Tag: state

Emergency operations centre activated following mass fish deaths in Australian state

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Sydney: An emergency operations centre has been activated in Menindee, a small town in the far west of Australia’s New South Wales (NSW), to facilitate multi-agency operations, after millions of native fish were found floating down the Darling river.
The NSW Police Force said on Sunday that the massive fish deaths are believed to be attributed to hypoxic blackwater, a naturally occurring phenomenon that causes extremely low dissolved oxygen levels, Xinhua news agency reported.
“The scale of this event has been exacerbated by recent hot weather and significantly increased the number of fish in the system as floodwaters recede,” the police noted.
According to the police statement, authorities are continuing to release higher-quality water to boost dissolved oxygen levels in this area, while the emergency operations center (EOC) was established to ensure fresh and clean water supply as well as to coordinate the removal and disposal of fish.
NSW Police Force Assistant Commissioner Brett Greentree, who oversees the centre, pointed out that numerous agencies are already on the ground in the area with more on the way to conduct and support operational activities.
“Significant planning, including risk assessments, is already underway for clean-up efforts, which will include the removal of as many of the dead fish as possible, prioritising the immediate areas around Menindee, as well as other areas deemed high-risk in terms of water supply,” Greentree said.
“While this will require specialised skills and equipment, experts in the EOC have already identified suitable contractors, and it is expected work will commence this week,” he added.
On Friday, the NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) confirmed on social media that the agency is aware of a developing large-scale fish death event on the Lower Darling-Baaka below Menindee Main Weir through to Weir 32, adjacent to the Menindee township.

“It is estimated that millions of fish, predominantly Bony Herring (Bony Bream) have been affected, as well as smaller number of other large-bodied species such as Murray Cod, Golden Perch, Silver Perch and Carp,” said the department.
Cameron Lay, Director of freshwater environments at NSW DPI, told local media that the situation is “very distressing”.
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#Emergency #operations #centre #activated #mass #fish #deaths #Australian #state
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 19, 2023
Hyderabad: BSP state chief detained amid hunger strike over TSPSC paper leak

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Hyderabad: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Telangana chief RS Praveen Kumar was taken into custody by the Telangana police on Friday ahead of his indefinite hunger strike over the leak of the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) Assistant Engineer (civil) exam paper.
The BSP supremo was holding an indefinite hunger strike at his party office on Lakdikapul when the police took him into custody.
Praveen Kumar had demanded that the group I exams be cancelled and the investigation into the leak be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
In a statement on Wednesday Kumar had stated that he was giving the state government 48 hours to hand over the case to the central agency or he would take up a fast onto death.
Demanding that the TSPSC chairman Janadhanan redyy step down immediately, he stated that he would write to the President and Gocernot over the same.
He also questioned Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao and state IT minister KT Rama Rao’s silence on the same.
“All the examinations held during Janardhan Reddy’s tenure should be cancelled and re-conducted. TSPSC has lost the trust of Telangana people. Details of candidates who have crossed 100 marks in Group 1 Prelims should be disclosed,” said Praveen Kumar.
The BSP leader also alleged that the government was attempting to wash its hands of the case by handing it over to an SIT and terming the leak as a technical error.

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#Hyderabad #BSP #state #chief #detained #hunger #strike #TSPSC #paper #leak
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 17, 2023
Odisha: OBC survey across the state from May 1

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Bhubaneswar: The much-awaited survey of the other backward classes (OBCs) across Odisha will commence on May 1 and continue till May 27, an official notification said on Thursday.
The social and educational conditions of 208 OBC communities enlisted by the state government will be collected during the survey, which will be followed by a special drive to ensure that none were left out across the state, an official said.
Odisha is the second state in the country after Bihar to hold the OBC survey.
The survey will be carried out by the Odisha State Commission for Backward Classes in all 314 blocks and 114 civic bodies areas in the state, an official said.
“The objective of the survey is to get a picture of the present social and educational conditions of the people belonging to backward classes in Odisha,” he said.
The state government in its notification said the survey will be carried out under the powers conferred by section 9 of the Odisha State Commission for Backward Classes (OSCBC) Act, 1993 and OSCBC (Amendment) Act, 2020.
According to the provisions of the two Acts, the heads of the families or any senior person can provide the family data at the survey center. The families under survey require to give details of their ration and Aadhar cards or voter identity cards of their members.
OBC families having no ration cards may also submit their details at the survey centers. The people can also register their details for the survey online (www.oscbc.odisha.gov.in) free of cost, the official said.

