Page 2183 - Politics
Maldives President Solih pays tribute to Mahatma Gandhi
Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and First Lady Fazna Ahmed paid tribute to Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi.The leader participated in the wreath-laying ceremony at the Rajghat here on Monday.Solih, who is on a two-day official visit to India, met External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj to discuss bilateral ties between the two South Asian countries.Earlier in the day, the Maldives President also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Hyderabad House.India and Maldives have agreed for enhanced bilateral cooperation in the field of visa arrangements, agri-business and culture.The two countries exchanged the documents of agreement here on Monday in the presence of Prime Minister Modi and Maldives President Solih.The Maldives President is also scheduled to hold separate meetings with President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President Venkaiah Naidu at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Monday. On December 18, Solih will undertake a visit to Agra and then emplane for the Maldives.
Kamal Nath signs farmers' loan waiver file
Loans of up to Rs two lakh of Madhya Pradesh farmers will be waived, with Chief Minister Kamal Nath Monday signing a file to the effect. The move follows a promise by Congress president Rahul Gandhi during the poll campaign that if people of Madhya Pradesh voted for Congress, then they would implement farmers' loan waiver within 10 days of coming to power. Nath was sworn in as the state's 18th CM Monday. After Nath signed on the file pertaining to waiving off farmers' loans of up to Rs two lakh, Principal Secretary, Farmers' Welfare and Agriculture Development Department, Rajesh Rajora issued the loan waiver order. The order said: Madhya Pradesh Government has taken a decision to write off short-term crop loan of eligible farmers up to the limit of Rs two lakh, as on March 31, 2018, from nationalised and cooperative banks.
Govt mulling creating industrial node in abandoned BGML land
: The Karnataka government Monday informed the assembly that it was mulling creating an industrial node in association with the Centre in about 12,000 acres of abandoned land ofBharat Gold Mines Limited in Kolar Gold Fields. Industries Minister K J George stated this during question hour in response to a question by KGF MLA M Roopa. George said a meeting was held on November 13 under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister on creating the node, akin to the Tumakuru industrial node under the Chennai-Bengaluru industrial corridor, in association with the union government. At the meeting, it was decided that the Commerce and Industries department would negotiate with the Ministry of Mines regarding the transfer of unencumbered clear vacant land to the state government to develop the industrial node. A committee, led by the Commissioner for Industrial Development, Director (Mines and Geology) and Deputy Commissioner, Kolar, has been asked to obtain a 'clear report' in four ...
Hungarians continue to rally against 'slave laws'
About 10,000 people have been rallying over the weekend in the Hungarian capital here against new labour laws, which have been labelled "slave laws" by opponents, media reported.
Cong leader blames Modi govt for ban on Indian notes in Nepal
Senior Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad Monday blamed the "arrogance" of the NDA government for Nepal's ban on currency notes of denominations higher than Rs 100 and demanded that urgent steps be taken to resolve the issue. The ban was causing great inconvenience to the people living along the Indo-Nepal border, the former Union minister said. "Our relations with Nepal have been under strain on account of the immaturity and poor understanding of diplomatic matters of the current dispensation. It started with (PM Narendra) Modi's address to Madheshis during his visit to Janakpur," he told reporters here. Madheshis are Nepalese citizens of Indian origin. "The minister for external affairs offended the people of Nepal by saying Modi had addressed Indians living in Nepal. Historically, Nepal has never been a part of India. The Madheshis may have much in common with us in terms of customs but they are, nevertheless, Nepalese citizens," Ahmad said. He claimed that there were protests in the ...
1984 anti-Sikh riot injustice hangs around Congress, Gandhi family's neck: Jaitley
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said that the injustice in 1984 anti-Sikh riots hangs around the neck of Congress party and Gandhi family, who allegedly provided a cover-up to the guilty."The 1984 injustice hangs around the neck of both of the Congress party and the Gandhi family which ensured that no justice is done to the victims of 1984. Instead of ensuring punishment to the guilty and justice to the victims, the Congress government repeatedly indulged in a cover-up exercise," he said here on Monday, while talking to media persons.It is worth mentioning that Delhi High Court on Monday reversed the trial court's verdict of 2013 and convicted and awarded lifer to former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, one of the accused in 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases."For many of us who are witnesses to what happened in Delhi in 1984, it was perhaps the worst kind of genocide. Finally, the cover-ups are being defeated and the judgment of Delhi High Court is an extremely welcome development," he ...
