India

Bhopal, Dec 18 (IANS) The Opposition Congress in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh continued its protests at the state Assembly premises on the third day of the winter session on Wednesday. Congress legislators arrived at the Assembly carrying tea kettles, alleging the BJP government's failure to deliver on its promise of creating two lakh jobs annually.

"We have brought tea kettles to symbolize the plight of Madhya Pradesh's youth, who are being forced to open tea stalls under the BJP's governance. During the elections, the BJP promised to provide two lakh jobs every year, but it has failed to fulfill its commitment," said Leader of Opposition (LoP) Umang Singhar.

Adding to the protest, Congress MLA Mahesh Parmar from Tarana constituency in Ujjain arrived at the Assembly wearing a garland made of liquor bottles. Security personnel stopped him from entering the House until he removed the garland. Parmar stated that he intended to wear the garland inside the House to highlight the alleged liquor scam in Madhya Pradesh.

Parmar raised the issue during an 'attention motion' in the Assembly on Tuesday, alleging irregularities in the state's liquor policy. He claimed the scam could amount to Rs 5,000 crore and demanded a thorough investigation.

Minister Vishwas Sarang objected to Congress' demonstration with liquor bottles and said that he would speak to the Speaker for action against the Congress MLAs.

Meanwhile, Assembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar initiated discussions on the supplementary budget presented on Tuesday.

Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Jagdish Devda presented the first supplementary budget for the current fiscal year, amounting to Rs 22,460 crore. Of this, Rs 13,130 crore has been allocated under the revenue head and Rs 9,329 crore under the capital head. Funds have been earmarked for various developmental initiatives across departments.

--IANS

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Hyderabad, Dec 18 (IANS) Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K. Kavitha alleged on Wednesday that the Musi Riverfront Development Project is a ploy to evict thousands of people for real estate sharks.

She declared that the BRS would fight for the rights of the people who would be evicted for the project.

She told media persons that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy himself had claimed that the cost of the Musi project would be a whopping Rs 1.5 lakh crore but the state government sought a loan of Rs 4,100 crore from the World Bank and made a request to the BJP government at the Centre for Rs 14,100 crore.

Making public some key documents relating to the project, she termed it a project with zero clarity, no transparency, massive loans, and no compensation plan for those forced to rehabilitate.

She alleged that Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu misled the House by giving wrong information that no assistance was sought from the World Bank for the Musi project and that DPR was not ready.

She said on September 19. the Congress party stated that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) was ready and sought Rs 4,100 crore from the World Bank. On October 4, it passed government order to hire consultants for DPR. On December 17, the government denied DPR in the Assembly.

"The timeline of one of the many Lies, loans & hypocrisy of the Congress government. This is Congress's 'vision' for Telangana. Stop mortgaging the future of our State!," she posted on social media platform X.

Kavitha made public the proposal sent to the World Bank which states that the DPR is ready. The proposal was sent to the World Bank on September 19.

"Now it is giving false information to people and the Legislature that there is no DPR," she said and alleged that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is mortgaging Telangana and Hyderabad to the World Bank.

Kavitha, who is the daughter of BRS president and former chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, claimed that the government is "hiding" the truth about the project.

She stated that BRS, during its 10-year rule, never approached the World Bank for the loan. "However, within one year of the Congress party coming to power, CM Revanth Reddy is trying to mortgage Telangana and Hyderabad to the World Bank," she said.

The BRS leader alleged that the Chief Minister is trying to snatch the lands of the poor around the Musi River and mortgage the same to the World Bank to do real estate.

She said in the proposal sent to the World Bank on September 19, the government mentioned the project as the Musi Riverfront Development project but Minister Sridhar Babu gave false information that the World Bank loan was sought for sewage treatment.

Kavitha said the government mentioned in the proposal that multistorey buildings would be constructed through real estate and land pooling.

She said even after sending a proposal to the World Bank in September, the government named a consortium for preparing the DPR.

"For whom the government is uttering lies. For whose sake the government is building this project," she asked.

The BRS leader said people living in areas along the Musi River are living in fear. She said markings have been done on 15,000 houses in these areas and people fear that they may be evicted anytime.

--IANS

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Bengaluru, Dec 18 (IANS) The petitioner in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Snehamayi Krishna, claimed on Wednesday that he is being offered large sums of money to withdraw his petition seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the case.

The development has assumed importance as the Karnataka High Court is taking up a hearing into the petition seeking a CBI probe into the MUDA case on December 19.

Krishna lodged a complaint with the Karnataka Lokayukta on Wednesday in this regard and urged the Investigating Officer to look into the matter.

He has also provided a copy of a purported CCTV footage showing one Harsha claiming to be the personal assistant of CM Siddaramaiah’s wife, approaching his family.

