India

Amaravati, Dec 21 (IANS) The Andhra Pradesh government on Saturday announced the constitution of a group of ministers to study free bus travel for women in the states where it is already implemented so as to evolve a suitable model for the state.

The three-member committee will be headed by Transport Minister Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy. Minister for Women and Child Welfare and Tribal Welfare Gummadi Sandhya Rani, and Home Minister V. Anitha are the members.

According to a Government Order issued on Saturday, the Principal Secretary to Government, Transport, Roads and Buildings, will be the convenor of the committee.

Reacting to the formation of the committee, Congress state President Y.S. Sharmila said the TDP-led coalition government is not sincere about implementing free bus travel for women and is adopting delaying tactics. She stated that though six months have passed since the formation of the government, it is showing no sincerity to implement its promises.

Sharmila said the coalition government delayed implementation of the scheme on the pretext of festivals. The government kept saying that it needed to buy buses and now it seems to have come up with another tactic by constituting a committee, she said.

The state Congress President took to X to ask Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu why there was so much delay in fulfilling the poll promise.

"Do you need such a big effort to implement a small scheme," she asked.

Sharmila mentioned that the Congress implemented free bus travel for women within a week after coming to power in Telangana and Karnataka.

"Didn't they provide free travel to women with the existing fleet of buses? Didn't they make additional arrangements depending on the implementation of the scheme," the Congress leader asked.

"Does your government not have the funds to give Rs 300 crore per month to RTC under zero tickets? Don't you care about women's safety? What is your problem when the RTC management says that they are ready at any time? We, on behalf of the Congress party, demand that the coalition government prove its sincerity by keeping the promise given to women, at least as a New Year's gift," she posted.

Free travel for women in APSRTC buses was one of the promises made by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) under ‘Super Six’. The schemes were included in the election manifesto of the TDP and its allies, the Jana Sena and the BJP.

--IANS

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Patna, Dec 21 (IANS) Bihar BJP President Dilip Jaiswal said on Saturday that the decision regarding the Chief Ministerial candidate for the 2025 Assembly elections, will be taken by the party's central leadership.

"We are smaller stature leaders who would not decide on it," Jaiswal said while he along with Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha were on the way to Delhi for the high-level meeting with the Central leadership of BJP.

The discussions in Delhi would be aimed at addressing the current political situation in the state, organisational matters, and strategic planning for the Assembly elections.

Jaiswal clarified that the meetings, including the NDA state presidents in Patna on Friday evening, did not involve discussions on any specific Chief Ministerial candidate.

"The discussions in the meeting focused on the NDA grassroots efforts, such as organising a workers' conference in every district beginning in Bagaha from January 15, rather than leadership selection," Jaiswal said.

Jaiswal emphasised the collaborative nature of the discussions, which included the presidents of all five NDA constituent parties in the state.

The state presidents of all constituent parties of the NDA joined together for a high-level meeting at the residence of JD(U) state president Umesh Kushwaha.

During the meeting, Jaiswal, HAM (Secular) state president Anil Kumar, LJP(RV) state president Raju Tiwari and RLSP representative Raju Tiwari, attended the meeting along with notable leaders of the JD-U including Lalan Kumar Sarraf, a legislative councilor and treasurer, Sanjay Kumar Singh, popularly known as Gandhi Ji, legislative councilor, Chandan Kumar Singh, State general secretary and headquarters in-charge.

On the other hand, Sanjay Kumar Jha, the Rajya Sabha MP of JD(U) reiterated that the 2025 Bihar Assembly election will be contested on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's face.

Nitish Kumar will remain the Chief Minister after 2025 and NDA will win more than 225 seats in the Assembly polls, Jha said.

--IANS

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Kolkata, Dec 21 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday refrained from seeking an extension of custody for West Bengal's multi-crore cash-for-school-job case prime accused Sujay Krishna Bhadra.

The CBI took custody of Trinamool Congress leader Bhadra on Wednesday morning and the term expired on Saturday following which he was presented at a special court in Kolkata.

However, to the surprise of many, the CBI counsel did not seek the extension of his custody and sought that he be taken into judicial custody.

The CBI counsel informed the court that since being taken into custody, Bhadra had been refusing to consume food and even medicines prescribed for him. As a result of this, he developed certain medical complications, the central agency counsel informed the court.

The counsel of Bhadra moved the bail petition on behalf of his client and also argued on those lines.

However, the CBI counsel opposed the bail plea, claiming that if released on bail, he might try to influence important witnesses in the case.

