established peace. Earlier, during the Congress government, blockades continued for months and year after year, now there is no blockade and fear among the people,” Nadda added.

“Nearly 1,039 militants surrendered and as part of the crusade against drugs, 11,600 acre of land was made free from the cultivation of various drugs,” he said.

Nepal PM Deuba to visit India early next month

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Nepal PM Deuba to visit India early next month

Nepal’s Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is leaving for India on January 10 to participate in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, according to local media reports.

Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit is a biennial event launched in 2003, and the 2022 event on January 10-12 is the 10th edition.

A detailed itinerary was not immediately available but sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Deuba and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi is very much likely.

Besides Modi, Deuba will be meeting some other senior Indian politicians and leaders when he will be in New Delhi and Gujarat.

His first foreign trip after he was appointed Prime Minister – for the fifth time – in July, was to the UK’s Glasgow to participate in the climate change conference in November.

Deuba’s visit to Gujarat comes at a time when talks about his state visit to India were being talked about.

The visit to the southern neighbour also comes on the heels of Deuba’s comeback as a strong President of his party, the Nepali Congress, at its recently-concluded general convention.

Deuba was appointed Prime Minister on July 13 following a Supreme Court order a day before in which the bench also overturned then Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli’s May 21 decision to dissolve the House.

For making TN plastic-free state, Stalin govt to go for buyback policy

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For making TN plastic-free state, Stalin govt to go for buyback policy

The Tamil Nadu government is developing a strategy to buyback plastic products and to be set up Reverse Vending machines in association with FMCG companies.

Chief Minister on Thursday inaugurated a campaign to make Tamil Nadu plastic-free and to promote cloth bags in large volumes. The government is also in talks with a major corporate company for construction of 1,000 toilets in the state made of non-recyclable plastic waste.

To reduce the stress caused by the overuse of plastic in the environment, the government is planning a strategy to improve Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) for the manufacturers.

The Chief Minister’s office has already directed all the district administrations to have a discussion with the companies in their respective districts to evolve strategies regarding buy-back plans of plastics and for use of this material in the construction industry.

Sources in the Tamil Nadu environment department told IANS that the Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages (HCCB) is in talks with the Tiruvallur district administration for use of construction materials from plastic waste.

The company under its CSR initiative has already adopted eight villages in and around Nemam where the factory of HCCB is located and has already got approval for building a model toilet at Nemam in the district of Tiruvallur.

The HCCB has entered into an association with Ricron Panels, a company that has specialised in the business of converting plastic waste into eco-friendly construction material.

The state environment department in a study found that on an average a person in the state is using and discarding a plastic bottle a day. This would lead to installing 5,000 to 6,000 Reverse vending machines in the state for safe deposit of plastic material.

Kerala displays India at its cultural and harmonious best: Ram Nath Kovind

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Kerala displays India at its cultural and harmonious best: Ram Nath Kovind

President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday said he loves visiting Kerala as it displays India at its cultural and harmonious best.

Kovind, who is on a four-day visit to the state, said: “Kerala displays India at its cultural and harmonious best. It has attracted people from all parts of the world, absorbed different cultures and religions while maintaining its distinct features.

“The people of Kerala have earned respect and goodwill in the rest of India and in different parts of the world. The enterprising members of the Indian diaspora from Kerala have not only been sending large amounts of remittances home but also kept the prestige of India very high in the lands they have adopted as their work-places.”

He said this after unveiling the statue of Late P.N. Panicker– the pioneer of learning, literacy and library movements– in the capital city.

“I love visiting Kerala also because this state fills me with energy which it derives from its bountiful blessings of Mother Nature. I recall that our former Prime Minister Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, whose birth anniversary falls on December 25, had chosen this land to welcome the new millennium. During the five days he spent in Kumarakom on the banks of the Vembanad lake, both the poet and the thinker in him were inspired. He penned a series of musings, in which he wrote, “nature’s silent beauty provides a perfect setting here for contemplation,” In God’s own country, it is indeed a special privilege to be in the abode of Lord Vishnu – Thiruvananthapuram,” said Kovind.

