Andhra villages to get unlimited, uninterrupted Internet services

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Andhra villages to get unlimited, uninterrupted Internet services

Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy, on Monday directed officials to prepare for providing uninterrupted unlimited high band Internet connectivity to all the villages in the state.

During a review meeting, the chief minister also called for increasing the Internet capacity to 20 GB if necessary to provide Internet facility with unlimited capacity in villages so that it would be easy to work from home.

Officials have been instructed to prepare an action plan to provide Internet facility to 31 lakh houses in YSR Jagananna colonies that are being constructed. Underground cables are to be laid in 108 cyclone-affected villages. The plan is to provide Internet facility in all the villages by 2023.

The chief minister wanted village digital libraries to be set up in a time-bound manner in all villages. Construction should be done as per schedule and computers should be ready by the time they are completed. There should be a provision to arrange six computers in each library, he said.

Energy, Forest and Environment, Science and Technology Minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy, AP Fibernet Chairman Dr P Goutham Reddy, School Education Principal Secretary Buditi Rajashekar, IT Principal Secretary Jayalakshmi, Energy Secretary Dr Nagulapalli Srikanth, Panchayat Raj Commissioner Girija Shankar, AP Fibernet MD Madhusudan Reddy and other officials were present.

According to Energy Secretary Nagulapalli Srikanth, the cabling work is already underway and will be completed by March 2023. He said 14,671 km of aerial cable has been laid in 3,642 villages of 307 mandals.

Panchayat Raj Commissioner Girija Shankar said digital libraries are being constructed in an area of 690 square feet and the construction cost of each library is estimated at Rs 16 lakh, with 20 seats in each library.

School Education Principal Secretary Buditi Rajashekar said options are being asked for from students for the Amma Vodi scheme and laptops are being procured in two models. The high end version laptops will be provided to engineering students.

PM must live up to constitutional duty of saving lives: Owaisi

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PM must live up to constitutional duty of saving lives: Owaisi

Holding Prime Minister Narendra Modi responsible for the second wave of Covid-19 in the country, MIM President Asaduddin Owaisi demanded that he live up to his constitutional duty to save the lives of citizens.

Alleging that for eight months, the government-led by Modi was in deep slumber which led to the second wave that has claimed lives of thousands of people, he said that the BJP government did nothing though all the experts had warned that there will be a second wave.

The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) chief was talking to reporters after launching Covid-19 helpline set up by the Majlis Charity Educational and Relief Trust in collaboration with Access Foundation.

Owaisi said under the Constitution, right to life is a fundamental right and demanded that Modi live up to his constitutional duty to save lives of people of India.

“You must rise up. You can’t continue this emotional blackmail you are doing. Nothing is happening on the ground,” he said, claiming that “the situation had slipped out of government’s control”.

“This government has no vision, no planning, no accountability or transparency.

“What is life of an Indian who happens to be poor, where is government? There is no government,” the MP said and called Modi a “king who has no concern for the people who are dying outside his palace”.

“If this is happening in Delhi, you can imagine what is happening in rural areas.”

Stating that the government is not in control of the situation, Owaisi alleged that people have lost faith in government and they are helping themselves.

“It is because of their lack of concern and lack of planning that we are seeing this carnage. We are seeing deaths which are happening in thousands,” he said.

Owaisi also ridiculed Modi’s slogan of Amtanirbhar Bharat. “What Atmanirbhar Bharat… If there was Atmanirbhar Bharat why do you require oxygen from Saudi Arabia and other countries,” he asked

Referring to the large number of deaths and the shortage of oxygen, medicines and lack of beds in hospitals, he said in his political life, he never saw such human misery.

“Graveyards are full. Shamshans are cremating bodies non-stop. If this can’t Modi and his government, what will,” he asked and demanded that the government waive off GST on oxygen, oximeters and Remdisivir.

He recalled that in January the Prime Minister told the World Economic Forum that India defeated Covid when other countries were making fun of it. Modi also told the Parliament proudly that his government won the battle against Covid though other countries were pessimistic. “If you had defeated Covid, why did the second wave come,” he asked

Owaisi slammed the government for failing on all fronts. He said there was no planning for vaccine production and distribution and as a result, vaccines are not available for those who are due for second dose.

He also questioned the pricing of vaccine and said when crores of people have lost their jobs, it is for government ofto provide free vaccination to people. He quoted experts to say that if 80 per cent people are not vaccinated, there will be a third wave

Stating that states have no money to give for vaccination, Owaisi said the Centre should use PM Cares Fund. “What will you do with money. It’s not your or my money. It’s people’s money. Use it for vaccinating people,” he said.

He advised people to wear mask, maintain social distancing and take vaccines wherever it is available. Stating that they are fighting an invisible enemy, he said they should take all precautions.

Pointing out that Bangladesh is spending three per cent of its GDP on health, Owaisi said India was spending not even one per cent. He also demanded that the Telangana government increase spending on health and build new hospitals including a new building for Osmania Hospital in Hyderabad.