The special court subsequently turned down the bail plea and instead sent Bhadra to judicial custody.

At the same time, the CBI also informed the court that during the last three days of custody, Bhadra refused to cooperate with the investigating officers and answer their queries on the school job case.

Bhadra is supposed to be presented at a special court of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Kolkata on Monday when the charge framing in the Enforcement Directorate (ED)-registered case in the same matter is supposed to happen. He is one of 54 named as accused in the charge sheet filed by the ED in the matter and the other important name in that list is the former West Bengal Education Minister and Trinamool Secretary General Partha Chatterjee.

--IANS

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Bengaluru, Dec 21 (IANS) Nine people, including two children and three students were killed in separate road accidents reported from Bengaluru Rural and Mandya districts in Karnataka on Saturday.

In the first incident, six persons were killed on the spot on the Bengaluru-Pune National Highway-4 near Taalekere village, close to T. Begur near Nelamangala town on the outskirts of Bengaluru. A container truck overturned and crushed their car.

All six victims, travelling in the car, were from the same family, including two children. The deceased were identified as Yagappa Gol (48), Gowra Bai (42), Deeksha (12), Jaan (16), Vijayalaxmi (36), and Ayra (6). All were residents of Vijayapura district.

The police stated that the family was on a weekend trip when the tragic accident occurred. The incident happened after the truck driver lost control over the vehicle, causing it to overturn and crush the car.

The crash also caused a 10-kilometer-long traffic jam on the national highway. The impact was so severe that three cranes were required to move the container and retrieve the bodies trapped underneath. The family had purchased the car just six months ago.

Speaking to the media, the truck driver, Arif, who is undergoing treatment at the hospital, claimed the accident happened while he was trying to avoid hitting a car ahead of him.

“I was driving towards Bengaluru from Dabaspet town. While trying to avoid crashing into the car in front of me, my truck crossed the divider and overturned. The accident happened because of the car ahead. I am deeply pained by the incident. I couldn’t remember anything immediately after the accident. When I regained consciousness, the car was under the truck,” he explained.

In another accident, three students were killed and another was critically injured on National Highway 209 near Bosegowdanadoddi, close to Mandya city, on Saturday.

The deceased were identified as Pranav, Akash, and Adarsh, while Pruthvi is in critical condition.

The victims were travelling from Bengaluru to the tourist spot Talakadu in Mysuru district. According to police, the accident occurred when their car, after overtaking an RTC bus, collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction. The incident occurred within the Malavalli police station limits.

--IANS

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Chennai, Dec 21 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu Forest Department is planning to introduce thermal drones for night-time surveillance to track wild elephants and prevent them from entering human settlements.

Officials believe this system will enable forest staff to monitor elephant movements from a safe distance and alert residents in advance.

According to officials, elephants often leave forests at night and venture into human habitation across the forest ranges, causing conflicts. With the new system, drones will detect elephant movements, and announcements will be made from Forest Department vehicles equipped with Bluetooth-connected speakers.

These vehicles will also emit loud noises to scare the animals back into the forest.

A senior official said that a few companies have already demonstrated drone operations and the department will soon finalise a vendor.

Currently, this system is being implemented in the Hosur Forest Division, where it has shown promising results.

The department is also planning to procure AI-enabled cameras to monitor elephant movements, further reducing human-animal conflict.

Recent data submitted in the Lok Sabha highlights the urgency of such measures. Over the past five years, 256 people have died due to human-elephant conflicts in Tamil Nadu, including 61 deaths in 2023-24 alone.

For instance, on December 17, a man named Chandran, 62, succumbed to injuries sustained during an elephant attack at Gajam Mudi Estate in Valpara.

The attack, which occurred on November 10, injured four people, including Chandran.

Meanwhile, the wild elephant population in Tamil Nadu has risen to 3,063, as per the latest synchronized census conducted between May 23 and 25, 2024, in coordination with neighbouring states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. This marks an increase of over 100 elephants compared to the previous census in 2023.

Officials have stated that Tamil Nadu’s forests can sustain an elephant population of approximately 3,000 to 3,500. Currently, the population is stable and healthy.

The Nilgiri Elephant Reserve and Coimbatore Elephant Reserve hosts the highest density of elephants among the five reserves in the state. The Forest Department hopes that the combination of thermal drones, AI-enabled cameras, and other measures will reduce negative interactions between humans and elephants, ensuring safety for both.

--IANS

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Chennai, Dec 21 (IANS) A 26-year-old youth, who squandered his mother's cancer treatment fund on online rummy game, tragically ended his life.