He went on to add that the service sector professionals from Kerala, especially the nurses and doctors are highly respected and relied upon by people everywhere.

“Recently, when the Covid-pandemic affected the entire world, nurses and doctors from Kerala were among the most visible Covid-warriors in India, the middle-east and so many other regions on the globe. The people of Kerala enhance the pride of India,” added Kovind.

Amit Shah to address series of meetings in UP

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Amit Shah to address series of meetings in UP

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is embarking on a statewide tour of Uttar Pradesh from Friday to give momentum to the party’s election campaign.

Shah is expected to address public meetings at nearly 21 different locations and each public meeting will be attended by party workers and supporters from the surrounding seven Assembly constituencies.

In this way, he will be covering around 140 Assembly seats in his tour.

The BJP plans to put Shah on the forefront of organisational strategy even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi goes on a spree to lay foundation stones or launch developmental projects in the state.

Sources said the party plans to bring supporters from Dalit and OBC dominated constituencies at the Shah’s public meetings.

The move attains political significance in the backdrop of BJP mobilising the non-Yadav OBC to counter an aggressive Samajwadi Party president, Akhilesh Yadav who has been emerging as the main challenger to the ruling BJP.

During his campaign, Shah is also scheduled to hold special meetings with the party functionaries in different districts to assess the ground level political situation.

This comes close on the heels of the recent booth level functions which the party had organised to set its organisational machinery into motion and reinforce its cadre strength.

BJP seeks probe into Akhilesh Yadav’s assets

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BJP seeks probe into Akhilesh Yadav’s assets

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh has demanded that the income of Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav income be investigated.

State MSME Minister and government spokesperson Siddharth Nath Singh questioned Yadav’s support to certain members of his party who were raided by the income tax department recently.

He accused Akhilesh Yadav of lying about the income tax raids and defending his party members on the pretext of elections and trying to gain sympathy in the name of raids.

The minister said that the SP president should accept that those close to him were tax evaders and that he, too, is their partner.

“Undeclared assets of Rs 400 crore were found in the income tax raids. The income of Akhilesh Yadav and his family should also be investigated. The SP had prepared to fund the elections with this illegal money, but their plans could not be realised. Akhilesh should clarify what relation he has with those who were raided,” Singh said.

Singh said that loot, theft and corruption were in the DNA of the SP, and this was confirmed by the income tax raids and a recent CAG report on Noida.

“Akhilesh had turned Noida into a den of loot. The CAG report has exposed corruption to the tune of over Rs 58,000 crore in allotment of land in Noida during the SP rule. The CAG report exposes how corrupt officials played with the interests of the public at Akhilesh’s behest,” the minister said.

Need legislative temper too: Venkaiah Naidu

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Need legislative temper too: Venkaiah Naidu

Parliamentary disruptions surfaced at a science-related event when Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairperson M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday said that along with scientific temper there is a need for a legislative temper too.

“Our constitution mentions this as one of our fundamental duties. Article 51A is to develop scientific temper and a spirit of inquiry. We should not only develop scientific temper, I think we should also inculcate a legislative temper,” Naidu said at the inauguration of ‘Celebration of Birth Centenaries of Inspirational Scientists’ & ‘Pay Homage to Founders of Indian Sciences’.

Pointing out what he witnessed as he chaired the House, Naidu said, “Discuss, debate and decide … not disrupt. This should be made our principal identity.”

“On one side we are making progress, on the other side, some of our elected representatives are making a mockery of the institution of democracy,” Naidu said.

Naidu’s remarks at the event organised by Vigyan Prasar were clearly in reference to the disruptions by the opposition MPs in both Houses of Parliament during the winter session that concluded on Wednesday morning.

Since November 29, when Naidu as Rajya Sabha chairperson had suspended 12 MPs, the opposition parties had daily demanded revoking of the suspensions, staged protests and walked out of the House several times. Much of the time when the opposition members remained in the House, there was a constant din.

