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Bengaluru, May 7 (IANS) Criticising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said the double engine government of the BJP -- in Centre and Karnataka, have indulged in "double loot".

Addressing a huge gathering, he said "the BJP government in Karnataka has broken the world record for corruption".

"In Manipur, people are dying due to violence. In spite of that, the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister are behaving as if they are not bothered and concerned about the development. This is the result of the politics of hatred. We conducted Bharat Jodo Yatra against this ideology," Rahul Gandhi said.

He claimed that "PM Modi has information on corruption in the state and even small children know about it".

"Mr. Prime Minister, what is the share in the bribe of 40 per cent commission taken by either of the engines in the double engine governments?" the former Congress president questioned.

"PM Modi who gives a list of criticisms against him should first tell you what action he has initiated to stop corruption in the state. How many have been sent to jail in this regard?

"I asked a question about business tycoon Gautam Adani about his relation with you (PM Modi). They disqualified and sent me out of Lok Sabha for questioning corruption," he said.

The Congress leader further said that PM Modi has given a 'gate pass' to former CM B.S. Yediyurappa and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai from his roadshows.

"PM Modi will only worry about himself and look down on others. He must be knowing that Yediyurappa and Bommai are corrupt and trying to hide them from people. No action has been taken in three years, he said.

"This BJP government likes the number 40. For four years, they used the number 40 at all levels (referring to 40 per cent commission allegation). People in Karnataka should give them only 40 seats, he said.

Addressing the gathering, he added: "You have to give Congress a minimum of 150 seats. If numbers are less, again they (BJP) will try to steal the government."

--IANS
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Dakshina Kannada (Karnataka), May 7 (IANS) Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday cautioned people that if they vote for the BJP in the Karnataka elections, its leaders will "loot them".

Addressing a massive crowd in Moodbidri town, Priyanka Gandhi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders who come to the state do not speak about local issues and the people.

"Instead, they talk about themselves. If you vote for them, they won't do your work. They will loot you.

"If they (BJP) had done good work, PM Modi would not have come here and given a list of abuses. He would have given the list of achievements. He would have given the list of how many schools were opened, how many jobs were created and how much development is achieved? They have done nothing to talk about," she said.

"That's why, they try to get your attention by raking up caste and religion and covering up their failures," she added.

"You (people) decide on whether to elect a corrupt leader or best leader. If you want a good government, you have to focus on the election and cast your vote carefully," she appealed.

"The Congress will develop secondary cities at par with Bengaluru and create jobs. There is going to be a rise in the production of electric vehicles in future. The manufacturing units will be established in Karnataka and we will prove to you how an honest government will deliver its promises."

Attacking the BJP, Priyanka Gandhi accused it of destroying, instead of creating job opportunities. The Congress after studying the problems of the people has decided to return the money of the people looted by BJP, and the party would fill up 2.90 lakh vacancies lying vacant, she assured.

"The BJP is trying to merge Nandini with Amul. If it happens, it will have a direct impact on 1 crore people of Karnataka. The BJP is not at all thinking about it. They are busy thinking of looting," she claimed.

--IANS
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Hyderabad, May 7 (IANS) The stage is set for Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi's maiden public rally and meeting in Telangana.

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary will lead a rally and address a public meeting at Saroornagar stadium on Monday.

This is her maiden political visit to Telangana since the state's formation in 2014.

The Congress leader is scheduled to address the public meeting over the problems of unemployed youth and students in the state. She will announce youth declaration.

Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka told reporters on Sunday that Congress Bharosa Sabha is aimed at giving an assurance to the youth.

He said the party would announce what it plans to do for the unemployed after coming to power in the state.

He said justice should be done to youth in Telangana which was achieved with their struggle and sacrifice.

Bhatti Vikramarka said if voted to power in Telangana, the Congress party would provide jobs to the unemployed and also provide houses for the poor.

The Congress leader alleged that the state government was playing with the careers and lives of 30 lakh unemployed youth and students.

Priyanka Gandhi will arrive in Hyderabad after completing the election campaign in Karnataka.

She will lead a rally from the statue of Srikanth Chari, who sacrificed his life for Telangana. It will cover about 2 km to reach Saroornagar stadium where the public meeting will take place.

The opposition party has made arrangements to mobilise large number of people for the meeting which is being held in the wake of Telangana Public Service Commission (TSPSC) and Secondary School Certificate (SSC) paper leak cases.

Congress leaders alleged that the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government headed by Chief Minister KCR was least bothered about the TSPSC paper leak case and the future of 30 lakh educated unemployed youth.

--IANS
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Bhubaneswar, May 7 (IANS) A man was arrested on the charges of extorting money from several government officials by impersonating as a vigilance officer in Odisha's Puri district.

The special task force (STF) of the state police arrested Manoj Kumar Majhi on Saturday.

Majhi has demanded Rs 1 crore from the complainant (an additional chief engineer) as well as other persons by impersonating as SP.

