National
KCR vows to fight like a tiger for Telangana's rights till last breath
Nalgonda (Telangana), Feb 13 (IANS) Vowing to fight like a tiger for the rights of Telangana till his last breath, former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday exuded confidence that the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) will come back to power in ‘double speed’.
Addressing his first public meeting after losing power to the Congress recently, the BRS chief declared that he will not allow injustice to be meted out to Telangana.
KCR, as Rao is popularly known, said the time has come for a decisive fight to get Telangana’s due share in the waters of Krishna River.
The BRS chief was addressing a public meeting organised by the party to protest against alleged handing over of the projects on Krishna River by the Congress government to the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB).
The BRS leader, who recently underwent hip replacement surgery following a fracture, said he came to the public meeting with a walking stick as the interests of Telangana are dearest to him.
He also made it clear that it is not a political meeting, saying: “This is a meeting for a movement, for a fight. Our rights in Krishna waters are a matter of life and death for us.”
KCR said this meeting is a warning for not just the state government and state leaders, but also the Brijesh Kumar tribunal, Central government, Union Water Resources Minister and those with vested interests who want to snatch away “our water”.
KCR said the issue of Krishna waters is a matter of life and death for the undivided districts of Khammam, Nalgonda, Mahabubnagar, Rangareddy and Hyderabad.
The former CM said that for the last 24 years, he has been going around Telangana to underline the need to protect the state’s due share in the waters of both Krishna and Godavari rivers.
“I fought for Telangana state, achieved it and ruled the state for 10 years. I have not belittled anybody during my rule,” he said, claiming that his government ensured uninterrupted power supply, drinking water tap to every house and a huge jump in agricultural production.
Recalling that the people of Nalgonda suffered a lot due to the fluorosis problem and the successive governments’ failed to solve it, he said it was the BRS government which made Telangana fluorosis-free.
KCR also recalled that at the time of creation of Telangana state, then Congress government at the Centre wanted the states to continue the existing water sharing arrangement for one year and assured to address the issue later.
“Since the Bill for the formation of Telangana state was to be passed in the Parliament, we agreed,” he said.
The BRS chief said after the Narendra Modi government came to power, it did nothing to determine the share of Telangana in Krishna waters though he wrote hundreds of letters.
“We went to the Supreme Court and later the Central government asked us to withdraw the case, promising to constitute a tribunal. They delayed the process of constituting the tribunal and only after a strong fight by the BRS, the tribunal was constituted a few months before the elections,” he said.
The BRS chief said the Congress government should approach the tribunal, present its case effectively and apprise it of the state’s requirements and rights. He, however, remarked that this task can be undertaken by someone with guts and someone who has love for the people and the state.
He also demanded that the government should take an all-party delegation to Delhi to meet the Prime Minister and urge him to do justice to Telangana.
Slamming the Congress government for agreeing to handover Krishna projects to KRMB within three months after coming to power, he said this was a direct attack on the state’s interests and the very existence of its people.
He claimed that it was only after the BRS announced the ‘Chalo Nalgonda’ programme that the government passed a resolution in the Assembly.
He, however, said even this resolution has not covered some key issues like electricity generation.
KCR also alleged that the Congress uttered lies to come to power, adding that power is not permanent and BRS will come back to power in double speed.
On the visit of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, ministers and legislators to the Medigadda barrage, he asked what have they done by visiting it. He also alleged that the Congress government was trying to defame the BRS.
KCR remarked that the present government has no understanding of the river water problem, adding that this will not end with the passing of a resolution in the Assembly.
The BRS chief reminded that Kaleshwaram is not just Medigadda barrage, but there are three barrages, 15 reservoirs, 19 substations, 21 pump houses, 203 km of tunnels and 1,531 km gravity canal.
“There are 250-300 piers of Medigadda barrage. Two to three piers have sunk. If there are problems, they should be fixed,” KCR said, as he asked if similar problems were not faced in Nagarjuna Sagar, Musi, Kadam and other projects.
