Page 115 - Congress

PM Modi has no vision to tackle unprecedented unemployment crisis: Cong

The Congress on Thursday claimed the country is grappling with an "unprecedented unemployment crisis" and Prime Minister Narendra Modi "has no vision" to tackle this situation and provide employment to the youth. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared a news article on X that cited a report released by the Bank of Baroda claiming that the growth in employment in the corporate sector slowed to 1.5 per cent in the financial year 2023-24 (FY24) from 5.7 per cent in FY23. "This is another report showing the failure of this government on the economic front. A total of 2.43 lakh jobs have been lost in the country in 2022-23. There has been massive layoffs in 375 companies," Ramesh said in his post in Hindi, citing the report. "The self-proclaimed non-biological Prime Minister talks in a hollow manner about giving two crore jobs every year and creating 80 million jobs every year, but the reality is that the country is grappling with an unprecedented ...

Restoring statehood to J-K is Congress, INDIA bloc's priority: Rahul Gandhi

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said it is the priority of the Congress party and the INDIA Bloc to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. The former Congress president also said it is his party's aim that people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh get their democratic rights back. "It is our priority and also of the INDIA bloc to restore statehood in J-K as soon as possible. We had expected this could be done prior to elections, but it is okay, elections have been declared. It is a step forward and we are hoping that statehood will be restored as soon as possible and the democratic rights of the people of J-K will be restored," Gandhi said at a press conference after an interaction with party workers here. He said it is the first time since Independence that a state has been downgraded to a Union Territory (UT). "This has never happened before. UTs have become states, but it is the first time that a state has become a UT. We are very clear in our nation

Congress willing to forge pre-poll alliance for J-K polls, says Kharge

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday expressed willingness to forge an alliance with other opposition parties for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls and termed BJP's promises to the people of the Union Territory "jumlas". Kharge along with Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday spoke with Congress leaders and workers here to get feedback about the grassroots-level preparations for the assembly polls. "This was the first meeting after the polls were announced... We are here to seek the views of local leaders and workers for polls and alliances. Under Rahul Gandhi's leadership, we have taken the initiative to restore statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. We promise to work towards that," Kharge told reporters here. He said Gandhi was interested in forging a pre-poll alliance in Jammu and Kashmir. "Rahul Gandhi is interested in contesting the polls unitedly with other parties. The INDIA Bloc stopped a dictator from coming to power with an absolute ..

Autumn session of Assam Assembly begins on stormy note, Oppn stages walkout

The autumn session of the Assam Assembly began on a stormy note on Thursday with the entire opposition staging a walkout after the rejection of their three adjournment motions. When their motions were rejected by Speaker Biswajit Daimary, members of Congress, AIUDF, CPI(M) and Raijor Dal went to the Well of the House with placards and shouted slogans in support of their demands. Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia raised the issue of exorbitant charges through smart metres, while Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi wanted to discuss a recent case of the attack on a minor national-level player, and AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam raised the proposal on the restriction of land sale-purchase between two communities. "Electricity is a basic amenity and the public can't be deprived of it. It's also in the concurrent list. The smart metres are charging exorbitant amounts and poor people are suffering. The subject needs urgent attention," Saikia said. Islam said it's the constitutional right of an .

Govt can collect caste-wise data of OBCs by adding extra column: Cong

The Congress on Thursday suggested that the government can collect caste-wise data of the OBC population in the next Census by just adding an extra column as every such exercise since 1951 has been collecting data on the population of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. The opposition party said such a move will give more solid foundation to affirmative action programmes. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared on X a report in The Hindu which said the Union government is yet to take a call on conducting the next Census exercise but active discussion is on to expand the data collection to include caste enumeration. "India has been conducting a Census regularly every ten years. The last such Census was due in 2021. The continuing failure to conduct this 2021 Census has meant that vital information necessary for economic planning and for social justice programmes has not been collected," Ramesh said on X. As a result, for instance, over 12 crore ..

Andhra fire tragedy: Govt must act to avoid future incidents, says Cong

The Congress on Thursday condoled the loss of lives in the terrible fire tragedy in a pharmaceutical factory in Andhra Pradesh's Anakapalle district, and urged the government to take steps to avoid such incidents in the future. A major fire and explosion ripped through a pharma unit in Anakapalle on Wednesday, leaving 17 people dead and 33 injured. The damage could have been worse but due to lunchtime fewer workers were in the plant when the accident occurred. Harrowing scenes unfolded with injured workers -- their skin ripped and peeling off, bodies soaked in blood -- being shifted to hospital in ambulances after the incident occurred at 2:15 pm at Escientia Advanced Science Pvt Ltd. "Deeply anguished by the terrible fire tragedy in a pharmaceutical factory in Anakapalle district of Andhra Pradesh where several people have lost their lives," Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said in a post on X. "Our heartfelt condolences to the grieving families. The government must provide t

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Rahul Gandhi, Kharge on two-day visit to J&K starting from Srinagar

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will be on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir beginning Wednesday for key meetings ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. Earlier the two leaders were scheduled to visit Jammu first and then travel to Srinagar. But now they will start their visit from Srinagar, AICC General Secretary Gulam Ahmed Mir told PTI. Mir, who is camping in Srinagar, said the two will engage in extensive meetings with party leaders and workers in 10 districts of the Kashmir valley on Thursday. After their interaction in Srinagar, they will fly to Jammu in the afternoon to continue their interactions with the cadres of 10 districts of the region. They will thereafter leave for Delhi, he said. "They will take a full feedback about grassroot level preparations for the elections", he said. The visit comes after Congress president Kharge and Gandhi met general secretaries, in-charges and screening committee member