Based on the complaint, the STF conducted a raid in Majhi's village Phulbari and arrested him, a STF official said here on Sunday.

During interrogation, the accused admitted that he was trying to extort money from at least 15 government officials as well as some contractors impersonating himself as a senior vigilance officer.

The STF suspected that the accused had cheated some persons promising to arrange government jobs too, the official said.

Majhi has Ph.D degree from Sambalpur University.

--IANS
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Chikkaballapura (Karnataka), May 7 (IANS) Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda during an election rally on Sunday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said, "The presence of BJP has weakened in Karnataka. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming down here and conducting roadshows for two days. This is not a Parliament election. One cannot fool people through roadshows."

Addressing the rally in Sidlaghatta town of Chikkaballapur district, Gowda asked, "Not a single Muslim was made a Minister in the BJP government. We are all children of 'Bharat Mata'. Why is the BJP practising discrimination?"

Referring to Karnataka BJP leader K. Sudhakar, who defected from the Congress to BJP under 'Operation Lotus', the Janata Dal (Secular) founder added that it must be told who had sent 18 MLAs to Mumbai and who were responsible for the formation of the BJP government in Karnataka.

Gowda said that he is waiting for his son H.D. Kumaraswamy to become the Chief Minister of Karnataka again.

"In last Assembly election, I did not even imagine that Ravi (local JD-S candidate) would suffer defeat. It is unfortunate that four acre of land was not given to kabristan. I have donated land to the Idgah Maidan and given reservation to the Muslims and Valmiki community. We are all children of one mother and discrimination should not be done," the former Prime Minister added.

Former Chief Minister Kumaraswamy alleged that due to the roadshow of Prime Minister Modi, the people were being inconvenienced.

"PM Modi is conducting roadshows by troubling people. Due to his roadshows, those who earn their livelihood are going without any income. What is the purpose of the roadshow? This will negatively impact children who are attending NEET exams," he added.

--IANS
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Hyderabad, May 7 (IANS) The Secunderabad division of South Central Railway (SCR) has decided to construct a new Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal (GCT) at the Gadchandur station.

This terminal will come up entirely on railway land at the station located in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra.

The tender has been awarded for the railway station at the cost of Rs 15.2 crore to Dalmia Cement Bharat Limited, SCR said on Sunday.

The GCT policy has been introduced by the Indian Railways to boost investment from industry in development of additional terminals for handling rail cargos.

These terminals will ease the handling of freight commodities for transportation by Railways with enhanced facilities providing safe and secure transportation.

Under this policy, apart from new sidings, the under-construction and existing private sidings/terminals can also migrate to convert as GCT.

The scope of the construction of GCT involves laying of additional line, concreting of surface, electronic in motion weigh bridge, provision of Hamali rest room, covered shed, approach road, water supply arrangements, installation of computerised working i.e., Freight Operations Information System (FOIS) and Track Management System (TMS), electrification of additional line, high mast lighting etc.

The period of contract is 35 years and the maintenance of GCT will be done by Dalmia Cement Bharat Limited, Chandrapur, for the said period.

No terminal charges will be levied on cargo for which GCT himself is the consignor and/or consignee. Maintenance and operations of assets like track, signal and telecom, over-head equipment and staff costs will be borne by the Railways.

Arun Kumar Jain, General Manager, SCR, has congratulated Secunderabad Division officials for materialising the proposal for construction of GCT at Gadchandur station.

He also said that the cement companies located around Gadchandur and Chandrapur area will be most beneficial with this move as the transportation by Railways will be safer, easier and the most comfortable option.

--IANS
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Chennai , May 7 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu government is planning to distribute coconut oil and groundnut oil through ration shops.

As a pilot project, coconut oil and groundnut oil will be distributed from ration shops in Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Tenkasi and Kanniyakumari districts of the state.

The state government had earlier announced distribution of cooking gas through ration shops. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Minister, R. Sakkarapani, told IANS that the government was taking steps to buy 15,000 tonnes of wheat.

He said, "The central government reduced the monthly allotment from 23,000 tonnes to 8,000 tonnes and hence we are in shortage of wheat. Our Officials will be meeting higher officials in Delhi on Tuesday and seek permission from them for procuring wheat through National Cooperative Consumer Federation of India Ltd (NCCF)."

He said that there has been a huge demand from the people of Tamil Nadu even in rural areas for wheat and added that this might be due to the changed eating habits of the people.

--IANS
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Gurugram, May 7 (IANS) Fourteen villages in Haryana's Nuh district are emerging as new hotspots of cybercrime, and mostly the youths there are indulging in the crime by using stolen high-end mobile phones.

This was disclosed by the police after questioning 125 cybercriminals, who were apprehended by as many as 102 teams comprising over 5,000 police personnel. The raids were conducted in 300 locations in the 14 villages on April 27.