Centre will give 50% vaccines free: Harsh Vardhan clarifies

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Centre will give 50% vaccines free: Harsh Vardhan clarifies

April 26, (Telugu Bullet) Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has clarified on the issue of vaccines after concerns were raised from various quarters including the Congress. The clarification came on late Sunday night.

Harsh Vardhan said, as per the new policy, even after the launch of third phase of vaccination starting May 1, the Government of India will continue giving vaccine doses from its 50 per cent quota to the states and UTs for free. These vaccines shall continue to be administered by states and union territories.

He said, the balance 50 per cent quota grants flexibility for states. Many states had requested that the vaccination process be opened up for them. Now, this balance 50 per cent quota shall give them the freedom to vaccinate groups that they deem as priority.

“It is a fact that health is a state subject, where Centre essentially coordinates and facilitates the states. After we received requests from nearly all states to liberalise the vaccine distribution policy and pass on the control to the states, we decided to go ahead,” Harsh Vardhan said.

The balance 50 per cent quota is also open for corporate and private sector to pool in their resources so that the combined effort of Team India can be deployed to vaccinate every adult in the earliest possible time, he said.

The vaccination process through GOI route will continue as before and the entire expense of this will continue to be borne by the Centre. As the eligibility criteria to get vaccinated through this route evolves further, GOI will continue to provide full support to the states to vaccinate all eligible people free of cost.

Undoubtedly, the private and corporate sector route will empower a large number of people to get themselves quickly vaccinated outside the government route. In essence, those who can afford to get them at the private and corporate sector rates, shall go ahead, the minister said.

The states, therefore, as per their own priority and commitments, have to vaccinate only those remaining people who have not been administered vaccines either through the GOI free route or through the private route.

“It is thus important to note that for the common people at large, there is and will always be an option to get vaccinated for free, to ensure that the price of vaccines does not become a burden for them.” he said.

“The 50 per cent quota, that is at Government of India’s pricing, is for free distribution of vaccines and distribution of all of this will be done through the states only. Hence the allegation that Centre is getting it cheap and States are not is patently false,” he further said.

The actual situation is that states are getting one guaranteed channel of free vaccine supply, while it can simultaneously procure vaccines from another channel as per its aspirations and commitment to its people, the minister clarified.

“I see no reason why the states must complain now. They were demanding removal of restrictions on vaccine supplies to them. Under the new policy, they have the liberty to directly procure from the manufacturers and even negotiate prices based on volumes. This will also cut the delays. I empathise with the states because they are leading this battle from the front and need fast replenishment of vaccine stocks. They need to decide when, how, how much and to whom. This is exactly what the Centre has done by easing the process,” the Union Health minister said.

AP to fine maskless people Rs 100 as pandemic rages

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AP to fine maskless people Rs 100 as pandemic rages

Amaravati, April 21 (Telugu Bullet)  Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy ordered a penalty of Rs 100 on all maskless people in public places at a time when Coronavirus is raging.

The mask rule came into effect from Tuesday.

The Chief Minister instructed officials on Tuesday to make the 104 helplines popular in such a fashion that it becomes the one-stop solution for all Coronavirus related issues.

Aimed at breaking the coronavirus infection chain, Reddy called for the maintenance of at least 6 metres distance between chairs in convention centres and function halls.

He instructed similar practices for cinema halls, hotels and other places which see high turnout of people.

According to the Chief Minister, village and ward volunteers have already been deployed to survey people suffering from fever and also immediately test people exhibiting such symptoms.

Reddy instructed officials to ensure sufficient oxygen in all hospitals and called for procuring the state’s share of oxygen from the Visakhapatnam plant.

He told officials that the state forged an agreement to procure 310 tonnes of oxygen daily. The Chief Minister said that the state is equipped with 26,446 oxygen powered beds in 146 hospitals.

“If all these beds are occupied, 347 kilolitres of oxygen will be needed while the state has a storage capacity of 577-kilolitres, which will be sufficient for one and a half days,” said Reddy.

On Tuesday, Andhra Pradesh reported 8,987 new Covid-19 cases, raising the overall tally beyond 9.76 lakh, while the state’s active cases breached the 50,000-mark to reach 53,889.

Lockdown should be the last resort: Modi

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Lockdown should be the last resort: Modi

April 21 (Telugu Bullet)  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday advised the state governments to use lockdown as the last resort to contain the spread of the Covid-19 cases. He said that instead of lockdown, the focus should be on creating ‘micro containment zones’.

In his address to the nation on Tuesday evening, Modi said: “In today’s circumstances, we have to save the country from lockdown. We have to concentrate on micro containment zones and have to try our best to avoid lockdown.”

The Prime Minister emphasized that along with saving lives, the effort was on to save the economic activities and ensure minimum adverse impact on the livelihood of the people.

“By opening vaccination for those who are 18 years and above, vaccine will be available quickly for the workforce in the cities,” he said.

The Prime Minister suggested the state governments to boost the confidence of the workers and convince them to stay wherever they are.

“This confidence by the states will greatly help the workers and labourers and they will get the vaccine wherever they are and their work will also not suffer,” Modi said.

On shortage of oxygen, Modi said: “The government is working with speed and sensitivity to meet the increasing demand of oxygen in the various parts of the country. The Centre, state governments and private sector are trying to ensure that every needy person gets oxygen.”

