Tag: Govt

Telangana govt orders state-wide inspection of all piggery farms to check for cruelty

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Hyderabad: Telangana director of animal husbandry has directed all district veterinary and animal husbandry officers/member secretaries of the District Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to instruct field-level officers to keep a check on the usage of gestation and farrowing crates in the piggery farms in Telangana.
This happened after the department received a representation from Mercy For Animals India Foundation, a press note from the organisation said.
The letter directs the District Societies for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of all districts to ensure compliance with Section 11(1)(e) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, which states that any person who “keeps or confines any animal in any cage or receptacle which does not measure sufficiently in height, length and breadth to permit the animal a reasonable opportunity for movement” is punishable by fine or imprisonment.
“Pregnant and nursing pigs confined in gestation and farrowing crates don’t have enough space to even turn around,” said Niharika Kapoor, the organising coordinator at Mercy For Animals India Foundation. “As a result, the pigs suffer bone degeneration and show signs of extreme stress, including biting the metal bars of the crates,” she added.
After appeals from Mercy For Animals India Foundation and other groups, more than 16 states—including Delhi, Bihar, Goa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Manipur, Mizoram, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Sikkim, West Bengal, and Punjab—have already prohibited the use of gestation and farrowing crates, the press note stated.
A right-to-information response furnished by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) National Research Centre on pigs states that gestation and farrowing crates severely restrict movement and hence violate Section 11(1)(e) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. ICAR referred to a demi-official letter dated January 2014 to all veterinary universities and the National Research Centre on Pigs advising against the use of gestation crates in universities or research facilities. ICAR also cited the Directorate of Animal Husbandry, Punjab, which had issued directives to district officers to ensure that no gestation crates are used in the state.
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#Telangana #govt #orders #statewide #inspection #piggery #farms #check #cruelty

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 17, 2023
Karnataka govt to build Ram temple in Ramanagara: CM Bommai

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Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday announced a ‘majestic’ Ram temple will be constructed at Ramadevara Betta (hill) in Ramanagara district near here.
The Chief Minister also said Anjanadri hill in Koppal district, which is believed to be the birthplace of Lord Anjaneya (Hanuman), a detailed project has been formulated involving various works at an estimated cost of Rs 100 crore to provide basic facilities for tourists and a tender has been invited.
He also said that in the next two years, a comprehensive development and renovation drive of various temples and Maths will be undertaken by the government with an expenditure of Rs 1,000 crore.
“A majestic Rama Mandira will be constructed in Ramadevara Betta of Ramanagara,” Bommai, who also holds the finance portfolio, said while presenting the 2023-24 budget in the Assembly.
Ramanagara district in-charge Minister C N Ashwath Narayan had in December last year urged Bommai to constitute a development committee to build a temple at Ramadevara Betta on the lines of Sri Ram temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.
In a letter to Bommai and Muzrai Minister Shashikala Jolle, he had demanded that Ramadevara Betta should be developed as the ‘Ayodhya of South India’.
The Ram temple should be built using 19 acres of space that belong to the Department of Muzrai at Ramadevara Betta, Narayan had said.
Stating that there is a strong belief among the people of the region that Sugriva had installed Ramadevara Betta, Narayan in his letter had said, “Considering the religious feelings of the people of the district, it should be developed as a heritage and attractive tourist spot. This would enable us to portray our culture as well as nurture tourism.”

“They also believe that seven great sages did their penance here. In addition, this is a prominent vulture conservation area in the country.”
The traditional connection between Ramadevara Betta and the epic Ramayana dates back to the era of Tretayuga, he had said in the letter.
According to the state’s Tourism Department, Ramadevara Betta is situated 50 kilometres away from Bengaluru, and the famous Hindi blockbuster ‘Sholay’ was shot on this picturesque hill.
Ramanagara, part of Vokkaliga-dominated Old Mysuru region, is not considered among the BJP’s strongholds. Assembly elections are due in Karnataka by May this year.
While Ramanagara is the home district of state Congress President D K Shivakumar, it is also the ‘karma bhoomi’ of JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy. While the latter is MLA from the district’s Channapatna segment, his wife Anitha Kumaraswamy represents the neighbouring Ramanagara seat.
Kumaraswamy is seeking re-election from Channapatana, while his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy will be facing polls from Ramanagara.
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#Karnataka #govt #build #Ram #temple #Ramanagara #Bommai
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 17, 2023
Adani row: George Soros says ‘Modi will have to answer’, Govt calls it ‘attempt to break Indian democracy’

