Big political row has been triggered off by veteran socialist Mulayam Singh Yadav’s heaps of praise on Prime Minister and extending of good wishes that Narendra Modi should ‘return’ to power again. “Hum log toh itna bahumat mein nahi aa sakte haen, Pradhan mantri ji aap phir pradhan mantri baney (We cannot win as many seats to come to power. Mr Prime Minister, you will again become Prime Minister),” Mr Yadav said in Lok Sabha perhaps making the most surprising political remark of circa 2019. With UPA stalwart Sonia Gandhi on his side, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav sprang major surprise…
Author: Samikhsya Bureau
In a bid to ease the burden of heavy bags, the Meghalaya government has fixed weight limits for students of all classes and imposed restrictions on home works for classes I and II. The government, which has set rules in pursuance to the guidelines of the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India, pertaining to the matter of weight of school bags and the health of children. In a notification issued by Principal Secretary Donald P Wahlang, the schools shall not assign homework to students except those recommended by the MBOSE, ICSE or CBSE as per the guidelines formulated…
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido’s ambassador to the United States, Carlos Vecchio, during a meeting urged US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers to intensify pressure on President Nicolas Maduro’s government. “We must ensure that humanitarian aid can enter soon to serve all Venezuelans, while increasing pressure against the regime,” Vecchio said according to a press release issued by his office after the meeting on Wednesday. On Tuesday, Guaido told his supporters that US humanitarian aid would be delivered on February 23. Maduro so far has refused to accept aid that the United States has delivered to neighboring Colombia,…
The 16th Lok Sabha held its last working session on Wednesday. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan hosted a lunch for media persons at her official residence here. In informal chat with journalists, Ms Mahajan said the “single biggest” achievement of her tenure was a “lesson by itself”. “I have been a member of the House for long….I also sat among front bench members. In the past, I might have complained against former Speakers Somnath Chatterjeeji and Meira Kumarji, that they have not given me time. But when I sat on the chair, I understood the limitations of how to take all along,…
New political outfit Bahujan Azad Party (BAP) which was floated a couple of years ago by 50 IITians, has announced its election symbol “SLATE” , here. Addressing a press conference at Press Club of India on Wednesday, Naveen Kumar, an IIT passout who is leading the party from the front said that nation has invested a lot in him and he must pay back to India by serving for making India developed nation. Accusing the BJP led government in the centre of attacking the institutions like Supreme Court and Media, he said that “India has gone 50 years back in…
କେଦାର ମିଶ୍ର ଷୋଡଶ ଲୋକସଭାର କାର୍ୟକାଳ ଗତକାଲି ସରିଛି। ୧୯୮୪ ପରଠୁ ଏହି ଲୋକସଭାରେ ପ୍ରଥମଥର ଲାଗି ଶାସକ ଦଳ ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ସଂଖ୍ୟା ଗରିଷ୍ଠ ହୋଇଥିଲା। ମଇ ୨୦୧୪ ରେ ଷୋଡଶ ଲୋକସଭା ଗଠିତ ହେଲାବେଳକୁ ଏଥିରେ ଭାରତୀୟ ଜନତା ପାର୍ଟିର ସଦସ୍ୟ ସଂଖ୍ୟା ଥିଲା ୨୮୨। ତିରିଶ ବର୍ଷ ପରେ ପ୍ରଥମଥର ଲାଗି ବିଜେପି ଲୋକସଭାରେ ନିଜ ଶକ୍ତି ମୁତାବକ ସରକାର ଗଠନ କରିବାର ସୁଯୋଗ ପାଇଥିଲା। ତେବେ ଲୋକସଭାର ଶେଷ ଦିନ ବେଳକୁ ଏହି ସଂଖ୍ୟା ୨୬୮ କୁ ଖସି ଆସିଥିଲା। ସେହିପରି ଇତିହାସରେ ସବୁଠୁ କମ ସଂଖ୍ୟକ କଂଗ୍ରେସ ଦଳର ସଦସ୍ୟ ଲୋକସଭାକୁ ନିର୍ବାଚିତ ହୋଇ ଆସିଥିଲେ। ଲୋକସଭାରେ କଂଗ୍ରେସର ସଦସ୍ୟ ସଂଖ୍ୟା ଥିଲା ମାତ୍ର ୪୫। ହେଲେ ବିରୋଧୀ ଦଳ ଭାବରେ କଂଗ୍ରେସ ନିଜର ଅଳ୍ପ ସଦସ୍ୟଙ୍କୁ ନେଇ ସରକାରକୁ ଘେରିବାରେ ବେଶ ସଫଳ ହୋଇଥିଲା। ଲୋକସଭାର ନେତା ଭାବରେ ପ୍ରଧାନମନ୍ତ୍ରୀ ନରେନ୍ଦ୍ର ମୋଦୀ ମାତ୍ର…
Empowering users to make seamless digital payments in their own language, India’s largest digital payments platform, Paytm, the brand owned by One 97 Communications Limited, on Wednesday announced that its Android app now supports 11 different languages, including all major Indian vernaculars and English. With this, Paytm has further expanded its lingual reach and has gone on to become the first digital payments major in India to offer the widest range of language options on its app, a release said here. Within 5 years of operations, Paytm today covers around 88 per cent of Indian villages and more than 60…
