New Delhi, July 9 (IANS) Indian Navy’s frontline frigate INS Tabar arrived at Casa Blanca in Morocco on Tuesday for a three-day visit.

“Morocco holds a unique geographical position sharing coastline with both the Mediterranean and Atlantic. The visit by INS Tabar will further strengthen our bonds and explore newer avenues for bolstering the relationship between the two navies. India and Morocco share warm bilateral relations that span diverse fields, including regular interactions between the two navies,” a Navy official said.

He said that the ship is commanded by Captain MR Harish and has a complement of 280 personnel.

“The ship is part of the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet which is based at Mumbai under the Western Naval Command. The ship is equipped with a versatile range of weapons and sensors and is among the earliest stealth frigates of the Indian Navy,” he said.

INS Tabar is a stealth frigate built for the Indian Navy by the Russians.

The official said that during the three-day stay at Casablanca port, the ship’s crew will undertake a number of professional interactions with the Royal Moroccan Navy.

He said that upon departure from Casablanca, the two navies would also undertake a PASSEX at sea.

“These engagements seek to enhance interoperability between the two navies. These interactions will also offer an opportunity for both the sides to observe and imbibe the ‘Best Practices’ from each other,” the official said.

–IANS

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Amaravati, July 9 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday alleged that the entire power sector in the state was totally ruined by the “inefficient and arrogant rule” of his predecessor Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Releasing the white paper on the power sector, the Chief Minister claimed that the state suffered a loss of a whopping Rs 1,29,503 crore with the wrong decisions taken by Jagan Mohan Reddy.

“The YSRCP government has imposed a huge burden of Rs 32,166 crore on the power consumers in the past five years in the shape of novel charges like true-up and true-up fuel,” he said.

Regretting that there was no additional generation of power and not even a single project was completed in these five years, the Chief Minister said the more the government was going into a deep study of the issues, the more failures of the previous government were coming to light. He recalled that after the bifurcation of the state in 2014, the then-TDP regime could overcome the 22.5 million units power deficit and supplied quality power to the consumers for a full five years, till 2019.

“As the Chief Minister of combined Andhra Pradesh, I have introduced several reforms in the power sector which were later shown the way for the whole nation. Of course, with these reforms in the power sector, we lost power. But I am happy that I have laid the foundation for a better change,” he said.

Declaring that a review will soon be conducted on the agreements reached by the previous government with various organisations, Naidu made it clear that there will be no power cuts any longer and quality power will be supplied to the consumers. He said that the lives of the people are totally linked with power and the more efficiently this is utilised the more benefits they get.

Recalling how efficiently power was supplied when the TDP was in power earlier in both the combined Andhra Pradesh and after the state bifurcation by the 145 awards they received, the Chief Minister felt that the entire sector was totally destroyed during the YSRCP rule.

“Are the leaders who completely damaged the systems eligible to be in power and do such people need people’s support,” he asked. Stating that the financial condition of the state is very bad and there are no funds in the exchequer, he said that during his recent New Delhi visit also, he sought the cooperation of the Union Ministers and the Centre.

–IANS

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Jaipur, July 9 (IANS) Rajasthan BJP President C.P. Joshi said on Tuesday that the Bhajan Lal Sharma government in the state will present a “historic budget” in the Assembly on Wednesday.

“It will be a budget for the welfare of every section of the society including villagers, poor, farmers, women, youth, Dalits, tribals of Rajasthan,” Joshi told reporters at the party state office here.

He said that the BJP “does what it says, whereas the previous Congress government only made promises and gave slogans to the public, but had not worked on the ground”.

“Even during the Covid period, the government remained packed up in hotels and did not take care of the public,” the state BJP chief added.

–IANS

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Guwahati, July 9 (IANS) In light of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pledge to realise the vision of “Viksit Bharat” by 2047 and India’s determination to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal emphasised on Tuesday the pressing need for sustainable habitat development in the northeastern region.

On Tuesday, the Union Minister, at a meeting in Guwahati, reviewed the status of the implementation of various urban missions in the northeastern states and stressed the utmost priority given by the Union government towards the growth and development of the entire northeastern region.

Ministers and secretaries/commissioners of urban development from Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura presented the key challenges and issues in implementing the Centre’s schemes.

They urged the Centre to consider increased financial support for the northeastern states due to the unique geographic and environmental concerns faced by all the states in the region.

The Union Minister highlighted the geo-strategic importance of the northeastern region as well as the potential for tourism.

He also acknowledged the concerns of increasing demand for the supply of adequate land at appropriate locations, housing, basic services, and infrastructure facilities due to the increasing urbanisation in the region.

Speaking about the implementation of the various missions of the Ministry in the region, he congratulated Assam for being the best performing state in the region under the PM SVANidhi scheme and the first state to adopt the Model Tenancy Act, and he urged all states to adopt the Act as soon as possible in the interest of their citizens.

The Minister also appreciated the timely completion of projects in the 10 smart cities of the region under the Smart Cities Mission.

He also expressed optimism about the strategic and comprehensive roadmap for sustainable urban development in the northeastern states.

–IANS

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Guwahati, July 9 (IANS) With less or no rain during the past few days, the overall flood situation in Assam is slowly improving, while seven more deaths in six districts were reported on Tuesday and 17.17 lakh people remain affected in 26 of the state’s 35 districts, Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) officials said.

However, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday forecast heavy rainfall over parts of central, northeast, and east India during the next 4 days.

According to the ASDMA officials, over 24.20 lakh people in 30 districts had been affected till Friday (July 5).

According to the officials on Tuesday, two people drowned in the Cachar district, while one each died in Dhubri, South Salmara, Dhemaji, Nagaon, and Sivasagar. With the latest deaths, the toll has climbed to 79 in different districts.

The flood water also inundated over 39,870 hectares of crop area in 2,779 villages in 26 districts, the officials said, adding that over 13.66 lakh domestic animals have also been badly affected.

Among the 26 flood-affected districts, Cachar, Barpeta, Golaghat, Sivasagar, Dhubri, Darrang, and South Salmara are the worst affected.

The Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger level at Neamatighat, Tezpur, Guwahati, and Dhubri, while Burhidihing, Dikhou, Disang, Kopili, and Kushiyara rivers are near the danger level in many places.

ASDMA officials also said that over 48,000 people are sheltered in the 507 relief camps opened by the district administrations, while 267 more relief distribution centres are functioning in different districts.

National and State Disaster Response Forces, Fire and Emergency Service personnel, police forces, the AAPDA Mitra Volunteers of ASDMA and volunteers from various NGOs, have also been deployed for the rescue and relief operations.

Wild animals in the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) were largely affected by the flood as a vast area of the park has been submerged and park authorities continued their efforts to rescue the animals and to prevent poaching.

KNPTR Director Sonali Ghosh said that so far, 133 wild animals have been rescued while 159 animals, including deer, rhino, and hog deer, have drowned in flood waters.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is regularly reviewing the flood situation in the state, on Tuesday said that the situation is improving in Assam. Union Minister Pabitra Margherita conducted an extensive review of the flood situation in Karimganj and Cachar districts during his visit to southern Assam. He inspected key relief camps in these districts and interacted with the flood-affected residents. Assessing the distribution of relief materials, child nutrition, potable water, medical services, and sanitation efforts, he expressed his satisfaction with the measures in place.

–IANS

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