Page 175 - Politics
Four youths who wanted to cross LoC to join militancy arrested
Four youths, who wanted to cross the Line of Control (LoC) to join militant ranks, were taken into custody in Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir and later handed over to their families, the Army said Saturday. Addressing a press conference in north Kashmir's Baramulla district, Commander 79 Mount Brigade Girish Kalia said the youths were taken into custody by the Army near the LoC on Friday and were handed over to their respective families on Saturday. He said the Army had received information that they were going to join the path of violence after being "misguided" by local militants and their accomplices. "We acted swiftly to prevent them from choosing the wrong path and apprehended them along the LoC in Limber area of Boniyar on Friday," he said. The Army officer said the youths were handed over to their respective families after proper counselling. He appealed to the youths to not get misguided by the propaganda of militants.
J-K govt to organise 'Back to Village' programme to reach out to people at grassroots level
Ina first-of-its-kind, the Jammu and Kashmir government has embarked on an ambitious initiative to reach out to the people at the grassroots level through a programme named as 'Back to the Village', an official spokesman said here on Saturday. He said the programme is being organized from June 20-27 across all panchayats of the state. To describe the contours of the programme, Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam on Friday held a marathon meeting here at the Civil Secretariat with the Administrative Secretaries, the spokesman said. He said the Divisional Commissioners of Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh besides Deputy Commissioners and Heads of various departments participated in the meeting through video conferencing. Specifying the objective of the programme, the chief secretary said 'Back to the Village' programme will focus on four main goals viz energizing panchayats, collecting feedback on delivery of government schemes/programmes, capturing specific economic potential and undertaking ...
By-elections to six Rajya Sabha seats on July 5: EC
The Election Commission on Saturday announced by-elections to six Rajya Sabha seats on July 5 which fell vacant as the sitting members were elected to the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies in the April-May 2019 elections.
Doctors' stir: Oppn asks Mamata to apologise
Opposition parties of West Bengal Saturday attacked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for "not being serious" about resolving the situation arising from the protests by junior doctors and asked her to apologise to them. The BJP, the Congress and the CPI(M) blamed Banerjee for the ongoing crisis in the state's health sector and accused her of being more interested in scoring political brownie points rather than diffusing the tension. "From the very beginning she was adamant. It is due to her arrogance and ego that the situation has snowballed into such a crisis. Had she been serious about resolving it, she should have apologised and accepted all the demands of the doctors, which are justified," BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha said. The agitating junior doctors have demanded an unconditional apology from the chief minister for her remarks at the SSKM Hospital on Thursday. She alleged that outsiders had entered medical colleges to create disturbance and that the agitation as a handiwork .
High-powered panel for structural reforms in agriculture: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced a high powered committee, comprising Chief Ministers, to recommend structural reforms in agriculture, while urging the states to contribute in making India a $5 trillion economy by 2024.
Kejriwal rakes up Delhi statehood issue at NITI Aayog meeting
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday raked up the issue of full statehood to Delhi at the NITI Aayog meeting here and also sought the Centre's cooperation in the AAP government's project for natural storage of water in the Yamuna flood plains. "Delhi be given the status of full statehood, which has been promised since decades but denied by successive central governments," the chief minister was quoted as saying in the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party had made the full statehood issue its poll plank in the recent Lok Sabha election, saying it has been unable to carry out its schemes effectively in Delhi due to the Centre's interference. "Delhi government wants Centre's cooperation in its mega-project for natural storage of water in the Yamuna flood plains. Important studies, including from IIT Delhi, show in case this is done, water storage during a single Monsoon will be sufficient to end water shortage in Delhi for two years," the ...
Syria flare-up kills 35 fighters, 10 civillians: monitor
At least 10 civilians and 35 combatants, mostly pro-regime forces, were killed Saturday in clashes and air strikes that erupted at dawn in northwestern Syria, a war monitor said. The flare-up came as Russian-backed regime forces tried to retake two villages seized by jihadists and allied rebels earlier this month, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "Since this morning, the Syrian regime and allied fighters have launched five failed attempts to regain control of Jibine and Tal Maleh in northwestern Hama province," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. Syrian regime air strikes killed nine jihadists and rebel fighters, the war monitor said. Ensuing clashes in the north of Hama province left 26 pro-regime forces dead, including eight who were killed in a mine explosion, the Observatory said. In neighbouring Idlib, regime air strikes killed 10 civilians, including three children, the Observatory said. The strikes hit the towns of Maaret al-Numan and Al-Bara as .
Explosion hits 'military zone' in Damascus: state
An explosion hit a military zone in the Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday, state media reported. "The blast heard in Damascus is a result of an explosion in a military zone in Mashrou Dummar", a western suburb, state news agency SANA said. The source of the explosion was not immediately clear.
