BJP MP urges Modi to table Population Control Bill in Parliament

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BJP MP urges Modi to table Population Control Bill in Parliament

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Anil Agarwal has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to introduce the Population Control Bill in the next session of the Parliament.

In a letter addressed to Modi, the BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP said “population explosion” needs to be checked, and the only way to make India ‘Atmanirbhar’ or self-reliant to is to introduce the population control law.

“Everyone wants the population control law… be Hindu or Muslim. This law will eliminate most of the country’s problems. China (the world’s most populous country) will soon be left behind by the rate at which the population in India is increasing,” Agarwal told IANS.

“Arable land in the country is also continuously decreasing. If there is no population control law in time, many problems will arise,” the BJP MP said.

The letter addressed to PM Modi reads: “On August 15, 2019, you talked about population control while addressing the country from the Red Fort. The time has now come… I urge you to bring an effective population control bill in the next session of the Parliament.”

Agarwal said Modi stays firm on his promise — whether it is on Triple Talaq, Article 370 or Ram temple.

UP MLA, wife, son booked for grabbing house, threats

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UP MLA, wife, son booked for grabbing house, threats

Gyanpur MLA Vijay Mishra, his wife Ramlali Mishra, and their son Vishnu Mishra have been booked by the district police on charges of grabbing property and intimidation on his relative’s complaint.

It is the second FIR against Mishra within a month. On July 18, he was booked under the Goonda Act for “threatening” a man who bagged a contract for toll collection at the Lalanagar toll plaza on National Highway-2 in Aurai area.

Bhadohi Superintendent of Police RB Singh said: “An FIR naming Mishra, his MLC wife and son was registered by the Gopiganj police under Sections 325, 506, 347, 387 and 449 of the IPC on the complaint of the MLA’s relative Krishna Mohan Tiwari on Friday. On the request of the complainant, who cited a threat to his life, we have provided police security to him.”

Tiwari complained to the police that he owned a house in Dhanapur area under Gopiganj police station jurisdiction in Bhadohi district.

“The MLA has been forcibly living in my house and is now exerting pressure on me to register the property in his name. After I refused to sign the papers, Mishra, who has also taken over my firm, is threatening me with dire consequences,” Tiwari alleged.

The SP said that the Goonda Act case against Mishra is in the District Magistrate’s court for necessary action.

As many as 71 criminal cases are allegedly lodged against Mishra in various districts of the state. Ten of the cases are being heard in a special MP/MLA court, police sources said.

MLA Vijay Mishra had earlier won the Gyanpur seat in three consecutive Assembly polls but was denied ticket by the Samajwadi Party in the 2017 polls. He contested on Nishad Party ticket and won the seat again. He had contested the 2012 Assembly polls from jail.

Meanwhile, talking to reporters, the MLA’s son Vishnu claimed that the relative who had complained against them had borrowed Rs 32 crore from his MLA father.

“He had given us cheques for Rs 27 crore, which bounced. In order not to return our money, he lodged a complaint against us,” he alleged.

Odisha CM approves six new police stations

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Odisha CM approves six new police stations

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday approved rationalization of 905 posts in Odisha police and the creation of six new police stations.

The move is to strengthen 220 police stations and six outposts in 21 police districts, said a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

The Chief Minister has approved the rationalization for the strengthening of police stations for better crime control and efficient delivery of citizen-centric services, the statement said.

The existing police stations which will be bifurcated creating six new police stations are – Khandagiri police station in Bhubaneswar, Angul Town police station in Angul, Jhasuguda Town police station in Jharsuguda, Bhanjanagar police station in Ganjam, Bhadrak (Rural) police station in Bhadrak and Tihidi police station in Bhadrak.

Earlier, the Chief Minister had directed the Police DG to make more personnel available in police stations by way of rationalization.

“Significant decline in Maoist menace due to strong security response and development activities has enabled the state to rationalize its manpower in the police,” said the CMO.

DGP Abhay said this will help the police in controlling crime and improving service delivery to residents of Odisha.

Sri Lanka’s ruling party wins parliamentary polls

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Sri Lanka’s ruling party wins parliamentary polls

The ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) led by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa won a landslide victory in the August 5 parliamentary election by gaining a majority in the new 225-member parliament, the Election Commission said on Friday.

The SLPP won 145 seats, making it the single largest party to gain a nearly two-thirds majority in Parliament reports Xinhua news agency.

