Page 2163 - Politics
Finance ministry likely to seek more funds for state-run banks on Thursday: official
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's finance ministry is likely to seek approval from parliament for additional funding for state-run banks on Thursday, Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg said.
BJP sweeps mayoral elections in Haryana
Ruling BJP on Wednesday swept the mayoral elections in five cities in Haryana, with Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar terming it as an endorsement of the policies and development agenda of the government by the people. The party's mayoral candidates from Hisar, Karnal, Panipat, Rohtak and Yamunanagar registered emphatic wins. Though opposition Congress did not contest these polls, some of its leaders extended support to independents. The INLD-BSP combine, which was contesting some of the mayoral seats on party symbol, faced a severe beating and was even behind the independents. It was the first time that mayors of the five municipal corporations were elected directly. Earlier, the councillors used to elect the mayor. Also the Haryana Election Commission had decided to treat 'none-of-the-above' or NOTA option as a "fictional candidate", making it must for winning candidates to secure more votes than those cast for NOTA. In case, NOTA would have got more votes, the election would have
Over 2 lakh Indians repatriated from 68 countries in last four years: MEA
Over 2 lakh Indians have been repatriated from 68 countries in the last four years, with the highest number of 95,606 Indian nationals being sent back from Saudi Arabia, the Lok Sabha was told Wednesday. Responding to a question in the Lower House, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh said the total number of Indian nationals in distress repatriated by missions or posts from May 2014 to May 2018 is 2,08,186, including those rescued from 96 countries. Loss of passport, landing in a country due to flight diversions, stuck due to natural calamity or terror attack, and abuse by foreign employer are among the reasons of distress causing the repatriation, Singh said in a written reply. The highest number of Indians were repatriated from Saudi Arabia at 95,606, followed by Malaysia at 31,830 and Qatar at 9,236, he said.
NITI Aayog's Vice Chairman takes swipe at Rahul for 'farm loan waiver' tweet
NITI Aayog vice chairperson Rajiv Kumar on Wednesday slammed Congress president Rahul Gandhi for criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi over farmer loan waiver issue asserting that "Gandhi's (state) governments should do their work, others will do theirs."Rejecting Congress president's tweet on farm loan waiver, Kumar defended the Narendra Modi-led central government saying, "I am sorry to say but things do not work according to Rahul Gandhi. The work that this government (NDA government) has done for the welfare of farmers has never been done earlier by any other government".Recounting the work done by the ruling dispensation, the NITI Aayog vice chairperson said, "None other government dared to implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Committee report. This government raised credit for farmers to Rs 10.50 lakh crore and introduced a crop insurance scheme in it. In my opinion, Rahul Gandhi to comment on this issue is completely useless. Rahul Gandhi's government should do ..
BJP deputes Gehlot to assess reasons behind party's electoral defeat in MP
Gehlot, a senior leader from the state, will hold deliberations with the state leaders of the party in Bhopal and present his report to BJP President Amit Shah, sources said here on Wednesday.The issue of Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly will also be discussed by Gehlot, the Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, with the state leaders, the sources said.The BJP, which ruled the state for 15 years consecutively, lost power in the elections whose results were declared on December 11.In the 230-member Assembly, the BJP managed to get 109 seats while the Congress won 114 seats.The Congress, which got support from two-member BSP and one-member Samajwadi Party, formed the government headed by Kamal Nath.The assessment of causes of defeat in the Assembly elections is crucial for the party as it would have to address the deficiencies before the Lok Sabha polls due by May next year.After failing to cross the majority mark in the Assembly elections, the BJP had decided against ..
Bulandshahr was a political conspiracy, says Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said that the Bulandshahr violence was a conspiracy by those who have lost political ground and want to communalise the atmosphere."The Bulandshahr incident was a political conspiracy by those who are losing their base. It is done by those who want communal riots through cow-slaughter and are also involved in manufacturing spurious liquor and killing innocent people," said Adityanath while speaking to reporters on the first day of Uttar Pradesh Assembly's winter session."They are cowards and they cannot face any challenge from the front. Seeing that they are losing their ground they hatched Bulandshahr conspiracy," he added.The chief minister was reacting to the criticism his government is facing in handling the Bulandshahr violence in which two people, including a police officer, were killed on December 3.The Uttar Pradesh administration arrested 17 people in connection with the violence but the main accused in the cop's ...