“Efforts to increase oxygen production and supply are on at various levels. Measures like installing new oxygen plants, providing one lakh new cylinders, diverting oxygen from the industrial use, are being undertaken.”

Lauding the efforts of scientists, the Prime Minister said: “Our scientists came out with the vaccine in a very short time and today India has the cheapest vaccine in the world. Due to this team effort, India has embarked upon the world’s largest vaccination drive with two ‘Made in India’ vaccines.”

He further stated that from the very first phase of the vaccination drive, it has been emphasized that the vaccine reaches the maximum number of areas, and to the people who need it.

He pointed out that India gave the first 10 crore, 11 crore and the 12 crore vaccine doses in the shortest time in the world.

Speaking about the government’s Monday’s decision, he said that after May 1 every person above 18 years of age can be vaccinated and half of the vaccine produced in India will go directly to the states and hospitals.

The Prime Minister emphasised that the country has much better knowledge and resources to meet the challenge than the initial days of the first wave.

Modi also credited the people of India for a good and patient fight. “With the strength of people’s participation, we will be able to defeat this wave of Corona too,” he said.

He saluted the contribution of social organisations who are helping the people in the time of need and called upon everyone to move forward to help the people who require help.

The Prime Minister also called upon the youth to help in maintaining Covid appropriate behaviour in their areas and neighbourhood. “This will help in avoiding containment zones, curfews or lockdowns.”

He also expressed condolences for the lives lost to the pandemic.

Yogi govt won’t impose lockdown in 5 cities

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Yogi govt won’t impose lockdown in 5 cities

The Yogi Adityanath government will not implement the lockdown in five cities as ordered by the Allahabad High Court on Monday.

In a statement released here after the court verdict, additional chief secretary information, Navneet Sehgal said that the state government has already taken several steps to check the spread of Corona and will continue to take steps needed for this.

He said that there was no denying the fact that strict measures were needed to check the spread of the virus.

Sehgal said that it was necessary to protect the livelihood of the poor and a total lockdown in the cities would not be feasible. He further said that people were themselves coming forward to impose restrictions on themselves.

No outsiders: Assam Cong leaders want CM to be one from the winning MLAs

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No outsiders: Assam Cong leaders want CM to be one from the winning MLAs

Ahead of the election results for Assam Assembly polls, the Congress is hopeful of victory but there is a churning in the party with state leaders insisting in informal conversations that the next Chief Minister must be chosen from one of the winning MLAs.

Since the Congress has a number of chief ministerial aspirants including Gaurav Gogoi, who is close to Rahul Gandhi, party leaders are wary of him being parachuted from Delhi at the final moment.

Other leaders who are frontrunners for the top post include state President Ripun Bora and Debabrata Saikia, former leader of opposition in the assembly. Both these leaders have a long political career behind them and are also contesting for the assembly polls.

While the Congress has not declared anybody as the chief-ministerial face and fought unitedly, the final call is likely to be taken by the party’s high command. The convention within the Congress has been to take the opinion from the MLAs and then the top leader nominating the Chief Minister. In the 2018 assembly elections, for instance, Sachin Pilot lost in the last lap to Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan and Jyotiraditya Scindia to Kamal Nath in Madhya Pradesh.

In Assam, the leaders are tight-lipped and say that the high command will decide but insist that the CM should be from the MLAs, and leaders who have fought the BJP day in and day out must be given a chance and not somebody who stays outside the state.

Congress leaders in the state are counting on the support of MLAs but party insiders say that it cannot be predicted whom Sonia Gandhi is likely to choose after the results.

Still, if the party performs well in upper Assam, which is a BJP stronghold, Saikia’s claim will be stronger. Bora, who was close to Tarun Gogoi, is also one of the top contenders. Still, given Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh’s close ties with the Hiteshwar Saikia family, his son could become the top choice for Congress.

To take on the ruling BJP in the elections, the Congress, which governed Assam for 15 consecutive years (2001-2016), formed a 10-party ‘Mahajot’ (grand alliance) with three Left parties — the CPI (M), the CPI, and the CPI (ML) — and six regional and local parties — the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), the Anchalik Gana Morcha, the BPF, the RJD, the Jimochayan (Deori) People’s Party and the Adivasi National Party.

The results of the Assam Assembly polls will be declared on May 2.

Prepare now for a third Covid-wave: Thackeray to India Inc

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Prepare now for a third Covid-wave: Thackeray to India Inc

Mumbai, April 17 (IANS) Warning of a possible “third wave of Covid-19”, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday appealed to India Inc. to make all-out preparations to counter it right now and ensure it doesn’t hit the state’s industry and economy.

Urging the corporate houses and industrialists to collaborate with the state government to combat the current and upcoming crises. Thackeray said India Inc. could contribute immediately by setting up Covid care facilities on their plants and premises and plans ‘Covid-compatible workplaces’ for the future.

“Presently, the state is in dire need of oxygen, and currently the entire production is being utilised for medical purposes. Given the number of new patients coming up daily (around 60K daily), we need a lot more oxygen for which the industries can help out,” Thackeray said, in an interaction with some of the leading business houses and corporate groups.