1984 anti-Sikh riots: Harsimrat demands action against Gandhi family
Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Monday demanded that action be taken against the Gandhis, alleging that the family extended political patronage to the perpetrators of the 1984 Sikh massacres.
Jitendra Singh asks Rahul Gandhi to apologies for spreading 'misinformation' on Rafale deal
Union minister Jitendra Singh Monday said Congress president Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the people of the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the armed forces after the Supreme Court "exposed his lies" on the Rafale jet deal. Addressing a press conference here, Singh said the Congress chief should reveal his source of information for allegations regarding the fighter jet deal and his party should give answers to the people of the country. The Union minister was speaking as part of the BJP's move to hold press conferences in 70 cities across the country to attack the opposition party against the backdrop of the Supreme Court's verdict on the Rafale jet deal last week. "The Supreme Court has exposed their lies," the minister said, adding Congress's "misinformation" regarding Rafale jets' pricing, procedure and offset partner, has been exposed. He claimed Gandhi led this "misinformation campaign" from the front. "So, question arises that after Supreme Court's verdict, should .
KTR takes over as TRS working prez
K T Rama Rao, the son of TRS chief and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, took over as the party's working president on Monday, a move seen by many as his virtual anointment as the heir apparent. Amid much fanfare, Rama Rao, popularly known as KTR, assumed the new responsibility at Telangana Bhavan, the party headquarters here. State Home Minister Mohammad Mahmood Ali, and senior leader and the chief minister's nephew, T Harish Rao, were among those present. Thousands of party workers, holding placards and some dancing to drumbeats, took part in a rally led by Rama Rao to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) headquarters. The activists hailed Rama Rao, who had held key portfolios in the first TRS government, as a "visionary" leader. The 42-year old, who was considered as the number two in the party for the past couple of years, had played a key role in the thumping win of the TRS in the recent Assembly polls. Rama Rao said the party president had given him an important ...
Congress trying to avoid debate over AgustaWestland deal: Yogi Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday accused the Congress of playing with the country's security and said that the opposition party is shying away from a debate in Parliament on the AgustaWestland and other defence deals signed during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime.
India, Maldives to deepen Indian Ocean security cooperation, increase trade (Intro Roundup)
India and the Maldives on Monday agreed to deepen cooperation to maintain peace and security in the Indian Ocean region as New Delhi extended lines of credit worth $1.4 billion to to the archipelago nation following delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih here.
Paris government to rush through concessions for 'yellow vests'
The French government is set to rush tax cuts and a rise in the minimum wage through parliament in a bid to end the "yellow vest" protests which appear to be waning after a month of disruption. The measures announced a week ago by President Emmanuel Macron will be discussed at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday and put to the National Assembly and the Senate for votes before Christmas, officials said. But in the meantime, the protesters must dismantle their road blocks, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said Monday, warning that "we can't continue to paralyse the French economy. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has acknowledged that the concessions, worth some 10 billion euros ($11.3 billion), would mean France will breach the public deficit cap of 3% of gross domestic product set by EU rules. "We accept that there will be a small increase in the deficit because of more rapid tax reductions," Philippe said in an interview in the financial newspaper Les Echos on Monday. "But we are ...
Brazil's Embraer says it has finalised deal terms with Boeing
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil's Embraer said on Monday it had finalised the terms of a proposed deal to sell 80 percent of its commercial aviation business to Boeing.