Traffic scene in B'luru getting more distressing every day: Tejasvi Surya

He also called on Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar who is also Bengaluru Incharge Minister to convene an urgent meeting with elected representatives

Why institutions like CCI remained passive as Adani built monopolies: Cong

The Congress on Wednesday questioned the Competition Commission of India over its approval of all acquisitions by the Adani Group, asking why such institutions "remained passive" as the conglomerate built "monopolies" in critical infrastructure sectors, raising prices at consumers' expense. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has reportedly raised concerns that the proposed Reliance-Disney merger could stifle competition. "It is a good time to reflect on how the CCI should have also had the courage to address how the non-biological PM's other favourite business conglomerate is acquiring companies and reducing competition across various industries," he said in a post on X. "The CCI is legally required to approve mergers and acquisitions that exceed a certain threshold. Yet, all acquisitions by the Adani Group have been approved, even as the company builds monopolies in sectors like ports, airports, power, an

Sikkim landslides: Cong flays govt over hydel projs set up without thought

In the wake of landslides in Sikkim, the Congress on Wednesday hit out at the government and said hydel projects in ecologically fragile regions have been coming up over the past few years without giving adequate thought to their cumulative environmental impact. The opposition party also asserted that dams on the Teesta river are the prime example of how ecology is being fundamentally altered with grave consequences for this and future generations. A massive landslide struck east Sikkim on Tuesday, damaging parts of a 510-mw hydroelectric project on the Teesta river. The landslide happened at Dipu Dara near Singtam in Gangtok district around 7.30 am, causing significant damage to the powerhouse of the Teesta Stage V hydroelectric project of the NHPC. In a statement, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said a series of landslide disasters in Sikkim has substantially damaged the Teesta V, a 510 MW hydel power station on the Teesta. This disaster comes o

News highlights: RBI Guv Das rated 'A+' for 2nd consecutive yr in central banker report cards

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Kharge, Rahul to visit Jammu, Srinagar in preparation for Assembly polls

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi will be visiting Jammu and Srinagar on August 21 and 22 for key meetings in preparation for the upcoming assembly elections. The visit comes after Congress president Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi met general secretaries, in-charges and screening committee members of four poll-bound states on Monday. "On 21st and 22nd August, Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge ji and Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi ji will be visiting Jammu and Srinagar for key meetings in preparation for the upcoming assembly elections," Congress general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal said on X. Congress National General Secretary Gulam Ahmed Mir told PTI in Jammu that "Kharge ji and Rahul ji will be visiting Jammu and Kashmir for two days, starting tomorrow. They will arrive in Jammu tomorrow afternoon". Mir said that during their stay, they will engage in extensive meetings with leaders

Bimal Jalan to Raghuram Rajan: 10 key lateral entries in govt before 2014

In a letter to the UPSC, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi firmly believes that the lateral entry process should uphold the principles of equity and social justice

Regulatory failures can damage investor confidence: Cong amid Sebi row

Amid row over Hindenberg's allegations against Sebi chief Madhabi Buch, the Congress on Tuesday said regulatory failures and conflicts of interest may be brazened out briefly but they can cause long-term damage to the sentiment and confidence of investors. The opposition party also said the Indian equity market has so far enjoyed fair weather due to well-regulated markets but any lapse risks destabilising them. Congress general secretary-in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said data released recently reveals that the unique registered investor base of the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) with unique PANs has crossed 10 crore. He said the immediate implication of this is that integrity and transparency in financial markets matter to a large and growing number of Indians, particularly the youth. The median age of these investors is 32 years, and 40 per cent of all investors are below 30 years of age, Ramesh said, citing the NSE. Financial markets function on the assumption

Govt's lateral entry U-turn due to criticism by Oppn in LS, RS: Congress

The Congress on Tuesday claimed that the Centre's move to withdraw the latest advertisement for lateral entry in bureaucracy was due to the criticism by the Leaders of the Opposition in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha -- Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge -- along with others. The remarks came after Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh wrote to Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Chairman Preeti Sudan and asked her to cancel the advertisement so that marginalised communities get their rightful representation in government services. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh tagged Singh's letter and said on X, "A letter from a Union Minister working under a non-biological PM to a Constitutional authority without a date. What pathetic governance this is." "Even so, this is clearly the impact of the criticism of the Leaders of the Opposition in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and others," he said in another post. Reacting to the ...

PM Modi pays tribute to ex-PM Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary

Tributes to our former Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi Ji on his birth anniversary, said PM Modi

Congress remembers former PM Rajiv Gandhi on his 80th birth anniversary

The Congress on Tuesday paid rich tributes to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 80th birth anniversary with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge saying that he ignited hope in crores of Indians and brought India to the 21st century with his "unprecedented contribution". Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi paid floral tributes to his father at his memorial Veer Bhumi here. "A compassionate personality, a symbol of harmony and goodwill... Papa, your teachings are my inspiration and your dreams for India are my own, I will fulfil them taking your memories with me," Rahul Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X. India's youngest prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi held office from 1984 to 1989. He was assassinated by a suicide bomber of the LTTE in 1991. In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge said today the country is celebrating 'Sadbhavana Diwas'. "Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was a great son of India. He ignited a ray of hope in crores of Indians and brought India to the 21st

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Lateral entry UPA-era idea and opposing it hypocrisy, says Centre

BJP ally Chirag slams plan; Cong accuses Centre of 'snatching reservations'