Patna: A number of labourers from Bihar’s Siwan and other districts said that they are trapped in Tajikistan and requested the state and Central government to rescue them.
The labourers went to Tajikistan on contract basis to work and alleged that the company has extended the work period from 11 hours to 14 hours but is not giving money for the overtime.
As per the contract with an Indian placement company named Pari Enterprises and Tajikistan-based company TGM, the work period is 11 hours but the company forcibly asks them to work 14 hours, the labourers said. Moreover, they are only offered boiled rice, and potatoes to eat and contaminated water to drink.
The family members of the labourers in Siwan district claimed that many of them fell ill and are not physically and mentally fit for work.
Some of the labourers of Siwan were identified as Ramakant Kushwaha and Ramesh Kushwaha of Hardiya Bangra village, Om Prakash of Orma village, Mantu Singh of Teliabagh village, Motim Ansari of Nawada village, Nand Ji of Morwa village, and Sunil Kumar of Viyahi village. Another labourer named Harikesh Yadav is a native of Bhore Kalyanpur in Gopalganj district.
Besides Bihar, dozens of labourers of other states are also trapped in Tajikistan, they said.
SRINAGAR: The District Administration Srinagar Tuesday launched massive scale anti-encroachment operations in all Tehsils of District to evict Government Land from the illegal occupants and retrieved over 494 kanals of prime land worth ₹ 509 crores from land grabbers. Besides 2 hotels were also sealed.
Special Anti-encroachment squads constituted by District Administration Srinagar were headed by Tehsildars who conducted mass scale anti encroachment drives while taking assistance of Police and other departments.
A team of Revenue and Police Officers/Officials headed by Tehsildar Eidgah, Ishfaq Ahamd Khan launched a massive anti-encroachment drive in Palpora area and retrieved over 50 kanals of State land from the land grabbers.
Similarly, in a major anti-encroachment drive launched at Balhama and Khonmoh under the supervision of Tehsildar Pantha Chowk, Rakib Ahmad as many as 25 kanals of Kacharie land was retrieved. In addition, 27 kanals and 12 marlas of State land was also evicted from the encroachment.
Likewise, in Tehsil North, 36 kanals of Kacharie land was retrieved in Rakh e Zakura and 26 kanals of State land in Ahal area respectively. Similarly, in Khimber 5 kanal 10 marla Kachraie land and 10 marlas of State land was also retrieved by a Revenue Team headed by Tehsildar North, Kaiser Mehmood.
In South Tehsil of the District, a team headed by Tehsildar, Moean Azhar conducted a massive anti-encroachment drive and retrieved over 40 kanals of State land in Maisuma 8 kanals in Nursing Garh areas from the encroachers.
The team also evicted 4 kanals of prime land in Tashwan halqa of the Tehsil.
Similarly, in Khushipora area of Central Shalteng Tehsil over 12 kanals of Kahcharie land and 6 kanals of State land has been evicted in Rakh eGund Aksha areas.
In Chanapora Tehsil over 250 kanals of Kahcharie land was also evicted from land grabbers in Estate Nowgam area under the supervision of Tehsildar Chanpora, Saqib Saleem.
In Khanyar Tehsil 2 hotels namely Hotel In and Hotel Goodwill Commercial cum residential Hotel constructed illegally over 1 Kanals and 11 marlas of land in Brari Nambal were sealed and taken in possession under the supervision of Tehsildar Khanyar Aailya Tabasum
Pertinent to mention that LG Administration has clearly said that common masses and poor people wouldn’t be touched during the ongoing encroachment drive launched to retrieve state land from encroachers. It has been also said in the statement that the government is concerned to safeguard the interests of poor people and only those who have illegally occupied the Government land by using their positions will be dealt strictly. Accordingly District Administrations have been stressed to launch anti encroachment drives to retrieve land from encroacher so that all Government land is evicted from the illegal occupants.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner Srinagar has lauded the efforts of the concerned Tehsildars and their teams, the Deputy Commissioner asked them to continue the anti-encroachment drives in their respective jurisdictions as per standing instructions with added zeal and dedication so that all State/Kahcharie land is retrieved.