Health Secretary Dr. Pradeep Vyas said that the state is conducting 3-lakh tests per million population and though the death rate is low, the infections are very high.

He requested the industries to start setting up small oxygen plants in their premises to absorb natural oxygen based on new technologies and provide the entire production (oxygen) for medical purposes.

The meeting with Thackeray was attended by leading India Inc. players like Niranjan Hiranandani, Uday Kotak, Deepak Mukhi, Harsh Goenka, Naushad Forbes, Sulajja Firodia, Sameer Somaiya, S. N. Subramanian, Salil Parekh, Neel Raheja, Sanjeev Bajaj, Anant Goenka, Baba Kalyani, Anant Singhania, B. Thagarajan, Banamali Agarwal, Ashwin Yardi, Sunil Mathur, Sanjeev Singh, Ashish Agarwal, representatives of FICCI, CII and others industry bodies.

Representing top corporate houses or groups like Tata, Reliance, L&T, Infosys, JSW, Mahindra & Mahindra, Godrej, Blue Star, Kinetic Engineering and many more, the representatives unanimously assured that they were with the state government in this critical hour while interacting with the CM, Industry Minister Subhash Desai, Health Minister Rajesh Tope and top officials.

Responding favourably to Thackeray’s suggestion, the corporate honchos committed to make available oxygen, provide testing and vaccination centres, isolation areas, creating special systems for the health of all their workers and employees, developing systems to encourage Work From Home and other Covid-appropriate measures.

Thackeray called upon the corporate world to ensure that in view of the ‘Covid waves’, all steps must be taken to prevent their adverse impact on the industry and the economy due to unavoidable pandemic lockdowns or stringent norms.

The CM directed Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte to set up an ‘Industry Task Force’ which would work in tandem in future with the state government on all aspects of Covid type of health emergencies.

Thackeray asked the industrialists to take up welfare activities like Shiv Bhojan Thali for the poor in cities or local villages through the CSR route to minimise the impact of the Covid waves on the most vulnerable sections of society.

Exporter of vaccine to importer, Priyanka taks dig at govt

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Exporter of vaccine to importer, Priyanka taks dig at govt

Amid an unprecedented surge in Covid cases, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday attacked the government for exporting vaccines without having sufficient stock for the people of the country. She said the present dispensation has undone 70 years of effort.

“Shocking that while COVID ravages India, from being a vaccine exporter, it has been compelled to become a vaccine importer undoing 70 years of govt effort, @narendramodi: the pilot who had his photo plastered on boarding passes only to press the eject button during an emergency,” she tweeted on Saturday.

She sarcastically gave credit to the efforts of the Congress rule of 70 years which had been ridiculed by the current regime often.

India reported 2,34,692 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the biggest single-day spike ever, taking the overall tally to 1,45,26,609 cases on Saturday, according to the Health Ministry data.

This is the third consecutive day that the country has registered over 2 lakh cases. India had on Friday reported 2,17,353 new cases and 2,00,739 on Thursday.

Also in the last 24 hours, there were 1,341 new Covid-19 fatalities, the third consecutive day with over a thousand deaths.

‘Multi-pronged strategy to transform Hyd into low-carbon city’

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‘Multi-pronged strategy to transform Hyd into low-carbon city’

Hyderabad April 17, (Telugu Bullet)  Hyderabad has employed a multi-pronged strategy to transform into a climate resilient and low-carbon city, Mayor Vijayalaxmi Gadwal said on Friday.

Interacting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and mayors from various countries on “Advancing a carbon neutral, resilient recovery for cities & nations”, she said the city intend to achieve this with the help of its residents, the private sector, stakeholders and development partners.

Hyderabad was only city from South Asia invited to speak at the conference.

Gadwal sought partnership with the world body for the transfer of technical know-how and technology and access to climate funds. “We look to the leadership of the UN Secretary General to encourage collaborative action,” she said.

She said Hyderabad is developing a City Biodiversity Index, 64,000 hectares of urban forests, and is planting over 5 million saplings to enhance “our carbon sinks significantly”.

She pointed out that Telangana is now a preferred destination for electric vehicles and allied components.

“We expect to reduce our power demand by 15 per cent by focusing on renewable energy. Online compliance systems for the energy conservation building code are in place,” the Mayor said.

“I know that our journey towards a climate-neutral city is long and arduous. Building the resilience of our communities and contributing to meet the Paris Agreement’s goal is my priority,” she added.

She pointed out that Hyderabad is the fourth most populous city of India, a member of ICLEI and a city recently recognized as the Tree City of the World by FAO.

“We meet at a critical time when the twin dangers of Covid and climate change are challenging our very lives. Though the pandemic has thrown normal life out of gear, the resilience of our governance systems ensured a quick and on-going recovery, with a fast vaccination drive.”

“It is my great privilege to represent the ambition of cities from the Indian sub-continent to ensure climate-resilient, just and equitable development. While we are not historic polluters, we are shouldering the burden of addressing climate change alongside global cities,” she added.