JD(S) MLA resigns as chaierperson of legislature committee
Causing much embarrassment to the Congress-JD(S) ruling coalition, senior JD(S) legislator A T Ramaswamy has resigned as chairperson of the Karnataka legislature committee on government assurances, upset over the 'inaction' in a land grabbing case. Stating that his 'conscience' was not allowing him to continue, the Arkalgud MLA, in his resignation letter to the legislative assembly Speaker, said that not taking action on a serious issue, despite being assured of it when he raised the matter in the assembly, was regrettable. "It has caused me much pain that no action was taken by the government on an illegality raised by me as the chairperson of the government assurances committee," he said in the June 14 dated letter. Ramaswamy was referring to a issue he raised during the Belgavai assembly session about a case where about 310 acres of government land at BM Kaval in Bengaluru South taluk was transferred to private parties. The Revenue Minister had conceded that the case .
Derek O'Brien, Sudip Bandyopadhyay to represent TMC in Sunday's all-party meet
TMC leaders Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Derek O'Brien will represent the party at the all-party meeting in the Parliament on Sunday (June 16).Bandyopadhyay is TMC's Parliamentary Party Leader in Lok Sabha and O'Brien is the party's Parliamentary Party Leader in Rajya Sabha.The all-party meeting will be convened by the government on June 16, a day before the Parliament's first session after the constitution of the new government at Centre.After the all-party meet, a meeting of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders will take place in the Parliament later in the evening to discuss strategies for the upcoming session.BJP parliamentary party executive committee meeting will also be held in the evening later that day.The BJP registered a landslide victory in the Lok Sabha elections, winning 303 seats in the 543-member Parliament. The Congress mustered only 52 seats, eight more than it had won in 2014 polls.The first session of the 17th Lok Sabha will be convened from June 17 to July 26 ...
Mamata appeals to doctors again, says ESMA won't be invoked
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday again appealed to the agitating junior doctors in the state to end their strike, assuring them that her government would not invoke ESMA (Essential Services Maintenance Act) against them.
Doctors turn down Mamata's appeal to return to duty
Agitating junior doctors Saturday turned down Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's appeal to end their stir and resume duty, saying there was no honest effort on her part to break the deadlock. "We are eagerly waiting to rejoin our duty, but from the Chief Minister's side there is no honest initiative to find a solution (of the ongoing problem)," a spokesperson of the joint forum of junior doctors told reporters after CM appealed to protestors to return to work. The agitating junior doctors also rubbished Banerjee's claims that a few of their colleagues visited her at the state secretariat. "What CM has told in the press conference is not at all true. No junior doctor went to meet her. What she claimed that we are against the solution and conversation...But we want her to come to the Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital listen to us and take necessary steps to serve the ailing people," he said. Earlier, Banerjee, while addressing the press at the state secretariat, left it ...
Rivals for British PM take aim at Johnson
The six contenders vying to become Britain's next prime minister held a leadership hustings on Saturday with rival candidates aiming their fire at frontrunner Boris Johnson. The men battling for the leadership of the governing centre-right Conservative Party spoke at a central London hotel ahead of a week of voting that will whittle them down to two. The contenders were warming up their arguments ahead of a 90-minute televised debate on Sunday although Johnson is sitting it out, claiming direct bickering between them will be counter-productive. Johnson, who will be given an empty podium in the Channel 4 programme, will take part in a BBC debate on Tuesday. Conservative MPs whittle the contenders down to two through successive rounds of voting before the 160,000 grassroots party members pick the winner in a postal ballot. Johnson topped Thursday's first round with 114 votes, ahead of Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on 43 and Environment Secretary Michael Gove on 37. Former Brexit ...
Rahul Gandhi should get married to become stronger: Ramdas Athawale
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Saturday gave a piece of advice to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, saying that the 48-year-old leader should get married to become "stronger."Athawale's advice to Gandhi came in response when asked what the Congress chief should do to strengthen the party after facing a poll debacle in recent Lok Sabha elections."Rahul Gandhi should get married. After getting married, he will become stronger. Rahul Gandhi is a friend of mine. He worked hard during polls," Athawale said.However, Gandhi had earlier declared that he was married to the Congress party when asked about his marriage many times.The Congress had won 52 seats, which is just eight more than 2014 general elections.After this, Gandhi, who became the party president in 2017, offered to step down from his post at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on May 25, taking the moral responsibility for the Congress' abysmal performance in the 17th general elections.However, his resignation offer ..
