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Tag: Promises

  • Hooda promises OPS if Congress voted to power in Haryana

    Hooda promises OPS if Congress voted to power in Haryana

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    Yamunanagar: Eyeing support of government employees, Congress leader and former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Sunday again promised restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) if the party was voted to power in 2024 Assembly polls.

    He slammed the BJP-JJP government for pushing the state into a debt trap, saying that a state that was once at the top of development has been number one in crime and unemployment.

    Addressing the Vipaksh Aapke Samaksh and Jai Bharat Satyagraha programme organised by the Congress here, Hooda, who is the Leader of Opposition in Assembly, said Haryana is one of those states which have more debt than its state budget.

    MS Education Academy

    “Today the state is immersed in a debt trap. Law and order has become worse. Haryana ranks number two in the country in crimes like murder and rape. Haryana, which was among the leading states, is rapidly lagging,” he said.

    The meeting saw a large attendance with all roads leading to the programme venue were blocked.

    Enthused by seeing the huge crowd, Hooda announced that the OPS will be implemented as soon as the Congress government is formed in the state.

    “A pension of Rs 6,000 will be given to all elderly and we will give legal guarantee of the MSP (minimum support price). The creamy layer limit of backward class will be increased from Rs 6 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. Gas cylinders will be given to women for Rs 500 and sanitation workers would be given permanent jobs,” he promised.

    Hooda said he had come to the meeting to listen to grievances of the people.

    “In Haryana, farmers, laborers, traders, employees — rural and urban — and every section are repenting. Farmer is not getting the MSP. Today there is no buyer for mustard. The MSP of mustard is Rs 5,450 per quintal but farmers are forced to sell it for Rs 4,000. Potatoes have to be sold at 50 paise per kg in Pipli. It was promised to double the income of the farmer, but the agricultural cost doubled,” he added.

    Expressing disagreement with the decision to end the Lok Sabha membership of Rahul Gandhi, Hooda said the Congress would fight a legal battle against this decision. “Today the Constitution itself is in danger, it needs to be protected. We will not allow the Constitution to be tampered with. No power can suppress the voice of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress.”

    About the “record unemployment” in the state, he said the youths are migrating to other places for employment. “As soon as the Congress government is formed, we will provide permanent employment to the youth in Haryana itself and will fill vacant government posts,” Hooda added.

    More than 24 party MLAs and 50 former ministers, former MLAs and former MPs, besides senior leaders, were present at the programme.

    Former minister Ashok Arora, the convener of the Vipak Aapke Samaksh programme, conducted the meeting.

    State Congress chief Uday Bhan said the BJP-led Central government is scared of Rahul Gandhi’s questions.

    “What is the reason that the debt of Haryana has increased from Rs 60,000 crore to more than 3 lakh crores in the last nine years. Today the petroleum and has prices have come down in international market, but this government is not giving any relief to the common people. The time has come to overthrow this government,” he said.

    MP Deepender Hooda said during the Congres government in the state four cities were connected with metro and 12 universities and medical colleges were built.

    “The BJP-JJP government has derailed the state from the track of development and has pushed the youth of the state into the unemployment trap.”

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • On completing one year CM Mann promises to turn state into ‘Rangla Punjab’

    On completing one year CM Mann promises to turn state into ‘Rangla Punjab’

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    Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday listed out the achievements of the AAP government on its first anniversary and promised to accelerate the state’s progress to turn it into ‘Rangla Punjab’.

    He spoke about his government fulfilling the AAP’s guarantees of giving 300 units of free electricity per month, government jobs for the youth, and opening of mohalla clinics, among others.

    “The AAP government, which was elected with expectations and big hopes, completed one year in office. Punjabis created history by giving a huge mandate to the AAP one year ago,” he said.

    In the 2022 Punjab Assembly election, the Aam Aadmi Party won 92 of 117 seats.

    “Within one year, we gave 26,797 government jobs,” Mann said, adding that 87 per cent of households in the state got zero electricity bills.

    The chief minister also said that a decision to regularise the services of 14,000 temporary employees in the education department and 14,000 in other departments has been taken.

