Tag: govts

Manipur in flames due to failure of ‘double engine’ BJP govts of state, Centre: Cong

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New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday blamed the “double engine government” of the BJP at the Centre as well as in Manipur for allegedly failing to prevent the ethnic violence in the state which led to the loss of many lives.
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the party is deeply concerned over the tragedy in Manipur and alleged that the situation proves the gross “callousness, negligence and casualness” of the state government and the “inactivity” of the central government.
Speaking at a press conference here, he said the basic question is that we are very concerned at the hateful, hostile and horrid conditions we find in Manipur, adding that the sensitive north-eastern border state is up in flames.

“It reflects the state government’s and the central government’s ‘double engine lawlessness’, ‘double engine statelessness’ and ‘double engine shamelessness’. It shows that Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government is badly devoid of qualities of statecraft, stateliness, and statesmanship.
“It has led to a sad, sordid saga of provoked communities and castes against each other with such a vital and sensitive state up in flames. How did it happen… one major contributory factor, little noticed, has emerged from yesterday’s hearing in the Supreme Court,” he told reporters.
Violent clashes broke out in the northeastern state after a Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in 10 hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, leading to the deaths of at least 54 people.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal valley. Tribals Nagas and Kukis constitute another 40 per cent of the population and live in the hill districts.
The clashes were preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land which had led to a series of smaller agitations since February this year.
Singhvi said the apex court put a very candid question on why the state government did not tell the High Court of a 23-year-old judgment of the constitution bench of the Supreme Court that such notifications and approvals, such inclusions of STs cannot be done by state government or state high courts and can only be done by a presidential notification.

“Why was this not the preliminary objection of the state government in the course of the hearing in the Manipur High Court? The first sentence from their mouth ought to have been that this proceeding should not go on, because we, the State Government have no such power, no such jurisdiction. It is settled in a two-and-half decades ago judgement.
“If this was not so, does it not reflect the utter callousness, casualness, possibly the complicity of the state government? Who will be accountable for that? Who will be accountable for this gross negligence, resulting in the loss of precious lives and this great alarming situation in Manipur?” Singhvi asked.
The Congress leader further said that while the central government has brought several ST-related bills in the last two sessions of Parliament, including during the winter and budget sessions, but no attention was paid to the Manipur ST issue.
“If so many other bills or STs are coming, surely this should have been addressed. Who is responsible for this action?” he asked.
“Clearly responsible for this inaction leading to dangerous consequences… is the failure of the ‘double engine sarkar’. It is a ‘double engine’ sarkari failure,” he asserted.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, citing a report quoting the chief justice of India, said, “In light of what the CJI has said — it is astonishing what a single judge of the Manipur High Court did, triggering such a human tragedy!”.
“But the ideological brotherhood, its henchman in Manipur, and his masters at the Centre cannot escape their responsibility,” he said on Twitter.
Ramesh cited the news report that quoted the CJI saying that the high court does not have the power to direct changes in the Scheduled Tribes list and asked why a constitution bench verdict of 2000 noting that courts do not have power to “add or subtract” the ST list was not “shown” to the Manipur High Court.
Concerned over the huge loss of life and property, the Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre and the Manipur government to step up relief and rehabilitation efforts for those hit by the violence in the north-eastern state, besides protecting places of worship, many of which were targeted during the mayhem.
Manipur Chief Minister Singh said 60 people have been killed, 231 injured and 1,700 houses, including religious places, burnt in the violence.
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#Manipur #flames #due #failure #double #engine #BJP #govts #state #Centre #Cong
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 9, 2023
Telangana Junior Panchayat Secretaries to continue strike despite govt’s ultimatum

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Hyderabad: Junior Panchayat Secretaries in Telangana are determined to continue their strike for the regularisation of their services despite the state government’s warning that their services will be terminated if they fail to join duty on Tuesday.
In a notice served to the Junior Panchayat Secretaries (JPSs), Panchayat Raj Principal Secretary Sandeep Kumar Sultania said that they formed a union in violation of their agreement bond and went on strike.
The official said that as per the agreement, JPSs should not join any service union or organisation or association. The employees also declared that they would not have any claim or right to be appointed on a regular basis.

“The regularisation of service of any contract employee cannot be for all, but will be subject to the assessment and evaluation of their performance by a committee appointed by the government and those whose performance is found to be satisfactory can only be regularised,” Sandeep Sultania said.
Stating that JPSs went on strike illegally, Sultania said they lost all rights to continue in the services.
“As a last opportunity, you are directed to join duty by 5 p.m. of Tuesday. If you fail to join duty by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, your services will be terminated,” he added.
However, the JPSs, who are on strike since April 28, said they would continue the strike till the government gives a categorical assurance to them.
There are about 9,500 Junior Panchayat Secretaries in the state. They were recruited through Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) on three-year probation and the probation period was further extended by one year.