The Samagi Jana Balawegaya or the United People’s Front, led by former presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa was the runner-up by winning 54 seats while the ITAK, a Tamil political party, won 10 seats.

One of Sri Lanka’s oldest political parties, the United National Party, led by former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe did not win any seats.

Rajapaksa will be sworn in as the nation’s new Prime Minister following his party’s victory, likely by the weekend after which a new cabinet will be appointed next week.

According to the country’s constitution, the cabinet will be limited to 30 ministers.

Rajapaksa, in a short statement on his official Twitter account soon after the party’s victory, thanked his voters and expressed gratitude to them for placing their trust in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and himself.

“We will ensure Sri Lanka will not stand disappointed during our tenure,” Rajapaksa said.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a statement released late on Thursday night said he was confident of establishing a strong parliament following the SLPP’s victory.

Sri Lanka held its parliamentary election on August 5 which was declared as one of the most peaceful elections held in the island country’s political history.

A 71 per cent voter turnout was recorded.

Sri Lanka’s new Parliament will convene on August 20.

West Godavari people to build a temple to worship Jagan

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West Godavari people to build a temple to worship Jagan

Proving the adages on ‘sentiments’ right and showering their love and devotion, YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s fans have come forward to build a temple for their favorite leader.

CM Jagan’s fans from West Godavari district have come forward with this to worship Jagan. After searching for the ideal place to build the temple, finally, they have identified the land in Rajampalem of Gopalapuram Mandal.

Local YCP leader Kurukuri Nageswara Rao said the temple works will begin soon after the Bhumi Pooja. The Bhumi Pooja is planned next month on the hands of Gopalapuram MLA Talari Venkatrao.

After constructing the temple, YS Jagan’s idol would be installed in it. Though YS Jagan is a devout Christian, the rituals would be performed as per Hindu customs.

Earlier, a similar temple was built for late YSR at Rajagopalapuram village in Visakhapatnam district. Local YSR Congress party leaders had built the temple and the temple was named Rajasekhara Reddy Alayam.

Usually, this precedent of building temples to favorite leaders and actors was started in Tamil Nadu. Temples were built for the likes of Jayalalithaa, Khushboo Sundar, Namitha, and Nayanthara.

It’s jungleraj in UP: Priyanka lashes out at Yogi

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It’s jungleraj in UP: Priyanka lashes out at Yogi

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday wrote to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state, called kidnapping a flourishing industry as such people living under a cloud of fear.

In her letter in Hindi, the in-charge for eastern Uttar Pradesh said: “I have written to you earlier highlighting the issue of law and order situation in the state. And now crimes in broad daylight are being committed creating fear psychosis among people.”

She further said, according to people, kidnapping has turned into an “industry” in the state and murders have become daily affairs. She also pointed out at increase in rape cases

“And all these things highlight that due to some reason the criminals have no fear of law and administration,” she said.

Priyanka Gandhi also highlighted the murder of trader Ram Avtar Sharma in Sambhal district while he was returning from his shop. Sharma was shot dead by two bike-borne men, who fled with Rs 1lakh on Thursday night. “I request to arrest the criminals involved in the killing of Ram Avtar Sharma and offer justice to the family,” she said. Traders are living in an atmosphere of fear, she added.

In a no holds barred tweet some hours back she said: “It’s ‘jungle raj’ in UP. Both crime and Corona is getting out of hand in the state.

“Dharmendra Choudhary was kidnapped eight days back in Bulandshahr. First, he was kidnapped, and then on Friday, his body was recovered.

“Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Bulandshahr — in every case law and order has failed. How long will this government continue to sleep?”

BJP launches protests in Kerala to demand govt’s resignation

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BJP launches protests in Kerala to demand govt’s resignation

The BJP Kerala unit on Saturday launched protest demonstrations across the state to demand Pinarayi Vijayan government’s resignation in the wake of the unearthing of the gold smuggling racket.

BJP national secretary Bhupender Yadav, who launched the protests online from Delhi, alleged that the CMO was “facilitating” the gold smuggling.

These protests will continue till August 18, with all top state BJP leaders observing one-day fasts at the various places during this period.

On Saturday, lone BJP legislator in Kerala Assembly, O. Rajagopal, began his day-long fast at the state party headquarters here.

Yadav said Vijayan will go down in history as the “most corrupt Chief Minister” in the country.