    Services of outsourced employees will also be regularised after removing “legal hurdles”, he said.

    On the agriculture front, Mann said his government gave MSP on ‘moong’ crop and Rs 1,500 per acre for promoting direct seeding of rice and also cleared sugarcane dues of Rs 392 crore.

    More than 500 mohalla clinics have been opened in Punjab and 12 to 15 lakh people have availed healthcare services at these facilities, he said and termed it his government’s “big achievement”.

    He further said the AAP government in Punjab will start Schools of Eminence for students.

    Mann also spoke about the sacrilege and accused the previous governments of doing nothing to ensure justice in the matter. He said that his party had promised to deliver justice in cases related to the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib.

    Referring to the 2015 Kotkapura police firing incident, he said a 7,000-page chargesheet and there was no “political interference” in the probe carried out by the Punjab Police special investigation team.

    “Since we did so much work in the first year, we will now shift to the second gear of progress. Big industrialists are keen to invest in Punjab, they will set up their units and it will create jobs,” the chief minister said.

    “Our motive is not (to form) the next government… Generally, parties start looking at how their next government will be formed… we are saying people have made the government. Our priority is to take our next generation forward and raise the standard of living of the poor,” he said.

    Asserting that his government was working towards turning the state into a ‘Rangla (vibrant) Punjab’, Mann said, “If you have shown faith in me and then keep the faith. I will never break your faith.”

    The chief minister said that his government will start a “very big campaign” against drugs.

    Asserting that his government has zero tolerance towards corruption, claimed that his government took strict action in graft cases. Many former ministers are in jail and action has been taken not only against influential people but also against those who belonged to the ruling AAP, Mann added.

    The AAP was born out of an anti-corruption movement, he said.



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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • With an eye on upcoming polls, Telangana BJP promises ‘bulldozer raj’

    With an eye on upcoming polls, Telangana BJP promises ‘bulldozer raj’

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    Hyderabad: With Assembly elections in Telangana only a few months away, BJP leaders are increasingly using the word bulldozer and promising to emulate the Uttar Pradesh model if voted to power in the state.

    Last year, it had started with MLA Raja Singh, a controversial figure who has been booked on many occasions for hate speech.

    Now, BJP’s state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar himself is promising bulldozer rule.

    Sanjay, who is also a Member of Parliament, proudly speaks about the use of bulldozers by the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh. At public meetings, he is promising that if voted to power in Telangana, the BJP will follow the UP model.

    Last week, he promised that if voted to power, the BJP will bulldoze the houses of those indulging in crimes against women.

    Exuding confidence that the BJP will come to power in Telangana, he said it would follow the model of Uttar Pradesh which is using bulldozers to demolish the houses of offenders.

    He was speaking at a day-long protest at the party office in Hyderabad against the increasing atrocities on women in the state.

    Sanjay made the remark while referring to the death of Preethi, a MD student of Kaktiya Medical College (KMC), who committed suicide recently due to alleged harassment by her senior.

    Since Preethi’s senior who was allegedly harassing her was a Muslim student, the BJP is trying to exploit the incident for political gains with an eye on the coming elections.

    Bharatiya Janata Party leaders initially called it a case of love jihad. After the police denied that there was any communal angle or sexual harassment, Sanjay started alleging that the BRS government was siding with accused M. A. Saif.

    Sanjay claimed that the government was acting in favour of the accused as it fears that the accused will cause communal riots.

    The state government, however, has denied this. The ruling party leaders pointed out that the police acted swiftly to arrest Saif. “The government will not spare the guilty whether he is Saif or Sanjay,” remarked BRS working president and minister K. T. Rama Rao.

    Bandi Sanjay, in his speech at the protest, only mentioned cases where the accused are Muslims and have links with the AIMIM.

    Political observers say the BJP is looking for sensitive issues for polarising the voters on communal lines and it found one such issue in Preethi’s suicide.

    By raking up such issues and speaking of bulldozers, the BJP appears to be building a narrative for the polls.