Police identified the youth as Akash, a catering delivery worker who started playing online rummy during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently became addicted to it.

He used to live with his mother, a cancer patient, and his brother after the death of their father a few years ago.

Recently, Akash's mother found that Rs 30,000, which she had saved for her cancer treatment, was missing.

Upon questioning, Akash admitted that he had used the money to play online games.

After being scolded by his mother and brother, Akash went missing from their home on Friday evening, taking his mobile phone with him.

The family searched for him at the homes of close friends but was unable to locate him.

On Saturday morning, his body was found on the terrace of their residence.

The Kottupuram Police in Chennai have registered a case and begun an investigation.

Over the past four years, 48 people have committed suicide in Tamil Nadu due to addiction to online betting apps and online loan frauds.

The Tamil Nadu Online Gaming Authority (TNOGA) had earlier announced its intention to take strict action against those promoting online gambling and betting apps in the state.

Citizens are encouraged to report online gambling activities or offer suggestions on regulating online games through www.tnonlinegamingauthority.com or via email at tnoga@tn.gov.in.

The TNOGA, 2022, prohibits online gambling, betting, and games of chance.

Violators face imprisonment of up to three months, a fine of up to Rs 5,000, or both. Financial institutions and payment gateways are also prohibited from facilitating transactions related to online gambling.

Additionally, the TNOGA Act bans advertisements promoting online gambling or games of chance in any form of media within Tamil Nadu.

Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) president and former Union Minister, Anbumani Ramadoss, have called on the government to take stringent measures against online games like rummy, which are reportedly driving many youths to despair and suicide.

--IANS

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Mumbai, Dec 21 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will visit Parbhani on Monday to meet the family of a Dalit youth who died under mysterious circumstances while in judicial custody last week, officials said here on Saturday.

Rahul Gandhi will reach Nanded by a special flight on Monday afternoon and from there drive to Parbhani to the home of the youth, Somnath Vyankat Suryawanshi and condole his family members.

Suryawanshi, 35, hailing from the Wadar community, was arrested in the violent incidents that ensued after the desecration of a statue of Dr B. R. Ambedkar near Parbhani Railway Station on December 10, by one ‘mentally disturbed’ person named Sopan Pawar.

After the violence, a tense shutdown was observed in Parbhani, while the local police swooped down and detained/arrested around 300 persons, mostly Dalits, including Suryawanshi on December 12.

Barely 72 hours later, he was found dead in judicial custody, sparking a massive furore with the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (SP)-Shiv Sena (UBT), Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), CPI (Marxist), Republican Party of India (A), Republican Sena, Republican Party of India (K), and many other Dalit groups slamming the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party MahaYuti regime for the incident.

Following the uproar inside the Maharashtra Legislature in Nagpur and outside, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced compensation for the bereaved family, ordered a judicial probe and appointed a Special Investigation Team of the police to get to the depth of the matter.

Earlier, the Parbhani Police had claimed that Suryawanshi had complained of chest pains and was rushed to hospital for treatment.

However, a provisional autopsy report from the Government Medical College, Aurangabad had stated that he succumbed to “shock following multiple injuries”, snowballing into a huge political row.

The MVA and Dalit leaders had vociferously alleged that he was brutally beaten by the police and had succumbed to grave injuries, as was later confirmed by the provisional post-mortem report of December 16.

--IANS

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Shivpuri, Dec 21 (IANS) Residents of Shivpuri district in Madhya Pradesh have been able to reduce their medical expenses through the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), thanks to a flagship initiative of the central government.

The Jan Aushadhi Kendras, established under the PMBJP scheme, provide high-quality medicines at rates 50-90 per cent cheaper than those at branded stores, ensuring affordability without compromise.

A Jan Aushadhi Kendra, located near Gurudwara Chowk in the Shivpuri district, has been giving benefits to hundreds of patients daily and has become a hub for affordable healthcare solutions, bringing smiles to the faces of countless residents.

Harsh Sharma, an operator of the Kendra, expressed gratitude to the government. "PM Modi has made medicines affordable for the common man. These centres offer medicines 50-90 per cent cheaper, a great relief for the general public," he told IANS.

Sharma stressed the need for more such centres and urged government doctors to prescribe medicines available at Jan Aushadhi Kendras to maximise the scheme's benefits.

Speaking to IANS, Radha Vallabh Sharma, a beneficiary, shared his appreciation, saying, "This scheme is a blessing for those who couldn't afford costly medicines earlier. It has made healthcare accessible to all."

