Page 26 - Rajasthan

Temperatures cross 40-degree mark in parts of Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan

Temperatures crossed the 40-degree-Celcius mark in parts of Karnataka, Gujarat and Rajasthan on Wednesday, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warning of heatwave conditions over these places for the next two days. The mercury touched 41.6 degrees Celsius in Bhuj, 41.1 degrees Celsius in Rajkot, 41.5 degrees Celsius in Akola and 41.4 degrees Celsius in Washim. An IMD official said the maximum temperatures were two to three notches above normal over these regions on Wednesday but did not meet the criteria for heatwave conditions. The threshold for a heatwave is met when the maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius in the plains, 37 degrees Celsius in coastal areas and 30 degrees Celsius in hilly regions, with a departure of at least four-and-a-half notches from normal. In a statement, the IMD said heatwave conditions are very likely in isolated pockets over North Interior Karnataka during March 27-29, Saurashtra and Kutch in Gujarat on March ..

LS polls: Over 58,000 voters opt for home voting option so far in Rajasthan

More than 58,000 voters in Rajasthan have so far opted for home voting in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, an official said on Wednesday. For the first phase of the general election, 35,542 people, including 26,371 senior citizens and 9,171 persons with disabilities, have registered for home voting, the state's Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta said. Registration for home voting in the first phase of the polls will be completed Wednesday, he said. Returning officers will share the list of registered home voters with all recognised political parties and candidates by April 1. Booth-level officers are completing the registration process of eligible home voters in all 25 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state, Gupta said. After the names of the candidates for the constituencies are finalised, door-to-door voting will be conducted, he said. "So far, over 58,000 eligible voters have opted to vote from home. These include 43,638 senior citizens and 14,385 persons with disabilities," the

LS polls: Congress fields Vasundhara Raje's 'aide' from Kota in 6th list

Lok Sabha elections: The Congress had named five new candidates for Rajasthan, including a "close aide" of former BJP CM Vasundhara Raje, who joined the party on Thursday

Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam arrives in Rajasthan's Jodhpur

His visit to India comes at a time when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is on a visit to Singapore

Over 1,500 poll code violation complaints from Raj registered on cVigil app

More than 1,500 complaints related to violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) from across Rajasthan have been registered on the Election Commission's cVigil app over the last week, a senior official said on Sunday. Since the MCC came into force on March 16, more than 200 complaints are being received every day on the cVIGIL (Citizen Vigilance) app, said Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta. A total of 1,515 complaints were registered on the app in the last seven days, he said. "Out of the 1,515 complaints received in the last seven days, 546 were found correct by the returning officers and were disposed of within the stipulated time (of 100 minutes). Six complaints are still pending for decision by the investigating teams and returning officers while 789 complaints were dropped," he said. At 241, the maximum number of complaints related to MCC violations were received from Tonk district. Of these, 218 complaints were found true and were resolved within the stipulated time, Gu

Uttarakhand govt to translocate four tigers to Rajasthan, says official

The Uttarakhand government has agreed to translocate four tigers to Rajasthan following a request from the authorities of the western state. The process of selecting the tigers for relocation to Rajasthan has already begun, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) Sameer Sinha told PTI on Saturday. The tigers to be sent to Rajasthan will not be captured from the protected forest area but from the buffer zone, according to guidelines of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), he said A similar request for the relocation of three tigers to Odisha has also been received and it is under consideration, Sinha said. The requests from the Rajasthan and the Odisha governments for the translocation of tigers were received following the successful operation of the tiger relocation project in Uttarakhand under which four big cats were translocated from the Corbett Tiger Reserve to Rajaji Tiger Reserve, the official said. A fifth tiger can be brought from Corbett to the Motic

Green energy firms get Supreme Court nod to use area around GIB habitat

The SC, in April 2021, said the priority habitat area of GIB will remain out of bounds for any construction.

Trade bodies urge Rajasthan govt to make changes in investment policies

The MLUPY scheme provides concessional bank loans to facilitate establishment of enterprises in the state and create employment opportunities

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Rajasthan declares holiday on voting days

A paid holiday has been declared for all workers in private, industrial institutions and government undertakings on the voting day for the Lok Sabha polls in Rajasthan. Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta said that the Rajasthan government has issued a notification in this regard. According to the notification, there will be a holiday in the offices and work places in the 12 Lok Sabha constituencies on Friday, April 19, for the first phase of voting and the 13 constituencies in the second phase on Friday, April 26, so that the voters can exercise their franchise on the said dates. According to Section 135 'B' of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, there is a provision for granting paid leave to employees on the day of voting. This includes people employed in any business, profession, industrial undertaking or any other establishment. Those entitled to vote will be given leave on the day of polling, an official statement said. These provisions shall not apply to voters wh

LS polls: BJP will win all 25 seats in Rajasthan, says Gajendra Shekhawat

Echoing Shekhawat's sentiments, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma underscored the significance of the upcoming elections in shaping a developed India by 2047

Lok Sabha elections 2024: All you need to know about Phase 1 of elections

Lok Sabha polls: As many as 21 states and UTs will go to polls in phase one of the Lok Sabha elections. Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand are among states to have their polls in one go on April 19

Rajasthan govt prepares draft policy to boost exports via ease of doing biz

The draft policy strives to have competitive export logistics in the state for all modes. The focus will also be on skill development programmes to encourage entrepreneurship in the field

SC rejects Adani firm's plea for over Rs 1,300 cr as LPS from Raj discom

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea of Adani Power Rajasthan Ltd seeking over Rs 1,300 crore as late payment surcharge from the Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited, a Rajasthan government-owned power distribution firm. Imposing Rs 50,000 as cost on Adani Power Rajasthan Ltd (APRL), a bench comprising Justices Aniruddha Bose and PV Sanjay Kumar ruled that filing of a miscellaneous application was not the proper legal recourse to late payment surcharge (LPS) by the Adani firm. Relief of this nature (claiming LPS) cannot be asked in a miscellaneous application which was described in the course of the hearing as an application for clarification, the bench said. The cost of Rs 50,000 imposed on APRL will be deposited with the Supreme Court Legal Aid Committee, Justice Bose said while reading out the operative portion of the judgement. The detailed judgement is awaited. The top court, on January 24, had reserved its judgement. The Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (JVVNL), ...

