To enhance rail connectivity between Pune and Nashik, the Centre has sanctioned the doubling of the 248-km-long Daund-Manmad railway line. Of the total distance, 178 km of the track has already been commissioned, and work for the remaining section is currently underway. In addition, surveys for three new railway projects have been approved. These include the construction of a new double line between Nashik and Sainagar Shirdi (82 km) and between Pune and Ahmednagar (125 km), and the doubling of the Sainagar Shirdi-Puntamba section (17 km). The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for these projects will be prepared upon the completion of the surveys. This information was given by Union Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, in response to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Vaishnaw further shared that the DPR for a direct rail connection between Pune and Nashik was prepared by Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (MRIDC), a joint venture between the state (50%) and the Railway Ministry (50%). However, the proposed alignment in the DPR passed through Narayangaon, where the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), Pune, operates the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) Observatory. GMRT is used by researchers from 31 countries for scientific observations. The alignment was found unacceptable owing to its potential adverse impact on the operations of the GMRT Observatory. Pune and Nashik are already connected by rail via two routes: the Pune-Kalyan-Nashik route (265 km) and the Pune-Daund-Ahmednagar-Manmad-Nashik route (387 km). The sanctioning of railway projects is undertaken continuously by the Railways. Projects are approved based on factors such as potential profitability, traffic projections, last-mile connectivity, addressing missing links, alleviating congestion on saturated lines, and socio-economic considerations. The availability of funds and competing demands also play a role in determining which projects are taken up, depending on the liabilities of ongoing projects. Steps taken to improve working conditions for rail track maintainers: Minister Tells Lok Sabha The government has implemented several measures to improve the working conditions of track maintainers, who are integral members of the Indian Railway workforce, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. According to PTI, in response to the concerns raised by Congress lawmaker Kodikunnil Suresh about the challenges faced by track maintainers, including inadequate safety measures, heavy workloads, and limited career progression opportunities, Vaishnaw highlighted the steps taken to address these issues. “Track maintainers have been equipped with essential safety gear for working in hazardous environments,” Vaishnaw said. Key safety equipment provided to trackmen includes retro-reflective safety jackets, safety shoes, gloves, helmets with detachable miner's lights, tricolour LED torches, raincoats, and winter jackets. To improve efficiency and reduce the physical strain on track maintainers, the government has also introduced lightweight tools such as spanners, hammers, and crowbars, the minister added. Furthermore, mechanised track maintenance using various types of track machines has been implemented to lessen the need for manual labour. (With PTI inputs)
19 December,2024 12:46 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentOn Wednesday, India achieved a milestone in wildlife conservation as the first-ever Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica) has been tagged in Assam. The initiative, undertaken by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), was implemented by the Wildlife Institute of India in collaboration with the Assam Forest Department and wildlife organisation Aaranyak, with funding from the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA). This is the first-of-its-kind tagging for the species and the historic achievement highlights the significant advancement of Project Dolphin. The Ganges River Dolphin, India's National Aquatic Animal, is unique in its ecology, being nearly blind and relying on echolocation for its biological needs. Approximately 90% of the species' population resides in India, historically distributed across the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli river systems. However, its distribution has drastically declined over the past century. Despite its wide range, significant knowledge gaps remain regarding this species owing to its elusive behavior: it surfaces for only five to 30 seconds at a time, posing a significant challenge in understanding the ecological needs of the species and for any scientifically sound conservation interventions. Under the umbrella of Project Dolphin, MoEFCC has funded through CAMPA and Wildlife Institute of India to undertake a comprehensive rangewide research to develop conservation action plan, and fill existing knowledge gaps for the long-term conservation of the species. Given that Ganges river dolphins are apex predators, and serve as umbrella species for the river systems, it is critical to ensure that they are protected as the species will ensure of the sustenance of the entire river ecosystem. Given the paucity of information on the Ganges River Dolphin, the green ministry decided to undertake satellite tagging of the species in it’s distribution range. The first of the tagging took place in Assam, where a healthy male river dolphin was tagged and released under utmost veterinary care. The tagging exercise will help in understanding their seasonal and migratory patterns, range, distribution, and habitat utilisation, particularly in fragmented or disturbed river systems. “I am happy to share the news of the first-ever tagging of Ganges River Dolphin in Assam — a historic milestone for the species and India. This MoEFCC and National CAMPA-funded project, led by the Wildlife Institute of India, in collaboration with Assam Forest Dept and Aaranyak, will deepen our understanding of conserving our National Aquatic Animal,“ said Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav. Wildlife Institute of India Director Virendra R Tiwari said that tagging river dolphins will contribute to evidence-based conservation strategies that are urgently needed for this species. According to Project Investigator Dr Vishnupriya Kolipakam, this is a significant advancement in understanding the ecological needs of river dolphins, which will help conserve critical habitats within these vast river ecosystems. "This is vital not only for aquatic biodiversity but also for sustaining thousands of people who depend on these resources,” Dr Kolipakam said. The tagging was made possible by advancements in technology; the lightweight tags emit signals compatible with Argos satellite systems even with limited surfacing time and are designed to minimise interference with dolphin movement. Plans are underway to extend this initiative to other states inhabited by Ganges River Dolphins to build a comprehensive understanding of their population dynamics and habitat requirements.