“One Harsha, claiming to be the personal assistant of CM Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi, approached me through a known person, Srinidhi, and asked me to cooperate regarding the MUDA case. When I refused, Harsha came near my residence, spoke to my son, and tried to lure him with the offer of any amount of quoted money,” Krishna alleged in the plaint.

“On December 13 at 12 noon, when I was at the MUDA office, Srinidhi brought Harsha along and introduced him as the personal assistant of CM Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi. Srinidhi told me that Harsha wanted to speak to me personally,” Krishna claimed.

“Harsha immediately fell at my feet and said that Parvathi is mentally distressed and unable to sleep or eat. He claimed that she called him at midnight, saying she cannot sleep and is being mentally tortured because of the MUDA case. Harsha pleaded with me not to have the MUDA case handed over to the CBI, suggesting instead that the Lokayukta conduct the investigation. He folded his hands and requested my help,” Krishna alleged.

“I told him that there was no question of backtracking. I have taken up the legal battle, and if she has any issues, she should pursue them through legal means,” he stated.

Krishna said that Harsha claimed that Parvathi amma had no role in the matter and explained that the situation arose due to blind trust in Devaraju (the landowner and fourth accused) and Mallikarjuna Swamy (the third accused and CM’s brother-in-law).

He said that Harsha mentioned during the meeting that one C.T. Kumara had advised writing letters and, in some instances, signed letters on behalf of ‘amma’ and sought help.

“I advised Harsha to lodge a police complaint regarding this. Despite pressure, I did not agree and walked away,” he claimed in the complaint.

“The next day, on December 14, Chamundeshwari Temple Authority Secretary M.J. Roopa filed a false case against me at the K.R. Police Station in Mysuru. After learning that the police were planning to arrest me, I switched off my mobile phone and went to Bengaluru to meet my advocates,” he stated.

“My son later told me that Harsha and Srinidhi had come to our residence and asked him to convince me to withdraw the petition seeking the CBI probe. They told him they would fall at my feet and my wife’s feet on behalf of Parvathi. Harsha also said he could offer any amount of money I quoted,” Krishna alleged.

“When my son refused, they took him in a car and claimed that the condition of the CM’s wife had turned serious. They told him they had already spoken to activist Gangaraju and convinced him with a payment of Rs 3 crore. They also claimed that Rs 1.5 crore had already been paid and showed a video of a bag full of money on Harsha’s mobile phone. Harsha requested my son to let him meet my wife so that they could plead with her directly,” Krishna claimed.

“They assured my son that I would not be arrested and that a B-report would be filed on the FIR filed against me. They took my son’s mobile number and left. Later, Srinidhi and Harsha called my son multiple times,” he charged.

“This is a serious issue. Harsha’s mobile phones should be seized, and CM Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi should be questioned. They should be directed not to approach my family in the future by any means,” he demanded in the complaint.

“The accused fear that they will be caught if the case is handed over to the CBI,” Snehamayi Krishna said.

The MUDA case involves the alleged illegal allotment of 14 sites to Siddaramaiah's family by the MUDA. Following the allegations, Siddaramaiah's family returned the sites.

At present, the Karnataka Lokayukta and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are probing the matter.

--IANS

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Chennai, Dec 18 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin announced an additional allocation of Rs 400 crore for the Kalaignarin Kanavu Illam Thittam (KKIT – Kalaignar’s Dream Housing Scheme) to expedite the construction of houses.

Stalin in a statement on Wednesday said that under this scheme, a total allocation of Rs 3,500 crore has been approved at the rate of Rs 3.5 lakh per house.

The government aims to construct one lakh new concrete houses during the 2024–25 financial year, with the ultimate goal of achieving a “hut-free Tamil Nadu” by 2030.

Each house, covering an area of 360 square feet and including a kitchen, will be constructed with financial support from the government.

To ease the financial burden on beneficiaries, cement and steel bars are being provided at reduced costs through TANCEM (Tamil Nadu Cements Corporation Limited).

Funds are released directly to beneficiaries through a Single Nodal Account (SNA) in four instalments, corresponding to different stages of construction like ground level, window level, roofing level, and completion.

So far, the government has allocated Rs 1,051.34 crore, releasing Rs 860.31 crore based on construction progress.

An additional Rs 135.30 crore has been utilised for procuring cement and steel, bringing the total expenditure to Rs 995.61 crore.

It may be noted that presently housing projects worth Rs 1,400 crore are progressing under both the Kalaignar Kanavu Illam Scheme and the Tamil Nadu Rural Houses Renovation Scheme.

In the first phase of the Kalaignar Kanavu Illam Scheme, Rs 300 crore was allocated, of which Rs 252 crore has been disbursed to beneficiaries based on construction stages.

An additional Rs 500 crore has been sanctioned, bringing the total allocation to Rs 800 crore for the scheme.

All houses are expected to be completed and opened for public use within the current financial year, as construction is progressing well.