Another beneficiary, Divyanshu Verma, echoed similar sentiments. "The initiative is a boon for the underprivileged. Medicines here are 70-80 per cent cheaper than the market," he said.

Jitu Soni, another local resident, praised the scheme as "commendable," noting its significant impact on the lives of the poor. He expressed hope for more centres to open in Shivpuri, which currently has three operational Jan Aushadhi Kendras.

The affordable medicine initiative has created a sense of relief and optimism among residents. Many have expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister for this transformative scheme that addresses one of the most pressing issues -- healthcare affordability.

The Jan Aushadhi Kendras in Shivpuri is a testament to the PMBJP's success in bridging the gap between quality healthcare and affordability, offering a model that could benefit millions nationwide.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 21 (IANS) Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Saturday slammed the Opposition for allegedly "stalling" parliamentary proceedings by "spreading lies" and engaging in "undemocratic talks."

Manjhi's remarks come in the wake of the INDIA bloc demanding Union Home Minister Amit Shah's apology and resignation over his comments on Dr B.R. Ambedkar during a speech in Parliament commemorating the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution.

Defending HM Shah, Manjhi, speaking to IANS, said, "The Home Minister did not use any derogatory language. He merely cautioned the Opposition to stop invoking Ambedkar's name superficially and instead honour his legacy through concrete actions."

The Union Minister praised the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in upholding Dr Ambedkar's legacy.

"We have truly honoured Dr Ambedkar by awarding him the Bharat Ratna, creating five memorials in his name, reclaiming his mortgaged heritage property in England, and showcasing it to the world with pride," he told IANS.

"While we are preserving his legacy with tangible actions, the Opposition merely indulges in accusations and rhetoric without basis," he added.

Manjhi also accused the Opposition of derailing the parliamentary process.

"They have no issues of any substance. By resorting to lies and undemocratic practices, they have stalled the Parliament. While they claim we are disrespecting Ambedkar, we are the ones actively honouring Ambedkar's vision. The Opposition has no valid issue; it's all baseless," he said.

Meanwhile, The INDIA bloc, on the other hand, intensified its protests against HM Shah's remarks, organising nationwide marches on Friday. The alliance termed Shah's statements as "derogatory" and "unacceptable."

The protests also targeted the recent FIR against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, calling it a "diversionary tactic" by the BJP to shift attention from the controversy surrounding the Home Minister's comments.

As the political standoff continues, the BJP has maintained that the Opposition's protests lack substance, while the INDIA bloc insists on an apology from HM Shah, further fueling tensions.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 21 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited everyone to Gujarat's famous Rann Utsav, which will go on till March 2025.

Promising an unforgettable experience to hodophiles, PM Modi attached a video capturing the beauty of Kutch and wrote in a post on social media platform X, "Kutch awaits you all! Come, discover the pristine White Rann, the spectacular culture and warm hospitality of Kutch during the ongoing Rann Utsav.”

"The festival, which goes on till March 2025 promises to be an unforgettable experience for you and your family," he wrote.

In a separate post on LinkedIn, PM Modi said, "The White Rann beckons! An unforgettable experience awaits! Come, immerse yourself in a unique mix of culture, history and breathtaking natural beauty!"

Apart from attaching pictures of his visit to Kutch, the post also carried a write-up titled 'Rann Utsav - A lifetime experience'.

He wrote, "On the westernmost edge of India lies Kutch, a mesmerising land with a vibrant heritage. Kutch is home to the iconic White Rann, a vast salt desert that gleams under the moonlight, offering an otherworldly experience. It is equally celebrated for its thriving arts and crafts. And, most importantly, it is home to the most hospitable people, proud of their roots and eager to engage with the world."

"Each year, the warm-hearted people of Kutch open their doors for the iconic Rann Utsav - a four-month-long vibrant celebration of the region’s uniqueness, breathtaking beauty and enduring spirit," he wrote.

"Through this post, I am extending my personal invitation to all of you, dynamic, hard-working professionals, and your families to visit Kutch and enjoy the Rann Utsav. This year's Rann Utsav, which commenced on December 1, will go on till February 28, 2025, wherein the tent city at Rann Utsav will be open till March 2025. I assure you all that Rann Utsav will be a lifetime experience," said PM Modi in his post.

In 2005, Rann Utsav was launched to tap into the previously unseen tourism potential of Kutch. It has grown into a vibrant tourism centre now. Rann Utsav has also received several domestic and international awards.

--IANS

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