“Vijayan, your time is now up. You will be forced to tell the truth on how the gold smuggling is taking place, as your own office has direct control over it. Look into those who have been arrested — they include Swapna Suresh, who despite no qualifications was given a job in the IT Department headed by Vijayan. You will have to answer,” the BJP leader said in his speech.

State BJP President K. Surendran, participating in the launch of the protest from his home in Kozhikode, said the situation is grave as allegations have now surfaced that the “smuggling of gold going on with the help of Vijayan’s office has terror links too”.

“… news that is now coming out is that the legal brains of the Communist Party of India-Marxist are working hard to save the accused. It’s also now coming out that the Kerala Police is now trying to get the custody of the accused in order to tutor them,” Surendran claimed.

The gold smuggling came to light when Sarith, a former employee of the UAE Consulate here, was arrested by the Customs on July 5 as he was facilitating the smuggling of 30 kg gold in diplomatic baggage to Thiruvananthapuram from Dubai.

HP CM reshuffles Cabinet, allocates portfolios to new Ministers

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HP CM reshuffles Cabinet, allocates portfolios to new Ministers

In a first major reshuffle in his government in two-and-a-half years, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has allocated portfolios to three new Ministers, besides changing those of other ministerial colleagues.

The Chief Minister has retained eight departments, including Finance, Home, Tourism, Excise and Taxation, and Public Works.

Veteran legislators Mahender Singh Thakur and Suresh Bhardwaj were given crucial portfolios, while another senior BJP leader Sarween Chaudhary, the lone woman Minister in the Council of Ministers, was divested of the important Urban Development Department, according to a notification issued on Friday night.

First-time Minister Rajiv Saizal, an Ayurveda doctor by profession, was given the crucial Health and Family Welfare portfolio that was earlier with the Chief Minister.

The Urban Development portfolio has now gone to Suresh Bhardwaj, a legislator from Shimla, who will also hold the charge of Parliamentary Affairs.

Chaudhary will now look after Social Justice and Empowerment, a portfolio she held in the previous BJP government led by Prem Kumar Dhumal.

Jal Shakti Minister Mahender Singh Thakur will continue to hold the existing portfolios.

The Transport Ministry was allocated to Bikram Singh, besides the Industries Department.

Another first-timer Minister Govind Singh Thakur was allocated the Education portfolio.

Ram Lal Markanda was given the charge of the Technical Education Department. The Agriculture Department’s charge, earlier with Markanda, has now been handed over to Virender Kanwar, who will continue to hold the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Departments.

The first Cabinet expansion took place a day earlier when Sukh Ram Chaudhary, Rakesh Pathania, and Rajinder Garg, all first-time Ministers, were inducted.

Chaudhary was given the MPP and Power portfolio, and Pathania allocated the Forest Department. Garg was given the charge of Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Departments.

Cong preferred votes over lives of Muslim women: Smriti

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Cong preferred votes over lives of Muslim women: Smriti

Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani on Friday accused the Congress of preferring vote bank over the rights of the Muslim women in the country.

“Congress got an opportunity to rule in favor of the Muslim sisters in the 1980s. But votes were more important for the party than the lives of these women. The real battle was fought by women who approached the courts against the injustice. This day is not only meant for Muslim women but all women who want respect for their gender every day,” Irani said on the Muslim Women Rights Day.

Irani was among the three Union Ministers who addressed Muslim women across the country through videoconference on the first anniversary of the passage of The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019 by Parliament.

The law made the practice of instant Triple Talaq a criminal offense.

She pointed out that though it is generally believed that women came forward to fight for their rights, but the country’s history and its culture and traditions had many examples where men too have been at the vanguard of such battles.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said it was an occasion to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi as it was due to him that the Muslim women were rid of the practice of instant divorce. He said that Modi had brought significant changes in the country since 2014.

Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that after the passage of the law, there has been 82 percent decrease in Triple Talaq cases in the country.

The three Ministers interacted with Muslim women in Lucknow, Varanasi, Mumbai and other places, during which the latter shared their experiences vis-a-vis Triple Talaq.

Chandrababu hails new education policy, calls it competitive

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Chandrababu hails new education policy, calls it competitive

Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday hailed the New Education Policy announced by the Centre to usher in educational reforms in accordance with the changing times globally.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief welcomed the decision in favor of the mother tongue as the medium of instruction to the students up to 5th class. He further said that the new policy was in the nature of making the students well-prepared to take on the emerging competition in the world.