    Last month, Sanjay threatened to demolish the domes of the new Secretariat building if his party was voted to power in the next elections. He says the domes reflect the culture of the Nizams and hence they will be demolished if the BJP comes to power.

    The MP from Karimnagar is apparently trying to build a narrative which suits the party’s game plan to capture power.

    BJP leaders have been targeting the BRS over its alleged policy of minority appeasement and its friendly ties with the AIMIM.

    It is in this context that Sanjay faulted the design of the new Secretariat building to train his guns on the BRS and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

    Sanjay alleged that Rao has turned the Secretariat into a tomb like the Taj Mahal to please AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi.

    “If the BJP comes to power, it will destroy the symbols of the Nizam’s culture in the state. We will make changes in the state Secretariat so that it reflects the Indian and Telangana culture,” he said.

    The seven-storey structure with a built-up area of 7 lakh square feet was constructed at a cost of nearly Rs 650 crore is ready for inauguration.

    Sanjay even challenged municipal administration and urban development minister K. T. Rama Rao to demolish mosques on the roads in the old city of Hyderabad, considered a stronghold of the AIMIM.

    Sanjay has been making provocative statements.

    He had allegedly delivered a hate speech in May last year. Police complaints were filed against him at various police stations in the state for making provocative remarks against mosques and madarsas.

    Alleging that Muslim rulers in Telangana demolished several temples and built mosques over them, he demanded digging at all the mosques, saying there was a possibility of finding Shiva Lingams underneath.

    The BJP MP also stated that if his party comes to power in Telangana, it will abolish all the madarsas, do away with reservation for Muslims, and remove Urdu as the second official language.

    The saffron party has been trying to exploit sensitive issues for political mileage. Be it KCR’s friendship with Owaisi, four per cent reservation for Muslims, the state government not officially celebrating September 17, second official language to the state or the demand to rename Hyderabad as Bhagynagar, the BJP leaders have apparently always tried to look for issues which lead to communal polarisation.

    The BRS is countering the BJP by calling it a fight between development and destruction. “We are for development while they want demolition and destruction,” said Rama Rao.

    It was Raja Singh who first talked of bulldozers.

    He had sparked a row in February last year with his tweet amidst the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in February.

    The firebrand leader had released a video after the second phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh, threatening voters that if they don’t cast their votes for the BJP their houses will be demolished and they will be driven out of the state.

    After the BJP retained power in Uttar Pradesh, Raja Singh made another controversial statement on the subject, this time targeting the BRS and the AIMIM.

    He remarked that Union Home Minister Amit Shah was sending a bulldozer to Telangana. “The way Yogi ji used bulldozers against the mafia in Uttar Pradesh, under Sanjay’s leadership bulldozers will be used in Telangana definitely against these goondas and MIM. No goonda or mafia will be spared in Telangana,” he said.

    A few days later, Raja Singh urged people to make a list of the TRS’s corruption, encroachments, properties etc so that these structures could be bulldozed.

    “A strong bulldozer will come to Telangana too to tear down the corruption of TRS like Yogi Adityanath ji ended the mafia in UP. I appeal to the public to identify all the corrupt activities and encroachments on public and private properties, land of poor and farmers by the MPs, MLAs and ministers of TRS,” said the MLA.

    Exuding confidence that the BJP will form the next government in Telangana, Raja Singh said the party was readying the bulldozers. “We are planning one for every constituency,” he remarked.

    Some political analysts believe that while bulldozer politics apparently yielded the BJP good dividends in states like Uttar Pradesh, its impact in Telangana may be confined to a few urban pockets.

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    #eye #upcoming #polls #Telangana #BJP #promises #bulldozer #raj

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Lokesh promises completion of all pending projects in Rayalaseema

    Lokesh promises completion of all pending projects in Rayalaseema

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    Amaravati: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Nara Lokesh on Thursday promised that if the party returns to power in Andhra Pradesh, all pending irrigation projects in Rayalaseema will be completed.

    Interacting with people during ongoing padyatra Yuva Galam in Madanapalle, he alleged that Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy is more interested in looting the state than development, particularly the Rayalaseema region.