Lashing out at the Congress, KCR said they are resorting to cheap politics.
“They are saying they will not allow KCR to roam around in Telangana. What will you do? Will you kill KCR? Can you sustain after killing KCR,” he asked.
The BRS chief also slammed Congress leaders for allegedly threatening to hit the farmers with footwear if they ask for Rythu Bandhu.
“You should remember that footwear of farmers is harder than yours. If you are incompetent to give Rythu Bandhu assistance, you should tell the farmers,” KCR said
–IANS
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Bhubaneswar, July 30 (IANS) The Ministry of Railways has sanctioned Rs 275.01 crore for the provision of safety fencing along the railway tracks in the Bhadrak-Palasa and Khurda Road-Puri Railway Sections of the Khurda Road Division under East Coast Railway.
This project aims to facilitate the safe movement of trains at speeds up to 130 mph and beyond.
“To ensure effective fencing and avoid any disruptions, the Ministry has decided to construct boundary walls nearer to the tracks. The current plan involves erecting fencing at the boundary of Railway Land, with the actual distance to be determined by the zonal railway authorities based on site conditions, maintenance requirements, multi-tracking works, the level of trespassing and the overall effectiveness of the proposed fencing,” said East Coast Railway sources.
The Railways through this initiative also aim to seal the entry to the rail tracks at level crossings, ROBs (flyovers), RUBs (underpasses), bridges and other critical locations requiring access control.
Also, cattle grazing near the tracks will be restricted from moving towards the Railway Line due to the safety fencing ensuring smooth traffic movement and preventing loss of livestock and wildlife.
Recently, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed in Lok Sabha that safety fencing would be strategically implemented at vulnerable locations to support the running of Vande Bharat trains at speeds between 110 kmph and 130 kmph.
For speeds exceeding 130 mph, continuous safety fencing will be installed along the entire track length.
“The Ministry of Railways remains committed to advancing railway safety and infrastructure to meet the growing demands of semi-high-speed train travel in India. This safety fencing project marks a significant step towards achieving these goals, ensuring a safer and more efficient railway network for the nation,” added the ECoR.
–IANS
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Imphal, July 30 (IANS) The 13-day-long Manipur Assembly session will start on Wednesday and it might witness heated debate over the ongoing strife, specially the recent violence in Jiribam District by Opposition Congress.
Officials on Tuesday said that the session would continue till August 12.
Congress sources said that they will raise the recent Jiribam District violence and other vital issues affecting the people for the last several months.
Jiribam witnessed a wave of violence after the killing of 59-year-old farmer Soibam Saratkumar Singh on June 6, leading to 900 tribals belonging to the Kuki and Hmar communities taking shelter at the homes of relatives and friends in two villages in Cachar District of southern Assam, while around 1,000 people, mostly belonging to the Meitei community, are now sheltered in seven relief camps in Jiribam.
Manipur has had two Assembly sessions since the ethnic violence broke out on May 3, 2023.
Earlier on two occasions, 10 tribal MLAs belonging to the Kuki-Zo community boycotted the Assembly sessions demanding a separate administration or a Union Territory for tribals in Manipur.
Manipur Chief Minister, N Biren Singh last week said that he would request the 10 MLAs to attend the Assembly session.
One of the 10 MLAs, the BJP’s Paolienlal Haokip, who was elected from Saikot Assembly constituency in tribal-dominated Churachandpur District said that they would not attend the session this time too.
“When my people can’t set foot in Imphal, how can I attend an Assembly held in the state capital,” Haokip remarked.
Of the 10 tribal MLAs, seven are from the ruling BJP, two belong to the Kuki People’s Alliance and one is an Independent.
Since May 3 last year, Manipur has been hit by unprecedented ethnic violence between the Chin-Kuki-Zos and the Meiteis, that has claimed the lives of at least 220 people, left over a 1000 injured and displaced over 60,000 people of both communities.
