Bhubaneswar, July 31 (IANS) Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Mamata Mohanta on Wednesday resigned from the Rajya Sabha and the primary membership of the party.

“I do hereby tender my resignation from the membership of Rajya Sabha. I have taken this decision consciously. I express my gratitude to your good self for the opportunities given to me to raise issues of public importance in the House,” she wrote in a letter addressed to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, who later informed the House that Mohanta’s resignation has been accepted with immediate effect.

The senior BJD leader was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in April 2020. Her membership was scheduled to end in April 2026.

Mohanta has been a member of the Mayurbhanj Zilla Parishad from 2012 to 2017. She is also a social activist and leader of the Kudmi community in Mayurbhanj district.

Mohanta resigned from the BJD citing that the party no longer requires her service.

She also thanked BJD President Naveen Patnaik for allowing her to serve the state and Mayurbhanj district by nominating her to the Rajya Sabha.

In a letter to Patnaik, Mohanta said, “I do hereby resign from the Primary Membership of Biju Janata Dal. I sincerely express my gratitude to your good self for giving me an opportunity to serve the people of Mayurbhanj and also to take up the cause of Odisha at the national level. However, I feel that there is no requirement of the services of myself as well as my community in the Biju Janata Dal. Therefore, I have taken this hard decision in public interest.”

–IANS

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Hubballi, (Karnataka) July 31 (IANS) Karnataka Home Minister, G Parameshwara declared on Wednesday that the government will not spare anyone involved in drug peddling.

“We will take action even if it involves travelling out of the state,” HM Parameshwara stated.

Addressing the media in Hubballi, HM Parameshwara explained that the state government has launched a special drive under the slogan ‘Karnataka against Drugs’ to combat the drug menace.

“We initiated this campaign, destroyed drugs worth thousands of crores, and filed cases against thousands of people. Officers have even shot drug peddlers in the leg for their involvement in drug trafficking,” he said.

He mentioned that drug peddling is also being monitored in North Karnataka.

“I receive daily updates about district headquarters. The drug menace has decreased compared to earlier, and strict actions are being taken,” he added.

Explaining why hundreds of drug users have been taken into custody instead of just the peddlers, HM Parameshwara said, “It is common sense that by arresting the users, we will eventually reach the peddlers. About 200 people were taken into custody, and 80 per cent of them tested positive for drugs.”

HM Parameshwara reported that the drug problem has lessened in Karnataka and added that senior officers have been instructed to visit schools and colleges to raise awareness.

Additionally, 150 foreigners were deported last year in connection with drug peddling.

Recently in Bengaluru, a Nigerian national was arrested, and four kilograms of MDMA worth Rs 4 crore was seized. “He was a peddler,” the HM confirmed.

HM Parameshwara also mentioned that the number of cyber police stations has increased from two to 43 as cybercrime has increased in the country and across the globe.

“People can register their complaints there. It is reassuring that cases are being solved and those involved in cybercrimes are being caught. Hundreds of crores have been recovered, accounts have been frozen, and money has been prevented from being siphoned off. We are also apprehending those who post communal content and cause disturbances,” HM Parameshwara said.

“There was a threat of a bomb explosion in 35 schools in Bengaluru, which originated from abroad and could not be traced. The threat email was later sent to more than 50 schools in New Delhi and also reached schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Germany.

“How do we trace such threats? We will maintain constant vigilance,” he concluded.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 31 (IANS) The Centre informed on Wednesday that more than 1.15 crore youth have received certification under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) till June this year, while more than 1.48 crore youth have received training since its inception in 2015.

Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Ministry, Jayant Chaudhary, informed the Parliament that the Skill India Mission (SIM) aims to enable the youth to be future-ready and equipped with industry-relevant skills.

Under the mission, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) delivers skill, re-skill, and up-skill training under various schemes — PMKVY, Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), and Craftsman Training Scheme (CTS) through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) to all sections of the society.

The Minister informed that more than 25 lakh youth got certified under the JSS scheme (till June), and over 41 lakh under the CTS initiative.

Under NAPS, around 30 lakh apprentices were engaged from 2018-19 to June this year, out of which around 14.8 lakh were trained.

