Gandhinagar, July 31 (IANS) More than 237,000 girls have been registered under the ‘Vahali Dikari Yojana’ in Gujarat in the past five years, government officials said.

This ambitious initiative, launched in August 2019, aims to support girls from economically disadvantaged families financially, ensuring their education and well-being from birth till marriage.

“The ‘Vahali Dikari Yojana’ builds on these efforts, serving as a ‘parallel parent’ by covering educational and marriage expenses for eligible girls. The scheme was introduced to counter issues such as female infanticide and child marriages while also promoting education and a respectable status for women in society. As of March 2024, the government has allocated Rs 494.14 crore to this initiative, surpassing the initial provision of Rs 460.85 crore,” according to government reports shared on Wednesday.

Girls born after August 2019 are eligible for the scheme, which provides Rs 4,000 at the time of enrollment studying in class 1, Rs 6,000 for those studying in class 9, and Rs 1 lakh when they reach the age of 18.

According to State Women and Child Welfare Minister Bhanu Babariya, empowering girls is crucial for the development of society.

She emphasised the state’s commitment to supporting girls’ educational, economic, and social empowerment.

“Since the scheme’s inception, the number of registered beneficiaries has grown yearly, reflecting the increasing awareness and acceptance of the programme. By March 2024, girls’ registration under the scheme had reached more than 237,000, with financial aid set to be distributed starting in 2025-26,” officials said.

“Additionally, the scheme provides an insurance benefit of Rs 10,000 if the family’s primary earner passes away, ensuring further support for the beneficiaries. The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has been appointed as the fund management agency, with the state government having paid an estimated Rs 544.09 crore to LIC for implementing the scheme,” the officials added.

–IANS

janvi/khz

Bengaluru, July 31 (IANS) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister, DK Shivakumar stated on Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given an assurance of support for projects in Bengaluru city.

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Shivakumar stated, “I met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday as no funding was announced in the Union budget for Karnataka. No funds have been earmarked for irrigation and water sectors.

“Nothing has been given, including even the announced funds. I urged the PM to provide grants for the new projects to be taken up in Bengaluru city.”

Karnataka is the second-highest tax payer in the country and Bengaluru contributes the most to those taxes.

“In view of that, I asked Prime Minister Modi to consider Karnataka’s interests on the lines of Maharashtra. I had asked for signal-free corridors, flyovers and Prime Minister Modi has assured that he will consider them,” Dy CM Shivakumar maintained.

He said the PM has promised to bring the matter of grant of Rs 5,300 crore announced in last year’s Union budget to Karnataka to the central Cabinet meeting for discussion.

“Funds were approved by the Finance Commission as well for the state. Earlier, during the tenure of former PM Manmohan Singh, a lot of incentives were given to the state such as three major flyovers including the Electronics City, Hebbal (airport) and Nelamangala flyovers in Bengaluru. But, nothing has been given this time.

“I have given a proposal for a tunnel road in Bengaluru to be a part of the Union budget and the state will also put in its finances. PM Modi said he will examine it,” Shivakumar stated.

–IANS

mka/rad

Mumbai, July 31 (IANS) Indian student contingents have emerged with flying colours at prestigious international Olympiads in Biology, Maths, Physics and Chemistry held this month, earning plaudits from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other bigwigs, officials said here on Wednesday.

The participating teams went through the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE) of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) here and bagged several medals and honours for the country, including seven won by Maharashtra students.

It started with the 35th International Biology Olympiad (IBO – July 7-13) held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

The Indian team bagged one gold (Vedant Sakre of Mumbai) and three silvers (Ishan Pednekar of Ratnagiri; Shrijith Sivakumar of Chennai and Yashaswi Kumar of Bareilly).

This was followed by the 65th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO – July 11-22) held in Bath, United Kingdom.

The Indian contingents bagged four golds (Adhitya M. V. Ganesh of Pune; Kanav Talwar of Greater NOIDA; Rushil Mathur of Mumbai and Anando Bhadur of Guwahati), while Arjun Gupta of Delhi got a silver medal and Siddharth Choppara of Pune secured an Honourable Mention.

Next was the 54th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO – July 21-29), held in Isfahan, Iran.

