India

Bengaluru, Dec 12 (IANS) A delegation of BJP MPs from the state is likely to meet the Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday in Delhi to brief him about the existing situation in the border region and provide him comprehensive information about the issue, according to sources in the party.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had asked the state MPs to meet Shah and present facts. The call was made following the visit of a delegation of MPs from Maharashtra meeting the home minister.

Shah had promised to intervene on the issue. This is the first time after Independence that the Centre has agreed to intervene in the border dispute between Karnatraka and Maharashtra.

The MP's are scheduled to meet Shah at the Sansad Bhavan. The party sources said that they will get the appointment by morning or noon to meet Amit Shah.

Union Minister for Coal, Mining and Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi is coordinating with Shah in this regard and all the Union ministers from the state will also be part of the delegation to represent Karnataka.

The delegation would give a detailed clarification to the complaint raised by Maharashtra state. The delegation has prepared a submission containing details of court proceedings and the Mahajan Commission report.

Maharashtra is staking claim over Belagavi city and 865 villages in five districts of Karnataka. The matter is before the Apex court and the matter is likely to come up before the court sooner. Karnataka is questioning the maintainability of the petition by Maharashtra and saying that only Parliament is the authority to deal with issues relating to state borders.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had reacted that the Maharashtra ministers' delegation to Amit Shah will not make much of a difference, thus drawing sharp reactions from Maharashtra's politicians.

--IANS
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Lucknow, Dec 12 (IANS) The Lucknow police arrested a former corporator from near Indiranagar metro station in connection with the murder of a BJP leader in 2004.

The arrest was made late on Sunday night.

The former corporator, Alka Mishra is the wife of a former DIG. She was in police custody but managed to give the policemen the slip on December 9 after the court pronounced her guilty of murder.

Following this, a non-bailable warrant was issued against her.

The court is to pronounce the quantum of punishment on Monday.

Alka Mishra, wife of former DIG prisons P.K. Mishra, accused in the murder of Malti Sharma, a BJP leader in 2004.

Malti Sharma was shot dead on the night of June 7. Her body was recovered the next morning from near a nullah in the Sarvoday Nagar locality.

She was last seen with constable Raj Kumar Rai, who was later arrested in Delhi. As per his testimony, police arrested Deepa Singh, a property dealer, and Alka Mishra.

Rai had been booked for murder, Alka Mishra and Deepa Singh had been charged under Section 120 (b) Indian Penal Code (conspiracy).

Alka Mishra and Malti Sharma were political and business rivals and that the latter wanted to eliminate Mishra.

Police claimed that they had clinching evidence to establish that Rai was in constant touch with Mishra since the night of the killing and that the murder was committed at her behest.

Assistant commissioner of police, Ghazipur (Indiranagar), Vijay Raj Singh, said that a local court had held Alka Mishra guilty along with four others in the murder case of Malti Sharma on December 9, but she managed to escape.

"Hence, an NBW was issued in her name and we made an arrest. She will be produced before the court on Monday," he said.

--IANS
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Lucknow, Dec 12 (IANS) The homeless will now have a roof over the heads to protect them from the winter chill.

District magistrate Suryapal Gangwar has said that vacant government buildings and marriage lawns in the state capital will be used as temporary night shelters while the facilities in existing night shelters will be upgraded.

Besides, arrangements like hot water, blankets, and medical kits will also be ensured in shelters. Ambulances and other facilities will be made available, he added.

"There are 17 permanent and seven temporary night shelters in the city, being operated through voluntary organisations and Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC). More shelters will be opened in coming days if the temperature further drops," he added.

He said that officers have been asked to distribute blankets to the needy and ensure availability of hot water, toilets and other basic amenities at shelter homes.

"This move will help daily wage labourers, destitute and homeless people get shelter to bear the cold wave," the district magistrate said.

Lucknow Municipal Corporation Commissioner Indirajit Singh said, "We have also issued a helpline number of the Control and Command Centre to receive information about night shelters, complaints about the facilities and request for medical help in the shelters."

Besides, he said, LMC has identified 860 points that have been marked for bonfires.

Mayor Sanyukta Bhatia said, "We want to make sure that no one sleeps in the open. The Adarsh Vyapar Mandal has assured to start community kitchens in 10 night shelters."

--IANS
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Kolkata, Dec 11 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah's office has confirmed to the West Bengal state Secretariat Nabanna that he will come to Kolkata to attend and chair the crucial Eastern Zonal Council meeting on December 17.

The meeting was originally supposed to have been held at Nabanna only on November 5, but was cancelled due to other engagements of the Union Home Minister.

Sources from the state Secretariat said that before the meeting on December 17, a virtual preparatory meeting, chaired by Union Home Secretary, Ajay Kumar Bhalla and attended by senior officials from the members states, namely West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Sikkim, will be conducted on Monday

It is learnt that the main meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council on December 17 will be conducted at the state secretariat auditorium. Besides the Chief Minister of the member states, the meeting will also be expected to be attended by the chiefs of all central armed forces.