    The farmers from Chinna Tippasamudram and Kothavaripalli met Lokesh at the Pulavandlapalli campsite and told him that they are facing several problems due to non-availability of water for irrigation. If the Chinna Tippasamudram pond is linked with Handri Neeva project, they will get sufficient water for irrigation which will solve all their problems.

    The pond is spread over 500 acres which can supply irrigation water for over 1,000 acres, they said. If the pond is linked to Handri Neeva, they can cultivate two crops in a year and this will solve all their issues, the farmers told Lokesh and made an appeal to him to take up the works once the TDP is into power again.

    Responding to the farmers, Lokesh said that Jagan Mohan Reddy is interested only in minting money by looting the state. Observing that 80 per cent of the works of Handri Neeva were completed during Chandrababu Naidu regime, he said Jagan Mohan Reddy did not bother to complete the remaining 20 per cent work.

    “This clearly indicates that he is not interested in the farmers welfare. I am assuring you that when we are back into government, which is not far, all the pending projects will be completed, including the Handri Neeva project. Also, the pond of Chinna Tippasamudram too will be linked with the Handri Neeva,” Lokesh told the farmers.

    Earlier, representatives of the Chittoor district Brahmin Seva Samakhya met Lokesh and told him that this government has scrapped all the welfare schemes for Brahmins. They appealed to Lokesh to revive all the schemes when the TDP government is formed again.

    At Poolavandlapalli, local Valmiki Boya community leaders had a meeting with Lokesh. They appealed to Lokesh to see to it that Valmiki Boya community is included in the Scheduled Tribes (ST).

    Maintaining that it is the TDP that encouraged the Valmiki community politically and provided several positions both in the party and in the government as well, Lokesh said that justice will be done to them when the TDP forms the government again.

    At Yenumuvaripalli of Madanapalle Assembly segment, handloom workers met Lokesh and wanted identity cards be issued to them which this government stopped.

    Lokesh promised to revive the issuance of the identity cards to all the handloom weavers and also will lift GST on handloom products.

    Later, minorities representatives met the TDP General Secretary and complained to him that interest-free loans are not being extended to them. He promised to revive the scheme besides setting up an Islamic bank. Industrial clusters will be established in all the Assembly segments in the State to provide employment to the minorities youth, Lokesh added.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Garland promises free rein for prosecutors probing Hunter Biden

    Garland promises free rein for prosecutors probing Hunter Biden

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    When Garland was nominated as attorney general, he agreed to leave Weiss — an appointee of former President Donald Trump — in place to complete the Hunter Biden investigation.

    While offering those assurances about independence, Garland did not share any substantive update on the investigation into the president’s son. The probe is reportedly focused on Hunter Biden’s failure for years to pay a federal income tax bill that eventually amounted to about $1 million and a false statement Hunter Biden allegedly made about his drug use when purchasing a gun in 2018. Hunter Biden has said he is confident the investigation will clear him of wrongdoing.

    While the Hunter Biden questions were the most politically explosive issues aired in the early hours of Wednesday’s hearing, questioning from senators was a potpourri, spanning concerns ranging from violent crime to drugs to guns to the impact of social media platforms on American society.

    Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) challenged Garland about federal law enforcement’s handling of protests that broke out at the homes of several Supreme Court justices after POLITICO reported last May on a draft Supreme Court opinion that would overturn the federal constitutional right to abortion established in 1973 in Roe v. Wade. The protests intensified after the court formally issued its ruling the next month in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, with the opinion in much the same form as the earlier draft.

    Lee, a former law clerk to the author of Justice Samuel Alito, who wrote Dobbs, pressed Garland on why no one has been arrested under a federal statute that prohibits trying to influence the administration of justice by picketing or parading near the homes of federal judges.

    “It’s very clear they’re tying to influence in one way or another that those serving on the United States Supreme Court,” Lee said of the protesters. “Yet, not one person to my knowledge has been prosecuted for such things.”

    Cruz, who served as a law clerk to the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist, later thundered at Garland over the department’s failure to act against what the senator called “rioters” at the justices’ homes.