Four coaches of Sabarmati-Agra superfast train derail in Ajmer, no casualty

Four coaches of the Sabarmati-Agra superfast train derailed near the Ajmer station on Monday morning, officials said. No loss of life was reported in the incident that occurred at around 1 am, they said, adding that the express train was on its way to Agra. "The incident took place when the train crossed Ajmer station and it was about to reach Madar station. The reason for the derailment is not known yet," Shashi Kiran, Chief Public Relations Officer, North Western Railway (NWR) Zone, told PTI. "No injury or casualty has been reported. The train movement in the up/down direction towards the Delhi side has already started. We are about to start the services in the Uttar Pradesh direction too," he added. The NWR has set up a helpdesk at the Ajmer station and also released a helpline number -- 0145-2429642 -- for relatives of the passengers travelling on the train, the official said. "Six trains have been cancelled and two trains have been diverted to other routes," Kiran said.

Four coaches of Sabarmati-Agra superfast train derail in Rajasthan's Ajmer

Four coaches of the Sabarmati-Agra superfast train derailed in Ajmer, Rajasthan. No casualties have been reported so far and Ajmer station also issued a helpline number, 0145-2429642

Lok Sabha elections: Key seats to watch in UP, Punjab, Raj, other states

The BJP won all four Himachal Pradesh Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, it is fighting a divided Congress. The seats include these. * Hamirpur: The BJP has fielded Union minister Anurag Thakur from Hamirpur, the Lok Sabha seat he has been winning since a 2008 bypoll. CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and his deputy Mukesh Agnihotri also represent assembly segments in Hamirpur. Five of the six Congress MLAs who recently rebelled against the party were also elected from Hamirpur assembly segments. * Mandi: Members of the region's erstwhile families have tried their luck here. Himachal Congress president Pratibha Singh currently represents the constituency which also sent her husband Virbhadra Singh to Parliament in the past.

Former Congress MP from Alwar Karan Singh Yadav quits party, joins BJP

Former Congress MP from Alwar, Karan Singh Yadav, joined the BJP in Jaipur on Saturday. Along with him, several other Congress leaders also joined the saffron party. Yadav resigned from the Congress' primary membership on Friday after holding senior party leader Bhanwar Jitendra Singh responsible for denial of ticket to him for contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from Alwar. Yadav joined the BJP at the party's state headquarters in the presence of party state president CP Joshi and other leaders.

Rajasthan reduces VAT on petrol, diesel; hikes DA of employees by 4%

The Rajasthan government on Thursday announced a 2 per cent reduction in VAT on petrol and diesel and a 4 per cent hike in dearness allowance of employees and pensioners ahead of the general elections. The decisions will become effective from Friday morning. The government announced a 4 percentage point hike in dearness allowance of employees and pensioners on the lines of the Centre. The decisions were taken in the state cabinet meeting held here on Thursday evening. Speaking with reporters after the meeting, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma said, "There were discrepancies regarding the prices of diesel and petrol in Rajasthan. We have removed this anomaly and have reduced the VAT rate by two per cent." He said that due to two per cent reduction in VAT on petroleum products and steps taken by oil marketing companies, the prices of petrol and diesel will come down in the state. The Chief Minister said that the reduced prices on petrol and diesel will be applicable from 6 am on Fri

Centre approves Rs 114.8 crore to develop MSME sector in Rajasthan

The central government has approved a sum of Rs 114.80 crore for Rajasthan under the Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) programme, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma said on Thursday. The funds will give impetus to MSME enterprises of the state and help enhance their capacity. The funding will also help in meeting the financial needs of micro, small and medium enterprises towards achieving the goals of Developed India-Developed Rajasthan, the chief minister said. The RAMP programme is being run by the Centre for the MSME sector from 2022. Under this, a strategic investment plan was sent by the state to the central government, on which the state has got approval for an amount of Rs 114.80 crore. Industry and Commerce Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said that the funds received under the RAMP programme will help in achieving the goals of the schemes and programmes run by the state and central governments for MSMEs. This will also help in creating a positive environment

Pokhran witness to trinity of India's 'aatmanirbharta': PM at Bharat Shakti

As awestruck spectators watched the 'Bharat Shakti' exercise here in Rajasthan on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Pokhran has become witness to the trinity of India's 'aatmanirbharta', belief and self-pride. The integrated tri-service firepower and manoeuvre exercise was held for about 50 minutes at the Pokhran field firing range where India showcased the prowess of its indigenous defence equipment. Roars of LCA Tejas and ALH Mk-IV filled the air while Main Battle Tank Arjun, and K-9 Vajra, Dhanush and Sharang artillery gun systems ruled the firing ranges on ground. Platforms like Pinaka satellite system and a swarm of drones left the audience spellbound. Prime Minister Modi in his address on the occasion said that "the roar of aircraft mid-air, and valour displayed on ground during Bharat Shakti exercise is the call of a 'new India' (naye Bharat ka aavhan hai)". He recalled that it was at Pokhran that the India's nuclear test was conducted in the past. "Pokhran has be