18 December,2024 11:06 PM IST | Mumbai | Ranjeet JadhavA Kerala-based doctor has been rescued in real time from a 'virtual arrest' by "fakesters" who were posing as Mumbai Police officers to defraud him, news agency PTI reported. The cyber cell of Kerala Police, along with the State Bank of India (SBI) officials, on Tuesday collaborated to identify the fraud and managed to recover most of the Rs 5 lakh that was taken from him by the fraudsters, Kottayam Superintendent of Police (SP) Shahul Hameed said at a press briefing. According to PTI, a cyber cell officer told a TV channel that SBI has a financial tracking system for monitoring suspicious transactions and they flagged a Rs 5-lakh transaction that was made by the doctor on Tuesday to an account in North India. "They immediately informed the cyber cell, which forwarded the address of the doctor to Changanassery Police Station (in Kerala) and an inspector was sent from there to his residence to find out what happened," the officer said. Hameed said that the doctor did not allow the officer to enter his house, fearing the fraudster, who was posing as a Mumbai Police cop. "The inspector heard the person on the phone telling the doctor in Hindi not to go outside or allow anyone inside. So the inspector entered the home. On examining the doctor's phone, it was found that the accused had put him under virtual arrest. When he saw the Kerala Police officer, he cut the call," the SP said, adding that owing to the prompt steps taken by the police and SBI's financial tracking system, the doctor could get back Rs 4.65 lakh and only Rs 35,000 was lost to the unidentified fraudsters. According to PTI, Hameed said that the fraudsters sent fake letters with the letter head and emblem of the Reserve Bank of India and the Supreme Court to the doctor, stating that he was under investigation for money laundering. Alert SBI officials inform police about transaction When the doctor contacted them, one of them posed as a Mumbai Police officer and said he was under virtual arrest. They then asked him to send them Rs 5 lakh, the Kerala Police stated. The doctor transferred the money from the Changanassery branch of SBI. The officials of the bank, however, found something amiss and questioned the doctor. But he told them that he was sending the money to a friend. "Initially, he was not ready to believe that all of it was a fraud and it took some effort to convince him and lodge a complaint," the cyber cell officer said. Hameed said that the Central Government, RBI and the police have been issuing advertisements cautioning people to be alert against such frauds. "People should go through these advertisements and be vigilant, and if anything happens, they should immediately call 1930 to block any suspicious online transaction," he said. (With PTI inputs)
18 December,2024 07:57 PM IST | Kottayam | mid-day online correspondentUnion Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday accused Congress of twisting facts and distorting his remarks in the Rajya Sabha related to B R Ambedkar after BJP leaders "exposed" the opposition party's repeated "insults" to the architect of the Constitution, reported news agency PTI. Congress in the past has misrepresented his and even PM Modi's comments to misled people, alleged Amit Shah at a press conference at BJP HQ in New Delhi. "I condemn the Congress for twisting facts. Why did it happen? It happened because BJP leaders spoke on how the NDA governments upheld the Constitution and established with facts that the Congress is anti-Ambedkar, anti-Constitution and anti-reservation," Shah told. The senior BJP leader said the Congress also insulted V D Savarkar and blew to smithereens the values enshrined in the Constitution by imposing Emergency, stated PTI. "When all these facts came out, the Congress used its old tricks and made an effort to mislead the society by presenting twisted facts," Shah said. Shah, at the press conference, stated he comes from a party that can never insult Ambedkar. Asked about Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge's demand for his resignation, the home minister said in a lighter vein that he can quit if this will make the Congress president happy but it will never solve his problems. He has to remain in his chair, a reference to his party being in the opposition, for 15 more years, Shah said, reported ANI. Shah said that the Congress president Kharge is acting under Rahul Gandhi's pressure to be part of this "malicious" campaign against him. PM Modi calls Congress liars, Says they’ve insulted Dr. Ambedkar for years, watch video: Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a series of tweets defended Amit Shah's remarks. PM Modi said that Shah had exposed the Congress' "dark history of insulting" Baba Saheb Ambedkar after "which they were clearly stung and stunned" by the facts he presented, stated ANI. In a series of posts on X, PM Modi said that Congress sat in power for years but did nothing to empower the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities. In Parliament, HM @AmitShah Ji exposed the Congress’ dark history of insulting Dr. Ambedkar and ignoring the SC/ST Communities. They are clearly stung and stunned by the facts he presented, which is why they are now indulging in theatrics! Sadly, for them, people know the truth! pic.twitter.com/l2csoc0Bvd — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 18, 2024 "In Parliament, Amit Shah Ji exposed the Congress' dark history of insulting Dr Ambedkar and ignoring the SC/ST Communities. They are clearly stung and stunned by the facts he presented, which is why they are now indulging in theatrics! Sadly, for them, people know the truth! Congress can try as they want but they can't deny that the worst massacres against SC/ST Communities have happened under their regimes. For years, they sat in power but did nothing substantive to empower the SC and ST communities," PM Modi said. (With inputs from PTI, ANI)