Towards the end of the inaugural event, when the anchor invited Nakur Parashar for the ‘vote of thanks’, Naidu quickly pointed out: “No, no, it should be ‘Words of Thanks’. Vote means division,” leading to peals of laughter.

Congress shifts focus to state polls after Winter Session

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Congress shifts focus to state polls after Winter Session

After the Winter Session of the Parliament came to a close one day before schedule on Wednesday, the Congress has now shifted its focus to state elections, with Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur set to got to the polls early next year.

According to sources, interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi met all the Lok Sabha MPs on Wednesday and took their feedback on the Winter Session. She also asked the MPs to give time for the Assembly elections, the sources said.

The Congress faces the major challenge of retaining power in Punjab, and coming up with a credible show against the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.

Except in Uttar Pradesh, the party is in direct contest with the BJP in three states, while in Punjab, it faces the Akali Dal-BSP and Aam Aadmi Party.

Though it is not the main challenger in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress wants to be ahead of the BSP in the contest.

The Congress is faced with a crisis in Goa, where almost all the MLAs have deserted the party, except for two former Chief Ministers — Digambar Kamat and Pratap Singh Rane.

It faces somewhat similar problem in Punjab, where one MLA has left the party while many others have lined up to join the Punjab Lok Congress, the outfit floated by former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

The party is in a better position in Uttrakhand, where some BJP MLAs have joined the party.

In Manipur too, the Congress is facing an exodus ahead of the polls. The party is paying special attention to the northeastern state and has appointed Jairam Ramesh as the senior observer. In the last elections in Manipur, the Congress could not form the government despite emerging as the single largest party.

The same thing happened in Goa, where around 13 MLAs have joined the BJP in the past five years while two have jumped ship to the Trinamool Congress. The grand old party has now appointed veteran leader P. Chidambaram as senior observer in the coastal state.

The toughest challenge is in Uttar Pradesh where Priyanka Gandhi is in-charge with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel as senior observer.

Odisha CM starts distribution of Rs 1K livelihood assistance

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Odisha CM starts distribution of Rs 1K livelihood assistance

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday launched the distribution of livelihood assistance of Rs 1,000 to each beneficiaries covered under the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY).

The aid will also be distributed to the beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act and State Food Security Scheme.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said the impact of Covid-19 pandemic has not gone away yet. “So, the livelihood assistance has been announced to help the poor people,” he said.

All BSKY beneficiaries in Odisha will get this assistance.

About 96 lakh families in the state will be benefited from it. The state government will spend Rs 960 crore from its own resources for this purpose, said Patnaik. He has asked the officials to complete the distribution process in seven days.

Stating the Covid-19 pandemic is still there, the Chief Minister has advised the people to follow Covid appropriate behaviour such as wearing masks, social distancing and hand sanitisation. He also advised not to visit outdoors unless it is necessary.

The Chief Minister had on Tuesday announced house repairing assistance of Rs 3,000 for those who have availed houses under the state schemes and Rs 5,000 for those who are waiting to get a house under PMAY.

About 30 lakh families will be benefited and the state government will bear an additional cost of Rs 1,444 crore for this move.

Opposition parties — the BJP and the Congress, have alleged that the BJD government is announcing these financial aid to woo voters ahead of the Panchayat election in Odisha.

Mamata prays at Kamakhya; Trinamool celebrates KMC poll triumph in Tripura

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Mamata prays at Kamakhya; Trinamool celebrates KMC poll triumph in Tripura

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday offered prayers at the famous Maa Kamakhya temple in Guwahati, while her party in Tripura celebrated Trinamool’s landslide victory in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) elections.

After visiting the Kamakhya temple in the city’s Maligaon area, Banerjee, who was accompanied by her close relatives, left Guwahati for Kolkata.

The Trinamool chief was received in Guwahati by the party’s Rajya Sabha MP, Sushmita Dev.