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After billionaire investor George Soros foretold that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would “have to answer questions” as a result of Indian business tycoon Gautam Adani’s recent stock market woes, Union Minister Smriti Irani urged Indians to stand as one against “foreign powers who try to intervene in India’s democratic processes.”
“The man who broke the Bank of England, and is designated by the nation an economic war criminal, has now pronounced his desire to break Indian democracy. George Soros, an international entrepreneur, has declared his ill-intention to intervene in democratic processes of India,” the fiery BJP leader said.
George Soros wants a govt that is pliable to his needs is more than evident from his statement. That he has announced funding of over a billion dollars to target leaders like PM Modi is significant. Every 5 yrs we elect a democratic govt: Smriti Irani, BJP pic.twitter.com/TATWcjmp4a
— ANI (@ANI) February 17, 2023
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#Adani #row #George #Soros #Modi #answer #Govt #calls #attempt #break #Indian #democracy
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 17, 2023
BJP govt can also abolish Article 371A: Cong’s Jairam Ramesh in Nagaland

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Kohima: Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday said the signing of the framework agreement for a solution to the Naga Political Issue was an outcome of years of painstaking negotiations led by governments of his party but the details of it are known by no one.
Addressing a press conference here, he appealed to the people of the state to show the door to those who have made hollow promises and talk of “double-engine” government that does not have any tracks.
“On August 3, 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the signing of the framework agreement for the resolution of the Naga Issue, and this was welcomed as everybody, and the Congress particularly, wants peace, social harmony and development in Nagaland. But eight years have gone by and we are still waiting for the details of what the agreement was,” said Ramesh.
“Based on the years of political contact made by the Congress (with leaders of Naga groups) since the mid-1990s, finally in 2015, the framework agreement was signed,” he said.
The priority of the successive Congress governments was to bring peace back to Nagaland without which neither the administration nor economic activity would be successful, he said.
Maintaining that the BJP-led government at the Centre abolished Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, Ramesh said a government that can do away with Article 370 can also abolish Article 371A, which provides for certain special provisions for Nagaland.
Congress created Nagaland and introduced Article 371A in Constitution to protect, preserve and promote the interest of the people of the state, he said.
“This is a very important election in the history of Nagaland and an opportunity to reject the forces which made false promises in 2018, and an opportunity to put trust and confidence in a party that respects and celebrates India’s many diversities,” Ramesh said.

Development has come to a complete halt in the last five years in the state, while corruption has increased astronomically, he alleged.
Asked about the prospects of the Congress’s 23 candidates contesting the February 27 election to the 60-member assembly, Ramesh said he was hopeful of a government in which the Congress will have a very important role to play.
Congress does not have any members in the present assembly.
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#BJP #govt #abolish #Article #371A #Congs #Jairam #Ramesh #Nagaland
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 16, 2023
Parliamentary panel asks govt to define fake news, seeks response on fact checking

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New Delhi: A high-level Parliamentary panel has asked the government to broadly define the term “fake news” and has also sought its response on the need for various fact-checking units (FCUs) in the country.
Noting that “fake news” is becoming a disturbing trend in the country, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communication and Information Technology has disapproved of the government’s silence on the matter.
The comments from the panel have come just days after the government decided to extend the timeline for consultations of its plan to take down information which is marked as “fake” by the FCUs of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
The extension came amid protests from all quarters against the move.
The Parliamentary panel’s observations have been made in its action taken report on “Ethical Standards in Media Coverage”, submitted in Parliament by the panel last week during the Budget session.
In the light of false or fake news becoming a disturbing trend in India, the committee has also sought to know from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, whether it intends to have such FCUs for countering misinformation in general.
The panel has also expressed its disappointment over the ministry’s silence on its earlier recommendation of using latest technologies like Artificial Intelligence, considering existing expertise in non-government agencies and to study the anti-fake news laws of countries like Australia, Malaysia and other democracies for developing some legal provisions.
It noted that “the ministry’s reply is silent on all these aspects and they submitted merely the statutory and institutional mechanisms for preventing spread of fake news existing for print media, TV channels and digital news publishers”.

However in the light of rapid spread of fake news due to latest technologies and its impact on the citizens, the committee has recommended that “there is always a scope for learning from the expertise of non-government organisations in the field and for studying anti-fake news laws of other countries so as to have some legal provisions for curbing fake news in the country”.
It has thus asked the Ministry to provide action taken in this direction along with the initiatives taken for utilising latest technologies such as Artificial Intelligence for intervening and checking fake news in near real time.
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#Parliamentary #panel #asks #govt #define #fake #news #seeks #response #fact #checking
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 16, 2023
Pak govt drops another inflation bomb; petrol up by Rs 22

