Regional

Lucknow, Oct 21 (IANS) The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has set a target of four lakh lumpy skin disease (LSD) vaccinations a day.

The government has already set a record of having administered 1.25 lakh doses of the goat pox vaccine for curbing the spread of disease among cattle.

It aims to administer 1.50 crore doses by October end.

According to the government spokesman, at present, 5,962 villages in 31 UP districts are affected by the virus.

With less than one per cent, Uttar Pradesh also has the lowest virus-related death rate among the states where it has been reported.

Additional chief secretary, animal husbandry, Rajneesh Dube said there are roughly 96,000 infected cattle in the state, of which 78,000 have been inoculated.

"We have so far given 1.25 crore doses of the goat pox vaccine. A target of around 4 lakh shots each day has been set," he said.

The department had administered one lakh doses by October 12, a feat considering it was achieved in 40 days.

A government spokesperson said the directions have been issued to each district to report infected or dead cattle due to LSD immediately to the headquarters. To stop spread of the virus, the panchayati raj and urban development departments have collaborated to carry out the spraying of anti-larval medicine in villages.

Meanwhile, the state will also get to cow shelters with a capacity of 2,000-3,000 cattle. Dube said that a campaign to sensitise people towards cattle is being carried out in the state.

Under various schemes, the government has given 1.50 lakh cows to cattle rearers in the state so far.

Against a sanctioned strength of 303 shelters, currently there are 228 cow shelters active in the state. Another 75 are under construction.

Layouts for construction of at least 2-3 cow shelters with a capacity of 2,000-3,000 each in every development block, have also been prepared.

Proposals for these have been received from 24 districts till now.

For a shelter with a capacity of 2,000 cows, 27-acre land is needed for which the expected expenditure is Rs 8. 33 crore.

For those with a capacity of 3,000 cattle, 40-acre land will be needed and the cost of the project will be around Rs 12.08 crore.

--IANS
amita/dpb

Lucknow, Oct 21 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh government will be launching a 45-day campaign from November 1 to inculcate reading habits among children.

The department of basic education has issued directives to education officers across 75 districts for the campaign, which aims to promote a joyful reading culture for children by ensuring availability of age-appropriate reading books in local and regional languages.

Director General, school education, Vijay Kiran Anand has asked all officers to make available the learning material including infographics and activity calendars in schools to encourage students to read.

The campaign is an effort by the state government to improve the reading skills among children.

Earlier in January, the Central government, through the department of literacy and school education, had launched a nationwide 100-day reading campaign, 'Padhe Bharat' to inculcate the culture of reading among the young generation.

Foundational learning is the basis of all future learning, officials said. Lack of achieving foundational skills -- reading comprehension, writing and doing basic numeracy -- leaves the child unprepared to deal with the complexities of the curriculum beyond grade 3.

Various researches including the National Achievement Survey (NAS) have pointed out that a large number of students are unable to read a simple grade appropriate passage.

The curriculum and textbooks are designed with the expectation that children have acquired grade-level skills and can progress onwards.

"The campaign, therefore, is initiated so that each child learns to read and thereafter, can read to learn," said Anand.

--IANS
amita/ksk/

Kolkata, Oct 21 (IANS) In a midnight development, a huge police contingent forcefully removed the protesters agitating in front of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) office here against the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of primary teachers in the state.

Tension started mounting on Thursday evening after a huge police contingent arrived at the protest venue alerting the protesters to lift the sit-in and fast-unto-death agitation citing a Calcutta High Court single-judge bench order to maintain Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. Although, the court order had not directed the police to remove the protesters.

To avoid the imposition of Section 144, which prohibit the assembly of four or more people in an area, the protesters adopted an innovative way. They got scattered into small groups (less than four in each) and started protesting, maintaining a reasonable distance between two groups. In the meantime, the leaders of all the opposition parties including BJP, CPI(M) and Congress reached the spot expressing solidarity with the protesters.