18 December,2024 07:27 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentMembers of Parliament (MPs) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Manish Tewari are set to be among the Congress representatives in the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on ‘One Nation, One Election’ bill, reported news agency PTI. Kalyan Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress and P Wilson of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) are also expected to be its members, PTI stated. The committee is expected to have 21 MPs from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha. The panel will see a majority of representatives from BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and its allies owing to their numerical superiority in Parliament. MPs Ravi Shankar Prasad, Anurag Thakur and PP Chaudhary are being considered for the panel from the party. Shrikant Shinde of the Shiv Sena and Sanjay Jha of the Janata Dal (United), both allies of BJP, may also be included as members. Most of the parties have conveyed their choices to the government, which will move a motion in Lok Sabha to send the bills on 'One Nation, One Election' to the joint committee. The Speaker will take a final call on the names for the panel and its chairperson, stated PTI. Other representatives from the Congress for the joint committee of Parliament are Sukhdeo Bhagat and Randeep Surjewala. TMC leader Saket Gokhale and TM Selvaganapathi of DMK are also expected to be part of the panel, as per PTI. While Prasad, a well known lawyer, has held the portfolio of law minister in the previous Modi government, Chaudhary was a deputy minister in the crucial ministry, stated PTI. Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP), BJP's biggest ally, is to either send Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu or G M Harish Balayogi to be in the panel. The two 'One Nation, One Election' bills, including one requiring an amendment in the Constitution, lay down the mechanism to hold simultaneous elections and were introduced in Lok Sabha on Tuesday after a fiery debate. Opposition parties dubbed the draft laws — a Constitution amendment bill and an ordinary bill — as an attack on the federal structure, a charge rejected by the government, stated PTI. Gandhi termed the bills as "anti-constitutional" and said, "It is against the federalism of our nation. We are opposing the bill." BJP and its allies such as TDP, JD(U) and Shiv Sena have stoutly defended the bills, saying frequent elections are an obstruction to development programmes and simultaneous polls will boost them by cutting down on election expenditure, PTI reported. ( With inputs from PTI )
18 December,2024 07:23 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentTamil Nadu recorded the highest number of road accidents in India in 2022 with 64,105 incidents, data released on Wednesday by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways revealed. Madhya Pradesh stood second with 54,432 accidents, followed by Kerala with 43,910, Uttar Pradesh with 41,746, and Karnataka with 39,762 accidents. The report attributed road accidents to multiple factors, including overspeeding, mobile phone usage while driving, drunken driving, lack of lane indiscipline, non-adherence to traffic rules such as jumping red lights, and failure to use safety devices like helmets and seat belts. Vehicle conditions, weather, and road infrastructure were also cited as contributing factors to accidents. Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, on Wednesday had submitted the data in a written reply in Rajya Sabha to Congress leader Neeraj Dangi over the reasons for an increase in road accidents in India. To address these concerns, the Central Government has adopted a multi-pronged strategy focusing on the '4Es': Education, Engineering, Enforcement, and Emergency Care, the ministry said. Education The Ministry administered a Road Safety Advocacy Scheme to promote awareness through financial assistance to various agencies. Initiatives such as National Road Safety Week or Month aim to educate the public on traffic safety. Additionally, the government has established Institutes of Driving Training and Research and Regional Driving Training Centres across states and districts. EngineeringEfforts in road engineering include mandatory Road Safety Audits for National Highways at all stages, from design to maintenance. High-priority initiatives involve identifying and rectifying accident-prone "black spots." The Central Government has also introduced the electronic 'Detailed Accident Report' system for better accident data management. In