Under the Tamil Nadu Rural Houses Renovation Scheme, the government has allocated Rs 450 crore to repair and renovate one lakh houses constructed before 2000–01 under various housing schemes.

So far, 15,350 renovation works have been completed at a cost of Rs 150 crore.

With the recent release of an additional Rs 450 crore, administrative sanctions will soon be issued to ensure all repair and renovation works are completed within the financial year.

--IANS

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Patna, Dec 18 (IANS) Cold wave gripped Bihar with several districts of the state registering a considerable drop in minimum temperature.

The Meteorological Department has forecast that the cold conditions will intensify further and dense fog will envelop Bihar's 17 districts over the next two days.

In response, the Disaster Management Department of Bihar has taken measures to assist residents during this period.

For any emergency assistance related to the cold wave, residents are advised to contact the State Emergency Operation Centre on the helpline numbers 0612-2294204 / 0612-2294205 and a toll-free number 1070.

These numbers can be used to report emergencies or seek help. Residents are urged to stay safe, keep warm, and be cautious during this harsh weather period.

In the past 24 hours, Dehri in Rohtas was the coldest city in the state, with a minimum temperature of 6.5 degrees Celsius. Other districts also registered a drop in temperatures, with Valmikinagar recording 11.9 degrees Celsius, Gopalganj 10 degrees Celsius, Pupri (Sitamarhi) 9.3 degrees Celsius, Madhubani 10.2 degrees Celsius, Supaul 12.8 degrees Celsius, Muzaffarpur 9.6 degrees Celsius and Madhepura 9.3 degrees Celsius.

The Meteorological Department has predicted a severe cold wave in Northwest India from December 18-21. This region includes Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, and the effects of the cold wave are expected to impact Bihar as well.

Dense fog is expected during the late night and early morning hours in West Champaran, Saran, Siwan, Buxar, Patna, Sheikhpura, Nalanda, Jehanabad, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Darbhanga, Begusarai, Samastipur, Madhepura, Jamui, Bhagalpur, and Katihar.

Residents are advised to take precautions, especially during travel, due to reduced visibility caused by the fog and the cold wave.

--IANS

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Kolkata, Dec 18 (IANS) Some employees of Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) in bordering districts of West Bengal were under the scanner of security and intelligence agencies in connection with arranging fake Indian documents, including passports, for Bangladeshi infiltrators.

Sources aware of the development said that the state police have started an investigation based on certain clues that some contractual staff attached to such POPSKs and some permanent employees of the Postal Department are acting as aiding agents for such rackets against hefty commissions.

Four people have been arrested in connection with fake passport rackets during the last 72 hours, out of which two are contractual staff with the Indian Postal Department and attached to two such POPSKs.

Two accused have been identified as Taraknath Sen and Deepak Mondal. While Sen was arrested by the sleuths of the Special Task Force (STF) of Kolkata Police, Mondal was arrested by the cops of the coastal division of West Bengal Police.

The investigating officials have already identified several common patterns in the functioning of these rackets involved in arranging fake Indian identity documents for the Bangladeshi infiltrators.

Most of these rackets have been operating from villages adjacent to districts having international borders, both land and coastal, with Bangladesh. Recently, Selim Matabbar, a former associate of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was arrested at a hotel in the Park Street area in central Kolkata.

The police also recovered a fake Indian passport from his possession. Investigation revealed that Matabbar after illegally crossing the borders managed to get his fake Indian documents from a racket operating from the Indo-Bangladesh bordering district of Nadia.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS) Delhi BJP President, Virendra Sachdeva on Wednesday accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of facilitating a massive scam involving the issuance of fake Scheduled Caste (SC) certificates and Aadhaar cards to unauthorised individuals.

The allegations point to large-scale fraud, with potential societal and security implications.

Sachdeva claimed that in the Dwarka district, AAP MLAs, including Naresh Balyan, Bhavna Gaur, and Bhupinder Juneja, allegedly used government-issued Aadhaar card machines in their offices to create illegal Aadhaar cards.

"These fake documents were then reportedly used to issue SC certificates to individuals who are not Dalits," said Sachdeva to IANS.

According to the BJP, this has deprived genuine Dalits of their rightful access to reservations, jobs, and other benefits meant for marginalised communities.

“This is not just misconduct, it is a direct attack on the rights of Dalits,” said Sachdeva. “We demand an immediate intervention by the Lieutenant Governor and a CBI investigation to uncover the extent of this fraud.”

Concerns have also been raised about the possible involvement of illegal immigrants, including Rohingyas and Bangladeshis, who may have acquired these fake documents. “This is a threat to national security. These fraudulent activities could be aiding intrusion and demographic manipulation,” added Sachdeva.

The BJP has further alleged that the scam could not have been executed without the complicity of Delhi's revenue department. They pointed out that SC certificates bear identical signatures of a Tehsildar, raising questions about how these approvals were granted.

