T’gana urges Centre to reconsider GST hike on textiles, handlooms

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T’gana urges Centre to reconsider GST hike on textiles, handlooms

The Telangana government has demanded the Centre to reconsider the decision of increasing GST on textile and handloom sectors.

In a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Telangana’s Industry Minister K.T. Rama Rao has appealed her not to take this proposal forward in the GST Council meeting which will be chaired by her on Friday.

He said the industry and weaver community have staged several protests demanding the Union government to waive off the 5 per cent GST on handloom products and its raw material, instead the Centre is planning to increase it to 12 per cent from January 1, 2022, which will strike a death knell to the industry and lakhs of people will lose their jobs.

The textile and handloom sector provide the second highest employment in our country. This sector is already bearing the brunt of Covid-19 and the Union government has not even provided any relief to the sector. Considering the current scenario, the Centre must extend additional advantages and incentives to the sector, said KTR, as the Minister is popularly known.

He added that the increase in GST will impact about 80-85 per cent of the handloom and textile production. As it is, cost of raw materials, yarn, chemicals, packaging material and transportation have gone up substantially post-Covid. In addition to these costs, the increase in GST will further escalate the production costs by 15 to 20 per cent.

“This would adversely impact the demand, which is essential for the survival of the industry. Due to this there is danger of many textiles and apparels units closing down. There is every possibility of 15 lakh people losing their jobs in the handlooms sector due to the increase in GST, the Minister said.

“This will put an additional burden on the middle-income groups, which usually buy garments with a budget of Rs 1000,” he added.

KTR said the Central government, which had failed in fulfilling the promise of providing two crore jobs every year, must withdraw the decision to increase the GST as it would impact the employment of crores of people in the handlooms and textiles sector.

Considering the Covid-19 infection, the Centre must extend all support to handlooms and textiles sector. But on the contrary, it was serving a death knell on the sector through a hike in GST which is highly condemnable, he added.

Due to the Central government’s policies, the country was registering marginal growth in the sector compared to smaller countries like Bangladesh. All this despite there being tremendous scope for growth in the sector and the decision to increase GST will affect getting international investments, KTR said.

The Minister added that the farmers have already taken to the streets and forced a rollback of ill-conceived farm laws. He urged the Centre to immediately withdraw the decision to increase GST on textiles and handlooms otherwise weavers of this country will repeat what their farmer brethren have done.

Malegaon 2008 case: End threats, enticement of witnesses, urges Congress

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Malegaon 2008 case: End threats, enticement of witnesses, urges Congress

In a significant development, the Maharashtra Congress on Thursday urged the Maha Vikas Aghadi government to ensure that the witnesses in the sensitive Malegaon 2008 blasts case “are not pressurised, threatened or enticed”.

In a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil, Congress state Working President Arif Naseem Khan said the terror case has prominent names as prime accused, including Bharatiya Janata Party MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Col. P.S. Purohit, retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay, Dayanand Pandey and several others.

“I have learnt that in order to save all these accused in the Malegaon 2008 bomb blast case, some organisations and individuals are threatening, pressurising and luring the witnesses to make them ‘hostile’ before the court,” Khan said.

The blast occurred in Malegaon on September 29, 2008, near a mosque when Muslims were offering prayers, and left at least nine dead and another more than 80 injured, and the subsequent probe revealed the involvement of what was called ‘saffron terror groups’.

Khan urged Thackeray and Walse-Patil that such groups or persons should be investigated by a high-level committee and stringent action must be initiated against them for influencing or harassing the witnesses.

The case was probed by the Maharashtra Anti Terrorist Squad and later taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and has a total of 495 witnesses.

From these, 220 witnesses have already testified, out of which 15 have already been declared ‘hostile’, with the likelihood of more witnesses going against the probe agency owing to pressures exerted by some organisations and persons, Khan pointed out.

The Congress leader said that Walse-Patil had assured he would do the needful in the matter in order to ensure a free and fair trial at the day-to-day hearing before a Special Court.

Khan’s letter assumes significance, coming a day after a witness in the case made a shocking claim that he was allegedly detained for a week by the ATS in 2008 and then compelled to name five RSS leaders, including Yogi Adityanath, who is now Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

The witness, who is one of the trustees of Abhinav Bharat, a right-wing group, also contended that the ATS did not record his statement though the agency had attached his purported five-pager statement in its charge sheet filed in 2009.

During the cross-examination, the witness named Adityanath, Swami Aseemanand, Indresh Kumar, a Prof. Deodhar and one Kakaji, whose names he was allegedly forced to take by one police official Chavan, DCP Shrirao and an IPS officer Param Bir Singh.