    “You’re perfectly content with justices being afraid for their children’s lives,” the Texas Republican shouted.

    Garland stressed that he responded rapidly to the leak and the protests by assigning more than 70 deputy U.S. Marshals to guard the justices and their families around the clock. “As soon as the Dobbs draft leaked, I ordered the marshals to do something that the marshals had never done in United States history before, which was to protect the justices and their families, 24-7.”

    The attorney general eventually conceded that no protester has been charged under the federal law, but he said the “priority” of the marshals is keeping the justices and their families safe, not policing the demonstrators. Garland insisted, however, that no directive has been given to the marshals to ignore that law.

    “They have full authority to arrest people under any federal statute, including that statute,” Garland said.

    Some experts have said the federal law could be open to a First Amendment challenge, although the attorney general noted that the Supreme Court marshal wrote to local law enforcement in Maryland and Virginia last year urging them to enforce similar local ordinances.

    Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) also challenged Garland on abortion-related issues, grilling him over alleged “anti-Catholic bias” at the Justice Department. Hawley pointed to an intelligence memo prepared by the FBI’s Richmond, Va., field office and dated in January that warned of the potential for violence from “radical-traditionalist Catholics,” particularly among those who favor the Latin mass.

    “It’s appalling. It’s appalling. I’m in complete agreement with you,” Garland replied. “I understand that the FBI has withdrawn it and is now looking into how this would ever have happened….It does not reflect the methods the FBI is supposed to be using.”

    “Are you cultivating sources and spies in Latin-mass parishes and other Catholic parishes around the country?…How many informants do you have in Catholic churches across America?” Hawley asked.

    “I don’t think we have any informants,” Garland said, pointing to longstanding Justice Department policies.

    Democrats also used the hearing to cajole Garland for support for their key issues, with Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) railing against social media companies for enabling drug trafficking and dangerous behavior by teenagers.

    “This is out of hand,” Durbin told the attorney general. The chair also bemoaned the influence of the 1996 law known as Section 230, which gives online platforms broad immunity from being sued over content third parties post online and from being sued over the adequacy of their efforts to police that content.

    “I think Section 230 has become a suicide pact. We are basically saying you are absolved from liability, make money and deaths result from it,” Durbin said.

    Garland called the situation Durbin described “horrible,” but was careful to limit his specific criticism to the role social media plays in drug dealing.

    “We do have to do something to force them to provide information to search their own platforms for drugs,” the attorney general said.

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    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • Cong says committed to secularism, promises ‘Rohith Vemula Act’ if voted to power

    Cong says committed to secularism, promises ‘Rohith Vemula Act’ if voted to power

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    Nava Raipur: The Congress on Sunday promised to bring in a special legislation called the “Rohith Vemula Act” to redress the discrimination faced by students from SC, ST, OBC and minority communities in educational institutions, and asserted that it shall commit to secularism in letter and spirit and will be at the forefront to protect the rights of minorities.

    In its social justice and empowerment resolution passed at its 85th plenary session, the Congress committed to conduct a socio-economic caste census along with the decennial census.

    The party said it has advocated reservations for economically weaker sections (EWS) of the society but the BJP’s policy on EWS quota has excluded even the poor SCs, STs and OBCs from availing benefits under EWS quota.

    The Congress said it considers poor belonging to all communities to be economically weaker and therefore poor SCs, STs and OBCs cannot be excluded from the EWS quota.

    “Congress party would ensure that economically weaker section category students are given age relaxation on par with the age relaxation given to SCs and STs for entering into government services,” the resolution said.

    Reiterating its demand for a caste census, the Congress alleged in its resolution that the BJP has consistently refused to conduct the caste census which would be crucial to revising the benchmark for socio-economic and educational backwardness.

    “Indian National Congress commits to conduct a socio-economic caste census along with the decennial census. The caste census shall also enumerate de-notified tribes and nomadic tribes,” the resolution said.

    The Congress also committed to creating a dedicated ministry for the empowerment of the OBCs, saying it will focus on expanding educational and employment opportunities of OBCs and provision of civic amenities in their habitations.

