Regional

Bhubaneswar, Sep 17 (IANS) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday wrote to Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda seeking inclusion of 160 communities in the ST list of the state.

Since 1978 onwards, the Odisha government has recommended more than 160 communities of the state to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for their inclusion in the ST list of the state with approval of Tribes Advisory Council, Patnaik said.

Among these some are new entries while some others are sub tribes/subsets, synonyms and phonetic variations of the existing ST communities residing in different parts of the state, he said.

The CM said that these communities are being deprived of the benefits availed by STs though they have the same tribal characteristics as their respective notified STs.

He also pointed out that the task force under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs had recommended 9 proposals from Odisha as priority cases for inclusion in the ST list of the state in 2014. However, the same is yet to be notified in the Presidential Order," said Patnaik.

Because of the delay in their inclusion in the ST list, all these 160 plus communities of the state are becoming victims of historical injustice, he added.

The Chief Minister has also mentioned that he had written letters to the Union Tribal Ministers on this matter in the year 2011, 2012 and 2021.

He requested Munda to look into this long pending matter and expedite the scheduling of these left out communities to deliver social justice to them in accordance with the provisions of the Constitutions of India.

This will go a long way in helping these deprived communities by giving them their much needed recognition as ST and ensure social justice, he added.

--IANS
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Gandhinagar, Sep 17 (IANS) Lakhs of teachers and government employees from various departments in Gujarat have gone on Mass Casual Leave (CL) on Saturday despite their association's leaders agreeing to the government announcement.

On Friday evening, the state government announced that it has accepted 14 demands of teachers and other government employees, which was not accepted by larger members of these associations.

As per the understanding, employees appointed before April 2005 will be included in the old pension scheme, and the C.P.F contribution will be increased 10 to 14 per cent.

Office-bearers of National Old Pension Restoration Federation Gujarat Gujarat State has accepted the state announcement and cancelled mass CL protest call for Saturday.

Labhugiri Goswami, senior vice-president of the Kutch Prathmik Shaikshik Sangh told IANS that alone in Kutch at least 5,000 teachers have joined the mass CL call, because members are unhappy with the state government's announcement as it does not fulfill the demand.

Ahmedabad district teacher's leader Tejasbhai has alleged that the state government has tried to divide and rule, it has announced that employees appointed before April 01, 2005 will be included in old pension scheme, what about employees appointed April 01, 2005, the main demand is to cover all employees under the Old Pension Scheme, which not fulfilled. So today teachers, panchayat employees and even other departments have joined the mass CL protest, the agitation will continue.

The state government on the other side have instructed department heads and district heads to take action against employees who have joined mass cl protest, because the association has agreed with the statement and the mass cl protest was called off.

--IANS
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Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 17 (IANS) Hours after Kerala Chief Minister broke his silence and slammed Governor Arif Mohammed Khan over his various statements, the latter on Saturday hit back saying that it is good that the chief minister has stopped playing the game from behind the curtain.

"I welcome his (Vijayan) statement, so he does not play the game behind the curtain," said Khan to the media.

Not the one to relent, Khan went on to say that three years back while attending the Indian History Congress at Kannur, there was an attempt on his life.

"The shirt of my ADC was torn. Ask any lawyer if it was a cognisable offence and it means the police can act on its own and register a case, as the President and Governor cannot be intimidated. This invites a jail term of seven years and a fine. Who prevented a case to be registered and who is the Home Minister," asked a peeved Khan.

Currently, Vijayan holds the Home portfolio in the state.

"I have definite information that there was a conspiracy to attack me . The Kannur vice chancellor was used to ensure that I am present in the venue," added Khan.

Khan then said that either tomorrow or day after he will make public all the letters that the CM has written to him about the Universities.

"In these letters he has assured me there will be no government interference in Universities and now see what they have done. I will not allow any sort of erosion in it," added Khan.

He also pointed out that the chief minister never discusses things and even when he calls him, Vijayan does not call back.

On Friday night, Vijayan slammed Khan by stating that his statement does not befit the position he holds. How can anyone say this? All what he said is baseless. This is utter nonsense," said Vijayan.

Khan, for a while, has been going hammer and tongs against Vijayan, especially in the way his private secretary's wife got a teaching job at the Kannur University. He went to the extent of saying that this appointment would not have been possible without the knowledge of the Chief Minister.

Khan has been putting road blocks before the Vijayan government when he refused to sign the re-promulgation of 11 Ordinances, forcing the state cabinet to call a special 10-day Assembly session to pass the tweaked Lokayukta Bill and one concerning the Universities, among others.

As Khan said he is not a rubber stamp, but when this question was posed to Vijayan, he brushed aside it, saying: "These are all Constitutional issues and will go forward as always."