They are demanding that the state government fulfill the assurance given by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao in the state Assembly that their services will be regularised.
“We want job security. We are not against the government. Our demands are justified,” said a striking JPS.
“Even if the government regularizes our services there will be no financial burden on it. We are receiving Rs 29,000 salary as consolidated pay and after deductions like EPF we will get 26,000,” said another striking employee.
The strike by JPSs is having an adverse impact on various services in villages, causing hardships to people. They play a crucial role in village sanitation, drinking water supply, greenery work, in addition to issuing important certificates such as birth, death, marriage, and residence.
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#Telangana #Junior #Panchayat #Secretaries #continue #strike #govts #ultimatum
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 9, 2023
Govts to Big Tech: Create responsible AI first and then make it public

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New Delhi: The generative AI era came fast. However, the government scrutiny into Big Tech on AI came much faster to promote responsible innovation and risk mitigation as AI chatbots begin to worry lawmakers and regulators worldwide.
The governments feel that companies have a fundamental responsibility to make sure their AI products are safe and secure before they are deployed or made public.
In the US, Vice President Harris and senior Administration officials met with CEOs of four American companies at the forefront of AI innovation this week to share concerns about the risks associated with AI.

President Biden dropped by the meeting to underscore that companies have a fundamental responsibility to make sure their products are safe and secure before they are deployed or made public.
Harris told top Big Tech CEOs, including Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella, Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI (ChatGPT fame), that the private sector has an ethical, moral, and legal responsibility to ensure the safety and security of their products.
She stressed that in order to realise the benefits that might come from advances in AI, “it is imperative to mitigate both the current and potential risks AI poses to individuals, society, and national security”.
“Every company must comply with existing laws to protect the American people. I look forward to the follow through and follow up in the weeks to come,” Harris said.
She told the CEOs that advances in technology have always presented opportunities and risks, and generative AI is no different.

“AI is one of today’s most powerful technologies, with the potential to improve people’s lives and tackle some of society’s biggest challenges. At the same time, AI has the potential to dramatically increase threats to safety and security, infringe civil rights and privacy, and erode public trust and faith in democracy,” she stressed.
Meanwhile, the UK’s competition watchdog this week launched an initial review of “AI foundational models” like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Bing and Google’s Bard, saying the move will help create an early understanding of the market for AI models and what opportunities and risks these could bring.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the initial piece of work will help create competition and consumer protection principles to best guide the development of AI-driven markets going forward.
“AI has burst into the public consciousness over the past few months but has been on our radar for some time. It’s a technology developing at speed and has the potential to transform the way businesses compete as well as drive substantial economic growth,” said Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA.
“Our goal is to help this new, rapidly scaling technology develop in ways that ensure open, competitive markets and effective consumer protection,” she added.
In a white paper, the UK government in March asked regulators, including the CMA, to think about how the innovative development and deployment of AI can be supported in line with the 5 overarching principles of: safety, security and robustness; appropriate transparency and explainability; fairness; accountability and governance; and contestability and redress.
In line with the government’s AI white paper and the CMA’s role to support open, competitive markets, the review seeks to understand how foundation models are developing and produce an assessment of the conditions and principles that will best guide the development of foundation models and their use in the future.
The development of AI touches upon a number of important issues, including safety, security, copyright, privacy, and human rights, as well as the ways markets work.
The Indian government also wants Big Tech to create a responsible and ethical AI.
“AI is a kinetic enabler of the digital economy and innovation ecosystem. Government is harnessing the potential of AI to provide personalized and interactive citizen-centric services through digital public platforms,” according to the Ministry of Electronics and IT.
Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, has broadly outlined the IndiaAI programme and how it will help the country build world-class platforms, solutions and tools to not only solve local issues but also help the world.
“We aim to build commercially deployable AI platforms and solutions, developed by a vibrant startup ecosystem in the country which is our primary goal,” according to the minister.
India aims to become a global powerhouse of AI which does not just stop at integrating foreign chatbots but building next-generation AI-based innovations to empower billions of citizens.
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#Govts #Big #Tech #Create #responsible #public
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 8, 2023
‘Won’t notify till..’: Centre after Kunal Kamra’s plea against govt’s fact checking unit

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Mumbai: The Union government told the Bombay High Court on Thursday that it will not notify till July 5, 2023, a fact-checking unit to identify fake news against the government on social media under the recently amended Information Technology Rules.
A division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Neela Gokhale accepted the statement and said since the amended rules would be inoperable in the absence of a fact-checking unit, no urgent hearing was required on stay of the rules as sought by stand-up comic Kunal Kamra.
The bench posted the petition filed by Kamra, challenging the constitutional validity of the rules, for hearing on June 8.
Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, appearing for the Union government, told the HC that the fact-checking unit would not be notified till July 5, 2023 so that the court could hear the matter in June when it reopens after the summer vacation.