Skoda Auto India said that bringing back the premium Monte Carlo marque, which combines luxury and glamour with racing sports styling to its portfolio. The premium Monte Carlo range will offer distinctive black design accents and race-inspired exquisite interiors. The Rapid Monte Carlo will be introduced at an ex-showroom price of Rs 11.16 lakh in exclusive Flash Red colour. Commenting on the introduction of the new Skoda Rapid Monte Carlo, Zac Hollis, director Sales, Service, and Marketing, Skoda Auto India, said, ”We are glad to re-introduce the Monte Carlo marque in India. The Rapid Monte Carlo offers a compelling combination…
Construction and real estate industry should push for bringing the entire sector under the GST as early as possible to solve major problems of the sector, Group of Ministers on Real Estate under GST regime Secretary Manish Kumar Sinha suggested on Wednesday. The group of ministers will soon meet and address all issues, Mr Sinha said while speaking at an interactive session on ‘Decoding Union Budget – A Real Estate Perspective’ organised by the FICCI. Mr Sinha said the Government is very sensitive to this sector and doing the best it can. The government is aware of the fact that…
Hard task master Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who has been recently appointed as Congress general secretary ( Uttar Pradesh east) held a marathon 16 hours meeting on Tuesday which ended in the early hours on Wednesday and was ready within six hours to start afresh a series of meetings with party workers on Wednesday. Waving her hand from her vehicle, Priyanka entered the Nehru Bhawan , the state headquarters of the Congress here at around 1300 hours on Wednesday to continue her second day of the meeting. On the first day, she shared her mantra for unity with all the Congress…
Nepal will make its case for the country’s transitional justice process at the 40th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, where it is expected to assuage the concerns of the international community on the completion of the remaining tasks of the homegrown peace process. According to a report in The Kathmandu Post, Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali is travelling to Geneva on February 23 to participate in the Human Rights Council meeting where he would assure the international community that the process of reconciliation would be smooth and sustainable and that the whole process of ‘dealing with the past’…
The Rajasthan government on Wednesday introduced a bill to provide five per cent reservation to Gujjars and four other communities in government jobs and education. The four other communities are Banjaras, Gadia Lohars, Raikas and Gadaria. Energy Minister B D Kalla piloted the Rajasthan Backward Classes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutes in the State and of Appointments and Posts in Services under the State) Amendment Bill, 2019. Hundreds of people from the Gujjar community have been holding demonstrations since February 8 to press for their demands. Their agitation entered the sixth day on Wednesday with many community members occupying…
The National Film Development Corporation of India has been declared winner under the Miniratna Category-II by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). This is part of endeavour by the Ministry to felicitate select CPSEs in recognition of their exemplary work for the promotion of SC/ST entrepreneurs. The performance parameters were procurement from SC/ST entrepreneurs, number of vendor development programmes for SC/ST and number of SC/ST entrepreneurs benefitted as per data uploaded on Sambandh Portal. The NFDC, incorporated in 1975 and 100 per cent owned Central Public Sector Undertaking, was formed by the Government with the primary objective…
Asserting that the hearing of Article 35-A cases in the Supreme Court (SC) has heightened tension in the valley, Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA) chairman Muhammad Yasin Khan said any fiddling with the Article could trigger a catastrophe in the entire South Asian region and not only in Kashmir. Khan, who also heads the Kashmir Traders and Federation (KTMF), said revocation of Article 35-A will mean that people of all the three regions will lose their share of resources in the state, including jobs and land. “People of this state will end up like Palestinians whose land will be taken away…