In the face of the presence of the opposition leaders and a battery of media persons, the police contingent present there started showing signs of retracting for the day. However, suddenly at around 12.15 a.m. (Friday), the police contingent reached the spot again and started removing the protesters by dragging them over the streets. The agitators made a failed protest to resist and in the process some, including women, received major bruises.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the opposition parties again rushed to the spot and each of them cautioned of statewide protests against such a late-night police operation.

The office of the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava, on late Thursday evening admitted the petition of counsels of the protesters challenging the single-judge bench order to maintain Section 144 on an emergency basis. The matter will be heard on Friday only.

The opposition leaders warned that from Friday there will be parallel battles on this development, the first being in the court and the second being on the streets.

--IANS
src/sha

New Delhi, Oct 20 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said it has recently conducted a search operation on the premises of MBS Jewellers Private Limited, Musaddilal Gems & Jewels India Private Limited, its director Sukesh Gupta and Anurag Gupta in Hyderabad and Vijaywada, and seized jewelleries worth Rs 149.10 crore and Rs 1.96 crore in cash.

The action was taken by the ED in course of its probe into a money laundering case.

Sukesh Gupta was arrested by the ED on October 18. He was presented at the Special PMLA Court at Nampally, Hyderabad, and sent to 14-day judicial custody.

The ED initiated investigation on the basis of the FIR registered by the CBI, ACB, Hyderabad against Gupta and his companies for defrauding MMTC Limited (a Public Sector Enterprise) in purchase of bullion under Buyer's Credit Scheme.

Gupta in active connivance with few officials of MMTC Hyderabad, had continuously lifted gold without forex cover and without adequate security deposits, and his dues were consistently mis-reported to the MMTC Head Office and without squaring off the existing losses, his firms continued lifting more and more gold from MMTC for their personal gain and thereby, ultimately caused a loss of public money to the tune of Rs 504.34 crore to MMTC.

The CBI has already filed a chargesheet against Gupta and others.

During ED investigation, it was found that Gupta colluded with various officials of MMTC Hyderabad and painted a wrong picture of his account and kept on lifting more & more gold to carry on its business as usual and MMTC ultimately suffered a massive loss. Sukesh Gupta also entered into an OTS (one time settlement) with MMTC in 2019.

However, MMTC confirmed that Sukesh Gupta did not comply the OTS conditions and the OTS has failed.

--IANS
atk/pgh

Bengaluru, Oct 20 (IANS) The Basavaraj Bommai-led Karnataka government is making all preparations to make 'Invest Karnataka 2022-Global Investors Meet' -- which is just 10 days away from now -- a successful one, officials said on Thursday.

The event would be virtually inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 2. "It would be attended by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Ministers Smiriti Irani, Bhagwanth Khuba and Nitin Gadkari," Karnataka's Minister for Large & Medium Industries, Murugesh R. Nirani said at a press conference here on Thursday.

The Global Investors Meet will be a platform to join industry leaders, innovators, and policymakers from all over the globe to explore new growth possibilities. This year's meet will focus on getting intellectuals, political leaders, and business leaders to carve out the development agenda.

"The Global Investors Meet will showcase the robust industrial-friendly ecosystem, attract investments from global players, and spread industrialization across the state. The state is expecting over Rs 5 lakh crore in investments and the generation of 5 lakh jobs through the event," Nirani said.

The minister said that the state was looking at forging partnerships with various business houses across India and the globe.

"With the key themes of resilience, innovation, sustainability, and equity, we are committed to setting Karnataka's development agenda in line with global best practices and showcasing our strong ability to 'Build for the World'.

"We have recently completed international roadshows in Japan, South Korea, the US, and Europe and domestic roadshows in Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. Our aim is not only to get investments but to bring the industry giants under one platform. We are expecting around 5,000+ global delegates to attend the Meet. The GIM with contemporary themes will be an opportunity to connect, collaborate and network with global leaders," he added.

For the Global Investors Meet, a total of 50,000 acres of land -- 20,000 acres in Bengaluru and 30,000 acres across the state has been earmarked.