vehicle engineering, mandatory safety measures include airbags for front-seat passengers, seat belt reminders, and over-speed warnings in 'M1-category' vehicles. Provisions for children below four years, such as safety harnesses and crash helmets, are also enforced. Speed-limiting devices are mandatory for most transport vehicles, excluding specific categories like ambulances and police vehicles. EnforcementThe Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, introduced stricter penalties for traffic violations and enabled technological enforcement measures. Rules for electronic monitoring on high-risk corridors have been implemented, along with an advisory for compliance using advanced technologies. Emergency CareCompensation for hit-and-run victims has been significantly increased, and ambulances equipped with medical staff are stationed at toll plazas on completed highway corridors. A pilot program for cashless treatment of accident victims has been launched in Chandigarh, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Puducherry, and Assam.
18 December,2024 05:43 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentMaharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday labelled the meeting between Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray and CM Devendra Fadnavis a 'welcome change,' reported news agency PTI. The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief and his MLA son Aaditya Thackeray on Tuesday met with Fadnavis and assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar at Vidhan Bhavan premises in Nagpur. Aaditya said they extended good wishes to the two and talked about taking a step towards showing political maturity and working together in the interest of the people. Talking to reporters in Nagpur during the ongoing Winter Session of the state legislature, Shinde said those who were "over the moon" after the Lok Sabha poll results and "planning to jail us" if they returned to power after assembly elections were now meeting the chief minister, reported PTI. "This is a welcome change. The chief minister is the leader of the state and anyone can meet him," Shinde said. He criticised the opposition for calling the BJP-led Mahayuti government an "EVM government", reported PTI. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which grabbed 30 of the 48 seats in the Lok Sabha polls in the state, could win only 46 of the 288 seats in the assembly polls. The Mahayuti, which got 17 seats in the General Elections, turned the tables by bagging 230 assembly seats. Since the state polls, MVA leaders have been raising questions over the sanctity of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). "Don't insult (people's) mandate or else, people will teach you a lesson next time," Shinde said, reported PTI. The deputy CM said the Mahayuti government, with BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP as its constituents, under Fadnavis will work as a team to deliver results. Asked about the opposition's demand as to when portfolio allocation would be done so they can seek answers to various issues concerning the state, Shinde said, "The CM and his two deputies are capable of doing that," reported PTI. He described it as "laughable" the demand of Uddhav Thackeray for election to the post of Chief Election Commissioner before implementing the 'one nation, one election' policy. "This amounts to challenging the constitutional post of the Chief Election Commissioner and an insult of the Constitution and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar," he said, reported PTI. To a question about Shiv Sena's Neelam Gorhe not being elevated to the post of legislative council chairperson, Shinde said, "We are working as Mahayuti. We don't fight over posts." (With inputs from PTI)
18 December,2024 03:16 PM IST | Nagpur | mid-day online correspondentAAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi while campaigning for the upcoming Delhi Assembly Polls said that the party's national convener and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is the only leader in the history of Delhi who worker for the poor people. During her poll campaign in the Tilak Nagar area of the national capital she highlighted the works done by the AAP government in the Education sector and claimed that better facilities are being provided in government schools than private schools. "For the last ten years since Arvind Kejriwal became the Chief Minister of Delhi, he has worked for the common man of Delhi... In the history of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal is the only leader who has worked for the poor people of Delhi..., she said. "Delhi is the only city where electricity is available 24 hours a day...10 years ago, there were no facilities in government schools in Delhi, but after our government was formed, better facilities are being provided in government schools than private schools and our children are taking admission is IIT's and medical colleges by clearing competitive exams," said Atishi. Making an appeal to public Atishi said, "We hope that the people of Tilak Nagar will again support the AAP government in Delhi like you did in 2013, 2015, 2020 in the upcoming polls in February," she added. Notably, AAP has nominated Jarnail Singh as its candidate from