–IANS
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Srinagar, July 30 (IANS) Four soldiers were injured in a road accident in J&K’s Kulgam district on Tuesday, police said.
Police said that a vehicle of 9 Rashtriya Rifles was coming from Devsar to Pahloo in Kulgam when it met with an accident.
“The vehicle went out of the driver’s control and overturned in the Pahloo area near the petrol pump. It skidded off the road and rolled over to the lawn of a local identified as Muhammad Amin Padder,” a police official said.
The injured soldiers were shifted to the nearby camp of 9 Rashtriya Rifles for medical attention, police said.
–IANS
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Mumbai, July 30 (IANS) Highlighting the success of ‘Mukhya Mantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana’, Shiv Sena Deputy Leader Sanjay Nirupam on Tuesday said that the scheme is on track and will soon reach two crore applications.
“The Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana launched by the MahaYuti government for women in the state has received an overwhelming response. In just 25 days since the registration began, over 1.8 crore applications have been submitted,” he said.
Nirupam said that the Nari Shakti Dut app has significantly streamlined the online application process, with 7 to 8 lakh applications being submitted daily.
“Additionally, the app has been downloaded 88 lakh times, averaging 800 downloads per minute. Currently, the Nari Shakti Dut app ranks as the 27th most downloaded app in the country, with 650 applications submitted every minute through it,” he added.
Nirupam noted that no previous scheme has ever received such an extensive response.
He emphasised that the massive turnout is a testament to the trust that the mothers of the state place in Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
“To date, the government has received 1.3 crore applications online and 50 lakh applications through offline modes. The government aims to benefit at least 2 to 2.5 crore women through this scheme. Applications will be accepted until August 31, 2024. The Shiv Sena party will initiate a campaign starting August 2, 2024, to promote registration in Mumbai and its surrounding areas,” Nirupam said.
Pune district has reported the highest number of registrations, with 8.63 lakh women submitting their forms, he added.
Addressing critics who questioned the financial viability of the scheme, Nirupam assured that the state government has not sought any financial assistance from the central government.
“This scheme is entirely funded by the state government, and there is no parallel to the Congress’s schemes. The Maharashtra Chief Minister remains committed to his promise,” he said.
Nirupam expressed confidence that by August 17, 2024, women who have completed their KYC process will receive Rs 3,000 in their bank accounts.
–IANS
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New Delhi, July (IANS) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday took the opposition to task for claiming that agriculture had been ignored in the Union Budget 2024-25, pointing out that the allocation for the sector was five times more than what the erstwhile UPA government had earmarked in the Budget for 2013-14.
In her reply to the debate on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha, the Finance Minister said the allocation for the agriculture sector made by the Congress-led government in 2013-14 was a mere Rs 21,934 crore, which has gone up more than five-fold to Rs 1.23 lakh crore in the Budget for 2024-25.
While the Congress was merely paying lip service to farmers during its tenure, the government led by PM Narendra Modi has extended more than Rs 3.24 lakh crore under the direct benefit transfer scheme to 11 crore farmers who have received the money directly in their accounts, FM Sitharaman said.
She also said that institutional credit to farmers has gone up more than 2.4 times and 76 per cent of small farmers are now availing loans compared to only 57 per cent in 2013-14 when the Congress was in power.
The Congress was merely shedding crocodile tears for the farmers while it did not do anything for them when it was in power, she added.
Stating that the Congress-led UPA had rejected the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendation on fixing MSP for crops at above 50 per cent of the cost of production, the Finance Minister read out the minutes of an official meeting dating back to 2007 to drive home her point in the Lok Sabha.
It is the Modi government that has raised the MSP for farmers across all crops, she added.
The Finance Minister also lashed out at the Congress for the irregularities in the implementation of loan waivers for the farmers, citing the CAG report on the issue.
–IANS
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