--IANS
mka/pgh

Bengaluru, Oct 19 (IANS) The man, who attempted sexual assault in the premises of the Bengaluru church but fled when the victim shouted for help, has been arrested after a month-long hunt, police said on Wednesday.

The arrested person was identified as William Prakash.

The incident had taken place in Saint Mary's Church here. The Ashoknagar police, which had taken up the investigation of the case, has nabbed the accused, DCP Srinivas Gowda said.

According to police, Prakash had sneaked into the premises of the church. As he saw the victim coming out to switch off the light, he threatened her with a knife, dragged to a room, made her sit on a chair, and attempted to assault her sexually.

But the victim gathered courage and screamed for help. The accused had tried to assault her with the knife, but she had escaped unhurt.

Hearing the screams, people around rushed to the scene and the accused had managed to escape.

After the victim had lodged a complaint, the police had launched hunt for the accused and managed to apprehend him.

The police investigation showed that the accused managed to get into the group participating in the procession during the Ganesh festival. According to police, Prakash is suspected to be involved in many such cases and investigations are on.

--IANS
mka/vd

Kolkata, Oct 19 (IANS) On a sunny afternoon just two days before Durga Puja in 2008, then Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata had announced to pull out the ambitious Nano small car project from Singur in West Bengal's Hooghly district, holding Trinamool Congress' agitation against land acquisition for the project solely responsible for the decision.

Fourteen years after that development -- often termed as the biggest blow to West Bengal's image before national and international investors -- Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday that it wasn't her or the Trinamool, but then ruling CPI(M) which was responsible for driving away the Tata project from West Bengal.

"I did not drive out the Tatas. CPI(M) did. They forcefully acquired land for the project. I just gave back the land to the farmers at a later stage," Banerjee said at a post-Durga Puja gathering in Siliguri in Darjeeling district.

In his speech while announcing the decision to pull out of Singur, Ratan Tata had also held Mamata Banerjee -- then opposition leader in the state -- responsible to a great extent for the decision to call off the project.

"I think some time back I had mentioned that if you put a gun to my head, you either pull the trigger or take the gun away because I will not move my head. I think Ms Banerjee has pulled the trigger," he had said.

After the pull out from Singur, Gujarat's Sanand became the new destination for the Nano factory.

Banerjee also said on Wednesday that although setting up new industries is her goal now, she is still against forceful land acquisition for any project.

"Several industrial projects have been launched since we came to power in 2011. But never has there been any forceful land acquisition," she said.

Reacting to the Chief Minister's remarks, CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said that it was Mamata Banerjee's government which blasted a factory with dynamite whose 80 per cent construction work was complete.

"It was actually blasting the dreams of so many youth of the state. And she is now encouraging the youth to turn 'jhalmuri' into an industry in West Bengal," he said.

In fact, it was Trinamool's anti-land acquisition agitation in Singur that shifted the Left Front's dedicated rural vote bank towards them, which ultimately culminated in Banerjee becoming the Chief Minister in 2011, ending the Left's 34-year rule.

However, since then, fresh investments by the Tata Group in West Bengal have remained an illusion.

--IANS
src/arm

Kurnool, Oct 19 (IANS) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday claimed that there is a lot of room for the party to grow in Andhra Pradesh.

On the second day of his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kurnool district, he told reporters that the state Congress leaders were surprised over the tremendous response to the Yatra in the state.

When asked how Congress hopes to regain the lost ground in Andhra Pradesh with three parties occupying the political space in the state, he said that there is a lot of room for the Congress party to grow.

"Congress is an idea that helps weaker sections of society and stitches together all sections. There is a lot of place for Congress to grow in Andhra Pradesh. The three political parties are more like businesses than political parties. There is a lot of room for us to grow particularly because there is huge distress in Andhra Pradesh. I have seen during the Yatra that there is distress among farmers, labourers and poor people. That is going to be our focus," he said.

He termed the response to Bharat Jodo Yatra in Andhra Pradesh as a good starting point to rebuild the party in the state. "We have had tremendous response to our Yatra. Lot of leaders were quite surprised over the enthusiasm and response we have had. I think this is a very good starting point to build the Congress party in Andhra Pradesh," he said.