This apart, the people can also register their details at Mo Seva Kendra’ by making the requisite payment, he said.
Meanwhile, the opposition BJP and Congress have said that the state government’s move for the survey ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha and the Odisha assembly election is aimed at creating an OBC vote bank.
BJP OBC Morcha president Surath Biswal in a press conference on Thursday voiced suspicion about the state government’s mode of conducting the survey, which, he said, could be a ploy to dilute the enumeration process.
“The OBC survey should be done on a door-to-door basis instead of opening survey centers. Many poor people may not be able to come to survey centers due to lack of awareness,” he said.
Biswal demanded that the state government provide 27 per cent quota to OBCs in education and jobs as in other states.
The ruling BJD on the other hand maintained that the survey will be conducted to make policies more effective, ensure the socio-economic development of the backward classes and improve their social and educational conditions.
“There is no politics behind the survey. It is purely for the welfare of OBCs,” said Debi Prasad Mishra, a BJD lawmaker said.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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#Odisha #OBC #survey #state
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 16, 2023
Raj govt forms committee to consider declaring Rajasthani official language of state

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Jaipur: Rajasthan government has formed a committee to consider declaring Rajasthani the official language of the state, minister B D Kalla said on Thursday.
Replying to the calling attention motion moved by the deputy leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly during Zero Hour, Kalla, the art and culture minister, informed the house that the government has approved the formation of a committee, which will study the model of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand and submit a report to the state government.
He said based on the report, the state government will take action regarding the recognition of the Rajasthani language on similar lines.
Kalla said, at present, the Rajasthani language is included as a literary subject in the syllabus under the Board of Secondary Education. He said it would be possible to include it as a language after approval from the competent level.
The minister said it has come to the notice of the state government that different languages have been made official languages in different states.
At present, the Rajasthan Official Language Act, 1956 is applicable in the state. In order to make Rajasthani the official language, an amendment to the Act will have to be made.
He said the Mahapatra Committee has also considered Rajasthani eligible for inclusion in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution. In this regard, the members of the party and the opposition should unite and request Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Speaking on the issue, Rathore said various states have given official language status to their local languages such as Goa, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Sikkim and West Bengal.

“Why cannot Rajasthan do the same under article 345 of the Constitution,” he questioned.
Article 345 of the Indian Constitution, provides constitutional recognition as “official languages” to any language adopted by a state legislature as the official language of that state.
He said as per the recommendations of the Pahwa committee 1996 and Sitakant Mahapatra Committee 2003 if any government gives primary education in the mother tongue then it is eligible to be included in the 8th schedule.
“The resolution taken by the state assembly in 2003 to add Rajasthani in the 8th schedule should start with the state making it an official language,” he said.
Rathore said article 345 of the constitution allows a state to make one or more languages its official language. The state should bring an amendment to the Rajasthan Official Language Act-1956 and give official status to Rajasthani.
In his response, Kalla said on August 25, 2003, a resolution was unanimously passed by all the members of the State Legislative Assembly regarding the recognition of the Rajasthani language and its inclusion in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
The central government was urged to include the Rajasthani language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution in 2009, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2023. At present the matter is under consideration at the level of the Government of India, he said.
A total of 22 languages of India are included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India.
In a written reply in Lok Sabha on March 14, Minister of State of Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said 14 languages were initially included in the Constitution on 26th January 1950.
Last year, former CM Vasundhara Raje demanded that Rajasthani be given the status of the official language of the state.
Raje had written a letter to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot stating that the mother tongue of Rajasthan is one of the richest languages in the world which is not only cultural identity but it is also related to sentiments.
She said after the recognition of Rajasthani as the official language, the state will be recognised globally and employment and tourism opportunities will increase.
In January this year, hundreds of youths gathered at the Shaheed Smarak in Jaipur to raise their demand to give Rajasthani the status of the official language of Rajasthan.
Office-bearers of student unions of various universities, student organisations including ruling Congress’ student wing NSUI and youth from different districts had gathered for the candle march in Jaipur in support of the demand.
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#Raj #govt #forms #committee #declaring #Rajasthani #official #language #state
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 16, 2023
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.
पंजाब में 1 साल में शानदार काम👇
🔹500 Mohalla Clinics
🔹School Of Eminence
🔹Free बिजली
🔹16 Medical College बन रहे
🔹26000+ Jobs
🔹28000+ कर्मचारी पक्के
🔹Sand Mafia-Land Mafia ख़त्म
🔹₹5.5 क्यूबिक फीट रेता
🔹भ्रष्टाचारियों को जेल
🔹हज़ारों करोड़ का निवेश
: @BhagwantMann pic.twitter.com/DRtM2HJPk8
— Aam Aadmi Party- Uttar Pradesh (@AAPUttarPradesh) March 16, 2023
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 )