Water, electricity crisis: Delhi Cong to organise demonstrations in 70 Assembly Constituencies on June 18
Delhi Congress will organise demonstrations in all the 70 Assembly constituencies in Delhi on June 18 to protest against alleged power cuts and water shortage in Delhi.In a statement, Delhi Congress said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi has failed to address these issues, and therefore, called for demonstrations.DPCC working presidents Haroon Yusuf, Rajesh Lilothia and Devender Yadav will lead the protest.According to the Congress, DPCC president Sheila Dikshit has invited all the Residents' Welfare Associations of Delhi to join the demonstration."People are harassed and fed up with the power and water shortage in these peak summer days. There is not only a severe shortage of water but also the water is not potable," said Yusuf.The Congress informed that a delegation of the DPCC, led by Dikshit, had met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday and drew his attention to the alleged power and water shortage in Delhi, seeking urgent remedial measures.
EC announces bypolls to six RS seats
The Election Commission Saturday announced bypolls to six Rajya Sabha seats on July 5, including the one vacated by BJP chief Amit Shah following his election to the Lok Sabha. Notifications will be issued on June 18 and elections and counting of votes will be held on July 5. In a statement, the commission clarified that the vacancies for bypolls to all Houses, including the Rajya Sabha, are considered "separate vacancies" and separate notifications are issued and separate polls are held, though the schedule can be the same. It cited two Delhi High Court rulings of 1994 and 2009 which had supported the system of holding separate bypolls in the same state under provisions of the Representation of the People Act. The Congress had demanded that the bypolls to the two vacant seats in Gujarat be held together as it felt that it could win one of the two Rajya Sabha seats vacated by Shah and Union minister Smriti Irani. The Congress felt that in case of separate elections, the BJP would have
Investors want to open lantern factories in MP now: Shivraj
Taking a dig at the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh over power cuts, former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said Saturday that investors now want to open lantern and inverter factories in the state. The BJP has been targeting the state government claiming that there are frequent power outages in many areas. "We (the previous BJP government) ended the era of inverters (which are used as power back-up). The sale of lanterns and chimneys also ended," Chouhan said. He was speaking to reporters here after returning from Delhi where he took over his new assignment as national convener for the BJP's membership campaign. "But many people want to open inverter, lantern and chimney factories in MP now....people are not getting electricity so they have to buy inverters," he said. He also alleged that corruption is rampant under the Congress rule, "money is being charged for everything" and welfare schemes for the poor are being closed. The law and order situation has ...
9 Lankan Muslim ministers who quit likely to reconsider decision on request of Buddhist leaders
Nine Sri Lankan Muslim ministers, who resigned recently in the wake of growing anti-minority sentiments in the country following the Easter suicide bombings, are likely to rejoin their office on the request of chief Buddhist prelates. Along with the nine ministers, two provincial governors from the minority community also resigned on June 3 to allow the Lankan government to investigate allegations against some of them on links to an Islamist extremist group blamed for the deadly terror attack that claimed 258 lives. "There will be a meeting on June 18 to reconsider our positions since we have been asked to return to our ministerial positions," AHM Haleem, who was one of the ministers to quit, told reporters here on Saturday. Haleem, who was the Minister of Posts, said the ministers are reconsidering their decision after the chief Buddhist prelates urged them to return to the government. There are 19 Muslims lawmakers in the 225-member Parliament and nine of them held Cabinet, state ...
CM skips NITI meet, busy with project inauguration on June 21
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao did not attend the NITI Aayog meeting in Delhi Saturday as he is understood to be busy with preparations for the inauguration of the Rs 80,000 crore Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project on June 21. Rao travelled to Mumbai Friday and invited his Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis for the inauguration. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy would also be invited, a release from the chief minister office had earlier said. TRS sources said Rao could not attend the NITI Aayog meeting as he was busy with the Kaleswaram inauguration with a series of meetings lined up. He had attended the NITI Aayog meetings earlier, they said. The Kaleswaram project across the Godavari river, which flows through Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, aims at meeting drinking water requirements of about 80 per cent of districts in the state, besides the farm sector and industries. The foundation stone for the project was laid ..
Gadkari assures Kerala, TN, Uttarakhand of full cooperation to expedite highway projs
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari Saturday assured Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand of all cooperation in expediting highway projects. The chief ministers of the three states had called on the Road Transport, Highways and MSME Minister to discuss infrastructure and ongoing highways projects in their respective states. "The Chief Ministers discussed the ongoing highway and infrastructure projects in the states. We have assured full cooperation to them," Gadkari said after the meetings. The minister said he had asked states to expedite land acquisition in the states, especially Kerala where ongoing projects have been stuck. Earlier, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and V Muraleedharan, MSEA called on Gadkari Saturday to discuss the progress of on-going road and infrastructure projects in the state. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K Palaniswami also met the minister to discuss the issues.