He evaded a reply when asked if Congress would have an alliance with TDP or any other party in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. "That is not my jurisdiction. That is the jurisdiction of leaders of the party in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana," he said.

"Now, all these questions will be answered by the Congress president. It is not my jurisdiction," he remarked when asked if the Congress would take support from the YSR Congress Party to form government at the Centre in 2024.

He parried questions on whether the Congress regretted the decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh. "I am not going to go into the past. I am interested in discussing the future. I am very clear. As far as Andhra Pradesh is concerned, a commitment was made and it should be fulfilled. I am not interested in delving into the past," he said.

The Congress leader said all the commitments made by the Central government to Andhra Pradesh at the time of bifurcation should be fulfilled. He identified Polavaram project and special category status to the state as the main commitments and reiterated that if voted to power at the Centre, the Congress would fulfill all commitments.

"When bifurcation took place, certain commitments were made to people of Andhra Pradesh. We believe those were fundamental commitments. Those should be fulfilled," he said.

Rahul opposed the idea of three state capitals proposed by the YSRCP Government. "My stand on the Amaravati issue is clear. We do not think the idea of having three capitals is a sensible and efficient idea. We think Andhra Pradesh should have one capital and that capital should be Amaravati. I met people who have given their lands and who have been cheated. I reiterate that we standby those people and defend the rights of those people," he added.

--IANS
ms/svn/

Bengaluru, Oct 18 (IANS) The Karnataka government is preparing to take the ordinance route to raise the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Schedule Tribe (ST) reservation quota.

The state's Transport and Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister B. Sriramulu on Monday said that an ordinance will be promulgated for the SC/ST reservation soon.

Once the ordinance is in place, reservation for SCs will go up to 17 per cent from the present 15 per cent, while ST reservation quota will increase to 7 per cent from the 3 per cent at present.

The move to increase the reservation for SC/STs by the state government will mean that reservation will cross the Supreme Court's 50 per cent limit judgement and touch 56 per cent in Karnataka.

Sriramulu added that the process has begun and the ordinance will be promulgated in a day or two.

"In order to ensure legal protection for the quota hike, the state government will recommend bringing it under the 9th Schedule of the Constitution," he said.

The state government opted for the ordinance route instead of the original plan of implementing the quota hike through an executive order and gazette notification.

--IANS
pvn/khz/

Bhubaneswar, Oct 18 (IANS) Odisha is in a "take-off" stage and will witness a high growth in the next 10 years, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said on Monday.

"On the strength of our abundant natural resources, skilled human resources and stable governance, Odisha is emerging as a leading destination for industries and investment," he said while addressing investors in Hyderabad.

Noting that most of the top Indian IT companies have established their centres in Bhubaneswar, he said the state government is also providing continuous support to the start-up ecosystem in the city.

Odisha is ranked among the top states of India in terms of live manufacturing investments and has been accorded the 'achiever' status in the recently released 'Ease of Doing Business' ratings, Patnaik asserted.

"It's inspiring to see the transformation of this city (Bhubaneswar) in the last few decades into a major destination for technology, pharma and manufacturing. I am here to invite you all to Odisha and be part of our transformative journey," the Chief Minister added.

He invited the investors to participate in the 'Make in Odisha' conclave, to be held in Bhubaneswar from November 30 to December 4.

The conclave is a platform for Odisha to showcase its growth story and present what the state has to offer to investors from across the globe, he said.

"It is a platform for industry captains and thought-leaders to talk about the future outlook of various industrial sectors. Odisha is committed to provide an ecosystem for job linked industrial growth," Patnaik added.

Further, the Chief Minister assured the investors that his government would like to offer the "best incentives" in the country for promotion of business opportunities.

"Our government walks the talk. Come, invest in Odisha and be our partner in ushering in a new industrial age in Odisha," he concluded.

Earlier in the day, he met heads and senior functionaries of 21 industries of sectors like IT, pharmaceuticals, food processing, energy, real estate, cement, healthcare, and logistics.

--IANS
bbm/shs