The police raided the 14 identified villages in the Pinangwa, Punhana, Ferozepur Jhirka, Nai, Aminabad, Tirwara, Jaimat and Bichhore areas.

The police had earlier identified Khedla, Luhinga Khurd, Luhinga Kalan, Gokalpur, Godhola, Aminabad, Mahu, Gulalta, Jaimat, Jakhopur, Nai, Tirwara, Mamlika and Papda as cybercrime hotspots.

The police said the accused cheated people on the name of selling vehicles on OLX, seeking KYC data, offering loans and even sextortion.

Most interestingly, the hackers have studied only up to Class 12, while some are even illiterate and some of them have rewards on their heads.

A senior police officer said earlier illiterate youths, who were involved in vehicle theft, phone snatching, cattle smuggling and other crimes, have shifted to cybercrime in the past two years after being "trained".

During the raid, police nabbed the highest number of 31 cyber criminals from Nai village, followed by 25 from Luhinga Kalan village, 20 each from Jaimat and Jakhopur, 17 each from Khedla and Tirwara, and 11 from Aminabad.

A total of 66 smartphones, 65 fake SIMs, 166 Aadhaar cards, three laptops, 128 ATM cards of different banks, two ATM swipe machines, one AEPS machine, six scanners, five PAN cards, etc., were recovered from the suspects.

Police investigation revealed that most of the youths arrested by the police during the raid were trained in the villages of Jurehera and Ghamdi in Rajasthan's Bharatpur district. The two villages, located on the Haryana-Rajasthan border, have emerged as the 'cybercrime training hubs', said the police.

These two villages offer fake SIM cards and documents which help in opening bank accounts. Most accounts were opened in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

The police disclosed that the accused mostly targeted job-seekers, senior citizens and students. They even offer lucrative offers on OLX. They said the accused usually committed crimes at the border areas of Rajasthan and Haryana as it is difficult to track the mobile locations of the criminals.

"We are probing the matter from different angles and will also seek help from adjoining state police to crack down on cybercriminals. We are taking help from cyber experts to help solve cases," said Varun Singla, Superintendent (SP), Nuh.

--IANS
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Hyderabad, May 7 (IANS) Telangana's minister for information technology and industries K.T. Rama Rao has been invited to the 'AsiaBerlin Summit 2023', to be held in Berlin, Germany, from June 12 to 15.

This year's summit will be held on the theme 'Connecting the Startup Ecosystems' and will be inaugurated by the Governing Mayor of Berlin in the Berlin City Hall

The invite from the Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, requested minister KTR to speak at this year's Summit and thus strengthen the partnership between our countries and send a visible signal for intensifying this cooperation.

The AsiaBerlin Summit is the annual summit addressing economic connections between Berlin and Asia, with the goal of connecting Berlin startups with valuable markets and ecosystems in Asia.

This year, the summit will focus on three main topics -- mobility and logistics, energy transition, green tech, climate change and artificial intelligence. In addition, a dedicated investor program, a startup pitch competition and guided tours through the Berlin ecosystem will be organised.

Earlier on May 4, the World Economic Forum's (WEF) invited KTR to the 14th WEF annual meeting of the new champions, to be held from June 27 to 29, 2023 in Tianjin, China, with the support of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

WEF's President BA,rge Brende stated in the invitation that driven by KTR's vision, Telangana has become a beacon of innovation and a pioneer in embracing emerging technologies.

"Telangana is leading India's start-up and innovation system through future-oriented policies and enablers such as the T-Hub. Participants will be keen to hear your insights on promoting growth in Telangana led by entrepreneurship, innovation and digital transformation," reads the invitation.

The meeting will convene over 1,500 global leaders from business, government, civil society, international organizations and academia at a pivotal time for the global economic recovery. It will focus on key transformations such as accelerating the energy transition, making progress on climate and sustainability, deploying innovation across economies and industries, and post-pandemic consumer behaviour.

--IANS
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Lucknow, May 7 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the home department to help students from the state who are currently stranded in violence-hit Manipur.

The chief minister's direction to the states's home department came after the students appealed to the Uttar Pradesh government to rescue them from Manipur that is caught in an ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities.

According to government spokesman, Principal Secretary (home department) Sanjay Prasad had spoken to the chief secretary of Manipur and requested him to help students from Uttar Pradesh. He added that the state relief commissioner's office has also been directed to coordinate with the Manipur government.

At least 52 people have been killed in Manipur since the ethnic violence broke out on May 3, even as Chief Minister N Biren Singh held an all-party meeting on Saturday, and a video conference with security personnel calling for calm and an end to violence.

At least 23,000 civilians have been rescued till now and moved to operating bases/military garrisons, with the help of the Army and Assam Rifles.

Meanwhile, Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh said the curfew, imposed after the violence broke out, would be partially eased after assessing the law-and-order situation.

A defence spokesperson reportedly said the Army has significantly enhanced aerial surveillance through unmanned aerial vehicles and redeployment of helicopters.

--IANS
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