Vijayan is the last word as Brittas, Sivadasan get RS nominations

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Vijayan is the last word as Brittas, Sivadasan get RS nominations

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday once again proved that he is the last word in the CPI-M when two of his close aides John Brittas, managing director of Kairali TV, the party backed TV channel and V. Sivadasan, were cleared by the party-state secretariat which met here, as the nominees for the two Rajya Sabha seats.

Like Vijayan, the two also hail from Kannur. Brittas, till Kairali TV channel was launched in the late nineties, was the bureau chief of the party organ — Deshabhimani and was posted in Delhi.

For a short while, Brittas left Kairali TV to join its arch-rival — Asianet TV, only to return after a while.

Brittas was appointed media advisor to Vijayan soon after the latter became the chief minister in 2016 and he quit the post just before the notification for the April 6 Assembly polls, giving signals that he might be a candidate from a CPI-M bastion in Kannur, but it did not happen.

Likewise, Sivadasan is also a close confidant of Vijayan and he rose to the party through student politics. Sivadasan was a previous national president of the Students Federation of India and is presently a member of the powerful State Committee of the CPI-M and works from the state party headquarters, here.

The last date of filing of nominations is April 20 and the last date of withdrawal is April 23 with April 30th the polling day.

The three fresh vacancies arose as the term of three members from Kerala — Congress veteran Vayalar Ravi, Indian Union Muslim League leader P.V. Abdul Wahab and CPI-M leader K.K. Rajesh — ends on April 21.

There was speculation that Raghesh, who is also close to Vijayan, might get a second term and so would former Congress leader Cherian Phillip, but it failed to materialize and the decision was taken on Friday to field Brittas and Sivadasan.

The Congress-led UDF has decided to field Wahab again, who filed his nomination papers on Friday.

With just three seats and three contestants, there is unlikely to be a poll.

Incidentally, the Election Commission after initially announcing the dates of the poll decided to cancel it as a new Kerala Assembly would be there soon after May 2 when the counting of votes happens. The Kerala unit of the CPI-M known for its perseverance in fighting out legal battles, finally emerged victorious after the Election Commission was forced to admit in the Kerala High Court that they will conduct the Rajya Sabha poll to fill in three seats from Kerala which will fall vacant on April 21.

Will write to Centre too for vaccines, if needed: CM jagan

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Will write to Centre too for vaccines, if needed: CM jagan

April 16,(Telugu Bullet) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday instructed officials to write to the Central government in event of any shortage of Covid vaccines, and that he will also chip in with a letter, if needed.

Lauding state health officials for administering a record 6.28 lakh vaccine doses on Wednesday, he asked them to continue the same vigour in the coming days.

Reddy also instructed officials to give wide publicity to 104 services, including ensuring hospital beds and treatment, as well as for any coronavirus-related queries. People calling 104 to request a coronavirus test should be directed to their respective primary health centre, sub centre or village clinic, he said.

“Ambulance services should be provided and the treatment should be expedited with the help of ASHA workers… Health of the people in home isolation should be followed up,” he said.

Reddy directed officials to allot the 1902 number to receive grievances.

The Chief Minister also told officials not to compromise on tests, treatment, medicines, sanitation and quality of food in hospitals to ensure that patients do not suffer.

Officials are also asked to fix the cost of treatment in private hospitals and ensure that they do not overcharge patients.

“Fee and charges for treatment should be displayed at hospitals and the details on whom to complain if the hospitals charge more should be displayed in the hospitals… the cost of medicines, tablets and injections should also be displayed,” he said, calling for strict action against profiteering hospitals.

Stressing that there should be no scarcity of coronavirus beds, he told officials to maintain records of availability of beds in Arogyasri empanelled hospitals and private hospitals.

The Chief Minister said 6 lakh vaccine doses should be administered every day for some more days to complete the stipulated targets.

UP all set for Panchayat elections

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UP all set for Panchayat elections

The much-awaited Panchayat polls in Uttar Pradesh will begin on Thursday with the first phase of polling in 18 districts.

The Panchayat elections will be held through ballot papers and more than 3.33 lakh candidates are in the fray in over 2.21 lakh seats in the first phase for the posts of Zila Panchayat (district council) members, kshetra (block) Panchayat members, village Panchayat heads and wards.

The districts that will go to the polls on Thursday are Ayodhya, Agra, Kanpur, Ghaziabad, Gorakhpur, Jaunpur, Jhansi, Prayagraj, Bareilly, Bhadohi, Mahoba, Rampur, Rae Bareli, Shravasti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Saharanpur, Hardoi, and Hathras.

For the post of Zila Panchayat members, 11,442 candidates are in the fray from 779 wards, while as many as 81,747 candidates are contesting in 19,313 wards of kshetra Panchayats.

For the Gram Panchayat, there are 1,14,142 candidates for 14,789 posts. And, for the Gram Panchayat wards, there are 1,26,613 candidates for 1,86,583 seats.

Apart from parties like the BJP, BSP, Samajwadi Party, and the Congress, smaller parties like the AIMIM, Aam Aadmi Party, and Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar’s Azad Samaj Party, are making their debut in the elections.

The AIMIM will contest polls with the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party.