That’s left North Carolina Democrats having to fight for the resources now flowing freely into places like Arizona and Georgia, now two of the most tightly divided battlegrounds in America (which did not turn blue in 2008). Cooper and others are making the case that North Carolina’s fortunes have national impact — the governor’s presence has made it a refuge for abortion access in the South, and it remains a key piece of any potential GOP president’s political math.
“Republicans know that they have to win North Carolina in order to win a presidential race — there’s no other path for them. There are other paths for a Democrat to become president and not win North Carolina,” said Cooper, who is now termed out of his governorship, in an interview with POLITICO.
Cooper argued that makes victories in places like Arizona and Pennsylvania in 2022 possible, as North Carolina soaks up resources that could go elsewhere. But Cooper said he’s still making the argument “to the president on down” that North Carolina should chart the top of their priority list in 2024.
Yet interviews with nearly a dozen North Carolina Democratic elected officials and strategists yielded a range of problems, including a weak in-state party infrastructure, a series of less-than-inspiring federal candidates and not enough investment from national Democratic groups. Unlike a number of other Sun Belt states, growth has not been driven by one major city but by a patchwork of regionalized metro areas, all with different media markets, and North Carolina’s urban and non-white populations have not grown at the same lightning speed as cities like Atlanta or Phoenix.
“I wouldn’t say it’s the next domino that will make it blue, on a presidential level, forever in the way we see in Virginia, Arizona and even Georgia, where the demographics and population changes are truly driving this,” said Corey Platt, a Democratic strategist who served as the Democratic Governors Association’s political director. “It’s a purple state that’s center-right on economics and a bit more center-left on social issues, and so it takes the right Democrat or the right Republican to win, and federally, we haven’t been able to thread that needle.”
Former Republican Gov. Pat McCrory said that wins in North Carolina often “comes down to who has more money, and the stats show it.”
“Both parties can be accused of misreading North Carolina, but I would be shocked if Democrats leave it uncontested,” McCrory said, who lost a Senate GOP primary bid in 2022. “North Carolina can swing back and forth.”
It all has big implications for 2024, as Cooper drives to make it a top priority for a Biden reelection and state Attorney General Josh Stein launches bid to succeed Cooper in what could be the most expensive gubernatorial race next cycle. A potential redrawn congressional map later this year could also pad the GOP’s slim edge in the battle for the House next year, now that the state Supreme Court leans conservative.
The size of North Carolina’s swings back and forth has shrunk, meanwhile, into a smaller and smaller pool of truly independent voters, making the days of backing President George W. Bush by 12 points — even with then-Sen. John Edwards on the Democratic ticket — and Democratic Gov. Mike Easley by 13 points in 2004 feel like ancient history. Mirroring national trends, North Carolina’s urban-rural divide reveals a stark partisan split — an intractable problem for Democrats, as the state boasts the second largest rural population, behind just Texas.
When Democrats fail to turn out their core base in urban corridors, Republicans’ rural edge becomes insurmountable. In 2022, Democrats struggled with just that, despite a history-making candidate on the ballot in Cheri Beasley, a former state Supreme Court justice who is a Black woman. Instead, Democrats saw significant dropoff with young voters, urban voters and Black voters.
Statewide, African American turnout dropped by 6 points compared to 2018, another midterm year when there wasn’t a major statewide race atop the ticket. Voters over 60 made up a far larger share of the electorate compared to millennials and Gen Z, while urban voters lagged behind the statewide turnout average, according to an analysis by Michael Bitzer, a political science professor at Catawba College.
That turnout drop off, some Democrats argue, came down to cash. Republican outside groups significantly outspent their Democratic counterparts, giving now-Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) about a $50 million spending edge over Beasley. Republicans, meanwhile, note that Beasley outraised Budd in candidate cash by $24 million, which should’ve helped close some of that gap, since candidates get better rates on TV ads than outside groups.
“It’s almost impossible to overcome a $53 million outside spending gap that depresses votes for the Democratic candidate,” Cooper said. “I do think resources play a huge role and will play a huge role in 2024.”