the Tilak Nagar assembly seat. Earlier, AAP on Sunday released its fourth and final list of 38 candidates for the Delhi Elections 2025. As per the list party's national convener and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will contest from New Delhi, CM Atishi from Kalkaji, Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj from Greater Kailash and Minister Gopal Rai from Babarpur. Additionally, Satyendra Kumar Jain will contest from Shakur Basti, Durgesh Pathak from Rajinder Nagar, Ramesh Pehalwan from Kasturba Naga, Raghuvinder Shokeen from Nangloi Jat, Som Dutt from Sadar Bazar, Imran Hussain from Ballimaran, Jarnail Singh from Tilak Nagar. As per the list minister Saurabh Bharadwaj will contest from Greater Kailash and Minister Gopal Rai will contest from Babarpur. Additionally, Satyendra Kumar Jain will contest from Shakur Basti, Durgesh Pathak from Rajinder Nagar, Raghuvinder Shokeen from Nangloi Jat, Som Dutt from Sadar Bazar, Imran Hussain from Ballimaran, Jarnail Singh from Tilak Nagar. There are two new names in the list of 38 candidates released today, all the remaining 36 MLAs have been repeated. AAP has fielded Ramesh Pehalwan from Kasturba Nagar. Naresh Balyan's wife Pooja Naresh Balyan has been fielded from Uttam Nagar. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
18 December,2024 02:16 PM IST | New Delhi | ANIThe Congress on Tuesday alleged that Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks in the Rajya Sabha during a debate on the Constitution show that the BJP and the RSS leaders have a "lot of hatred" for B R Ambedkar and demanded an apology from him. Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said those who believe in Manusmriti will definitely be at odds with Ambedkar. Congress general secretary-in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared a video snippet on X from Shah's speech in the upper house. "Abhi ek fashion ho gaya hai - Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. Itna naam agar bhagwan ka lete to saat janmon tak swarg mil jata (It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar'. If they had taken God's name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven)," Shah said, taking a swipe at the opposition. Shah said the BJP is happy that the Congress is taking Ambedkar's name but the party should also speak about its real sentiments towards him. He pointed out how Ambedkar had to resign from the first Cabinet citing his disagreement with the then Congress-led government's policies including Article 370. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge lashed out at Shah, saying the 'insult' of Babasaheb by the home minister 'has once again proven that the BJP-RSS were against the tricolour, their forefathers opposed the Ashok Chakra and the people of the Sangh Parivar wanted to implement Manusmriti instead of the Constitution of India from the very first day'. "Babasaheb Dr Ambedkar Ji did not allow this to happen, that is why there is so much hatred towards him,' Kharge said. "The ministers of the Modi government should understand carefully that for crores of people like me, Babasaheb Ambedkar is no less than God... He is and will always be the messiah of Dalits, tribals, backward classes, minorities and the poor,' Kharge said in a post in Hindi on X. In a post on X, Ramesh said, "Amit Shah has said something very disgusting. This shows that the BJP and RSS leaders have a lot of hatred for Baba Saheb Ambedkar." "The hatred is such that they are annoyed even by his name. These are the same people whose ancestors used to burn the effigies of Baba Saheb, who themselves used to talk about changing the Constitution given by Baba Saheb," the Congress leader said. As the people taught them a lesson, they are now annoyed with those who take Baba Saheb's name, he said. "Shameful! Amit Shah should apologise to the country for this," Ramesh asserted. Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal also hit out at Shah over his remarks. "HM Amit Shah, in case you didn't know - Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar is equivalent to God and the Constitution he drafted is a Holy Book for crores of people across the world. How dare you speak about Dr. Ambedkar with such disdain?" he said. "The BJP's disgust towards Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was always well known, and the Home Minister's pathetic statements in the Rajya Sabha today further confirm how much they hate and detest Dr. Ambedkar," Venugopal alleged in a post on X. The worshippers of Manusmriti will always have scorn towards Ambedkar, who rejected the horrible ideas espoused by the casteist RSS and their Manusmriti, he said. "Those who spoke of changing the Constitution if they won 400+ seats, are now openly mocking our country's reverence for Dr. Ambedkar," Venugopal said. Those who pretended to bow before him could not hide their true feelings for too long, and this dangerous statement from the BJP top brass shows they have lost the right to speak about Ambedkar ever again, he said. The home minister attacked the Congress in the Rajya Sabha, saying the party treated the Constitution as the "private fiefdom" of one family and "played fraud" with Parliament. Concluding a two-day debate on the "Glorious Journey of 75 Years of the Constitution of India", Shah ripped into the Congress for its appeasement politics and claimed that the party wanted to breach the 50 per cent quota limit to provide reservation to Muslims. He also asked the Congress if it supported the Muslim personal law and alleged that the party never worked for the welfare of the backward classes. Shah asserted that the BJP has already brought in a common civil code (Uniform Civil Code) in Uttarakhand and will implement it in all states. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