Now it remains be seen whether on this occasion there will be a separate one-on-one meeting between the Union Home Minister and West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee. State government officials, however, said that there is no indication of such a separate meeting happening as yet.

Meanwhile, sources from the BJP's state committee in West Bengal said that attempts are on to convince Shah to have a meeting with the top party functionaries in the state and give them some message on the future strategies of the party. However, there is no final confirmation on this count as well till date.

--IANS
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Panaji, Dec 11 (IANS) In an apparent jibe at the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that the previous governments approach towards infrastructure was for ‘vote bank', rather than the needs of the public.

"Earlier, only 70 airports were there. But now we have connected them with the small cities. We have expanded the network of airports. This has resulted in 72 new airports in the last eight years," the Prime Minister said after inaugurating the Mopa international airport in Goa, which is named after former Defence Minister late Manohar Parrikar.

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Goa Governor P.S. Sreedharan Pillai, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Union Minister of State for Tourism Shripad Naik were also present on the occasion.

"Aviation policy has given scope to the middle class people to opt for flights to travel. Air travel has become affordable as the network is expanding.

"In our country, the approach towards infrastructure for many decades was more than the need of the public... Priority was given to vote bank. Because of this, thousands of crores of rupees were spent on projects which were not needed. Wherever there was a need for infrastructure, it was sidelined," Modi said.

Expressing happiness that Mopa airport is named after Parrikar, the Prime Minister said that he will be remembered by everyone visiting here.

"It was the demand of people that Goa needs a second airport. The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had planned this airport. But after his government, nothing was done... For a long period it was pending. In 2014, Goa got a ‘double engine' for development. We completed this project though there were many obstacles," Modi said.

The Prime Minister said that this airport has the capacity to handle 40 lakh travellers per year, which could be increased to 3.5 crore in the future.

"This will help the tourism sector. Also, cargo facilities will increase export opportunities," he said.

"Before 2014, the approach of the government was such that air travel was considered a luxury. They didn't think of the middle class. They did nothing for the development of airports. Despite potential, we lagged behind. Now the nation is working for development," he said.

"This is the new Bharat. We are carving a new identity on a global platform. Global approach towards India is also changing rapidly. Today the world wants to know about India," he said.

The Prime Minister said that tourism is growing in the country and his government is taking all efforts in that regard.

The Manohar International Airport is the second airport in Goa. The foundation stone for the airport was laid by Prime Minister Modi in 2016. This airport has been built at a cost of Rs 2,870 crore.

--IANS
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Panaji, Dec 11 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday appealed to all the countries to collaborate with India and to contribute to get global status for ayurveda, which he said teaches the system of living.

The Prime Minister was addressing the valedictory session of the 9th World Ayurveda Congress here.

Goa Governor P.S. Sreedharan Pillai, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Union Minister for Ayush Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of State for Tourism Shripad Naik and Union Minister of State for Ayush Munjpara Mahendrabhai were also present on the occasion.

"Institutions like the Centre for Integrated Medicines are doing research on yoga and ayurveda. These research papers are getting published in prestigious journals. Recently, the Journal of American College of Cardiology and Neurology published many research papers. I wish all the delegates of the World Ayurveda Congress, all countries to come together to get global status for ayurveda," Modi said.

The Prime Minister said that yoga is celebrated worldwide as global festivals of health and wellness.

"Today, yoga and ayurveda have become hope for the people. Ayurveda teaches us a system of living and how to remain happy. It teaches how to be healthy. Ayurveda is a way of life too," he said.

Drawing similarity to a computer that malfunctions due to lack of knowledge of the end user, the Prime Minister said that ayurveda teaches us that body and mind should be healthy together and in harmony with each other.

"With the experience of knowledge, science and culture, our aim is to foster the concept of ‘welfare of world'. And ayurveda is an effective medium for the same," he said.

"I am happy that more than 30 countries have given recognition to ayurveda as a traditional medicine system. We have to reach more countries by united efforts," Modi said.

"I am confident that these three institutes (inaugurated today) will give a new boost to Ayush healthcare system. Ayurveda is a science, the motto of which is to see everyone happy with good health. Life should be free of diseases. The world is getting attracted towards ayurveda. I had started to encourage it since I was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. This helped open the first global centre for traditional medicine at Jamnagar by WHO. We even established a separate ministry for AYUSH," Modi said.

"We had ayurveda's results as well as effects in our favour, but we were lagging behind in terms of evidence. Our medical data, research, and journals have to be brought together to verify every claim on modern scientific parameters," he said.

The Prime Minister said that the government has created a Ayush Research Portal for evidence-based research data, where about 40,000 research studies are available.