On these issues, Khan on Saturday said on the University issues he will not allow any erosion of values and with regards on the LokAyukta Bill, he will have to look into it.

Meanwhile, the newly elected Speaker of the Kerala Legislative assembly A.M.Shamseer said that he is optimistic that all the issues between the two Constitutional posts will be resolved.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Sep 17 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED)'s summons to Karnataka Congress President D.K Shivakumar in connection with the Rs 74.93 crore disproportionate assets case has thrown a spanner in the party's efforts to wrestle power from the BJP in the upcoming Assembly elections.

This has come at a time when Shivakumar has announced that he will mercilessly initiate action against MLAs who are not taking up a proactive role in 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' led by former party president Rahul Gandhi. He also stated that he would not share any information with Opposition leader Siddaramaiah regarding prospective candidates.

Shivakumar, who is aspiring for the chief minister's post, has also managed to get an upperhand in the party affairs against his competitor and Opposition leader Siddaramaiah

As per party insiders, with this development Siddaramaiah camp will have an upper hand.

The ED has taken up the case filed by the CBI against Shivakumar in 2020. The CBI had raided 14 locations in Bengaluru and other places. Adding to his woes, he will also have to attend an inquiry before the Income Tax department on September 27. Shivakumar was sent to Tihar Jail in connection with this case.

Sources are drawing similarities between AAP leader Satyendra Jain and Shivakumar case. Jain, who was the Health Minister between 2015 and 2017, has been sent to jail in a disproportionate assets case. The ED had arrested Jain's wife and associates and seized Rs 4.81 crore assets.

At a time when Assembly elections are fast approaching, ED notice to Shivakumar is also said to be a setback for the Congress party and might impact 'Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Sep 16 (IANS) The Karnataka government will celebrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday on Saturday by launching a 15-day health campaign focusing on screening and creating awareness about non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Starting Saturday, the campaign will culminate on October 2 on Gandhi Jayanti.

State Health Minister K. Sudhakar said the initiative, which will be launched in the presence of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, is aimed at creating awareness among the people about non-communicable diseases, from children to elderly citizens.

Speaking during a video conference with district health officers and top officials of the Health and Medical Education Department on Friday, Sudhakar gave instructions to the officials to focus on screening of various health parameters and diseases during the 15-day campaign at all health facilities, from primary health sub-centres to super-speciality hospitals.

The campaign will also push for children's vaccination, increase the rate of vaccination for the booster dose of Covid-19 which is currently at 20 per cent, encourage blood and organ donation, distribute Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka cards and raise awareness about the importance of general check-ups and regular testing for non-communicable diseases.

"There is very little awareness among people about many diseases, government schemes and testing facilities at PHCs. A person might feel that he is fit, but awareness needs to be created so that people get tested for diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. Awareness must also be created about the facilities provided by the government at the health centres," Sudhakar said.

Sudhakar also instructed the officials to ensure that people are screened for NCDs during the 15-day campaign. Additionally, he told the officials to set targets for each ASHA worker to convince and bring in people to get screened for each disease.

--IANS
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Guwahati, Sep 17 (IANS) Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh announced here on Friday that the party would launch the 'Assam Jodo Yatra', the Assam version of 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', on November 1.

He also said that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will not succeed in derailing the Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra.

"No matter how much Sarma tries to influence the party MLAs, Congress will not stop. We don't care if any MLA leaves the party like Sarma had done in the past," Ramesh said.

He added that Sarma should stop thinking about the Congress and concentrate on working for the welfare of Assam.

Sarma had earlier criticised Rahul Gandhi and advised him to launch the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Pakistan, stating that Congress was responsible for the Partition of the country.

In this context, Ramesh told mediapersons that the country has been divided under the BJP rule.

"The country is facing tremendous economic inequality, social polarisation, and centralisation of power, which have created massive divisions among various sections of the society," he said.

"Today, people are divided over religion, culture and even food habits. The powers of the state governments have been snatched by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO)," Ramesh claimed.

The senior party leader also dropped a hint about the Congress' plan to launch the second phase of Bharat Jodo Yatra from Arunachal Pradesh to Gujarat next year.

--IANS
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Patna, Sep 16 (IANS) The family of the arrested prime accused in the Begusarai shootout incident on Friday met BJP MP Rakesh Sinha and sought justice for him.

The parents and brother of Keshav alias Nagwa met Sinha at the protest site in Begusarai and alleged that the local police are framing him.

They also claimed that Keshav alias Nagwa was sitting at a roadside eatery when the shootings took place, and presented CCTV footage showing him sitting there and talking on the mobile phone.

His mother alleged a sub-inspector named Rajiv Ranjan used to penalise him every time any incident took place in Begusarai.

After the meeting, Sinha assured them that he will talk to police officials of the district and ensure a proper investigation.