Senate Majority PAC, the flagship Democratic outside group, noted its $22 million investment in North Carolina in 2022, calling it “a perennial battleground state with traditionally close races where we know we can succeed — and we look forward to helping Democrats win there in the future,” Veronica Yoo, a spokesperson for the group, said in a statement.
Still others pointed to the party’s infrastructure, which is “still missing a critical, year-round organization that can mobilize and turnout voters,” said state Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, a Democrat who represents part of Wake County. “I think we have a really good foundation, but it’s cracking the code on the field and organizing side of things that will be key.”
But even as fewer voters split their ticket in North Carolina, Democratic Rep. Wiley Nickel still believes that what works in North Carolina is to reach into that middle.
“There’s a vast group of voters in the middle, and they don’t want people on the far right and they don’t want people on the far left,” said Nickel, who won an evenly divided congressional seat against former President Donald Trump-endorsed Republican Bo Hines. “Anyone who watched our race knows that we were running against extremism in both parties and on the issues that mattered to most folks in the middle.”
Running against extremism is already a clear theme of Stein’s campaign, who became the first Democrat to launch his bid for the open governorship earlier this month.
Within the first minute of his launch video, Stein’s campaign featured footage of a potential GOP opponent, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, and former President Donald Trump on stage together. It spliced together some of Robinson’s anti-abortion rights and anti-LGBTQ comments, including a voice over from Stein: “Some politicians spark division, ignite hate, and fan the flames of bigotry.”
Jim Blaine, a Republican strategist, said Stein’s opening salvo is proof “that they don’t think they can carry the day on the merits of their candidate alone, so they have to make it about the other guy,” he said.
“North Carolina is a competitive state, but it’s Republican-leaning, so you have to nominate a centrist, if you’re a Democrat, to win, and they don’t tend to nominate those candidates,” Blaine continued.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )
Bengaluru: Telugu actor and politician Nandamuri Taaraka Ratna continued to be in a critical state on ventilatory and other support in Bengaluru’s Narayana Institute of Cardiac Sciences (Narayana Hrudayalaya) on Monday, the hospital said.
“We would like to clarify certain media reports, and state that he has not been put on any ECMO support till now. His family is constantly updated about his condition. Any changes to his clinical condition will be notified as required. We request that the public continue to support us in providing privacy and uninterrupted treatment,” a hospital statement said.
The famous Telugu actor and Telugu Desam Party leader suffered cardiac arrest in Andhra Pradesh’s Kuppam on January 27 and was shifted to a hospital there. He was transferred to Narayana Hrudalaya via road on January 28.
On arriving at the hospital, higher level diagnostics showed that his condition was highly critical due to cardiogenic shock after the myocardial infarction.
Telugu superstars Nandamuri Balakrishna and Junior NTR visited him as well as his family and TDP chief and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi(photo: IANS)
Cairo: Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has discussed with visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken the ongoing escalating tensions between Israel and Palestine, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.
Al-Sisi on Monday stressed the importance of immediate action at the political and security levels to calm the situation and limit any unilateral measures taken by the two parties, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Egyptian President also reiterated “Egypt’s fixed stand to reach a just and comprehensive solution that guarantees the rights of the Palestinian people in accordance with international references, and in a way that solves this pivotal regional issue and opens prospects for peace, stability, cooperation, and construction”.
Blinken, who is on a three-day trip to the Middle East, said Washington is “counting on vigorous coordination with Egypt to restore stability, achieve calm, and contain the situation between the Palestinian and Israeli sides”.
They also exchanged views over several regional and international issues of common concern, according to the statement.
Blinken is scheduled to leave for Israel later on Monday to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before travelling to Ramallah to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas amid escalating tensions between the two sides.
Washington: The Washington State Democratic Party has chosen Shasti Conrad as its new chair, making her the youngest and first Indian-American woman to serve as a state party chair anywhere in the country.
Conrad, 38, a political consultant and former leader of the King County Democrats, takes over from Tina Podlodowski, who had served as party chair since 2017.