The Leader of Opposition in Andhra Pradesh Assembly said the new education policy would bring about significant changes in the country’s education sector. “It is necessary to mold the students into a highly motivated and competitive youth in today’s competitive world,” Naidu said.

The new policy is in conflict with the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government’s efforts to introduce English as the medium of instruction in government schools in Andhra Pradesh.

The TDP, other opposition parties, and civil society strongly objected to the state government’s move to introduce English as the medium of instruction but the government has decided to go ahead.

The Jaganmohan Reddy-led government plans to introduce English as a medium of instruction from classes 1 to 6 from the 2020-21 academic year, while 7th to 10th would be added gradually in the next four years.

In April, the Andhra Pradesh High Court set aside the government order saying that children and parents should be given the choice in the language of learning.

The state government has challenged the High Court order in the Supreme Court.

Chief Minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy stated recently that the government will go ahead with the decision of introducing the English medium for Class 1 to 6.

He said some vested interests have tried to block the decision. “We moved the Supreme Court and our resolve is firm and we will go ahead with the reforms,” he said.

The chief minister said two surveys have found that parents want English medium education for their children.

Raj Guv again returns proposal for Assembly session

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Raj Guv again returns proposal for Assembly session

Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra on Wednesday returned a state government proposal to call a special Assembly session, for the third time.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot called the rejection a ‘love letter’, even as the former extended an olive branch to the rebel Congress MLAs.

Officials said that the Governor raised objections over the rising cases of COVID-19 in Rajasthan and again inquired how social distancing could be maintained in the Assembly during the special session.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot rushed to meet Mishra soon after he received the information on the return of the proposal.

Addressing a function at the Congress state unit office here, Gehlot said a “prem Patra” or love letter had come from the Rajasthan Governor. “I am going to meet him to ask what he wants,” Gehlot said at the party office before the meeting.

This is the second time he has referred to the Governor’s rejection as a love letter. Earlier, he had said the words while addressing Congress MLAs camping at the Fairmont Hotel.

Gehlot claimed a conspiracy to topple his government but asserted that the party stood strong in the face of a political onslaught.

Going soft on the dissidents, he said that those who had “cheated” the Congress in the past can return to the party fold and apologize to party chief Sonia Gandhi.

“For the first time in 70 years, a Governor has raised such questions. Can you understand where the country is going?” he commented.

The Chief Minister was speaking at a PCC function where new party unit chief Govind Singh Dotasara assumed the charge.

After the first two proposals sent by the Rajasthan government were rejected, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot sent a third petition to the Raj Bhavan on Tuesday to convene the Assembly session.

UP MLA fears threat to life by mining mafia lord

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UP MLA fears threat to life by mining mafia lord

Uttar Pradesh BJP MLA Yogesh Dhama has written to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the Director-General of state Police claiming he has been facing a threat to his life from notorious gangster Sunil Rathi, who is lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail in connection with the murder of another gangster Munna Bajrangi.

Dharma said the gangster openly threatened him when he came for a hearing of the Munna Bajrangi case at a Baghpat court.

“He holds me responsible for stopping his illegal mining activities in the region. Two of my acquaintances have been killed by his men in the last month which proves that there is a real threat to my life,” he said.

The MLA claimed that Rathi was much more notorious that slain gangster Vikas Dubey who was the main accused in the killing of eight policemen earlier this month in Kanpur.

Baghpat Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Anit Kumar said, “Dharma has not approached us and we are providing him security as per protocol.

The ASP said the feud started when the local MLA complained against Rathi’s illegal mining business. “He was doing it through his front man Manish Chauhan, who had a license for sand mining but he was extracting more than the permissible limit. When the MLA raised the issue, the district administration canceled his license and a fine of Rs 4 crore was imposed on him.”

On July 7, Rathi’s men had shot dead Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Deshpal Khokar, who is said to have objected to the passage of trucks carrying sand from his village.

“We have arrested two of Rathi’s sharpshooters in connection with the case after an encounter on Sunday,” the ASP added.

Rathi’s men also allegedly killed history-sheeter Paramveer Tugana, who is said to be close to Yogesh Dharma.

Rathi, who had killed gangster Munna Bajrangi inside Baghpat jail in July 2018, is presently lodged in the Tihar facility.

Raj CM to meet Guv, parade MLAs before him

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Raj CM to meet Guv, parade MLAs before him

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will meet Governor Kalraj Mishra this afternoon along with the Congress MLAs supporting his government to show the majority he enjoys in the House, officials said on Friday.