Jammu and Kashmir to come under President's rule from midnight
President's rule will come into force in Jammu and Kashmir from midnight Wednesday after expiry of six months of Governor's rule, an official order said Wednesday. President Ram Nath Kovind signed the proclamation paving the way for imposition of central rule in the state which plunged into a political crisis in June after the BJP withdrew support to the PDP government led by Mehbooba Mufti. The union cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the decision on Monday after Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik sent a report recommending imposition of President's rule in the state. After the proclamation, the powers of the Legislature of the state shall be exercisable by or under the authority of Parliament. Since the state has a separate Constitution, in such cases, six months of governor's rule is compulsory under Article 92 of the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution, under which all the legislature powers are vested with the governor. The governor on November 21 dissolved ...
Govt to seek interim dividend from RBI, says Garg
Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg Wednesday said the government will seek interim dividend from the Reserve Bank of India. He also said that the expert committee on Economic Capital Framework has virtually been finalised. "Hopefully soon, it will be announced," he said on the sidelines of an event here. On a question whether the government will make an additional capital infusion in the public sector banks, Garg said, "Yes...wait for supplementary demand for grants expected tomorrow.
Deputy CM's brother sacked from AIADMK for 'anti-party'
: The ruling AIADMK Wednesday sacked its coordinator and Tamil Nadu deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam's brother O Raja from the party for alleged anti-party activities. The decision to sack Raja, a former panchayat body chief hailing from Theni district, was announced by Panneerselvam and Joint Coordinator K Palaniswami. Palaniswami is the Chief Minister of the state, while Panneerselvam is his deputy. The two leaders, in a short statement, said that Raja has been sacked from all posts, including the AIADMK's primary membership. The action was taken "for going against the party's policies and bringing disrepute to it," they added. "From today onwards, Raja is being removed from all posts, including the primary membership," they said. Raja had violated party discipline, the two leaders said and urged AIADMK workers not to have any contact with him.
100 days not enough to plan for no-deal Brexit: UK business groups
British business groups on Wednesday criticized lawmakers for focusing on disputes and said a no-deal Brexit scenario in 100 days' time would be catastrophic for the economy.
Some people in BJP need to speak less, says Gadkari
Some people in the BJP need to speak less, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said here Wednesday. Politicians in general need to be more economical while speaking to media, the senior BJP leader said during an interaction at the Republic Summit. Asked what prompted the BJP to hold as many as 70 press conferences in a day on the Rafale jet purchase issue, Gadkari said, "We have so many leaders, and we so like to speak before the (TV journalist's) boom, so we have to give them some work." Gadkari recalled a scene from Bollywood film "Bombay to Goa" (1972) where parents of a voracious child cover his mouth with a piece of cloth to stop him from eating. "There is a need for such a cloth (to be put on the mouth) for some people in our (party)," the BJP leader said. Asked if people who needed such a "gag order" included those who talked about the caste of Hanuman or Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's gotra, Gadkari said he was "joking". Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had ...
Congress protests outside Raj Bhawan, seeks jobs for unemployed youth
Accusing the previous PDP-BJP government of failing to provide jobs to the educated youngsters of the state, the youth wing of the J&K Congress Wednesday protested outside Raj Bhawan here. Led by Jammu and Kashmir Youth Congress (J&KYC) president Pranav Shagotra, the protesters submitted a memorandum to Governor Satya Pal Malik, highlighting the alleged misdeeds of the People's Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janata Party (PDP-BJP) regime. They alleged that the alliance government had "shamelessly" promoted corruption and nepotism in the state and also criticised the Governor for "setting a wrong precedent" by making political appointments. "It is now an open secret that credibility of J&K Public Service Commission has taken a hit... Its inner system has rotten to such an extent that the institute has lost its sacrosanct image," the memorandum said. The purpose of setting up the J&KPSC stands defeated due to rampant corruption, favouritism and nepotism, it added. The ...
