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BJP, PDP discuss Jammu and Kashmir government formation

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PDP-Kashmir

Srinagar: Talks between the BJP and the PDP for government formation in Jammu and Kashmir is expected to continue Friday, party sources said.

BJP top sources said that two rounds of talks were held Thursday between BJP general secretary Ram Madhav and senior PDP leader and parliamentarian Muzaffar Hussain Baig in Srinagar.

“The talks remained inconclusive and will continue,” BJP sources told IANS.

PDP sources said the party is discussing a common minimum programme with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“There has to be a clear common minimum programme before we join hands with future allies,” PDP sources said.

Former chief minister and National Conference working president Omar Abdullah has again said he did not meet any BJP leader to discuss an alliance.

NC leader who won elections from central Kashmir Badgam seat Syed Ruhullah said Thursday any truck with the BJP would be against the interests of the people of Kashmir and the NC.

Ruhullah’s statement came amid media speculations that the BJP and the NC were close to reaching an agreement on coalition in the state.

Coalition won’t last long: Salman Soz

Congress leader Salman Soz Friday said PDP should take responsibility to bring stable government in the region.

He said that like-minded people should come together so that stability may be achieved.

Soz said Congress is open for alliance with PDP if the party is asked for the same.

Refuting on any possibility of alliance between BJP and PDP, Soz said that both the parties are like oil and water, having no chemistry and therefore such alliance would not last long.

(With inputs from IANS)

Raghubar Das to be first non-tribal chief minister of Jharkhand

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raghubar-das

Ranchi: Jharkhand is all set to get its first non-tribal chief minister with Raghubar Das being elected as the BJP state legislature party leader Friday.

Das, a five-time legislator from East Jamshedpur, will be the 10th chief minister of Jharkhand.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-All Jharkhand Students Union alliance won a clear majority in the assembly elections. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 37 seats, while the AJSU bagged five in the 81-seat assembly.

(IANS)

Hindu outfit holds ceremony for 'Godse's temple'; probe ordered

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Nathuram Godse

Meerut: Activists of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha have allegedly performed a ceremony here for construction of a “temple” dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse, following which the administration has ordered a probe into the matter.

The “bhumi pujan” (prayers) was performed at a temple on Shaarda Road here yesterday.

During the event, the national general secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha Acharya Madan allegedly praised Godse, calling him a true patriot and criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issues of Ram Temple and revocation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir.

Mahasabha members also allegedly spoke of launching a campaign for conversion.

Acting District Magistrate Navneet Singh Chahal told PTI today that the district administration has taken the incident seriously and ordered the police officer in charge of the area to probe it.

Case will be registered and strict action will be taken against whoever is found guilty, he said.

SSP Onkar Singh said the matter is serious.

The Local Intelligence Unit has been asked to submit a report on the incident, he said, adding that strict action will be taken against those involved after the report is received.

No one will be allowed to disturb the law and order of the city and police will deal with such people strictly, he said.

(PTI)

BJP opposes Karnataka government’s move on Tipu Sultan birth anniversary

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Tipu Sultan

Bengaluru: The Congress government’s move to celebrate the birth anniversary of the 18th century legendary king Tipu Sultan has stirred a controversy in Karnataka, with BJP alleging that it was an attempt by the ruling party to strengthen its vote bank.

On December 22, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that the government has decided to celebrate “Tipu Jayanti” and the date would be decided shortly.

“There has been a lot of pressure from various quarters to celebrate Tipu Jayanti. We have decided to take this into consideration and will announce the date shortly,” Siddaramaiah had said at the release of a book “Tipu Sultan: A Crusader for Change” by historian Prof B Sheik Ali.

But this has not gone down well with the BJP, with its senior leaders claiming that Tipu was a “tyrant” who committed forced conversions in Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada districts in Karnataka and the neighbouring Kerala.

BJP leader Suresh Kumar said Tipu cannot be considered as a person whose birthday should be celebrated by the government, claiming that the erstwhile Mysuru ruler had committed barbaric acts against people including Kodavas (in Kodagu district).

“We (BJP) have our own viewpoint on Tipu Sultan about his administration, especially when you go to Coorg (Kodagu) and other places where people still remember the barbaric acts committed against Coorgis, who refused to oblige his dictates. So, Tipu cannot be considered as a person whose birthday should be celebrated by the state government,” he claimed.

Tipu was a ruler of the erstwhile kingdom of Mysore, who was considered an implacable enemy of the British East India Company. He was killed in May 1799 while defending his fort of Srirangapatna against the British forces.

When pointed out that Congress considers Tipu as secular, Kumar said that party had its own definition of secularism which is not acceptable worldover.

“Yes, Tipu Sultan was and has been as secular as the Congress leaders are because in the Congress dictionary and their viewpoint they have got their own definition of the word secular which is not acceptable the world over,” he said.