The Indian team secured 2 golds (Rhythm Kedia of Raipur and Ved Lahoti of Indore), plus 3 silvers (Akarshraj Sahay of Nagpur; Bhavya Tiwari of NOIDA and Jaiveer Singh of Kota).

Finally, the 56th International Chemistry Olympiad (IchO – July 21-30) was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Indian contingent secured a gold (Devesh P. Bhaiya of Jalgaon), 2 silvers (Avaneesh Bansal of Mumbai and Harshin Posina of Hyderabad) while Kashyap Khandelwal of Mumbai got a bronze medal.

The Mumbai-based HBCSE – a national centre of the TIFR – is a premier institution for research and development in science, technology and mathematics education.

It is also India’s nodal centre or Olympiad programmes in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy and junior sciences which attract the participation of students from across the country.

–IANS

qn/dan

New Delhi, July 31 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday came out in strong defence of Anurag Thakur’s caste reference to the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and blasted the Congress-led INDIA bloc over its ‘duplicity’.

Addressing a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said that the Congress has turned ‘arrogant’ after fetching 99 seats in the 18th Lok Sabha and added that the behaviour of Rahul and Congress parliamentarians in the House was ‘unpardonable’ over caste controversy.

“When Anurag Thakur spoke on the Budget, he didn’t name anyone. But, one person (Rahul Gandhi) stood up in protest and claimed that he was insulted. Other Opposition lawmakers also joined in, on his gesture. Such behaviour defies all constitutional norms,” he said.

Patra, a first-time BJP MP from Odisha, further said that Rahul has been enquiring about everybody’s caste but wants to remain immune to similar questions. This speaks highly of his and his party’s duplicity and double standards, he added.

Citing some previous incidents, he said that the Congress leader enquired about the caste of journalists and asked what was the motive behind it.

The BJP MP, further questioning the very basis and rationale of Congress’ demand for caste-based census, said that the party wants to know the caste of every single individual in the country but wants to keep itself out of its ambit.

He said that the Congress MP has been asking about the caste of bureaucrats, judges and even armed forces and accused him of engineering a division in society on caste lines.

“By demanding which caste has how much representation in the Armed forces, which religion accounts for how much personnel, what does he want to achieve,” he questioned.

The BJP MP also accused Rahul Gandhi of creating confusion and stoking controversy over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s caste affiliation.

Notably, Anurag Thakur’s caste swipe at the Leader of Opposition (LOP) on Tuesday saw the Congress party and its allies up in arms and raising loud protests.

“Those without any caste are pushing for caste-based census,” a BJP MP said in a pointed jibe at the Congress MP.

Akhilesh Yadav too stood up in protest and launched a tirade at the treasury benches.

“How can you ask about the caste? Nobody can ask about it”, he said angrily.

–IANS

mr/dan

Shimla, July 31 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Wednesday that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has granted forest clearance to Stage-II of the 450 MW Shontong Karchham Hydro Electric Project in Kinnaur district.

The clearance of around 85 bighas, which had been pending since 2018, was essential for the construction of the project.

“The persistent efforts of the state have played a crucial role in achieving this milestone. This land was needed for the construction of the barrage, essential for completing the project. The clearance under the Forest Conservation Act had been pending with the Union Ministry for a long time, but the state government diligently worked to secure the necessary approval from the Centre,” Sukhu said in a statement.

The Chief Minister also added that the Stage-I clearance was initially granted by the Union Ministry on March 19.

Following this, the state government submitted a compliance report addressing the conditions stipulated for the in-principle approval and subsequently requested the Centre for final approval.

He said the construction work of 450 MW Shongtong Karchham Hydro Electric Project, which was awarded in 2012, is expected to be completed by November 2026.

“In preparation for the commencement of power generation, a transmission line is also being laid. The tender process for this transmission line has been initiated to ensure its timely completion, to avoid financial losses to the state,” the Chief Minister added.

He said it was important to harness hydropower along with other renewable energy sources, as power sector was the two key area to bolster the economy of the state and the Shontong Karchham Hydro Electric Project would significantly boost the state’s power generation capacity and contribute to its economic growth.

The Chief Minister added that apart from this, the state government has also laid special focus on promoting green industry in Himachal Pradesh by initiating initiatives, enabling it to contribute to the state’s economy.

–IANS

vg/khz