    The slew of promises and reservations in internal party organisation for the SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities is seen by many political observers as the Congress’ attempt to re-establish and strengthen its support base among the marginalised sections of the society which has eroded in the last few years.

    Noting that the National Commission for Minorities plays an important role in protecting the rights and livelihoods of Minorities, the Congress said it is committed to according constitutional status to panel to endow it with powers to serve the community better.

    The Congress also committed to implementing special welfare scheme for minority welfare based on the recommendations of the Sachar committee.

    The Multi-Sectoral Development Programme (MSDP) and the 15-point programme for minorities as enunciated by Indira Gandhi, reformulated by Rajiv Gandhi and effectively implemented by Manmohan Singh shall be implemented in full, the party resolution said.

    The party also said it is committed to giving constitutional status to the National Commission for Women to enhance its effectiveness.

    “Congress party shall commit to secularism in letter and spirit and would be in the forefront to protect the rights of minorities,” the resolution said.

    Hitting out at the BJP, the Congress said the promise of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” by the BJP has proved beyond doubt that it is nothing but a massive act of deception.

    “Mob lynching particularly against minorities, atrocities against SCs and STs and violence against women have touched record highs in the last nine years. The sense of insecurity and agony among these communities/groups is extremely high because they are being continuously targeted with hate and gruesome violence by the BJP-RSS and their affiliates,” the party alleged in its resolution.

    The Congress party committed to further strengthening the legal mechanism for ensuring protection of rights of these communities.

    The Congress said it shall be vigilant and strive relentlessly for delivering justice to the victims of atrocities by ensuring the effective implementation of the SC and ST (Preventions of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

    “To redress the discrimination faced by the students from SC, ST, OBC and minority communities in educational institutions, the Congress party commits to enact a special Act called the Rohith Vemula Act to protect and safeguard their right to education and dignity,” the resolution said.

    Vemula, a research scholar of the University of Hyderabad, allegedly hanged himself in a hostel room in 2016.

    The death of the 26-year-old Dalit student on January 17, 2016 triggered a nationwide agitation against casteism in institutions of higher learning.

    The Congress also promised to set up a National Council for Social Justice on the lines of National Development Council, which it said would not only review the progress and gaps in implementing India’s social justice policies and legislations but also tangibly safeguard, strengthen and defend the rights and entitlements meant for SCs, STs, OBC, and minorities throughout India.

    The council will also undertake surveys across the country to study inequalities and comprehensively map the socio-economic and political status of these sections in India and publish a “state of social justice report”, along the lines of the National Economic Survey, a day before the Budget is presented every year, the resolution said.

    To ensure that the judiciary is reflective of the social diversity of India, the Congress said it shall consider reservations for SCs-STs-OBCs in the higher judiciary.

    The Congress also promised a national legislation to make ensure that a portion of the Union budget is earmarked in proportion to the population of SCs and STs in the country, to foster their sustainable development and to bring them on par with rest of the society.

    The Congress also asserted that it committed to completely eradicate manual scavenging.

    Noting that India has witnessed ordeals experienced by millions of migrant workers during the period of COVID-19 pandemic, the party alleged that their utter neglect by the BJP Government forced them to walk, long distances which is still fresh in our minds.

    Congress believes it is time to pass a legislation to guarantee the right to work in urban areas that provides work on demand to urban poor, particularly inter and intra state migrants, unorganized casual workers and the homeless, the resolution said.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Azad Promises To Revive Roshni Act If Voted To Power

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    SRINAGAR: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is also the chairperson of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), has announced that if his party wins the upcoming assembly elections, he will bring back the Roshni Act in the Union Territory. The Act, which provides ownership rights to occupants, was initially passed in 2001 by the National Conference government but was repealed in 2018 by the then-governor Satya Pal Malik.

    Addressing a rally at Larnoo Kokernag, Azad expressed his concern over the economic crises in Jammu and Kashmir and said that his aim is to build the region as a welfare state, where the economy grows to the extent that people are willing to pay taxes themselves. He emphasized that the poor are being crushed with rising electricity bills, water charges, and property taxes.

