National
Guarantee schemes did not help us in LS polls: Congress MLA
Bengaluru, June 8 (IANS) Karnataka Congress MLA H.C. Balakrishna on Saturday said that the guarantee schemes have not helped the party to garner votes in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.
“There are many reasons for our defeat. The guarantee schemes have not helped us much in the elections. The people have decided that our guarantees are not needed. I am not in a position to decide whether to continue or stop the guarantees,” Balakrishna told media persons.
He said that the Cabinet would take the decision on whether to continue the guarantee schemes or not. “In Bengaluru Rural, people voted for the BJP, considering the new face. Leaders such as late former PMs Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee have also suffered defeats,” he said.
He added that PM Modi also was facing a setback in the first few rounds on the day of counting.
“Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar ensured our victories in the assembly election. However, we failed to make his brother win in the Lok Sabha polls,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Ramnagar Congress MLA Iqbal Hussain said that women voters did not support the party in the Lok Sabha elections.
“We did not expect the defeat in Bengaluru Rural. The voters will realise only in a few months,” he said.
The Congress could only manage to win nine out of the total 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka.
–IANS
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National
Cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal meets Haryana CM
Gurugram, July 11 (IANS) Haryana Chief Minister, Nayab Singh Saini met Yuzvendra Chahal, a member of the T-20 Cricket World Cup winning team in Gurugram on Thursday.
The Chief Minister congratulated the cricketer on winning the T-20 World Cup and wished him success in his future endeavours.
The Chief Minister also honoured Chahal at the PWD Rest House in Gurugram by presenting him with an Idol of Lord Krishna and a shawl. The Chief Minister adorned Chahal with a medal and expressed his delight, encouraging him to continue bringing glory to Haryana both nationally and internationally.
Chief Minister also announced plans to soon organise a felicitation ceremony for Paralympic athletes and other sportspersons who have made Haryana proud.
He emphasised that Haryana is a land of athletes who consistently excel in international sports, enhancing the nation’s reputation worldwide.
Interacting with the Chief Minister, Chahal shared that he has been playing cricket as a bowler for many years. He shared that although his family hails from Jind, they have been residing in Gurugram for the past four years.
Notably, officers present apprised the Chief Minister that Yuzvendra Chahal is the only athlete to have represented India in both chess and cricket. He has competed in the World Youth Chess Championship and plays as a leg-spin bowler for the Indian cricket team.
–IANS
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National
Puri hails SBI report, claiming four-fold job creation in 2014-24 as compared to 2004-14
New Delhi, July 11 (IANS) Union Minister for Petroleum and Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri hailed a study by the State Bank of India (SBI), which claimed that as many as 12.5 crore jobs were created in the Indian economy during the fiscal years of 2014-24, marking a four-fold jump from the 2004-2014 period, which saw the creation of about 2.9 crore jobs.
He also expressed happiness over the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) registering a total employment generation of about 20 crore in the small scale industry, as per data shared by the Udyam portal.
Notably, the post-2014 period, when Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister for the first time, has been described by the BJP as an era of high-growth when the country jumped from the 11th fastest-growing to 5th fastest growing nation and also a period when slew of reforms unshackled the economy from various restraints.
The ten years from 2004-2014, under UPA-I and UPA-II also saw above 8 per cent economic growth.
However, multiple scams coupled with policy paralysis overshadowed the growth markers in this decade.
Hardeep Puri said that the mushrooming of jobs and employment opportunities in the 2014-24 period is a commendable move and expressed hope that similar job numbers will reflect in government data, in the next few years.
He said that the Indian economy was moving at a trailblazing speed, heading towards the $5 trillion mark and hence there was a need to commensurate growth with skilled manpower.
He also addressed the shortage of skilled manpower and said that it was a matter of worry that top human resource was being tapped by multinational firms from the Gulf or Europe.
He said that many of the highly-trained people were absorbed by these MNCs, creating a shortage back home.
Quoting a top industry captain, the L&T chairman, the minister said that there was shortage of about 45,000 skilled workers and this was apparently one of the reasons for projects not getting completed on time.