PM to release Rs 20K cr to more than 10 cr beneficiaries under PM-KISAN

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PM to release Rs 20K cr to more than 10 cr beneficiaries under PM-KISAN

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the 10th instalment of financial benefits under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), transferring more than Rs 20,000 crore to nearly 10 crore beneficiary farmer families on January 1, 2022.

Under the PM-KISAN scheme, a financial benefit of Rs 6,000 per year is provided to the eligible beneficiary farmer families, payable in three equal 4-monthly instalments of Rs 2000 each. The fund is transferred directly to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.

Samman Rashi of over Rs 1.6 lakh crore has been transferred to farmer families so far.

During the programme, Prime Minister will also release an equity grant of more than Rs 14 crore to about 351 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), which will benefit more than 1.24 lakh farmers.

The Prime Minister will interact with FPOs during the event and will also address the nation. Union Agriculture Minister will also be present on the occasion.

PM to inaugurate, lay foundation stones of 23 projects in U’khand

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PM to inaugurate, lay foundation stones of 23 projects in U’khand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of 23 projects worth over Rs 17,500 crore in Haldwani, Uttarakhand on Thursday.

Among the 23 projects, 17 projects worth over Rs 14,100 crore cover a wide array of sectors/areas across the state including irrigation, road, housing, health infrastructure, industry, sanitation, drinking water supply among others.

The Prime Minister will inaugurate six projects, including multiple road widening projects, a hydropower project in Pithoragarh and projects to improve sewerage network in Nainital.

The cumulative cost of the projects being inaugurated is over Rs 3,400 crore.

Modi will lay the foundation stone of the Lakhwar Multipurpose Project to be built at the cost of about Rs 5,750 crore. This project was first conceived in 1976 and had been pending for many years.

Modi’s “vision to prioritise long pending projects is the force behind the project’s foundation stone being laid. This project of national importance will enable irrigation of about 34,000 hectare additional land, produce 300 MW hydro power and supply drinking water to the six states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan”, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.

To improve connectivity at far flung places of the country, inauguration and foundation stone laying of multiple road sector projects worth about Rs 8,700 crore would be done.

Further, foundation stones of multiple road projects all across the state under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna would also be laid by the Prime Minister.

The projects include laying of 133 rural roads with a total length of 1,157 km at cost of more than Rs 625 crore and construction of 151 bridges at a cost of about Rs 450 crores.

The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of AIIMS Rishikesh satellite centre in Udham Singh Nagar district and Jagjivan Ram Government Medical College at Pithoragarh. These two hospitals are being built at a cost of about Rs 500 crore and Rs 450 crore, respectively.

The improved medical infrastructure will not only help the people of Kumaon and Terai regions but also the bordering areas of Uttar Pradesh.

The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of ‘Aroma Park’ at Kashipur and Plastic Industrial Park at Sitarganj and multiple other initiatives in housing, sanitation and drinking water supply across the state.

BJP minority morcha to appoint social media warriors at block level

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BJP minority morcha to appoint social media warriors at block level

In an attempt to spread the work of the Narendra Modi-led Central government, the BJP minority morcha has started appointing social media warriors at the block level, focussing on the five poll-bound states.

“Our target is to appoint social media warriors at the mandal (block) level. To complete the process of appointment at the earliest, all the state units have been asked to appoint social media warriors at block level,” Jamal Siddiqui, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minority morcha national president, said.

The social media warriors will discuss and make people aware of the work of the Central government with an emphasis on the minority welfare initiatives.

Five poll-bound states — Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur have been asked to complete the process by January 15.

BJP minority morcha national media in-charge Syed Yasir Jilani said that the morcha will prepare a strategy to increase its presence on social media following the guidelines issued by the Centre.

“It is the responsibility of social media warriors to spread the work of the Modi government, especially the welfare initiatives for minorities in the country in the last seven years. All the five poll- bound states have been asked to complete the process by January 15. Rest of the state units have asked to appoint social media warriors by the end of January,” Jilani said.

A training programme of social media in-charges of minority morcha of all the state units was held on Monday.

In view of the upcoming elections in five states, the social media in-charges of minority morcha of all the state units were imparted training about how to reach out to the people by using various social media platforms.

It was learnt that these social media warriors will tell the minority voters about the Narendra Modi government’s initiatives to educate and promote economic empowerment of the communities along with other social welfare measures.

The national and state office bearers of the minority morcha will also visit all district and block level to impart training to social media warriors.

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

TB Team
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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.

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