Ten killed in Ethiopian blast
Ten people were killed and one was injured when their minibus was struck by a roadside bomb in a troubled region of western Ethiopia, local television reported Wednesday. The blast occurred on a highway near the border between the regions of Oromia and Benishangul Gumuz, the pro-government EBC channel reported, quoting regional security official Kemal Endris. Dozens of people have died and nearly 100,000 have been displaced by violence in the border zone. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has received international praise for his reformist agenda since coming to power in April. However, he is grappling to contain a wave of inter-communal violence in several parts of the country, mostly over land.
BJP accuses Cong of failing to fulfil promise to waive farm
: The Karnataka BJP Unit Wednesday accused the Congress of failing to keep up its poll manifesto promise of waiving farmers' loans even after the lapse of six months since its coalition government with JDS was formed. "6 months on & loan waiver is not a reality in Karnataka. Eventually, farmers of MP, Rajasthan & Chhattisgarh will know about your lying skills. Press statements & tweets don't really mean loans are waived off. Btw @RahulGandhi waiving off loan isn't like getting gold from potato's," the state partyunit tweeted. The remarks come in the wake of AICC President Rahul Gandhi's statement that the Congress had waived farmers'loan and would do so in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, where the party had won assembly elections. "CM, Madhya Pradesh, waives farm loans. 1 done. 2 to go," he had tweeted on December 17. Soon after winning the elections in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Chief Ministers Kamal Nath and Bhupesh Baghel announced waiving farmers' ...
India reiterates support for peace on Korean peninsula
India on Wednesday reiterated its support for peace and stability in the Korean peninsula following the Ninth India-Korea Joint Commission Meeting co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha.
Bulandshahr violence 'political conspiracy', says Yogi
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said the mob violence in Bulandshahr on December 3 -- which left two including a police Inspector dead -- was a "well-hatched political conspiracy".
1,557 Indians released from Pak prisons, 318 Pakistanis freed from Indian jails in last 4 years: MEA
As many as 1,557 Indians have been released from various prisons of Pakistan whereas a total of 318 Pakistanis were freed from Indian jails in the last four years, the Lok Sabha was told Wednesday. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, in reply to a question in Parliament, said a total of 174 Indian fishermen were released from Pakistan in 2018 (as on December 13) while 28 Pakistani fishermen were released in India in the same year. In 2018 (as on December 13), four Indian civilian prisoners were released by Pakistan while 21 Pakistani civilian prisoners were released by India, she said. A total of 508 Indian fishermen were released from Pakistan in 2018 (as on December 13) while 60 Pakistani fishermen were released from India in the same year, Swaraj said. In 2017, seven Indian civilian prisoners were released by Pakistan while 60 Pakistani civilian prisoners were released by India, she said. A total of 410 Indian fishermen were released from Pakistan while 9 Pakistani fishermen ..
Deadlock over Rafale continues in Parliament (Roundup)
The deadlock in Parliament over Rafale fighter jet deal continued on the seventh consecutive day as the Congress stalled the proceedings over its demand for a JPC probe on which the government kept mum, saying it was ready to discuss the controversial deal.
100 days to Brexit: EU acts to cushion no-deal shock
With British politics gridlocked and just 100 days until Brexit, the European Union on Wednesday triggered contingency plans designed to cushion some of the shock of a "no-deal" UK exit from the bloc. The EU measures, announced a day after Britain ramped up its own no-deal planning, are intended to alleviate "major disruption" to people and businesses in sectors including financial services, customs, air transport and climate policy. European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis told reporters that the plan was "an exercise in limiting damage." He said the aim was "to turn an abrupt exit into a more soft landing." Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, but it remains unclear whether lawmakers will approve the divorce agreement Prime Minister Theresa May's government has negotiated with the bloc. Leaving without a deal risks plunging the British economy into recession and touching off chaos at the borders. The 14 EU actions include temporary one- to two-year measures to ...
Nobody needs Rahul's advice, says Minister
Reacting to Congress President Rahul Gandhis jibe that it was time for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to wake up on farmers issues, Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Wednesday said nobody needs Gandhis advice.