"During the Corona period, we had about 150 specific research studies related to AYUSH. We are now moving forward in the direction of forming a National Ayush Research Consortium," he added.

"In the AYUSH industry, there are many opportunities for everyone. Around 40,000 MSMEs are taking initiatives. The AYUSH industry has grown from Rs 20,000 crore to Rs 1.5 lakh crore in eight years," he said.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANS) The Congress put on its worst-ever performance in the recent MCD polls, winning nine seats only and after BJP's Delhi President resigned despite his party winning 104 seats, Congress' Delhi unit chief Anil Chaudhary is now under pressure to quit too.

Chaudhary has not indicated that he will quit, defending himself by noting that vote percentage of the party has increased, but now senior leaders are talking about responsibility and accountability in both Delhi and Gujarat.

The party's Gujarat in charge Raghu Sharma has already sent his resignation to party President Mallikarjun Kharge.

The Congress in Delhi is on the decline since its 2013 Assembly poll loss and now has zero seats from the city in both the Parliament and the Assembly.

BJP's Delhi chief Adesh Gupta resigned from the post on Sunday, days after his party lost out to the Aam Aadmi Party in the high-stakes Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections.

He resigned after taking the moral responsibility of the defeat and sources said that his resignation has been accepted. The new acting president will be Virendra Sachdeva.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANS) BJP's national President Jagat Prakash Nadda on Sunday appointed Virendra Sachdeva as the new working president of Delhi BJP.

At a programme organised at the state office here, the top leaders of the party welcomed the newly-appointed state working president Virendra Sachdeva by presenting him with bouquets.

Sachdeva, in his address, expressed gratitude to the party for being appointed as the working president and said, "We have to start preparing for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections without any rest. We have to spread the message of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' among the masses to ensure victory of all the seven BJP candidates from Delhi in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections."

In his welcome address, leader of opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said that the family of Sachdeva is settled in Old Delhi after being displaced from Pakistan at the time of Partition.

Active in politics since 1988, Sachdeva has held posts of district vice president and general secretary of Chandni Chowk.

In 2009, Sachdeva was appointed as the secretary of Delhi BJP and later became state vice president in 2020.

Between 2012 and 2014, Sachdeva headed the party workers' training wing and between 2017 and 2020, he was the member of the party's National Good Governance Department.

He has been the secretary and treasurer of the Indian Archery Association and at present, he is the associate executive member of the Indian Olympic Association.

--IANS
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Dharamsala, Dec 11 (IANS) Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Sunday wrote to Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu to congratulate him on being sworn in as the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, following his party's success in the recent elections to the state Assembly.

"India has been my home for more than 62 years now. I have been happy to reside most of that time here in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh. Consequently, I deeply appreciate the friendship and hospitality that the people from all walks of life in Himachal Pradesh have shown me and my fellow Tibetans all these years.

"Like other places in the state, Dharamsala has grown and developed tremendously since I first arrived in McLeodganj in May 1960.

"I am confident that the people of Himachal Pradesh will continue to prosper, especially the less privileged members of society. I wish you every success in fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the people of the state," the Dalai Lama said.

Risen from the ranks with no political dynasty, but wide organisational experience, four-time Congress legislator Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, 58, who throughout his political career was not on the same page with the party's tallest leader Virbhadra Singh, took oath of office on Sunday as the 15th Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh amidst huge crowd.

Four-time legislator Mukesh Agnihotri, 60, took the oath of office as the Deputy Chief Minister at a ceremony that lasted less than 10 minutes.

--IANS
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Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 3 (IANS) A section of the Congressmen in Kerala seemed to be jittery ahead of Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor's scheduled visit to Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts in the next two days.

Tharoor will arrive in Erattupettah, about 40 kms from Kottayam, to address a Youth Congress meeting on Saturday while he will be in Adoor in Pathanamthitta on Sunday.

The two district committees of the party are up in arms on the ground that Tharoor did not inform them and hence they will not cooperate with his visit.

Reacting to the matter, Tharoor said that he fails to understand what has happened in the past two months as complaints are coming up.

"I have no clue what's happening and my office always gives the information. I have committed to attend and I will attend both the meetings and will deliver my speech," said Tharoor.

Tharoor's stock in the state political arena grew hugely ever since he decided to contest against the 'official' presidential candidate of Congress, Malikarjuna Kharge.

Though he lost by a mile, his stock grew the highest especially in his home state, because of the huge interest generated on his candidature.

Sensing trouble, the top leaders in the party - Leader of Opposition V.D.Satheesan and his predecessor Ramesh Chennithala turned very jittery, as they felt Tharoor due to his outgoing personality might bulldoze them.

However, the silver lining for him came when veteran former chief minister Oommen Chandy lent his helping hand following which Tharoor has decided to move forward.

Both Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts are the strongholds of the Chandy faction in the party and hence Tharoor will have no issues when he delivers his speeches.

--IANS
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