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Islamabad: The Pakistan government under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif dropped another bomb of inflation on the masses on Thursday as it jacked up petrol price by Rs 22.20 per litre and increasing gas price by at least 124 per cent, plunging the already inflation-hit people into further stress and struggle.
As per the latest notification issued by the government effective from Thursday, the prices of petroleum products were revised as follows:
MS (petrol) revised to Rs 272.00 a litre, high-speed Diesel (HSD) price revised to 280.00 litre, kerosene oil (SKO) price revised from Rs 189.93 to Rs 202.73 and light diesel oil revised from Rs 187.00 to Rs 196.68, all effective from Thursday.
The decision came weeks after the government increased prices of petroleum products by Rs 35, a decision undertaken two days before the scheduled revision of prices.
Sources in the Finance Ministry said that the decision has been taken to manage the depreciation of Pakistani rupee against the US dollar, since an artificial cap on the local currency was removed and the rupee value was allowed to decide its value as per the market-based currency exchange rate.
Moreover, the government has also jacked up sale prices of gas on the advice of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), increasing the gas sale price from 16.6 per cent to at least 124 per cent for categories of consumers of the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC).
To add more to the misery of the locals, the revised prices of gas have been put to effect from January 1, 2023, leaving the masses shell-shocked and clueless as to how the latest inflation bomb will further damage their lives.
The Pakistan government is forced to take these decisions as it continues to engage with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a desperate effort to get its ninth review of the IMF EFF (Extended Funding Facility) approved and release of $1.1 billion, for which IMF has demanded implementation of tough pre-conditions if Islamabad wants to revive the IMF programme.

Pakistan is currently at the lowest level in terms of its foreign exchange reserves, which stand at just over $2 billion, enough to meet only three weeks of imports.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had earlier expressed his anger at the IMF for not approving Pakistan’s ninth review and had stated that if the IMF team does not visit Pakistan, he doesn’t not care, adding that Pakistan would handle the situation from elsewhere.
However, with all other countries, including China, linking their financial support to Pakistan with the revival of the IMF programme, Pakistan is left with no other option but to nod to all the tough demands of the IMF, which include multi-decade high inflation of at least 27 per cent and rising.
As virtual talks with the IMF team continue, Pakistan government has also laid a supplementary finance bill aka ‘mini-budget’ before the Parliament for debate and approval, proposing to raise the goods and services taxes (GST) from 17 per cent to 18 per cent, which Dar said would help raise at least Rs 170 billion in extra revenues during the current fiscal year ending July.
The finance bill also proposes increase in taxes on luxury items to at least 25 per cent. Moreover, it also proposes price hike for air travel, cigarettes and sugary drinks etc., which has been widely questioned and criticised by the coalition partners of the government and the opposition benches.
But analysts say that Pakistan has no other option but to accept all the demands of the IMF and revive the funding programme to save the country from bankruptcy, which under the current situation seems eminent.
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#Pak #govt #drops #inflation #bomb #petrol
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 16, 2023
Mehrauli demolitions: Delhi govt approves ‘immediate aid’ to families made homeless

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New Delhi: In the wake of the Delhi Development Authority’s recent demolition drive in south Delhi that rendered many homeless, the Delhi government on Thursday approved a proposal to provide ‘immediate aid and relief’ to affected families.
Highlighting the severity of the situation, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has approved a proposal to provide affected families with tents, food, blankets, and other essential supplies. The file is now pending with LG V.K. Saxena for the approval.
Delhi Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot had sent a proposal to Chief Minister seeking to address the concerns of the affected families, who had lost their homes on Wednesday. In the proposal, he apprised the CM of the recent developments that had taken place in the matter so far.
The DDA had initiated a large-scale demolition drive in the Ladha Sarai village under the pretext of a disputed demarcation of the Mehrauli Archaeological Park. The move left hundreds of persons without shelter or basic amenities.
However, opposing the move by the DDA, the Delhi government intervened to stop the demolition and ordered a fresh demarcation of the disputed area through orders of Revenue Minister Gahlot.
Meanwhile, LG Saxena on Tuesday directed the Delhi Development Authority to stall the ongoing demolition drive in these villages till further instructions.
“The decision came after a delegation of residents of these villages met the LG and sought relief from the demolition drive while citing the anomalies in the demarcation of land in these areas, that was carried out by the AAP Government in 2021”, a statement from LG Secretariat had said.