“I welcome my leader Chief Minister of West Bengal and Chairperson of AITC to Assam. She is here to offer her prayers to Maa Kamakhya and seek her blessings,” Dev, who hails from Silchar and is presently leading the Trinamool in Tripura, said in a tweet.

Recently, 12 Congress MLAs from neighbouring Meghalaya led by former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma had joined the Trinamool. The ruling party of West Bengal is making all efforts to make inroads in BJP-ruled Tripura.

Meanwhile in Tripura, the Trinamool celebrated the party’s resounding victory in the KMC polls by distributing sweets among the leaders, workers and people.

The Trinamool registered a historic victory in the KMC elections by winning 134 out of the 144 seats. In 2015, it had won 113 seats, which was so far the highest in recent times. The BJP could manage just three seats, followed by the Left Front and Congress at two each, while three seats were won by Independent candidates.

Addressing a gathering in Agartala, former West Bengal minister Rajib Banerjee and Tripura Trinamool leader Subal Bhowmik said that the party would be successful in the 2023 Assembly polls in the northeastern state, and defeat the BJP to restore democracy.

Rajib Banerjee said that the BJP in Tripura is frightened after seeing Trinamool’s vote share in the recent civic polls in the state.

Linking Aadhaar with voter IDs, first step to remove bogus voters: MNM

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Linking Aadhaar with voter IDs, first step to remove bogus voters: MNM

The Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) party floated by actor-turned-politician Kamal Hassan on Tuesday said the linking of Aadhaar card with the voter identity card should be the first step towards removing bogus voter cards.

In a statement issued here, the party said it had suggested several measures to the Election Commission earlier on the removal of bogus voter identity cards like verifying Aadhaar card or mobile number of the voters.

The MNM said it had found during the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls that a person was having several voter identity cards and had voted in various polling booths.

The party said though it also shares the doubts raised by opposition parties on linking Aadhaar card with the voter identity cards, it is the first step towards removing the bogus voter identity cards.

The party also urged that those who are interested in democracy should strive to remove the bogus votes from the voters list.

Raised marriage age to enable girls to study further: Modi

TB Team
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Raised marriage age to enable girls to study further: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday said that his government has decided to raise the age of marriage for girls to 21 years because girls wanted to study further.

But everyone knows who are the people opposing the decision and trying to prevent girls from studying further, he said while addressing a rally of about 2.75 lakh women from all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh.

He said that before the BJP came to power in the state, there was “mafia raj” and “goonda raj” in the state. “Women bore the brunt of this and could not move about freely. Yogi Adityanath cracked down on such elements and today, women can move about freely and securely. UP now has safety and security and immense possibilities. It can no longer be pushed back,” he said.

The Prime Minister, who transferred money to Self Help groups, bank sakhis and beneficiaries of Kanya Sumangala Yojana and also laid the foundation stone of 202 take home ration plants, said that these schemes were designed to empower women.

“I was talking to bank sakhis, SHG groups and beneficiaries of Kanya Sumangala Yojana earlier and saw great confidence in them. What is there in front of everyone, does not need to be proved. The change in their lives is visible and the nation can see it,” he said.

The Prime Minister said that the bank sakhi programme has increased employment opportunities for women and brought banking to the doorstep. He informed that transactions worth Rs 75,000 crore were taking place through bank sakhis.

Talking about the take home ration plants, he said that this would ensure nourishment to women and also benefit farmers since the food grains would be purchased from them for the plants.

The flow of development and women empowerment will not stop now, and this has bene shown by UP,” he added.

The Prime Minister further said that self-help groups had made women ‘atmanirbhar’.

He said that his government has taken several steps for benefitting women.

“We abolished the practice of triple talaq for Muslim sisters. We set up over 700 fast track courts for rape cases and we also removed the ban on women working in mining sector,” he added.

The Prime Minister said that Prayagraj was a symbol of women power because Maa Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati were present here.

Earlier, the Prime Minister interacted with representatives from various groups and heard their problems and took feedback about the change in their lives.

BJP’s women MPs from UP were also present on the occasion.

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