On Thursday, Gehlot met the Governor and discussed convening of the Assembly session that the government planned to convene on Monday to show his majority support in the House. However, there was no reply from the Governor’s House until the filing of the report.

Gehlot came up with the plan to meet the Governor soon after the High Court on Friday ordered a status quo with regard to the July 14 disqualification notices served by Speaker CP Joshi to 19 rebel MLAs, including Sachin Pilot, who was sacked as Deputy Chief Minister and PCC chief.

The High Court also accepted a plea to make the Centre a party to the case.

Since the court has said that the rebels cannot be disqualified, for now, the Gehlot camp planned to show his strength to the Governor’s house, a Raj Bhavan official said. Gehlot will visit the Raj Bhavan alone first, and thereafter, the MLAs will visit the Governor’s residence amid tight security, he added.

“This is propaganda to garner sympathy. The CM, as per the Constitution, needs to show his strength on the Assembly floor,” said state BJP chief Satish Poonia.

Modi 100% focused on his own image: Rahul in latest video

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Modi 100% focused on his own image: Rahul in latest video

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday once again attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the India-China border face-off saying he is 100 percent focused on building his own image and “one man’s image is not a substitute for a national vision”.

“Prime Minister is 100 percent focused on building his own image. India’s captured institutions are all busy doing this task. One man’s image is not a substitute for a national vision,” he said in a tweet attaching the third video of the series.

In the video, the Congress MP from Kerala’s Wayanad said, “Psychologically you will have to deal with the Chinese from a position of strength.”

Emphasizing how India should respond to China, he said that if you deal with them from a position of “strength” you can work with them, you can get what you need and it can be actually done. “But if they sense weakness then you had it. And the first thing is you are not going to take on China without a vision,” the Congress leader said, adding that he doesn’t mean a national vision, but an international vision.

Talking about China’s ambitious ‘belt and road’ project, Rahul Gandhi said, “Belt and Road is an attempt to change the nature of the planet. India has to have a global vision and if they have now to become an idea, and it has to become a global idea the thing that is going to protect India is actually thinking big.”

On India’s border issue with China, he said, of course, we have this border issue and we have to resolve this. “But we have to change our approach, we have to change how we think, this is the point at which where the road parts, if we go this way we become a major player and if we go another way we become irrelevant. And that is why I am aggravating because I can see that a huge opportunity is being lost,” he said.

Attacking the government, the Congress leader said, “Why because we are not thinking in the long term, we are not thinking big and we are disturbing our internal balance, we are fighting among ourselves.”

Pointing out at the political scenario in the country, he said, just look at the politics, all day long Indians are fighting Indians, it is because there is “no clear cut” vision going forward. “And I know that the Prime Minister is an opponent and my responsibility is to question him and put pressure on him so he does his work. His responsibility is to give the vision and it’s not there and I can tell you it’s not there and that is why China is in there today,” he added.

Last Friday (July 17), Rahul Gandhi released his first video and questioned the government’s foreign policy. He slammed the Narendra Modi government over the face-off with China in Ladakh. He said China chose this time to intrude in our land as India’s foreign policy, economy, and relationship with neighboring countries are disrupted.

In his second video released on Monday (July 20), the Congress leader said Modi fabricated a “fake” strongman image to come to power and now his biggest strength is “India’s biggest weakness”.

Bengal Guv to meet Shah on state’s ‘worrisome situation’

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Bengal Guv to meet Shah on state’s ‘worrisome situation’

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar will hold a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday to discuss the “worrisome situation” in the state.

The meeting is scheduled to be held at noon.

“I would be discussing with Union Home Minister at noon today West Bengal’s worrisome situation… Also the state of affairs and affairs of State,” the Governor tweeted.

Dhankhar said that the welfare of people of West Bengal is uppermost in his mind.

“All my actions are inspired to mitigate the woes of West Bengal people. I will discuss issues with home minister today, part of my duty under Article 159,” he said.

The Governor said in his tweets that he will protect and defend the Constitution to the best of his ability.

“I devote myself to the service and well-being of the people. I pledge total commitment for West Bengal people,” he said.

KCR has expressed his displeasure with private hospitals

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KCR has expressed his displeasure with private hospitals

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has expressed his displeasure with private hospitals over their approach on COVID-19 treatment and warned them against creating any artificial shortage of beds. Stringent action will be taken against any hospitals found indulging in such practices, he said. KCR made these comments during a review meeting he held at Pragathi Bhavan here on Friday. He appealed to the people not to panic and become anxious about coronavirus but at the same time advised them against being negligent.