Meanwhile, Begusarai SP Yogendra Kumar said Keshav alias Nagwa was the main conspirator, and was instructing the shooters. He was in touch with the accused as was established through technical investigation and call records of shooters and Keshav alias Nagwa.

Besides him, Begusarai police also arrested three more accused, named Chunchun, Sumit, and Youraj. Kumar also said that the two more shooters are absconding. They will be nabbed soon.

The Begusarai serial shootout incident occurred on September 13 when four bikers killed one person and injured 10 others across the district.

--IANS
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Guwahati, Sep 16 (IANS) Congress MLAs walked out of the Assam Assembly on Friday, alleging that the government is not ready for a discussion on allegations of irregularities in the recently-held examinations for large-scale recruitment to government jobs in the state.

"The ruling party should be always ready to answer the questions raised by the opposition to maintain the spirit of democracy. But, BJP is not at all keen to maintain it," Assam Congress Working President and MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha told IANS.

He said that the opposition members wanted that the government should come clean on the allegations raised from several quarters on the recently-held recruitment drive. But as the ruling dispensation did not pay any heed to their demand, the Congress legislators walked out of the Assembly.

Raijor Dal chief and Sivsagar MLA Akhil Gogoi also walked out from the Assembly. However, the AIUDF members did not leave the house.

There were wide-scale allegations of irregularities in the recently-concluded recruitment examinations of the state government where nearly 30,000 government posts will be filled up.

State BJP President Bhabesh Kalita's name also surfaced with a few people alleging that he committed to giving backdoor entries. However, Kalita denied the allegations.

Meanwhile, private coaching centre teacher Victor Das, who was arrested on September 9 Das was arrested for allegedly spreading rumours regarding the recruitment process for the jobs, was granted interim bail by the Gauhati High court on Friday.

In his tweets tagging the Chief Minister, DGP Assam, and others, he raised questions about the irregularities in the recently-held recruitment examinations.

The tweet caused a stir and netizens expressed their discontent and urged the government and the police to take serious note of the issue.

Following this, Das was arrested and a court sent him to seven days police custody.

The police have claimed that he was unable to provide any evidence in support of his allegations.

According to reports, Das was granted bail on medical grounds. Police sources said that Das has been suffering from fever and severe headache for the last few days.

Police have also summoned five students of the coaching institute run by Das for questioning.

--IANS
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Patna, Sep 16 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Fertilisers Bhagwanth Khuba on Friday slammed the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar for not providing fertilisers to farmers despite an adequate supply from the Centre.

The black-marketing of fertilisers is taking place on a large scale, and this is the main reason why farmers of Bihar are not getting the fertilisers, he said.

"We regularly have meetings of states on every Tuesday to discuss the quantity of fertilisers being given to states. Bihar's Agriculture Minister Sudhakar Singh recently sent a letter to us, demanding an adequate amount of fertilisers. We replied that the fertilisers were released adequately.

"The details of what Singh demanded and what the Centre has released every month are in the public domain. Due to the black market, it is not reaching the actual farmers. The Nitish Kumar government has failed to prevent black marketing of fertilisers," Khuba said.

"Centre is taking every measure to make the state 'Atma Nirbhar'. Barauni fertiliser factory will be open in the next 2 weeks and PM Narendra Modi will inaugurate the facility in the month of October," he added.

--IANS
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Mumbai, Sep 16 (IANS) In a swift and coordinated rescue operation, the Indian Coast Guard saved 19 crew members - 18 Indians and the Ethiopian Captain - of a sinking cargo ship, an official said here on Friday.

The Gabon-flagged vessel, MT Parth, was carrying a cargo of 3,911 tonnes of Asphalt Bitumen from Khor Fakkan in UAE to New Mangalore Port.

Around 9.30 a.m., the vessel reported flooding in the Arabian Sea when it was around 41 miles off Ratnagiri coast and the crew sent a distress message to the ICG.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre swung into action and two ICG ships in the vicinity, ICGS Sujeet and ICGS Apoorva, were diverted to the distressed cargo ship, an Advanced Light Helicopter deployed and ship MV Wadi Bani directed to proceed for help.

The ICG also relayed International Safety Net and NAVTEX to alert other merchant vessels in the area.

As the MT Parth was flooding fast and dangerously listing, the crew abandoned the ship expecting it would sink when the MV Wadi Bani Khalid reached the spot around 12.30 pm, along with ICGS Sujeet and the chopper.

The rescue operations are continuing and the owners of the distressed vessel have been asked to take up preventive measures to arrest marine pollution with an emergency towing vessel proceeding to the spot.

Till date, the ICG has saved more than 11,000 lives at sea, or almost one life every other day with quick seamless coordination among various agencies.

--IANS
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