Truce in Yemen's Hodeida due to start Tuesday after new clashes
A ceasefire in Yemen's battleground port city of Hodeida and its surroundings will start on Tuesday, a UN official said, after renewed fighting threatened the hard-won accord struck in Sweden. The deal announced on Thursday between Yemen's Saudi-backed government and the Huthi rebels included an "immediate ceasefire" in Hodeida, whose Red Sea port serves as a crucial gateway for humanitarian aid. The UN official, who requested anonymity, told AFP that the delay to the halt in hostilities until midnight (2100 GMT) on Monday was necessary for "operational reasons". Yemen's Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani, who led the government's delegation to the peace talks, also told state-run television late Sunday that the ceasefire would begin at midnight Monday. Residents in Hodeida and the surrounding areas have reported fierce fighting and air strikes in recent days, as clashes continued between Saudi-backed government forces and the Iran-aligned Huthis. At least 29 fighters, including 22 ...
Metro-5 is being pushed with eye on 2019 polls: NCP legislator
NCP leader and legislator Jitendra Awhad Monday said the BJP government in Maharashtra has organised the foundation stone laying ceremony of Mumbai metro's fifth line with an eye on the 2019 elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will Tuesday lay the foundation stone for the Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan metro-5 line. Awhad said the BJP-led government in the state and the Centre are showing undue haste in pushing with the Rs 8,416 crore 24.9-km long corridor. Addressing a news conference here, the MLA from Kalwa- Mumbra constituency in Thane district said the corridor has been planned by the government in such a way that it overlooks the transport needs of a vast population. He said the government has been giving a "step motherly" treatment when it comes to providing facilities to the people of Kalwa, Mumbra and Diva areas of the district. The metro-5 corridor should have been on the Kalwa- Mumbra-Shil Phata route to better serve population in these areas, Awhad said. The entire
Congress rakes up Gujarat riots over Sajjan Kumar's conviction
Stating that conviction of party leader Sajjan Kumar in an 1984 anti-Sikh riots case should not be politicised, the Congress on Monday raked up the 2002 Gujarat riots demanding punishment for BJP leaders alleged to be involved in the communal violence that claimed over 1,000 lives.
Sachin Pilot, a suave leader with easy connect (Profile, Lead)
Sachin Pilot, who played a crucial role in Congress' return to power in Rajasthan, is a suave, urbane and charismatic leader who is equally at ease with rural masses as in TV debates.
Rupani urges Patnaik to implement Ayushman Bharat
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Monday urged his Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik to implement the central government scheme of Ayushman Bharat.
Sailo to be elected Mizoram assembly speaker unopposed
The ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) legislator Lalrinliana Sailo would be elected unopposed as Speaker of the new Assembly on Tuesday, an official said. Sailo, a former minister in the previous Congress government, is the only candidate to file nomination till 3.30 pm Monday, the deadline for doing it, Assembly secretary S R Zokhuma said. Protem Speaker Lalrinawma would conduct the Speaker's election after oath taking of newly elected legislators is concluded, he said. The 49-year-old Sailo had quit the Congress and the assembly on October 3 and joined the MNF. He was elected to the Assembly for four consecutive terms since 2003 and was a cabinet minister keeping portfolios like health and trade and commerce. Election of deputy speaker would be held on Thursday, the third and last day of the first session of the eighth state assembly. Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan would deliver his customary address in the assembly on Tuesday, the first day of the session. The motion ..
Lies of Rahul Gandhi on Rafale issue have been exposed: Smriti Irani
Union minister Smriti Irani Monday alleged the "lies" of Congress president Rahul Gandhi on the issue of Rafale deal have been exposed and accused the opposition party of trying to malign the country's defence establishment. Addressing a press conference here, Irani said the Congress chief should reveal his source of information for allegations regarding the fighter jet deal and his party should give answers to the people of the country. The Union minister was speaking as part of the BJP's move to hold press conferences in 70 cities across the country to attack the opposition party against the backdrop of the Supreme Court's verdict on the Rafale jet deal last week. "The lies of Congress and its party president Rahul Gandhi has been exposed. Rahul Gandhi should reveal his source of information. In the matter of national security, efforts have been made to malign the country internationally. "Under whose inspiration, the Congress party had conspired to ensure that India does not get ...