As the call for a CBI probe intensifies, this alleged scandal underscores a grave violation of social justice and demands accountability from the Delhi government.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on Wednesday that it has filed a charge sheet against two key associates of designated terrorist Lakhbir Singh, also known as Landa, of the banned Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) organisation. The charge sheet was submitted on Tuesday before the NIA Special Court in Mohali, Punjab.

The accused, Jaspreet Singh alias Jass, hailing from Ferozepur district in Punjab, and Baljeet Singh alias Rana Bhai from Badwani district in Madhya Pradesh, are alleged to be active members of a terror gang orchestrated by the foreign-based Khalistani terrorist Landa, the NIA said.

NIA’s investigation revealed Jaspreet Singh’s critical role as an on-ground operative for Landa and his associate, Pattu Khaira.

He was actively involved in carrying out the gang's activities, which included drug smuggling and an extortion network designed to generate financial resources for BKI's operations.

According to the NIA, Baljeet Singh, on the other hand, was instrumental in manufacturing and supplying weapons to members of the Landa gang and associated gangsters.

He allegedly used social media platforms to facilitate the delivery of these weapons across various regions. Baljeet was one of the key suppliers in a nationwide network of arms dealers tied to the gang.

During the investigation, NIA officials seized a cache of arms, ammunition, narcotics, drug money, digital devices, and other incriminating evidence linked to the accused.

The case forms part of a broader crackdown on terror conspiracies with transnational links.

The NIA stated that the investigation is still going on and aims to uncover further details about the terror network's operations, funding, and collaborators.

The Home Ministry has designated Lakhbir Singh Landa, a 33-year-old Canada-based gangster, as a terrorist under the stringent anti-terror law UAPA.

Landa was involved in a rocket attack on the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali in 2021, among other terrorist activities, according to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

Landa fled to Canada in 2017. The MHA identifies him as a member of the notorious Khalistani group, BKI.

--IANS

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Kochi, Dec 18 (IANS) The Kerala High Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea challenging the donation of CPI(M) veteran M. M. Lawrence's body to the Ernakulam Medical College.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice S. Manu ruled that the body should be handed over to the Medical College as Lawrence's son stated that it was his father's wish.

Soon after the death of Lawrence on September 21, Asha Lawrence approached the Kerala High Court to prevent handing over her father's body to Medical College.

There was a commotion when the body was being moved to the Medical College but the CPI-M leaders pushed away Asha and her son who prevented it.

Soon after that, she approached the single bench, which ruled the body should be handed over to the Medical College.

But Asha along with her sister Sujatha approached the division bench.

Reacting to the fresh verdict, Asha said they will now approach the apex court.

"My father's father also was an atheist and he was also interned in the family parish, and so was my mother. My father has never said that he should have a different mode. They (my brother and others) will be able to bring in any number of witnesses to buttress their argument that their father said his body should be handed over to the Medical College. Neither I nor my sister have any such knowledge as our father used to tell everything to all of us. We are going to approach the apex court," said Asha.

Lawrence passed away at the age of 95.

He was the foremost leader of the Centre of India Trade Unions (CITU) and was a Lok Sabha member representing Idukki in 1980.

--IANS

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Bhopal, Dec 18 (IANS) On the third day of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly's winter session, legislators will deliberate on the supplementary budget presented by the state government. The supplementary budget was presented on Tuesday and discussion will be taken up today on Wednesday.

Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Jagdish Devda introduced the first supplementary budget for the current financial year, amounting to R22,460 crore. This includes provisions of Rs 13,130 crore under the revenue head and Rs 9,329 crore under the capital head. The funds are allocated for various developmental initiatives across departments.

The budget presentation has sparked a political row over the state's financial health. The Opposition Congress, both within and outside the House, has accused the ruling BJP government of driving the state towards bankruptcy due to mounting debt.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will attend the discussion, for which Assembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar has allocated four hours. The session is expected to witness heated exchanges, as the Congress has repeatedly alleged that the BJP government is burdening the state with unsustainable debt.

On Tuesday, Congress legislators, led by Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar, staged a symbolic protest on the Assembly premises, carrying begging bowls. They claimed that despite accumulating massive debt, the state's infrastructure and public services have seen no substantial improvement.

The Congress further alleged that the BJP-led government borrowed Rs 7,500 crore in the past two months alone, with the total debt from 2021 to 2024 amounting to Rs 1.22 lakh crore from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). According to their estimates, Madhya Pradesh's total debt now exceeds Rs 4 lakh crore.

In response, Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla defended the government's borrowing, stating it remains within the permissible limit of 3 per cent of the state's GDP, as prescribed by fiscal norms.

The supplementary budget discussion is likely to set the tone for an intense political showdown in the House.

--IANS

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