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#Mehrauli #demolitions #Delhi #govt #approves #aid #families #homeless
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 16, 2023
2.26 Lakh People Visited 131 Public Libraries In J&K During Last Year: Govt

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JAMMU: Secretary Culture, Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah today took an extensive tour of Shri Ranbir Singh Library here and took stock of facilities being provided to the public there.
He held an extensive tour of the library and visited different sections of the public library viz reading room section, children section, Raja Ram Mohan Roy Section, automation, reference section etc.
On the occasion, he also interacted with the students who visit the library regularly, and enquired about the facilities being provided there.
He also asked the students for suggestions and the requirements, if any, to make the library better and smooth access for them.
During his visit, he was informed that last year 2.26 lakh people visited the 131 public libraries of Jammu and Kashmir.
During the tour, he was accompanied by Special Secretary, Trishala Kumari; Director Libraries & Research, M Rafi; Deputy Secretary Culture, Abdul Qyume and other officers.
The secretary highlighted the need for certain transformative changes in the department to better serve the public in this digital age and to diversify these public libraries to address the needs of today’s library members.
He also suggested exposure visits and trainings to the staff and officials of Libraries Department in order to enhance the personal and professional level skills for effective delivery of library and information services.

The secretary underlined the adoption of new technology in the Department of Libraries & Research which would eventually increase the efficiency and effectiveness of day-to-day library work and services and added that information technology interventions in public libraries would help the readers’ services also.
Shah urged the officers to make the public libraries attractive to youngsters by focusing on youngsters and youth engagement by drawing them towards libraries of Jammu and Kashmir.
He said that youngsters can be attracted to these libraries by employing several steps like by offering diverse lineup programmes, organizing public library trips for school students by and providing cutting-edge technology.
He also suggested increased public participation by opening invitations to all stakeholders for sharing ideas which can be implemented and asked people to post their suggestions on [email protected] in order to make library experience better and beautiful for all age groups.

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#Lakh #People #Visited #Public #Libraries #Year #Govt
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

February 16, 2023
Policy Pursued By J&K Govt Is Anti-Poor: Dr Farooq Abdullah

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SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference President and Member of the Parliament from Srinagar on Thursday said the narratives of peaceable calm, development and prosperity peddled by the government doesn’t reflect the reality on the ground.
This he said while addressing people at Habbak today. Party’s Provincial President (Kashmir) Nasir Aslam Wani was also present on the occasion.
Interacting with the workers, Dr Farooq said, “Three years on, there is little to show of a revitalised administration, increased job opportunities for our educated youth and infrastructure augmentation. There is pervasive rage among people, stemming from misgovernance, and unaccountability. Claims of changed ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir emanating from the government are a bundle of lies to whitewash the devastating impact of the GoI’s August 5, 2019 decisions on the people and economy of the erstwhile state.”
Dr Farooq said such claims are akin to running salt into the wounds of people of J&K, who are being denied democracy and not trusted with a popular government, whose democratic rights have been crippled and whose exclusive rights over land, jobs and natural resources stand liquidated.
Dr Farooq further said, “The hard earned gains of our governments during its successive governments in terms of bridging building people’s trust in government has received a setback. The anti-poor, anti-trader and anti-consumer policies being pursued by the incumbent administration have further increased the wedge between the administration and people.”

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#Policy #Pursued #Govt #AntiPoor #Farooq #Abdullah
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

February 16, 2023
Govt Orders Premature Retirement Of Two Officers

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SRINAGAR: In its endeavor to make the Administration more efficient and transparent, the Jammu and Kashmir government on Thursday ordered premature retirement of 02 officers, one each belonging to Prison Department and Transport Department respectively.
These officers conducted their duties in ways which were unbecoming of public servants and in violation of the established code of conduct.
The exercise was conducted as part of regular process of scrutiny of records of employees, who cross age/service period in terms of Article 226(2) of J&K CSRs.
Out of these retirees, the officer belonging to Prison Department was found involved in wrongdoings while performing his duties during his services career and had remained ineffective in discharging the assigned duties besides, had doubtful integrity. The other officer belonging to Transport Department was found involved in a serious criminal case for acquiring disproportionate assets and had doubtful integrity with inefficient performance during his service career.
According to the recommendations of the Review Committee, the performance of these employees was found unsatisfactory and their continuation in the government service was found against the public interest.
During the recent past, as part of its zero tolerance policy towards corruption, various employees have been dismissed from service on account of official misconduct, after rigorously following departmental proceedings against them. Many cases are under scrutiny with the Empowered Committees constituted for consideration of cases under Article 226(2) of J&K CSRs. Further, many employees have also been terminated from service on account of anti-national activities.
Meanwhile, the government has also initiated several measures for human resource development of its employees in Jammu and Kashmir which includes timely promotion of eligible employees leading to smooth career progression, fast tracking the recruitment process through recruiting agencies and abolishing of interviews for most of the non-gazetted vacancies referred to the Services Selection Board. The Government is also contemplating institutionalization of referral of vacancies to recruiting agencies so that recruitments start in month of April every year in accordance with defined calender.

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#Govt #Orders #Premature #Retirement #Officers
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

February 16, 2023