Kamra’s counsel Darius Khambata insisted the court hear the matter for interim relief on Thursday itself and argued that the rules would continue to have a chilling effect irrespective of whether the fact-checking unit was notified or not.
The bench, however, said the rules would not be operable till the unit was set up or notified.
“The rules, as it currently stands, are sterile or inoperable without this fact-checking unit or committee. Whether once the unit is notified it would have a retrospective effect or not is something that needs to be seen at that stage,” the high court said.
Justice Patel in a lighter vein said if it is Kamra’s contention that he is going to be putting up some remark or comments or satire and may face action later then he should probably “take a holiday”.
“Take the summer off. If somebody chooses to be chilled then that is up to them,” Justice Patel quipped.
The bench also permitted Kamra to amend his petition to challenge the competence of the executive on the issue.

On April 6, the Union government promulgated certain amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, including a provision of a fact check unit to identify fake or false or misleading online content related to the government.
Kamra, in his petition, claimed the new rules could potentially lead to his content being arbitrarily blocked or his social media accounts being suspended or deactivated, thus harming him professionally.
He has sought that the court declare the amended rules as unconstitutional and give a direction to the government to restrain from acting against any individual under the rules.
The Union government in its affidavit filed in court last week reiterated that the “role of the fact check unit is restricted to any business of the central government, which may include information about policies, programmes, notifications, rules, regulations, implementation thereof, etc”.
“The fact check unit may only identify fake or false or misleading information and not any opinion, satire or artistic impression. Therefore, the aim of the government regarding the introduction of the impugned provision is explicitly clear and suffers from no purported arbitrariness or unreasonableness as alleged by the petitioner (Kamra),” the Centre’s affidavit had said.
As per the amendments, intermediaries such as social media companies will have to act against content identified by the fact check unit or risk losing their safe harbour protections under Section 79 of the IT Act.
“Safe harbour” protections allow intermediaries to avoid liabilities for what third parties post on their websites.
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#Wont #notify #till. #Centre #Kunal #Kamras #plea #govts #fact #checking #unit
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 27, 2023
Atiq, Ashraf have not been killed without govt’s intention: SP’s Sambhal MP

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Sambhal: Samajwadi Party MP Shafiq-ur-Rehman Barq on Sunday hit back at Uttar Pradesh minister Dharampal Singh over his remarks that the opposition got Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf killed, saying the murder did not happen “without the government’s intention”.
Speaking to reporters here, the Sambhal MP said, “The entire country knows how the murder took place and who got it done. They (Atiq and Ashraf) were in police custody. It was their (government’s) responsibility, and it did not happen without their (government’s) intention. They are trying to hide it, and on the contrary putting the blame on the opposition.”
Barq, 92, said that the court could have given Atiq Ahmad the capital punishment or any other punishment. “We would not have any objections. But, this time, the duo (Atiq and Ashraf) have not been killed without their (government’s) signal.”

UP minister Singh on Saturday alleged that the opposition parties got gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf killed, fearing that the duo would reveal their secrets.
Gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad (60) and Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists on the night of April 15 while police personnel were escorting them to a medical college in Prayagraj for a check-up.
They were brought to Prayagraj from Gujarat and Bareilly prisons for interrogation in connection with the killing of Umesh Pal and his two police security guards earlier this year.
“The truth is that the opposition is involved in getting Atiq killed. Some serious secrets were about to be revealed, that’s why the opposition got him murdered,” Singh, the state animal husbandry and dairy development minister, had said.
The three assailants of Ahmad were arrested by the police after the murder. The UP government has constituted a three-member judicial commission to probe the matter.

Sambhal district will go to polls in the first phase of the urban local body elections, where voting will be held on May 4.
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#Atiq #Ashraf #killed #govts #intention #SPs #Sambhal
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 23, 2023
SC slams Karnataka govt’s call to scrap 4% Muslim quota

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The Supreme Court slammed the Karnataka government’s decision to scrap the 4% Other Backward Classes (OBC) Muslim quota on Thursday, stating the action is based on “absolutely fallacious assumptions.”
“The Karnataka government’s decision to increase 2% quotas for Vokkaliga and Lingayat each while eliminating the 4% OBC quota for Muslims appears to be shaky and flawed,” the Supreme Court remarked.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the state government, told the Supreme Court that no admission or appointment will be made on the basis of the notification till the next date of hearing on April 18.

Last month, the Karnataka government abolished the 4% OBC reservation for Muslims and reallocated it evenly among the strong Vokkaliga and Lingayat populations. Muslims who qualify for quotas are now classified under the economically weaker sections (EWS).
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#slams #Karnataka #govts #call #scrap #Muslim #quota
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 13, 2023
Telangana: Uttam slams BRS & BJP govts for ‘neglecting’ farmers’ plight

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Hyderabad: Nalgonda MP and senior Congress leader N Uttam Kumar Reddy expressed strong concerns about the ‘unfulfilled’ promises made by the BRS government and the BJP-led Central government towards Telangana’s farmers.
He was speaking to media persons after inaugurating the Paddy Procurement Centre of Singaram Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society in the Huzurnagar constituency on Wednesday.
Uttam Kumar Reddy took both governments to task for failing to deliver on assurances such as a Rs 1 lakh loan waiver and a crop insurance scheme for Telangana farmers. He voiced his disappointment over the unpaid Rythu Bandhu dues for farmers with holdings above 10 acres and Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s (KCR) ‘forgotten promise’ of free fertilisers.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2016 promise to double farmers’ income by 2022 has fallen significantly short of expectations. Not only has the income failed to double, but when taking inflation into account, farmers’ income has actually decreased,” he said.
The Congress MP alleged that the Modi government has further burdened farmers by imposing GST on agricultural equipment and input materials. Additionally, despite falling international crude prices, the price of diesel has increased by over 60%, adding to farmers’ woes, he said.
“Initially, the goal was to increase farmers’ household incomes from an average of Rs 8,050 per month in 2015-16 to Rs 21,146 by 2022. Unfortunately, the country is far from reaching this target, and many farmers claim that farming has become unprofitable in the current situation,” he said.
Uttam Kumar Reddy argued that the BRS government’s inability to waive off crop loans up to Rs. 1 lakh has left most farmers unable to secure fresh loans from banks. He pointed out that, despite knowing from 2014-2018 that crop loan waiver schemes do not benefit farmers if divided into different phases, the BRS government repeated the act, splitting it into six to eight phases. So far, Reddy said, crop loans up to Rs. 35,000 have been waived.
“At this pace, it would take the BRS government another five years to completely waive off the remaining loans,” he added.

The MP added that more than 8,000 farmers have committed suicide since 2014, with fewer than 80 receiving compensation under GO 421. Reddy dismissed the Rythu Bandhu scheme as ‘mere hype’, asserting that the Rs. 5,000 per acre support provided does not genuinely aid farmers.
Uttam Kumar Reddy lambasted both the BRS government in Telangana and the BJP government at the Centre for ‘neglecting’ over one lakh farmers affected by recent unseasonal rains.
“While chief minister KCR announced a compensation of Rs. 10,000 per acre, he contested that the relief package lacked a scientific basis, as it was declared without official teams surveying the damaged areas and providing a final report on crop losses,” he said.
He emphasized that compensation should account for cultivation costs, yield per acre, and income for different crops, such as paddy, maize, and mango. “It has been more than three weeks since rains and floods damaged crops spread over lakhs of acres of land. Where is the report about the enumeration of losses?” he asked.
The MP accused KCR of using the compensation to mask the absence of a crop insurance scheme in Telangana, which would have offered affected farmers a more substantial relief package. He divulged that a majority of affected farmers are still awaiting their Rs 10,000 compensation. He also claimed that the BRS government has not requested compensation from the Centre for the thousands of crores in crop losses suffered by farmers over the past nine years.
Uttam challenged the chief minister to disclose the reports of crop losses submitted to the Centre in the last nine years.
Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that both BRS and BJP leaders are engaging in the game of allegations and counter-allegations only to keep the people’s attention ‘diverted from their failures’. However, he said that the Congress party would continue to raise the voice of common people under all circumstances.
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#Telangana #Uttam #slams #BRS #BJP #govts #neglecting #farmers #plight
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 12, 2023
HC junks PIL challenging UP govt’s move to hold religious events during Navratri

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Lucknow: The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a PIL challenging the state government’s decision allocating Rs 1 lakh to each district to hold religious events during Navratri and Ram Navami festivals and pay honorarium to artistes.
Upholding the Yogi Adityanath government’s decision to pay honorarium to the performers at the programmes organised at temples, the Lucknow bench of high Court has held that this does not amount to indulgence of the state in propagation of any religion or religious denomination.
In fact it is a simple secular activity of the state while it indulges in publicising the developmental work undertaken by the state, the court said.

A bench of Justices D K Upadhyaya and O P Shukla dismissed the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Motilal Yadav challenging the state government’s March 10, 2023 decision whereby it had allocated Rs 1 lakh to each district on the occasion of Ram Navami.
The court’s order was passed on March 22 but was uploaded on its website on Tuesday only.
In its order, the bench also observed, “If the state spends some money out of the taxes collected by it from the citizens and appropriates some amount for providing some conveniences or facilities to any religious denomination, it will not be violative of Article 27 of the Constitution of India.”
“We have to always keep in mind that there exits a clear line of distinction between a secular activity and religious activity which may be undertaken by the State, like providing conveniences and facilities and indulgence of a State in maintenance and propagation of religion or religious denomination,” added the bench.
Saying that the petitioner had misunderstood the state government’s order, the bench observed, “The Government order does not make any provision for payment of any amount to any person, be it a priest in a temple or anyone else associated with the activities of the temple; rather, the amount is to be paid to the performers or artisans who may be performing on such occasions.”

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#junks #PIL #challenging #govts #move #hold #religious #events #Navratri
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 12, 2023
Nightlife, businesses in Hyderabad to get boost following govt’s 24/7 open permit

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Hyderabad: The nightlife and businesses in Hyderabad to get a bigger boost following the Telangana government’s decision to allow shops and establishments in the state to operate 24/7. The move is being seen as a win-win for consumers, businesses, and the government.
The decision to allow 24/7 operations will not only benefit consumers who will now have the freedom to shop and dine at any time of the day or night but also businesses that will now have the opportunity to generate more revenue. Moreover, this move will bolster tourism in the state and create more job opportunities for job seekers. It will also lead to more collection of tax for the government.
Relaxation in other Indian states
While Telangana is not the first state to allow shops and establishments to operate 24/7, the relaxation of the rules is still being welcomed by the people of Hyderabad as it is likely to promote nightlife and businesses in the city.

Maharashtra announced similar relaxation in 2017, and Karnataka gave this relaxation for three years from January 2021. The relaxation also exists in Tamil Nadu, where it was first announced in 2019 and later extended to three more years in June 2022.
As per the Telangana Labour Department Order, “The Telangana government, hereby, issues guidelines for granting exemption from Section 7 (opening and closing hours) of the Telangana Shops and Establishments Act 1988 to all shops and establishments as defined in Section 2 (21) of the Telangana Shops & Establishments Act 1988 for operating 24×7 in the State.” The shops and establishments can avail this option by paying an annual fee of Rs 10,000.
Decision to give boost to nightlife, businesses in Hyderabad
With the decision, shops, and establishments, including malls and restaurants, can remain open round the clock seven days of a week. This move has been widely appreciated on social media, with many netizens taking to Twitter to express their views. While most of them expressed their view in favour of the decision, some expressed their apprehensions.
The decision is expected to give a major boost to Hyderabad’s nightlife and businesses. With the city now being able to operate round the clock, it is expected to attract more tourists and generate more revenue.
It is a move that is being welcomed by businesses and consumers alike and is expected to have a positive impact on the economy of the state.

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#Nightlife #businesses #Hyderabad #boost #govts #open #permit
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 10, 2023
Telangana govt’s 24×7 open permit not applicable to bars, breweries

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Hyderabad: Telangana government on Sunday clarified that not all shops and establishments can remain open 24×7 and only those that receive approval from the state government can do so.
An exemption to shops and establishments to be open for business 24×7 in the state was granted through a Government Order (GO) issued on April 4. However, a notification issued by the government said that there are limitations to the permit.
According to a press note issued by the Labour, Employment Training and Factories department, GO no: 4 grants ‘exemption from section 7 (opening and closing hours) of the Telangana Shops And Establishments Act, 1988’ is not automatically applicable to all establishments in the state.

The press note clarified that the shops and establishments ‘as defined in section 2 (21) of the Telangana Shops & Establishments Act, 1988’ have to obtain permission from the government to operate 24×7.
It further states that the Excise and Prohibition departments do not come under the purview of the GO 4.
Telangana State Beverages Corporation Limited (TS BCL), Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) depots, distilleries, breweries, A4 shops, and 2B bars should function during the special hours in association with the Excise laws.
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#Telangana #govts #24×7 #open #permit #applicable #bars #breweries
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 9, 2023