The candidates will, however, contest on ‘free symbols’ given by the Election Commission.

Congress state spokesperson Ashok Singh said the Panchayat elections would spring a surprise in the state as Congress would perform ‘brilliantly’ in the state.

“People who are virtually fed up with the misrule and misgovernance of the four-year-old BJP government in UP are looking towards the Congress with hope in their eyes,” he said.

BJP state media convener Navin Srivastava said, “The manner in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have worked for the villagers, poor and farmers, it is evident that the BJP will sweep the Panchayat polls.”

In view of the coronavirus situation, the State Election Commission (SEC) had said in March that not more than five people would be allowed to accompany a candidate during door-to-door campaigning for the Panchayat elections.

Additional Election Commissioner Ved Prakash Verma said a three-member team has been formed under the additional district magistrates to ensure the directives issued by the SEC are being followed.

During polling, the voters will have to put up a mask and maintain social distancing.

Verma said Covid protocols would also be followed during the counting of votes and PPE kits would also be arranged as per requirement.

Modi reaches out to weaker sections at Bengal rally

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Modi reaches out to weaker sections at Bengal rally

In an effort to reach out to the Scheduled Castes and Matuas that constitute more than 15 percent of the electorate of the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured justice to all refugees, Matua and Namasudra and at the same time criticized the Trinamool Congress for equating them with beggars.

Speaking at a rally in Matua-dominated Kalyani in the Nadia district Modi said, “Didi did not like my going to Orakandi in Bangladesh where the founder of the Matua sect and social reformer Harichand Thakur was born. She raised questions over my visit…I have come to assure you today that all refugees will get all facilities due to them, they will get justice. For the BJP, providing justice to all refugees, Matua and Namasudra brothers, is also an emotional commitment.”

Modi not only assured justice, at the same time he castigated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over a TMC leader and candidate’s comments against the Scheduled Castes comparing them with beggars.

“Didi calls herself a Royal Bengal Tiger. You tell me is it possible for someone to say such things without her permission? Such comments hurt the soul of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar. Such a seriously objectionable comment has been made but Didi hasn’t condemned it or apologized for it.

“You have committed the biggest mistake, the biggest sin by insulting Dalits, Didi,” Modi said in a separate rally in Barasat in North 24 Parganas on the same day.

The prime minister alleged Banerjee”s appeasement politics hurt the Matua and Namsudra communities and they had to pay commission to “TMC’s extortionists” even to obtain scheduled caste certificates.

Earlier on Monday addressing an election rally in Bardhaman district Modi said, ‘Didi’s anger, bitterness, fussiness is rising’ as she has realized that her party has failed to gain a majority in the four phases of polling in the West Bengal election 2021. He said that the people of Bengal have hit so many fours and sixes in the first four phases of the assembly polls that the BJP has already completed its century and the TMC is on course to be wiped out.

“People of Bengal have clean bowled Didi in Nandigram and have asked her entire team to leave the field,” he told an election rally in Bardhaman.

Coming down hard on the chief minister, Modi said Didi ruled in Bengal for 10 years in the name of ‘Ma Mati Manush’ but she keeps saying ‘Modi, Modi, Modi’ in rallies these days. Didi has only created a mess in the name of governance.

Mocking the “Ma, Mati, Manush” slogan, the prime minister said, “Tormenting “Ma”, looting “Mati” (motherland) and bloodshed of “Manush” (people) is its reality. BJP’s agenda is sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas…TMC’s path is ‘Maa ko satao’, ‘Mati ko looto’ and bloodshed of people.”

Modi alleged that Mamata Banerjee instigated people against the central forces on election duty in the state.

Collective responsibility to take Covid surge seriously: KTR

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Collective responsibility to take Covid surge seriously: KTR

Hyderabad April 12, (Telugu Bullet)  Telangana’s Cabinet Minister and working president of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) K.T. Rama Rao on Sunday said it’s the collective responsibility of all to take the current surge in Covid-19 cases seriously.

“It’s the collective responsibility of all of us to take Covid seriously. Get your mask on and stay safe,” he tweeted.

KTR, as the Minister is popularly known, replied to a wide range of questions posed by Twitter users during AskKTR programme, which lasted for 90 minutes.

“Personally, I don’t think so,” he quipped when asked about any chances of complete lockdown in the state.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” KTR said when asked can we expect full time lockdown in Telangana due to spike in Covid cases.

Replying to questions about Covid-19 vaccine shortage, the minister for industry, information technology, municipal administration and urban development pointed out that there is shortage all over India.

“Not that I am aware of,” he wrote when asked whether Telangana received any reply from the Centre about the request for more vaccines.

A follower wanted to know his mantra to fight increasing communal violence in the society. “Get people to focus on real issues; employment, infrastructure, healthcare and education,” replied KTR.

“End of the day, democracy should win,” the TRS leader said when asked who will win polls in West Bengal and Kerala.

He exuded confidence that TRS will win the by-election to Nagarjuna Sagar Assembly seat in Telangana. He stated that the contest is between a leader who represents the past (Jana Reddy of Congress) and a young man who represents the future hope (Nomula Bhagat of TRS).