March 16, 2023
Newsom skips State of the State and heads out on a tour of California

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Newsom will shine that spotlight as he rides political momentum into his second term. He overwhelmingly defeated an attempted recall in 2021 and then cruised to victory last November. Republicans who argue the governor has failed to allay pressing issues like homelessness and poverty have little power to impede his agenda in a Democrat-dominated Legislature.
The governor’s tour will traverse California. He will kick things off by highlighting housing construction efforts in Sacramento, an issue that is top of mind for many people in the state. From there he’ll journey to the notorious state prison at San Quentin— where officials dismantled the execution chamber four years ago on Newsom’s orders — to talk about his criminal justice plans. He’ll outline a public health plan in Los Angeles and conclude his weekend by proposing mental health policies in San Diego.
The decision to bypass his traditional speech doesn’t mean Newsom has ignored Sacramento’s political class. In January, he stood before the Capitol and delivered an inaugural speech to hundreds of lawmakers, interest group representatives, and constitutional officers, contrasting his progressive agenda with the policies of red-state rivals like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
This month he’s taking a different approach to “checking the box constitutionally,” senior communications adviser Anthony York said.
“We didn’t feel like there was a particularly loud clamor for another Gavin Newsom podium speech,” York said. “There are some times that, in Sacramento, talking to ourselves can feel a little cloistered, and things get lost. He likes the idea of going out into the state and talking to communities that are impacted.”
This isn’t the first time Newsom has broken the mold on required speeches. As mayor of San Francisco, he famously gave a seven-and-a-half-hour State of the City speech on his personal YouTube channel. He gave his 2021 State of the State address in cavernous Dodgers Stadium, seeking to mark California’s pandemic progress while acknowledging the loss of life with thousands of empty seats.
He does things differently in part because of a lifelong struggle with dyslexia. The learning disability makes reading speeches difficult — which is why Newsom loathes using a teleprompter, Clegg said.
“To this day you’ll never see me, including at a press conference today, ever read anything,” Newsom said on a February podcast with David Axelrod, “with one exception: those torturous exceptions where a teleprompter is required, and I will have to spend 100 hours on a one-hour speech just to feel comfortable with the words on the screen.”

Republicans are not impressed. They accuse Newsom of dodging accountability on crises like pervasive homelessness and high gas prices.
“The guy has nothing to tout, so it’s kind of amazing to me,” said Assembly Republican leader James Gallagher (R-Yuba City). “It just continues to show his disdain for the Legislature.”
But aides say Newsom has little desire to speak in that setting.
“He doesn’t love the idea of lecturing and standing before 120 legislators,” said political adviser Brian Brokaw. “That’s not really his comfort zone or his brand.”
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#Newsom #skips #State #State #heads #tour #California
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

March 16, 2023
1164 Cases Of JK Registered With NHRC Post Reorganisation Of Erstwhile State: Centre

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SRINAGAR: As many as 1164 cases from Jammu and Kashmir were registered with National Human Rights Commission after disbanding of the State Human Rights Commission in 2019.
In a written reply, the Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday informed the Parliament that a total 1164 cases pertaining to the State of Jammu and Kashmir have been registered with the NHRC from October, 1, 2019 to December, 2022, as per the information provided by the rights body.
“Out of those, 111 have been considered and closed by the Commission, 368 have been disposed of with direction, 484 have been dismissed in limini, compensation has been recommended in one case and 200 cases are pending for consideration of the Commission,” the MHA said.
The MHA further said that jurisdiction regarding human rights cases of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir vests in the NHRC by virtue of a notification issued by it in 2020.
“As per the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Adaptation of Central Laws) Order, 2020, notified on 18.03.2020, the functions relating to human rights in case of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir shall be dealt with by the National Human Rights Commission(NHRC).
By virtue of the aforesaid notification, the jurisdiction regarding human rights cases of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir vests in the NHRC,” the MHA said.
The MHA said that State Human Rights Commission functioning in the erstwhile state of J&K was winded up by the virtue of Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act-2019.
“By virtue of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019, the Jammu and Kashmir Protection of Human Rights Act, 1997 has been repealed, and the application of corresponding Central Act i.e. The Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 has come into force. Accordingly, the erstwhile State Human Rights Commission in Jammu and Kashmir was wound up on 23.10.2019,” the Ministry said.