Further recalling his experience as the Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs in Modi 2.0, he said that he used to connect with CREDA and other organisations on how to retain the skilled and semi-skilled labour and also on cultivating a fresh batch of trained professionals.
“When you advertise for skilled labour, you get minimal applications but there are lakhs of applications in the unskilled category,” he recalled.
–IANS
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National
Shivaji’s ‘Tiger Claws’ to be exhibited at Satara on July 19: Maha Minister
Mumbai, July 11 (IANS) Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar on Thursday said that the “Wagh Nakh” or the tiger claws used by Shivaji during the historic battle and for the defeat of the Bijapur Sultanate’s General Afzal Khan in 1659, will be brought from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum to India.
“The “Wagh Nakh” will be kept in the government museum at Satara on July 19 where the Sambhaji, the descendants of Shivaji and the chieftains will visit,” the minister said in the Assembly.
The minister said that during his visit to London last year, he had signed an agreement to bring the tiger claws for a three-year exhibition.
“These tiger claws after they were transported from India to London and were exhibited in 1875 and 1896. The state government had sent its communication to the museum when it agreed to give tiger claws for a period of one year for the exhibition. However, after the state government’s fresh efforts, the museum has agreed to give tiger claws for three years,” the minister said.
He said that the “Wagh Nakh” is a source of inspiration and energy for the people.
On the authenticity of tiger claws, the minister said only one historian has questioned but by and large, the government’s move has been welcomed by the people.
“Many devotees of Shivaji demanded that the encroachment near Afzal Khan’s grave be removed. On November 5, 2022, it was decided to demolish it. The encroachment was removed on November 10, 2022,” the minister said.
He said that then the devotees of Shivaji gave information to the state government about tiger claws currently housed in London’s museum.
“The state government made correspondence with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also with the UK Prime Minister and London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. The government has inked a MoU with the museum to bring back tiger claws for three years for a historic exhibition,” the minister said.
–IANS
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National
CBI obtains 10 days’ remand of NEET paper leak accused Rocky
Patna, July 11 (IANS) One of the masterminds of the NEET question paper leak case, Rakesh Ranjan alias Rocky was produced in the CBI Court in Patna on Thursday which gave the central agency his remand for 10 days.
A CBI team arrested Rocky from Jharkhand on Thursday as he was attempting to flee to Nepal.
Rocky, nephew of the main mastermind Sanjeev Mukhiya, hails from Nalanda District. He was running a restaurant in Ranchi and coordinating operations from there.
The CBI is also searching for his uncle Sanjeev Mukhiya, who is currently on the run.
Investigations revealed that Rocky had booked rooms for 30 to 35 candidates at the Learn Play School in Patna.
The leaked question paper was allegedly passed from Sanjeev Mukhiya to Rocky, who had it solved by medical students in Patna and Ranchi before providing it to candidates for memorisation.
–IANS
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National
Rapid population growth hampers ability to provide resources: Ashok Chaudhary
New Delhi, July 11 (IANS) On World Population Day, Bihar’s Rural Works Department Minister, Ashok Chaudhary, spoke about population control, describing it as an issue that requires meaningful discussion.
He expressed concern that despite the country’s progress in various sectors, such as mining, electricity production, and living standards, rapid population growth hampers the ability to provide adequate resources.
“For instance, although we are now producing significantly more electricity than we targeted 25 years ago, we still cannot supply power to all due to the rising population,” he said.
Ashok Chaudhary emphasised the need for meaningful discussions on this issue before reaching any conclusions.
He stressed that in a democratic country, the implementation of a population control law cannot be decided arbitrarily, instead proper debate is necessary, involving all stakeholders, including political parties and civil society, to formulate an effective policy.
Meanwhile, speaking to IANS regarding several bridge collapses in Bihar recently, he said that the collapsed bridges were under construction and admitted to lapses.
He pointed out that the engineers were not careful and SOPs were not followed.
“Teams from IIT and machines have been called in to examine the bridges. If the investigation reveals that proper measurements were not followed, the engineers involved will be dismissed, and FIRs will be lodged against the contractors”, he said.
In the last three weeks, 16 bridges have collapsed in Bihar and the Opposition is continuously questioning Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s government on the issue of poor infrastructure development.
–IANS
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