The CM declared that those having Coronavirus need not go to the private hospitals and spend huge amounts for treatment as all the required medicare and facilities are available in the government hospitals.

In a cryptic message on the speculation of lockdown re-imposition in the state, he said: “The unlock process is going on in the country. The Centre has decided to even resume international flight services. No one should have any fear of coronavirus. But at the same time, people should not be negligent. Maintain personal hygiene. Wear Masks. Use Sanitizers. Spend as much time as possible at your homes”.

During the meeting, it was also decided to implement the UGC scale for faculty working in colleges and also payment of salaries to the newly recruited nurses like the existing nurses. It was also decided to increase the retirement age of faculty members working in AYUSH departments to 65 years.

Referring to the buzz that his government could go for a complete lockdown once again, he asked people not to give in to frivolous talk and speculation in this regard.

In view of the grim pandemic situation, there has been speculation for more than a month that the Telangana government could once again impose either a full lockdown or a local/weekend lockdown to somehow try and break the chain of the virus spread.

In fact, KCR himself alluded to this viewpoint a few weeks ago that there is no option but to go for fresh curbs in view of the rapid rise in the coronavirus cases. With his own words adding weight, it was expected earlier that a decision to this effect would be taken at a state cabinet meeting either on July 1st or 2nd. But, there was no word since then on the issue which only heightened the suspense on what was exactly weighing on the KCR government’s mind.

170 TTD staff members have tested positive for corona virus

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170 TTD staff members have tested positive for corona virus

As many as 170 staff members of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) have tested positive for coronavirus in a sign of spurt in the cases within the quasi-government organisation. The Jeeyar (seer) of Lord Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple turned out to be the latest to be diagnosed with COVID-19, officials said.

Against this backdrop, TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy held a review meeting to take stock of the prevailing situations in Tirumala. He discussed TTD’s preventive measures with Executive Officer (EO) Anil Kumar Singhal and additional EOs through videoconference. At least, 18 archakas, 100 security personnel, 20 laddu making workers, two workers of tonsuring area, Kalyanakatta, are among the TTD employees who have so far tested positive for the dreaded virus. However, of the 170 infected, 70 persons were already cured of the disease and are currently under home quarantine.

YV Subba Reddy ordered all necessary medicare and treatment for temple Jeeyar and other TTD staffers. Given the situation, the board is likely to announce the suspension of the darshan services at the temple by Friday evening..

The board chairman, after a review meeting on Thursday, announced that temple priests above 60 years of age would be kept out of their duties.

The hill-shrine of Lord Sri Venkateswara Swamy atop Tirumala was reopened for darshan to all devotees on June 11. The resumption of darshan services were allowed with the intention of taking all the necessary precautionary measures across the hill town including the sanctum sanctorum to stay safe from COVID-19. The darshan of the presiding deity was revived after an 80-day closure due to COVID-19 lockdown in the state.

The temple resumed its operations on June 8 following a trial run that was held with TTD employees and local residents for two days.

BJP demands CBI probe into Rajasthan audio tapes

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BJP demands CBI probe into Rajasthan audio tapes

The BJP on Saturday hit back on the Ashok Gehlot Government when it not only denied charges of alleged bid to break the Congress party but also alleged that the dessert state is witnessing an “indirect emergency”.

The BJP was referring to the purported phone conversations that were leaked by Gehlot camp.

“Is the phone of every person in Rajasthan, who has any concern with politics, is being tapped? Is Emergency not being imposed indirectly in Rajasthan?,” asked BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra in a press conference here on Saturday.

Calling the Rajasthan political crisis a “drama”, Patra alleged it is a brazen cocktail of conspiracy, lies, fraud, and defiance of the law.

“The whole conspiracy is being hatched in their house and through some audio tapes it is being alleged that the BJP is trying to sabotage the Congress party,” said Patra. He demanded a CBI probe into this matter, to ascertain whether phone tapping was done or SOPs were followed. He also questioned if the voice in the leaks is authentic, why the FIR states it as “purported”.

This attack comes in the wake of an FIR filed by the SOG in Rajasthan against Union Minister and BJP leader Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and two others on the basis of a complaint by Congress whip Mahesh Joshi soon after three audio clips with alleged conversations on toppling the Ashok Gehlot government were released by Rajasthan’s ruling party.