A follower wanted to know if India is competing with china in terms of infrastructure. “Nope. If we have to compete, we need to think on scale. Unfortunately no support coming through for India’s largest textile park (Kakatiya mega textile park) or Hyderabad pharma city project.”

Replying to a question on status of Hyderabad Pharma City, KTR said that land acquisition is almost completed and allotment of lands to investors will start soon.

“Don’t think there’s much we can do as it’s just an advisory body. Just hope prudence will prevail and states are supported on merit and not political considerations,” he replied when asked if states can do anything to get the recommendations of NITI Aayog implemented by the central government.

On the planning to prevent flooding in Hyderabad during upcoming monsson, KTR said there is need better storm water drains ‘But it won’t happen within a short span Working on strategic Nala development program (SNDP). Have recently sanctioned Rs 858 crore towards the same.”

“Your communication skills are excellent. What’s the secret? Any tips for beginners,” asked a follower. “Clarity in thoughts is important to be able to express well. Always focus on improving vocabulary,” replied KTR.

T-Fiber project to cover all municipalities across Telangana

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T-Fiber project to cover all municipalities across Telangana

Hyderabad April 9, (Telugu Bullet)  Telangana’s Minister for Information Technology and Municipal Administration K. T. Rama Rao on Thursday directed officials to expand the Telangana Fiber Grid (T-Fiber) project to all the municipalities across the state.

As part of the project expansion, the Minister directed the officials to conduct a survey in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits and submit a report at the earliest.

KTR, as the Minister is popularly known, Thursday held a meeting with the Telangana Fiber Grid Corporation Board meeting at T-Hub. He enquired about the work status of T-Fiber.

During the meeting, officials informed the Minister that by August this year every village will be extended fiber connectivity and works were being executed accordingly.

KTR instructed the officials to commence the exercise of extending fiber connectivity to 30,000 government offices on a priority basis from June.

As per Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s instructions, all the Rythu Vedikas should be extended fiber connectivity, the minister told the officials adding that this would benefit the farmers in accessing internet services.

The officials informed that already connectivity was extended to five Rythu Vedikas under a pilot project.

The minister further wanted the officials to consider examining broadband connectivity as a utility and work out a mechanism for extending connectivity to each household in all the towns across the state.

IT and Industries Principal Secretary Jayesh Ranjan, Mission Bhagiratha Engineer-in-Chief Krupakar Reddy, and T-Fiber MD Sujai Karampuri were present in the meeting.

Sharmila leaves for Khammam to unveil political plans

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Sharmila leaves for Khammam to unveil political plans

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s sister Y.S. Sharmila left Hyderabad for Khammam on Friday in a big convoy of vehicles to address a public meeting, where she is likely to announce her political plans.

Sharmila, daughter of former chief minister of combined Andhra Pradesh Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy began the journey from her residence Lotus Ponds in Banjara Hills along with dozens of vehicles of her supporters.

She stopped at Panjagutta in the city to garland the statue of YSR, as her late father was popularly known. YSR loyalists have planned a grand welcome to Sharmila at eight places en route Khammam.

She will reach the venue of the meeting in a huge rally in the evening. She is expected to announce the name of her political party and future plans at the meeting titled ‘Sankalpa Sabha’.

The police have given permission for conducting the meeting on the condition that the organizers will ensure adherence to Covid-19 rules.

Sharmila’s mother Y.S. Vijayamma will also attend the meeting. Her participation will be significant as Jagan Mohan Reddy is not in favor of his sister floating a political party in Telangana.

YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) led by Jagan Mohan Reddy has already admitted that there is a difference of opinion between the brother and sister over the latter’s political ambitions in Telangana.

‘Sankalpa Sabha’ will be the first public meeting of Sharmila ever since she announced that she plans to float a political party in Telangana.

For more than a month, Sharmila has been holding meetings with YSR loyalists from various districts in Telangana to take their feedback before announcing her political plans.

She vowed to try to bring back ‘Rajanna Rajyam’ (a reference to the pro-poor and welfare regime of YSR) in Telangana.

YSR loyalists believed that the Khammam meeting will prove to be a turning point in Telangana’s politics as Sharmila is expected to make some key announcements.

Composite Khammam district is considered politically significant. Sharmila had extensively toured the district during her “Maro Praja Prasthanam”, a state-wide walkathon, in 2013 to mobilize support for her brother who was then in jail in a disproportionate assets case.

YSRCP had won one MP and three MLA seats in the old undivided Khammam district in the maiden assembly elections in Telangana in 2014.

However, YSRCP became inactive in Telangana after its MP and all three MLAs joined the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).

Jagan Mohan Reddy, who led YSRCP to power in Andhra Pradesh in 2019, decided to stay away from Telangana politics. His party did not contest the 2018 Assembly elections and subsequent polls in Telangana.

‘Arhtiyas’ to get interest on dues: Haryana CM

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‘Arhtiyas’ to get interest on dues: Haryana CM

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday said all those ‘arhtiyas’ whose commission and labor wage dues have been pending since the last procurement season would get interested in them for the delayed amount.