A Bill which seeks to amend the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Act, 1951 and make the trust which runs the memorial, ‘apolitical’ was passed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Piloting the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial (Amendment) Bill, 2018, Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said, ‘Our main concern is that the trustee of the memorial trust should not be president of any political party.’ He also announced that Rs 24 crore have been allocated for improvement of the Jallianwala Bagh memorial The Bill which seeks to “delete” the President of the political party as a Trustee, was introduced in the Lok…
Alleging that New Delhi is trying to divide Muslims on regional lines and in different sects in Jammu and Kashmir, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti said ‘the Centre was playing with fire by implementing BJP’s agenda through Governor Satya Pal Malik’. “When PDP was in coalition government with the BJP in J&K, it didn’t allow them (BJP) to implement their agenda in J&K,” Mehbooba, who was the chief minister of the state, said while addressing a press conference at her Gupkar residence here on Wednesday. She alleged now the Centre was implementing BJP’s agenda through its appointed Governor…
Well known Kannada Film Producer Jayashridevi passed away following brief illness at Apollo hospital in Hyderabad on Wednesday. She was 60. She was survived by her adopted son Vasu. Ms Jayashtridevi had produced films like Bhavani, Nammura Mandara Hoove, Amruta Varshini, Sri Manjunatha, Nishabdha, Kona Eeedite and other popular films. She was also executive producer of recently released Mukunda Murari. Actors, Producers, Directors including Mr Shivarajkumar belonging to Sandalwood have condoled the death of Ms Jayashridevi. The last rites will take at Yelahanka in the city tomorrow.
Over the past few days thousands of desperate civilians have been fleeing a fresh outbreak of violence in South Sudan’s Equatoria state, seeking safety in neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), many “suffering from trauma.” Some 5,000 people have settled in several villages along the border near the town of Ingbokolo in Ituri province in north-eastern DRC, the United Nations Refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday. “Most are women, children and the elderly” said UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch, explaining that they have been arriving by foot “exhausted, hungry and thirsty”. “Among them are people suffering malaria or other illnesses”…
The Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill which seeks to provide severe punishment and heavy pecuniary fines for chit fund operators and fraudsters, was passed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The legislation is aimed to help innocuous investors not to fall into the trappings of fraudsters and chit fund operators those played havoc with poor and middle class people in West Bengal and few other eastern states. The Union cabinet last week had given its green signal to the fresh amendments those provide for severe punishment and heavy pecuniary fines for such operatives to act as deterrent. The Bill…
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday took up the bill that seeks to tighten noose on fraudsters and chit fund operators and in a rather surprise move, the government initiatives were strongly supported by Congress and CPI-M members amid thumping of desks by the treasury benches. Speaking on the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill, Congress member Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Md Salim of CPI-M lashed out the Trinamool Congress for their alleged nexus with the chit fund operators. ‘Madam Speaker, there are always some corrupt people in all the parties but this Trinamool Congress is entirely a party of corrupt…
Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and Junnar Tehsil farmers will be jointly organising ‘Grape Festival’ in Golegaon (Lenyadri) in Pune district between February 16 and 19. The festival is being organised with the help of grape farmers of Junnar tehsil and MTDC Resort Malshej Ghat, a release said. Tourists can participate at any day in this festival, which is organised on the border of Thane and Pune districts. To participate in the event, the tourists will have to reach MTDC Resort at Malshej Ghat at 1000 hrs. Tourists can visit the grape orchard of Golegaon. The tourists will be given…