However, Shekhawat has denied any of the tapes has his voice while another BJP leader said the tapes were doctored.

The clips have recorded purported conversation between Shekhawat, Congress MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma, a Jaipur resident, and BJP leader Sanjay Jain while discussing plans and actions to topple the Congress government.

Now, the BJP has based its counter-attack on these purported conversations to raise the “phone tapping of politicians in Rajasthan” charge against Congress while labeling it as am “indirect emergency”.

No Covid cases in my constituency, claims KPCC chief

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No Covid cases in my constituency, claims KPCC chief

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D.K. Shivakumar on Friday claimed that there were no new coronavirus cases in his Kanakapura Assembly constituency in Ramangara district.

“No new COVID cases in Kanakapura taluk and all positive cases have been cured. I thank my constituency’s people who have helped in strictly following the lockdown guidelines in containing the virus spread,” said Shivakumar here.

Kanakapura is about 60 km southwest of Bengaluru on the old Mysuru road.

“We continue to remain vigilant. We are also distributing 30 immunity-boosting tablets to every house,” said the 7-time legislator, considered as the party’s Man Friday and a troubleshooter in the southern state.

Shivakumar’s younger brother D.K. Suresh is the party’s only Lok Sabha member to win in the April-May 2019 for the second time from Bengaluru Rural district.

Shivakumar, 58, took charge as the party’s state unit president on July 2 amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown to revive the party in the state.

The claim of Kanakapura being virus-free came a day after the party’s firebrand leader sought President’s rule in the southern state alleging the ruling BJP government failed to tackle the pandemic, as evident from the spurt in positive cases since July 1 when Unlock 1.0 was allowed and people violated the lockdown guidelines.

“It’s time the BJP government resigns and allows President’s rule in the state, as it has miserably failed to control the COVID cases, which have been surging daily,” Shivakumar told reporters here on Thursday.

Latching on to state Health Minister B. Sriramulu’s observation on Wednesday that “only God can save Karnataka from the pandemic”, Shivakumar said the government’s incompetence had left the citizens at “God’s mercy”.

“Why do we need a government which cannot tackle the pandemic? What Sriramulu said reflects poorly on the BJP government’s ability to handle the situation, which appears to be going out of its control due to its incompetence,” thundered Sriramulu.

Shivakumar’s attack on the nearly year-old BJP government came amid a 9-day lockdown in Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts since July 14 night up to July 22 morning to contain the surging COVID spread.

With a record 4,169 new cases on Thursday, the state’s COVID tally breached the 50,000-mark to touch 51,422, including 30,655 active cases after 19,729 were discharged to date, while 1,032 patients succumbed to the infection, with 104 in the last 24 hours.

Accounting for about 60 percent of the state’s cases, Bengaluru reported a record 2,344 cases on Thursday, taking its overall tally to 25,288, including 18,828 active after 5,952 were discharged with 497 a day ago, while 507 died of the infection, with 70 in the last 24 hours.

In contrast, the Ramanagara district has 396 cases, including 192 active after 195 were discharged so far while only 9 succumbed to the infection.

FIR against Union Minister Shekhawat in audio clip case

TB Team
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FIR against Union Minister Shekhawat in audio clip case

An FIR has been filed by the SOG in Rajasthan against Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and two others on the basis of a complaint by Congress whip Mahesh Joshi soon after three audio clips with alleged conversations on the toppling of the Ashok Gehlot government were released by the ruling party.

Shekhawat has denied any of the tapes has his voice while another BJP leader said the tapes were doctored.

The clips have recorded purported conversation between Shekhawat, Congress MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma, and Jaipur resident and BJP leader Sanjay Jain while discussing plans and actions to topple the Congress government.

The Special Operations Group (SOG) team has been actively following the case with many proofs submitted by the ruling Congress, said officials, adding that the case was also registered against Sharma and Jain.

Joshi said that the party already had “subtle proofs” against the three accused as named in the audio clip. “We are going through the legal route,” he said.

Meanwhile, Shekhawat said: “The voice in the tape is not mine and I am ready for investigation.”

He also said that he is not in touch with Jain and Sharma and added that there are many people going by the name of Gajendra Singh in the state.

Earlier in the morning, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala had called a presser and accused the BJP of trying to topple the Gehlot government by indulging in horse-trading.

Meanwhile, Deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore said that there is no truth in the Congress claims. “All released audio clips have doctored voices,” he added.

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