“The process of payment of interest will start from today and the ‘arhtiyas’ have been asked to get their accounts verified. Necessary directions in this regard have been issued to the Food and Civil Supplies Department,” an official statement quoting Khattar said.

He said while presiding over a virtual review meeting of the crop procurement in which all Deputy Commissioners and officers concerned were present.

Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala and Agriculture Minister were also present.

The Chief Minister said recently a meeting with ‘arhtiyas’ or commission agents was held during which important issues were discussed and the government had assured them that they would not face any problem during the current wheat procurement season.

At the meeting, the Deputy Commissioners were told that regular talks should be held with the ‘arhtiyas’ so as to ensure that they do not face any problems.

For the farmers, there should be hassle-free procurement that commenced on April 1.

This season the state has announced that there would be 100 percent direct online transfer of minimum support price (MSP) in the accounts of the farmers.

Last year, the state had transferred over 50 percent of the payments directly to the accounts of the farmers, and the rest was made through ‘Artigas.

Earlier, the government was transferring the amount into the accounts of ‘arhtiyas’, which would later be released to farmers.

‘Arhtiyas’, who were charging 2.5 percent as commission earlier, will no longer be the recipient of the money in the present scenario.

PM hails social service by Sikhs, calls for proper research

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PM hails social service by Sikhs, calls for proper research

Hailing the social service by the Sikh community and Gurudwaras all over the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday stressed the need to do “proper research and documentation” on this aspect of the Sikh tradition.

The Prime Minister expressed his views while chairing the meeting of the High-Level Committee to commemorate the 400th Birth Anniversary (Prakash Purab) of Guru Tegh Bahadur–the ninth of the ten Gurus who founded the Sikh religion and was the head of the followers of Sikhism from 1665 until his beheading in 1675.

Addressing the meeting via video conferencing, the Prime Minister highlighted that it is important to make the younger generation understand the teaching and lessons from the life of Guru Tegh Bahadur, and noted that through digital means, it is easier to reach out to the younger generation world over to spread the message.

Elaborating on the discussions in the meeting, the Prime Minister said that to connect more and more people to commemorate the 400th Prakash Purab of Guru Tegh Bahadur, various activities will be organized throughout the year.

Modi said that the organization of activities should be such that not only the life and teachings of Guru Tegh Bahadur but of the entire Guru Tradition is propagated the world over.

He later hailed the social service by the Sikh community and Gurudwaras all over the world and said that “proper research and documentation on this aspect of the Sikh tradition should be done”.

Prime Minister said that the Sikh Guru tradition is a complete life philosophy in itself. It is the privilege and good fortune of the government that it has got the opportunity to celebrate the 550th Prakash Purab of Guru Nanak Dev, the 400th Prakash Purab of Guru Tegh Bahadur, and the 350th Prakash Purab of Guru Gobind Singh.

The meeting was attended by former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh; Union Home Minister Amit Shah; Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla; Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh; Leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge; Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar; Punjab CM Capt. Amarinder Singh; Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot; President, Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee, Amritsar, Bibi Jagir Kaur; MPs Sukhbir Singh Badal and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa; Former MP Tarlochan Singh; MD Amul R. S. Sodhi; and Eminent Scholar Amarjit Singh Grewal among others.

The Home Minister said that collective efforts should be made to ensure that the message of Guru Tegh Bahadur reaches out to all.

Culture Secretary gave a presentation on suggestions outlined till now for the commemoration.

The High-Level Committee was constituted by the Central government on October 24 last year to approve policies, plans, and programs related to the commemoration of the 400th birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur along with supervision of the events.

The High-Level Committee has 70 members including the Prime Minister as Chairman.

Modi takes 2nd dose,says vaccine can defeat Covid

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Modi takes 2nd dose,says vaccine can defeat Covid

New Delhi, April 8 (Telugu Bullet) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday received the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine here at the city’s premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), giving a message to the people that “vaccination is among the few ways we have, to defeat the virus”.

The Prime Minister also advised the citizens through a Twitter message: “If you are eligible for the vaccine, get your shot soon. Register on CoWin.gov.in.”

“Got my second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at AIIMS today (Thursday). Vaccine is among the few ways we have, to defeat the virus,” Modi tweeted.

He also posted a photograph while taking the second jab.

The Prime Minister has taken Covaxin, India’s homegrown vaccine developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech.

The two nurses who administered the Covid-19 vaccine to the Prime Minister on Thursday are P. Niveda from Puducherry and Nisha Sharma from Punjab.

Niveda was also involved in administering the first dose of Covid to the Prime Minister on March 1.

He was the first beneficiary on March 1 as the second phase of nationwide vaccination against the deadly pandemic began.

Amid the “second wave” of Covid-19 across the country, the Centre allowed administering vaccine shots at workplaces with around 100 eligible beneficiaries from April 11. Currently, people at the age of 45 and above are eligible for vaccination.

The Union Health Ministry recently said India has surpassed the US to become the fastest Covid-19 vaccinating country in the world with an average daily rate of 30,93,861 vaccine doses.

So far, over 9.01 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered in India, the Health Ministry said on Thursday.

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