“I’m so honored to have the opportunity to serve as Chair of our state party and build on the outstanding success Washington Democrats have earned at the ballot box for the last six years,” she said in a statement.
“I’m excited to work with Democratic leaders from every community to build an unprecedented field operation that will carry the message of how Washington Democrats are delivering for working families to each and every voter.”
Conrad assumes leadership of an organization whose voter contact operation has played a key role in Democrats’ statewide electoral dominance since the 2016 election, the Washington State Democratic Party said in a statement.
She has worked on political campaigns since 2008 when she got her start as a field organizer working for then-Senator Obama’s primary campaign.
Since then, she’s worked on three more presidential races and concluded the 2020 cycle as Senator Bernie Sanders’ National Director of Surrogates.
Locally, Conrad served as Chair of the Martin Luther King, Jr County Democrats from 2018 to 2022, where she raised nearly $300,000 for a county party organization mired in debt when she first took office.
Under her leadership, the King County Democrats’ field operation helped flip six city councils and a County Council seat held by Republicans for 20 years, the party statement read.
“After six years serving as the Chair of the Washington Democrats, I’m thrilled to pass on the torch to my friend Shasti Conrad. Shasti has been a force in Washington Democratic politics for over a decade as a staffer on three presidential campaigns and a successful chair of the largest county party organization in the state,” said Podlodowski, the outgoing party chair.
Conrad was named as one of the “40 Under 40” by the American Association of Political Consultants, and one of the most influential people in Seattle Politics by Seattle Met Magazine.She received her Master’s in Public Affairs from Princeton University and her B.A. with Honors distinction from Seattle University.
Hyderabad: Former Minister and ex-leader of opposition in Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir on Sunday assured the beedi workers that the Congress party would provide all required assistance to protect their livelihood, health and survival.
As part of the ‘Haath Se Haath Jodo’ Abhiyan, Shabbir Ali held an interactive session with beedi workers, thekedar and others related to the industry at Kamareddy District Congress Committee.
Speaking on the occasion, Shabbir Ali said that nearly seven lakh workers were employed by 14 major Beedi industries in Telangana. However, the BJP government at the Centre and the BRS Govt in the State did nothing to eradicate poverty among beedi workers or address their health concerns.
Referring to a recent study done on the condition of beedi workers of Telangana, he said the workers were getting poor wages, facing exploitation by middlemen and they have no social security. He said lakhs of workers were forced to continue with the Beedi industry as they do not have any alternative means of livelihood.
Shabbir Ali said the workers, mainly women, were dependent on Beedi rolling for their livelihood. He said most of the beedi workers were suffering from serious health problems. However, he said they have no access to medical facilities. At least there is no ESI hospital for Beedi workers anywhere in the country, including Kamareddy.
The Congress leader slammed the BJP at the Centre for imposing 28 per cent GST on the Beedi industry. He said that the move was intended for crippling the entire industry although it employs lakhs of people. Further, he alleged that the Modi Govt was targeting the poor Beedi workers in the name of discouraging tobacco.
“Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, had a detailed interaction with the Beedi workers to understand their problems. He had promised that the next Congress government will remove the GST from the Beedi industry.”
Shabbir Ali said that the Beedi workers work hard for nearly 19 hours hour every day to earn their livelihood. Despite so much hard work, due to rising inflation, most of them do not even get a proper meal every day.
The Congress leader said that the Central collects about Rs 100 crores annually from the Beedi industry in Telangana state in the form of cess. But there are no schemes to help the workers when they are in trouble. He demanded that the Center fix proper wages for the Beedi workers and provide PF cards to all workers attached to the Beedi industry. He said the Minimum Wages Act should be implemented and the wages of Beedi workers should be increased.
SRINAGAR: Acting tough against the land encroachers, the District Administration Kulgam in a single day today retrieved more than 400 kanals of state/ kahcharie and Roshni land during intensified anti-encroachment drives carried out across the district.
Illegal land measuring 10 Kanals was also retrieved from the relatives of Ex MP, with title State Land (Roshni) retrieved after a massive Eviction Drive at Kulgam Town today.