    The Roshni Act, officially known as the Jammu and Kashmir State Land (Vesting of Ownership to Occupants) Act, 2001, was modified during Azad’s tenure from 2005 to 2008. However, in 2014, the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) report revealed that many political persons from different parties had benefited from the Act. Consequently, in November 2018, the Act was repealed by the then-governor.

    Despite the Act being declared illegal, unconstitutional, and unsustainable by the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on October 9, 2020, Azad has reiterated his commitment to bring back the Roshni Act. He believes that this law will help build a better future for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

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    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

  • TDP leader Lokesh promises to establish Islamic bank in Andhra

    TDP leader Lokesh promises to establish Islamic bank in Andhra

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    Tirupati: TDP national General Secretary Nara Lokesh on Tuesday promised to establish an Islamic bank once the party forms the government in Andhra Pradesh again.

    After a two-day pause, Lokesh began his pada yatra ‘Yuva Galam’ and interacted with the representatives of the Muslim community at Sri Kalahasthi of Tirupati district.

    “I am promising you that once the TDP forms the government again this Islamic bank will be established,” he said, noting how Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, during his padyatra, had promised to set up Islamic bank but he did not keep his word.

    Lokesh recalled the formation of the Minorities Corporation by N. T. Rama Rao, the founder of the TDP. “Despite the change in the government for the past several years, the corporation continued but after Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy became the Chief Minister, he discontinued it,” he said.

    He assured the minority community that the corporation would be revived once his TDP is back in power.

    He alleged that Jagan Mohan Reddy discontinued all the welfare schemes launched by Chandrababu Naidu during the TDP regime and promised to revive all the schemes.

    As the ‘Yuva Galam’ completed 300 km at Thondamanupuram panchayat in Srikalahasti Assembly segment, Lokesh assured the villagers to provide safe drinking water within 100 days of coming back to power.

    Later, at Thindamanadu village, he said that the cheap liquor is now working as pesticide and the farmers instead of the pesticides can use the cheap liquor. He also interacted with women who came to collect their gas cylinders. He said that the subsidy on gas cylinders is not being paid to the consumers.

    He also promised to do justice to communities like Gandla, Telikula and Deva Telikula once the TDP is back into the government.

    During his padyatra, Lokesh met the groundnut farmers who narrated their problems to him. Farmer, Venkat Reddy, said that for the past three years they have been incurring heavy losses in agriculture and the state government is not coming to their rescue.

    Another farmer told Lokesh that due to spurious seeds and fertilisers, the farming community in the district has been facing several problems. They also said that there is no MSP for the farm products due to which they are incurring huge losses in agriculture.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • EPA chief promises results after Ohio train crash

    EPA chief promises results after Ohio train crash

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    train derailment west virginia 86358

    His visit came as the Biden administration is facing pressure from state leaders and federal lawmakers of both parties to require Norfolk Southern to clean up its toxic pollution.

    Regan said EPA was conducting indoor testing and had so far cleared 480 homes as free of vinyl chloride and hydrogen chloride, two of the most dangerous of the chemicals that were transported by the train. He also noted EPA has been conducting round-the-clock air monitoring from ground sources and via the agency’s sniffer plane.

    State and local agencies are also conducting tests of public drinking water supplies. Ohio EPA Director Anne Vogel said tests of municipal wells showed no signs of contaminants, though owners of private wells should have them tested before drinking from them. Bottled water is available in the interim.

    Regan said at the news conference that Norfolk Southern will pay for the response.

    “We are absolutely going to hold Norfolk Southern accountable and I can promise you that,” he said.

    Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan Shaw wrote in an open letter to the town on Thursday that the railroad “will stay here for as long as it takes to ensure your safety and to help East Palestine recover and thrive.” However, he angered residents by declining to attend a Wednesday night town hall on the disaster.

    EPA formally informed Norfolk Southern last week that it is potentially liable to pay for all clean-up costs related to the derailment. The company has said it “is willing to perform or finance the response activities related to the incident.”

    Regan’s visit prompted bipartisan comity among lawmakers who represent the area.