It said 765 complaints were pending before the Commission at the time of its winding up in 2019. (KNO)

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#Cases #Registered #NHRC #Post #Reorganisation #Erstwhile #State #Centre
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

March 14, 2023
Ban on loudspeakers in mosques: Gujarat HC seeks state govt’s reply

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Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court has sought the state government’s reply on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a ban on the use of loudspeakers for reciting azaan’ (call to prayer) in mosques.
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice A J Desai and Justice Biren Vaishnav on Monday allowed Shaktisinh Zala, a Bajrang Dal leader, to join the PIL after the original petitioner Dharmendra Prajapati sought to withdraw it citing threats.
Zala’s lawyer urged the court to allow him to join the litigation in the absence of the original petitioner.
The court listed the matter on April 12 while directing the government to file a reply.
The PIL has sought a ban on the use of loudspeakers for azaan’ at mosques in Gujarat claiming that they add to noise pollution and violate the fundamental rights of citizens.
The petitioner said a muezzin at a mosque in his neighbourhood uses a loudspeaker to recite azaan’ five times a day, causing “great inconvenience”.
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#Ban #loudspeakers #mosques #Gujarat #seeks #state #govts #reply
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 14, 2023
NIA raids house of suspected Islamic State operative in Srinagar

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New Delhi: National Investigation Agency on Monday raided the house of a suspected Islamic State operative in Srinagar as part of an investigation in a case related to activities of some individuals from Kerala linked to the global terror group, an official said.
The house of Uzair Azhar Bhat, who is suspected to have been part of the Kerala module of the Islamic State — also known as ISIS — was raided at the Karfali Mohalla locality in downtown Srinagar, a spokesperson of the federal anti-terror agency said.
The official said digital devices seized from the house during the search are being examined and further investigations are in progress.
In 2021, the NIA had started probe into Mohammed Ameen alias “Abu Yahya” of Kadannamanna, Kerala, who had been running various Islamic State propaganda channels on different social media platforms.
“Through these channels, he was propagating violent Jihadi ideologies of ISIS and was radicalizing and recruiting new members to this ISIS module. He and his associates had even identified certain individuals for targeted killings,” the spokesperson said.
The NIA said they had also made plans to undertake ‘Hijrah’ (migration) to Jammu and Kashmir for engaging in terrorist acts and had raised funds from various sources for this trip.
“During the probe, it was found that Ameen was in touch with Deepthi Marla of Kerala, a converted Muslim, married to Anas Abdul Rahiman of Mangalore. In 2015, she had gone to Dubai to pursue studies where she met Mizha Siddeeque and both women developed an inclination towards ISIS,” the spokesperson said.
In 2019, the official said they tried to do ‘Hijrah’ to Khorasan (Afghanistan) and reached Tehran, Iran. After reaching Tehran, their contact with ISIS operatives based in Khorasan could not be established.

“They both returned to India, and Marla got in touch with Ameen, Obaid Hamid Matta, Madesh Shankar alias Abdullah and others and made plans to undertake Hijrah to ISIS administered territory.
“In January 2020, she went to Srinagar to meet Matta to plan the Hijrah and stayed in Srinagar for one week,” the spokesperson said, adding that one of the common contacts between Marla and Matta was Bhat, who is suspected to have been part of the conspiracy.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 13, 2023
Iraq: 22 Islamic State militants killed in Anbar province

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Baghdad: A total of 22 Islamic State militants, including some of the group’s leaders, were killed in an operation in Iraq’s western province of Anbar, the Iraqi military said.
Lieutenant General Abdul Wahab al-Saadi, Head of the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service, said on Sunday at a press conference that the operation was carried out in two phases by an airborne force on a rugged area north of the town of Rutba, nearly 400 km west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
All the killed militants were wearing explosive belts, and senior leaders were among the dead, said al-Saadi without revealing the exact date for the beginning of the operation, confirming that the operation is still underway, Xinhua news agency reported.
Over the past months, Iraqi security forces have conducted operations against extremist militants to crack down on their intensified activities.
The security situation in Iraq has been improving since the defeat of the IS in 2017. However, its remnants have since sneaked into urban centers, deserts, and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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#Iraq #Islamic #State #militants #killed #Anbar #province

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 13, 2023