The Property having worth in Crores has been handed over to the MC, Kulgam, for further management.
Land measuring 50 Kanals under Survey No 675 recorded Sarkar in revenue records was retrieved today at estate Lammer.
On spot 40 Kanals were handed over to the Agriculture Department for Seed Multiplication Farm and 10 Kanals were handed over to the Headmaster Government High School Lammer.
93 Kanals of State land under Survey No. 01 at village Arigatnoo was retrieved from the encroachers and about 1 kanal Kahcharie land with (high commercial value) near Pahloo main market was retrieved with strenuous efforts.
44 kanals of land were retrieved at HM Guri in DH Pora.
It is worth mentioning that Kulgam district Administration has activated men and machinery on mission mode to evict the illegal occupants and retrieve the State/ Kahcharie and Roshni land in the district and today more than 400 Kanals of encroached land were retrieved and many structures raised over the encroached land were also dismantled.
SRINAGAR: Acting tough against land grabbers, the District Administration Shopian today retrieved around 406 kanals of state and kahcharie land during anti-encroachment drives carried out across the district.
In tehsil Shopian, 40 shops built on State land were also sealed today by Executive Magistrate (Tehsildar) Shopian.
A team of revenue officials under the supervision of Tehsildar also freed 90 kanals of kahcharie and 12 kanals of state land in Ramnagri village during the anti-encroachment drive.
In tehsil Keegam, a team of revenue officials under the Supervision of Tehsildar Keegam at village Pirpora retrieved 15 kanals of state land and 35 kanals of kahcharie which were encroached by Former Finance minister and his family members.
In Tehsil Chitragam, Tehsildar Chitragam along with NT Chitragam freed 3 Kanals of encroached land in Village Chitragam. The land was retrieved from the brother of Ex. MLC.
Similarly, in Tehsil Barbugh, 149 kanals and 10 marlas of kahcharie land was reclaimed at Hardoo Handew, in tehsil Keller, 16 kanals of state land was retrieved in Batmuran Wanpora, in Tehsil Herman 31 kanals and 11 marlas of kahcharie and 13 kanals and 9 marlas of state land was retrieved in Nagisheran and in tehsil Zainapora, 40 kanals and 12 marlas of kahcharie land was freed from the land grabbers.
The retrieved land shall be earmarked for various developmental projects, playgrounds, village centric amenities and various other development and public welfare purposes in consultation with PRIs and local people.
Anti-encroachment drives are underway across the district and thousands of kanals of land have been reclaimed by the revenue department in the past few days.
New York: The US diplomat in charge of political affairs is visiting India for consultations with the External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi, according to the State Department.
During her visit, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland will lead the US delegation to the annual foreign office consultations “which cover the full range of bilateral, regional, and global issues”, the Department said on Friday.
She is also scheduled to meet young tech leaders, it added.
Her visit to India will be a part of a week-long swing through Asia that starts on Saturday and take her also to Nepal, Sri Lanka and Qatar.
During her visit to Sri Lanka which will mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between that country and the US, she will convey Washington’s “support for Sri Lanka’s efforts to stabilize the economy, protect human rights, and promote reconciliation”, the Department said.
In Nepal, Nuland will engage with the new government of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal who took office last month on the broad agenda of the partnership between the two countries.
Qatar, which plays a pivotal role in international diplomacy relating to the Taliban regime, represents US interests in Afghanistan as Washington has not recognized the regime.
The Department said that there Nuland will discuss “our bilateral arrangement on the protection of US interests in Afghanistan”.
“Global issues under the framework of the US-Qatar Strategic Dialogue and that country’s critical support for the relocation of Afghans with ties to the US,” will also figure in her discussions with leaders there, it noted.
The foreign office consultations are an annual affair to review the entire range of cooperation between the two countries under the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, including political, economic, commercial, regional, and international cooperation.
The last such consultation was in March last year.
Although the US and India have been drawing closer together, New Delhi’s apparent neutrality in the Ukraine war and its continued purchase of oil from Russia remains a sticking point, although Washington’s diplomats gloss over it.
(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)