PMKVY was launched in 2015 to encourage and promote skill development in the country by providing free, short-duration skill training and incentivising it by providing monetary rewards to the youth for skill certification.

The scheme is aligned with the Common Cost Norms and has a total budgetary outlay of Rs 12,000 crore.

The Minister said that training programmes offered under the schemes of MSDE are developed in collaboration with the industries, keeping in view the market demands.

Thirty-six Sector Skill Councils (SSCs), led by industry leaders in their respective sectors, have been set up by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) which are mandated to identify the skill development needs of the respective sectors as well as to determine skill competency standards.

“Future-ready job roles addressing the requirement of Industry 4.0, emerging sectors like drones, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, mechatronics, etc., have been prioritised under PMKVY 4.0. Under CTS also, new age courses have been developed to meet the demand of futuristic job roles in emerging technologies,” informed Chaudhary.

The government has also announced the setting up of 30 Skill India International Centres to cater to the demand for skilled workers from foreign countries.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 31 (IANS) Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to withdraw the 18 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST) imposed on life and medical insurance premiums.

The minister took up the matter after receiving a memorandum on the issue from the ‘Life Insurance Union’ of Nagpur – the Parliamentary constituency he represents in the Lok Sabha.

Nitin Gadkari, in a letter to the Finance Minister stated that the “main issue raised by the union is related to withdrawal of GST on Life and Medical Insurance Premium”.

His letter mentions that the 18 per cent GST currently levied on life and medical insurance premiums tends to penalise individuals seeking to protect themselves and their families against life’s uncertainties.

He contended that taxing life insurance premiums essentially taxes the very act of preparing for unforeseen circumstances, which is counter-productive to the objective of providing financial security.

The memorandum also expressed concerns that the 18 per cent GST on medical insurance premiums acts as a significant barrier to the growth of this crucial segment.

The high tax rate discourages individuals from investing in medical insurance, despite its crucial role in ensuring public health and financial stability during medical emergencies, Nitin Gadkari’s letter states.

In addition to the GST issue, “the insurance union has also raised points related to differential treatment to savings by way of life insurance, the re-introduction of IT deductions for health insurance premiums, and the consolidation of public general insurance companies”, the letter added.

–IANS

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Panaji, July 31 (IANS) Though the annual 61-day fishing ban in the coastal state is being lifted from midnight, fishermen have decided not to venture into the sea following a warning from the IMD as the sea is rough.

The Fisheries Department had announced the ban from June 1 to July 31.

The ban is imposed annually in the coastal state to allow sufficient time for fish breeding.

During this period mechanized fishing is prohibited along the sea coast and territorial waters of Goa. There are around 897 fishing trawlers in the state.

Workers from the trawlers leave for their hometowns during the ban season and come back at the end of July to begin fishing operations from August.

Francis Dsouza, chairman of the Mandovi Fishermen Society from North Goa, said that as the sea is rough they don’t want to take any risk.

“Due to incessant rain we couldn’t make our trawlers ready for the new season and also the sea is rough. Hence we will not venture into the sea. We will go when it is safe,” Dsouza said.

According to him, the trawler workers have not returned from their hometowns as yet.

“We will need at least ten days. We will check the weather conditions and only then venture into the sea,” he added.

Vinay Tari, chairman of the Cutbona-based Fisheries Cooperative Society from South Goa, said that as the sea is rough only 10 to 15 percent trawlers may venture out.

“Our workers are yet to come. All of them have not reached Goa,” he stated.

Savio Dsilva, another fisherman from the South district, said that as the sea is rough, it will be difficult to venture out. “There is an orange alert and also our workers have not returned. It will be dangerous to venture into the sea during the rough weather,” he said.

The IMD has advised fishermen not to venture into the sea till August 3.

Recently, a fishing boat carrying 13 fishermen capsized 70 metres away from the Colva coastline, resulting in the fishermen being thrown into the rough sea. All of them hailed from Andhra Pradesh and they were rescued by Drishti Marine lifesavers.

Last year fish production in Goa was 1,26,990 tonnes, which was comparatively less than the previous year (2022-23), when the fish production was 1,33,970 tonnes.

–IANS

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