    “Administrator Regan, I want to thank you for coming in today. It means a lot to these folks here,” said Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio).

    However, the incident has also stirred up bipartisan complaints, both about the Biden administration’s immediate response and longer-term issues with regulatory oversight over the shipment of hazardous materials.

    “While I am glad EPA Administrator Regan will visit the site today, it is unacceptable that it took nearly two weeks for a senior administration official to show up,” Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said in a statement. He called on the administration “to provide a complete picture of the damage and a comprehensive plan to ensure the community is supported in the weeks, months and years to come, and this sort of accident never happens again.”

    Sens. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in a Wednesday letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg questioned federal oversight of the railroad industry. “It is not unreasonable to ask whether a crew of two rail workers, plus one trainee, is able to effectively monitor 150 cars,” they wrote.

    Rubio has gone even further in his criticisms of Buttigieg.

    “I don’t know what @SecretaryPete needs to do to get fired,” he tweeted on Thursday.

    Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said on Thursday that he’s investigating whether trains carrying hazardous materials are required to be labeled, which could help responders better understand and react to tankers’ contents.

    “But we think we might need a change in federal law and Bill [Johnson] and I will work on that,” Brown said.

    Tension in the village has been building since the train crashed, especially after officials decided to burn off the remaining vinyl chloride at the site to prevent an explosion.

    Hundreds of residents attended Wednesday’s town hall, but Norfolk Southern representatives declined to attend because of alleged threats against its employees.

    “We have become increasingly concerned about the growing physical threat to our employees and members of the community around this event stemming from the increasing likelihood of the participation of outside parties,” the company said in a statement ahead of the meeting.

    Vinyl chloride is a clear gas used to make polyvinyl chloride, a common form of plastic. Acute exposure can lead to nervous system effects like dizziness and headaches. Chronic exposure can lead to liver problems, including a rare form of cancer called angiosarcoma.

    The train was carrying a variety of substances in addition to five tankers of vinyl chloride, according to a manifest dated Feb. 12 released by EPA. Other derailed cars included hazardous materials such as butyl acrylate, ethylene glycol and monobutyl ether. Also on the train in cars that do not appear to have derailed were solid plastics products such as polyethylene and polypropylene, several tankers full of petroleum lube oil, and nine box cars full of malt liquors.



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    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • TDP leader Lokesh promises to bring down fuel prices

    TDP leader Lokesh promises to bring down fuel prices

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    Amaravati: Exuding confidence that Telugu Desam Party (TDP) will form the government again in Andhra Pradesh, party’s national General Secretary, Nara Lokesh, on Sunday promised that it will bring down the prices of diesel and petrol.

    Lokesh, who was on his padayatra ‘Yuva Galam’, interacted with an autorickshaw driver in Gangadhara Nellore Assembly segment. When the TDP leader enquired about the diesel price, the auto driver replied that it is Rs 95.39 per litre. “How come you are getting it for a lesser price,” Lokesh asked and the driver informed him that he fills the fuel in Tamil Nadu as he lives in the border area.

    “It is certain that the TDP is going to come to power again and the taxes on fuel will be reduced to control the prices and there will be no need for you to cross the state border to fill uel to your vehicle,” Lokesh told him.

    Later, at Eedigapalle, the Gouda community representatives met Lokesh and submitted a memorandum to him explaining the problems they were facing. Responding to them, Lokesh promised all the steps to resolve their issues once the TDP is back in power and his party is committed to the welfare of the toddy-tapper community.

    He also promised to take measures for construction of roads and also extend financial assistance and subsidies to them through the BC Welfare Corporation. “Our sole aim is this psycho should go and cycle should come back,” Lokesh said.

    “My mike may be grabbed from me but my voice can not be choked. The people are my strength. I always raise my voice against this atrocious rule,” he said while addressing people at KM Puram of Karvetinagaram.

    Pointing out that several leaders undertook padyatras earlier in the State, Lokesh asked why problems were being created only for him when he began his venture. “My campaign vehicle and sound system have been seized while my mike was grabbed from me by the police. But the police can not choke my voice and I will raise my tone even if there is no mike,” he said.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )