India

Amaravati, Oct 17 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday released Rs 2,096 crore towards the second tranche of financial assistance to farmers under the YSR Rythu Bharosa-PM Kisan scheme.

By pressing the button, he transferred the amount. It will be directly credited to the bank accounts of 50.92 lakh farmers across the state.

Addressing a mammoth public meeting at Allagadda in Nandyal district, he said the first tranche of Rs 7,500 out of the total assistance of Rs 13,500 to each farmer was disbursed in May this year.

In the second instalment amounting to Rs 2096.04 crore released on Monday, each beneficiary will get Rs 4000 for Kharif harvesting and Rabi sowing. The last instalment of Rs 2000 each will be released ahead of Sankranti in January next year.

Reiterating the government's commitment for the welfare of farmers, he said the government has been spending Rs 7,000 crore every year under the scheme for the benefit of more than 50 lakh farmers. With today's disbursement, the government has so far incurred Rs 25,971.33 crore under the welfare scheme, he said.

This is the fourth consecutive year of the Rythu Bharosa Scheme implementation. The scheme is being implemented not only for the agricultural land owners but also for tenant farmers.

The Chief Minister said the government has so far spent a whopping Rs 1,33,526.92 crore for the benefit of farmers under various welfare schemes such as Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs), e-cropping, free crop insurance, input subsidy, free nine-hour supply of power, mechanisation and Minimum Support Price (MSP).

After YSRCP came to power, farmer families received Rs 51,000 each under various welfare schemes, he said.

Jagan Mohan Reddy said that the Almighty has been blessing the state with good rainfall every year after the YSRCP came to power and there was no need to declare even a single mandal in the state as drought-affected compared to the previous TDP regime which declared several mandals as drought affected every year.

While the foodgrain production in TDP regime stood at 154 lakh tonnes, the state achieved a record of 167.24 lakh tonnes of foodgrains after the YSRCP came to power, he said.

Jagan Reddy said the TDP regime spent Rs 685 crore towards the zero interest-based loans for farmers in its five-year regime while the YSRCP government so far spent Rs 1282 crore for the same. During the YSRCP regime so far, 44,28,000 farmers received Rs 6684 crore as crop insurance while only 30,85,000 farmers received Rs 3411 crore as crop insurance during the previous regime.

While Chandrababu Naidu neglected farmers' welfare by running only 12 labs to check spurious seeds, fertilisers and pesticides, YSRCP government has established 147 such labs out of which 70 labs are operational, he said.

He alleged that TDP Government failed to pay Rs 2558 crore input subsidy to farmers while the YSRCP government so far disbursed Rs 1800 crore input subsidy for 20,85,000 farmers.

Not even a single farmer's family is found without receiving financial aid in case of suicides, he claimed.

In response to the appeal of the Allagadda MLA Gangula Brijendra Reddy (Nani), the Chief Minister sanctioned an amount of Rs 97 crore for development works in the constituency.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Oct 17 (IANS) Karnataka is looking ahead for the victory of veteran Congress leader and close confidante of Gandhi family Mallikarjun Kharge in the elections to the All India Congress Committee, which is being held for the first time in the history of the party.

Kharge missed the opportunity to become the chief minister of Karnataka in 2004, when JD (S)chose late senior leader Dharam Singh over him to head the coalition government.

He was later moved on to the national politics and went on to work as the opposition leader in Parliament. However, Kharge suffered humiliating defeat at his home turf in Kalaburagi district against BJP candidate in 2018 parliamentary elections.

The veteran leader was elected to the Rajya Sabha later. Dalits and oppressed classes in the state have special place in their heart for Kharge and hope to see at the helm of affairs in the Congress, a party source said.

Insiders in Congress explain that if Kharge emerges victorious in the elections, it would have direct impact on state politics. The equations will also change.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and other senior leaders of BJP have already stated that Kharge, if elected, will end up becoming a remote control at the hands of in-charge AICC President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

Rahul Gandhi has clarified that the statement is an insult to both veteran leaders. The developments regarding elections are not only keenly observed by the Congress party leaders, the oppressed and backward classes especially Dalits are closely following the AICC elections. They are hopeful that history will be created this time with Kharge taking charge as the Chairman of AICC.

--IANS
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Lucknow, Oct 17 (IANS) In a second incident reported within 24 hours in Lucknow, a 52-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped by disciples at a temple-cum-ashram in Gomti Nagar police circle, Police said.

The woman has filed a complaint with the police, who have sent her for the medical examination and registered a case against four persons.

The victim alleged that the head of the ashram did not offer her help and instead threatened her with life if she dared to report the matter to Police.

According to the complainant, the incident took place in the evening on October 4. She had come to the ashram last month.

As per an FIR, the woman reached the ashram through a 'sanyasini' whom she had met during Magh mela in Prayagraj earlier this year.

"Earlier I was staying at an ashram in Mathura. This woman was staying at the Lucknow-based ashram. She recommended that I stay at the ashram which was run by her guru. I shifted to Lucknow ashram last month and started living there. However, after some time, the woman had to go to Varanasi as her brother was not well and I was left alone," she said, adding that on the fateful day, she was offered food laced with sedatives and she fell unconscious.

"When I woke up, I found myself completely naked and my body was trembling. All the four had gang-raped me. When I complained to the head of the ashram, he asked me to keep mum if I wanted to live," she claimed.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), east zone, Prachi Singh, said that during investigation the Police came to know about a court case related to some dispute over the ashram property.

The matter would be probed from all angles, the DCP added.

Earlier, an 18-year-old was also gang-raped by an auto driver and his aide in the state capital.

--IANS
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Lucknow, Oct 17 (IANS) An 18-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped and then dumped in the posh Gomti Nagar area of Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow by an auto driver and his aide.

According to the first information report (FIR), the survivor, a resident of Husainganj, had gone to teach a student in Chinhat area.

She finished her class and reached the Chinhat fire station to catch an auto for Charbagh.

A little later, the accused auto driver reached the spot and the girl asked him if he was ferrying passengers to Charbagh.

"The auto stopped near the fire station and I asked if he would go to Charbagh. There was a youth sitting in the auto beside the auto driver. After travelling for some kilometres, the auto driver drove the vehicle on the wrong route to a dark stretch of the road. I sensed something wrong and raised an alarm. But the auto driver took me to the dark stretch and they both took turns raping me for three hours. They took away my phone and hit a hard object on my head before dumping me. The auto driver threatened to kill me if I reported the matter to the police," the girl alleged.

The girl later found a police vehicle of 'UP 112' near the crossing.

"They enquired about the incident and went to the place where I had caught the auto. My condition started to deteriorate, and I was asked to go home. My family has filed a complaint with the women's helpline and police," she said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, East Zone, Prachi Singh, said that a case for wrongful detention, gang-rape, loot and attack on the survivor has been registered.

"The teams are hunting for the unidentified auto driver and his aide and have also got substantial leads in the case," she added.

--IANS
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Jakarta, Oct 17 (IANS) The erection task of all box girders along the Jakarta-Bandung High Speed Railway (HSR) was completed on Sunday, which means the track-laying channel has fully opened, laying a solid foundation for the completion of the HSR and its opening to traffic in June 2023.

The Jakarta-Bandung HSR has a total length of 142 km, with 3 beam yards, No.1, No.2 and No.4, which were responsible for the erection of 2,558 box girders, Xinhua news agency reported.

At present, all 13 tunnels along the railway have been completed. More than 92 per cent of the subgrade, bridge and station civil works have been completed. One high-speed electric passenger train and one inspection train tailored for this project arrived in Indonesia on September 1.

With a design speed of 350 km per hour, the Jakarta-Bandung HSR built with Chinese technology will cut the journey between Jakarta and Bandung, the capital of Indonesia's West Java province, from more than three hours to around 40 minutes.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Oct 17 (IANS) In what could be a Diwali bonanza for millions of farmers, the government will release Rs 16,000 crore under the 12th installment of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme on Monday through direct benefit transfer, which is expected to benefit 10 crore farmers.

The installment amount will be released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday during the inauguration of the "PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022" at Indian Agricultural Research Institute here.

IANS had reported on October 13 that the government could release the 12th instalment amount within a week.

"In a reflection of the continued commitment of the Prime Minister towards welfare of the farmers, during the event, Prime Minister will release the 12th instalment amount of Rs 16,000 crores under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) through Direct Benefit Transfer. Under the scheme, eligible farmer families are provided a benefit of Rs 6,000 per year in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 each. So far, eligible farmer families have received benefits of more than Rs 2 lakh crore under PM-KISAN," a statement issued by the Prime Minister's office said.

The Prime Minister also tweeted about this on his Twitter handle late on Sunday evening.

Till now the government has disbursed 11 installments to farmers under the scheme.

Farmers however have often complained that the amount doesn't reach them due to several technical glitches related to online transfer of installments.

To ensure that the amount reaches them, the farmers have to complete e-KYC formalities.

The installments are transferred to Aadhar linked bank accounts of farmers.

Meanwhile during the event, the Prime Minister will launch 'Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana - One Nation One Fertilizer' scheme. Under the scheme he will also launch Bharat Urea Bags, Bharat Urea Bags, which will help companies market fertilizers under the single brand name "Bharat".

--IANS
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New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) Hours after being summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Delhi excise policy case, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday wrote to Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena, seeking his attention towards the deteriorating law and order situation in the national capital.

The CBI has summoned Sisodia to join the probe into the excise policy case at its headquarters here on Monday at 11 a.m. The agency had named Sisodia as accused number one in the FIR it filed in connection with the case two months back.

"Delhi seems to have become the crime capital. There is no fear of law and order among criminals. The Constitution has given you the responsibility of maintaining law and order in Delhi. Delhi Police reports directly to you. I request you to give some attention to this also," Sisodia said in a letter addressed to Saxena.

"I want to draw your attention towards the deteriorating law and order situation in Delhi. It must have come to your notice that two days back in Baljit Nagar, a youth named Nitish was beaten to death by goons. The goons are still absconding. And the police is only assuring the family of appropriate action. What must be going on with his family at this time? It breaks my heart just thinking about it," read the letter.

"If you spend even a little time in monitoring the working of Delhi Police and fixing the deteriorating law and order situation in Delhi, it will benefit the common citizens of Delhi a little bit," Sisodia said.

--IANS
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Bhopal, Oct 16 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah unveiled the Hindi version of three MBBS textbooks in Bhopal on Sunday.

The translated textbooks will be introduced in the 1st year of MBBS at Gandhi Medical College in Bhopal in the new academic year.

With this, Madhya Pradesh would be the first state in the country to start medical education in Hindi.

It is being introduced in the Bhopal-based medical college on pilot basis and the state government has planned to introduce the system in all 13 government-run medical colleges across the state.

"This historic day will be written in golden words," the Union Home Minister said while unveiling the textbooks of three subjects - Biochemistry, Anatomy and Medical Physiology - in Hindi.

Shah further said that the MBBS course in Hindi was launched as part of the National Education Policy and soon it will be started in other languages also, Shah added.

"Now, the students of the country will not have any inferiority complex about not knowing the English language and they can study with pride in their own language," he added.

Meanwhile, he said that earlier there were 387 medical colleges in the country with a total of 51,000 seats. Now, the nation, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has 596 medical colleges with an additional 89,000 seats.

The country had 16 IITs earlier, and the number has now gone up to 23, the number of IIMs has increased from 13 to 20, Shah added.

Shah praised Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and the state Medical Education Minister Vishvas Sarang for taking "the lead in the country in starting the MBBS course in Hindi".

Chief Minister Chouhan said that these textbooks have technical terms written in Hindi the way they are pronounced in English, like 'kidney' is written as kidney only.

He also said that students from rural areas who were unable to get medical education because of lack of knowledge of English will not lag behind and will be able to pursue the MBBS course in Hindi.

--IANS
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Bhavnagar (Gujarat), Oct 16 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday asserted that the people of Gujarat have made up their minds to give mandate in favour of AAP by ousting BJP from power.

Addressing a gathering in Gujarat's Bhavnagar, the Punjab Chief minister said that the winds of change blowing in favour of AAP have transformed into storm.

Lashing out against the Congress, Mann said that the party vociferously raising the issue of change in Gujarat but "this party has been reduced to 'MLA Exchange Party' as most of its MLAs are being pouched by other parties".

Slamming the BJP for the "miserable condition of the common man" in the state, Mann said that the saffron party is "responsible for plundering the wealth of the people".

The Chief Minister added that the people of Gujarat are confronting same problems as were witnessed in Punjab prior to 2022 polls.

He said that Gujarat is facing severe agriculture crisis; schools and hospitals are in shambles and the situation of roads are in pitiable situation, a situation which was in Punjab before 2022 polls.

Mann said that the situation can change only if the AAP is voted to power.

Further, listing several initiatives of the AAP government in Punjab, he said that from July 1 onwards, the Punjab government has provided 600 units of free power to people in every bill cycle.

As a result of this around 50 lakh households out of total 72.66 lakh (in Punjab), which was roughly 68.71 per cent of total, have got "zero power bill" in the month of September.

Likewise, Mann said that more than 17,000 government jobs have been given to the youth in last six months.

The Chief Minister said that his government is against the exploitative contractual system of jobs and they had started process of regularising services of more than 30,000 contractual employees in Punjab.

Mann said that he has launched anti-corruption helpline after which corrupt elements are being put behind the bars. He asserted that "only an honest government can take such path-breaking and pro-people initiatives".

Further to tackle the menace of stray cattle efficaciously, the Punjab government is strengthening the Gau Sewa Commission, Mann added.

He elaborated that the motive is to reduce the fatalities due to the accidents caused by stray cattle and to ensure proper upkeeps of cows.

Mann said that efforts are afoot to ensure judicious utilisation of cow cess for welfare of cattle.

--IANS
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Bhavnagar, Oct 16 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addressing a public gathering in Gujarat's Bhavnagar has promised to withdraw cases against various movement leaders, within fifteen days of formation of the AAP government in the state.

He also promised the government employees union that the AAP will restore the services of those employees who were "punished in form of transfer, or suspension".

Kejriwal said, "Now people are looking for a new engine to run government, they are no more interested in double engine government, as it is claimed by the BJP."

He urged the people to give one chance to AAP, adding that if people would not be satisfied with the AAP's governance in the state, he will not come to seek votes for his party next time.

Kejriwal further said that according to intelligence report, "AAP is forming government in the state after election, but with a very thin margin, that is, 92 or 93 seats".

"If the party comes to power with just 92-93 seats, these people will lure AAP MLAs and stop AAP from forming the government, these are very cunning people," he said, adding that he wants a "thumping" majority and a "strong" government.

--IANS
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