18 December,2024 02:11 PM IST | New Delhi | PTISlamming the Modi government, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said prioritising crony businesses over play-fair ones leads to weakened manufacturing sector, depreciating currency, record high trade deficits, high interest rates, falling consumption and soaring inflation. Tagging a media report which said that trade deficit and imports are at an all-time high, Gandhi hit out at the Modi government. "What happens when a government prioritises crony businesses over play-fair businesses?" Gandhi said. "Result: Weakened manufacturing sector, depreciating currency, record high trade deficits, high interest rates, falling consumption and soaring inflation," he said in a post on X. After recording double-digit growth in October, India's exports in November contracted by 4.85 per cent year-on-year to USD 32.11 billion, while the trade deficit widened to an all-time high of USD 37.84 billion due to record surge in gold imports. According to the commerce ministry data, imports rose by 27 per cent year-on-year to a record USD 69.95 billion in November due to high inbound shipments of vegetable oil, fertiliser, and silver. Gold imports during the month under review soared to an all-time high of USD 14.8 billion as against USD 3.5 billion in November 2023. Cumulatively, during April-November this fiscal, exports increased by 2.17 per cent to USD 284.31 billion and imports by 8.35 per cent to USD 486.73 billion. Trade deficit, the difference between imports and exports, during April-November widened to USD 202.42 billion from USD 170.98 billion during April-November 2023. Congress demands resignation of Amit Shah over Ambedkar remarks The Congress on Wednesday demanded the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah for his remarks in the Rajya Sabha which it claimed were an insult to B R Ambedkar. The opposition party also demanded that Shah should apologise publicly and in Parliament for his remarks. The Congress on Tuesday alleged that Shah's remarks in the Rajya Sabha during a debate on the Constitution show that the BJP and the RSS leaders have a "lot of hatred" for Ambedkar and demanded an apology from him. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had said those who believe in Manusmriti will definitely be at odds with Ambedkar. (With inputs from Agencies)
18 December,2024 02:09 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentOpposition members walked out of the Maharashtra legislative council on Wednesday after not being allowed to discuss Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on B R Ambedkar, reported news agency PTI. The matter also figured in the state assembly where Congress leader Nitin Raut said they will not tolerate "insult" of Ambedkar whom they revere as God. Notably, the Congress has alleged that Shah's remarks in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday during a debate on the Constitution show the BJP and the RSS leaders have a "lot of hatred" for Ambedkar and demanded an apology from him, reported PTI. When the Maharashtra legislative council proceedings began on Wednesday, Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve raised the point of information to discuss Shah's comments on Ambedkar. However, members of the ruling parties objected to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Danve's move. Deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe said the happenings in Parliament cannot be discussed in the state council and added that they (opposition members) were doing politics on the matter, reported PTI. Members of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) gathered near the well of the House. They raised slogans demanding a discussion over Shah's comments and then staged a walkout. In the legislative assembly, Congress leader Nitin Raut criticised the purported remarks made in the Rajya Sabha, reported PTI. "We will not tolerate insult of Ambedkar who is like God to us," he said. State minister Ashish Shelar (BJP) objected to Raut and demanded that the Congress leader's comments be expunged, reported PTI. "How can one discuss proceedings of the Rajya Sabha in the assembly?" Shelar asked. Shah attacked the Congress in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, saying the party treated the Constitution as the "private fiefdom" of one family and "played fraud" with Parliament. Concluding a two-day debate on the "Glorious Journey of 75 Years of the Constitution of India", Shah had ripped into the Congress for its appeasement politics and claimed the party wanted to breach the 50 per cent quota limit to provide reservation to Muslims. (With inputs from PTI)
18 December,2024 02:00 PM IST | Nagpur | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