“Congress has felt that by projecting Tipu Sultan, their credentials among their votebank will get strengthened. Having tasted defeats after defeats since parliamentary elections, it is resorting to the same step. I wish Congress good,” he said.

State Legislative Council Chairman and senior state BJP leader D H Shankarmurthy told PTI that the government has all the rights to celebrate Tipu’s birthday, but the Mysuru ruler was “anti-Kannada.”

“Before Tipu ruled Mysuru, Kannada was the official language. He replaced Kannada with Persian, which was an alien language,” he said.

Moreover, Tipu was not a Kannadiga and he forced conversions in Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada and Kerala, he claimed.

Countering Siddaramaiah’s remarks that Tipu supported temples and gave money to construct them, Shankamurthy said no one can also ignore his acts of demolishing temples.

“There may be few instances of Tipu supporting construction of temples by giving money, but it is also true he demolished many temples. A debate has to be there as to why Tipu supported some and demolished other temples,” he argued.

Siddaramaiah had said Tipu had supported temples and gave money to construct them and waged a war against British and died on the battlefield for the cause of Indian freedom.

The Congress government has been making attempts to honour Tipu but without much success, the earlier case being an attempt to launch a central university proposed at his erstwhile capital Srirangapatna, also a major Hindu pilgrimage destination, during the UPA rule, which was opposed by the then BJP government in the state.

Modi wishes Nawaz Sharif, visits Vajpayee and pays floral tribute to Malaviya on their birthdays

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Photo: PTI

Photo: PTI

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on his 65th birthday Thursday.

“On his birthday, I convey my good wishes to Mr. Nawaz Sharif and I pray that Almighty blesses him with good health,” tweeted Modi.

He visited former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at his residence and greeted him on his 90th birthday and on being conferred with the Bharat Ratna.

In the morning, Modi took to Twitter and said there is no bigger tribute to Vajpayee than celebrating his birthday as ‘Good Governance Day’.

“There is no bigger tribute to Atal ji than celebrating his birthday as ‘Good Governance Day’ and pledging to devote ourselves to this cause,” Modi tweeted.

“Development and good governance are the only ways ahead. Together, let us make a positive impact in people’s lives and create a developed India,” said another tweet by Modi.

Vajpayee, along with late freedom fighter-educationist Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, was Wednesday named for India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna. Both of them share their birthday Dec 25.

Modi Thursday paid floral tributes to educationist and Hindu Mahasabha leader Madan Mohan Malaviya on his 153th birth anniversary in Varanasi.

(IANS)

VHP continues its ‘Ghar Wapsi,’ reconverts 17 Christians in Kottayam

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File photo

File photo

Kottayam: Continuing with its ‘Ghar Wapsi’ programme, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Thursday reconverted about 17 Christians to Hinduism in Kottayam district.

There were unconfirmed reports yesterday that the Hindu outfit would stage mass conversion events at several places on Christmas day, mainly targeting Dalit Christians.

On Wednesday, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said there had been no forceful conversions in the state.

Kerala all these years has steered clear of any controversy when it came to forced religious conversion, Chandy said.

Chandy was responding to a question on the reported conversion of 35 people from Christianity to Hinduism in two Kerala districts last Sunday.

“We have always steered clear of any such happenings and there has been no forceful conversions in our state. If anyone decides to convert, it’s their decision. If there is a need for any government intervention, it would be done, but for that to happen, there has to be forceful conversion and it does not take place here,” he said.

The peculiar situation in Kerala is that Hindu SC/ST people enjoy government reservations which are not open to Christian SC/ST people.

Karnataka to develop infrastructure to boost tourism

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Karnataka tourism

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government is setting up a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to develop infrastructure at tourist destinations across the state under the public-private partnership (PPP), a senior official said Wednesday.

“The state cabinet Tuesday approved the proposal of the tourism department to set up the SPV for tourism infrastructure development at an estimated cost of Rs.14,737 crore. We have identified 1,468 acres of land at tourist spots across the state for the projects under PPP,” the official told IANS here.

Under the SPV, private firms selected through a bidding process will be given specified acres of land on lease to develop the infrastructure facilities and operate them around the tourist spots for attracting more tourists.

“As we want to make Karnataka a preferred destination in the country for domestic and overseas tourists, we have identified 325 tourist spots across the state for developing the infrastructure through the PPP mode,” the official said.

According to a report prepared by the tourist department, the state has potential to attract a whopping Rs.73,000 crore worth investments in tourist infrastructure development over the next 10 years, generating an additional revenue of Rs.83,000 crore and employment to 43 lakh people by 2024.

“Besides developing infrastructure and connectivity, we need to build human capital with skilled manpower for catering to the growing number of tourists to the state from across the country and abroad,” the official pointed out.

The Karnataka tourism vision group, under the chairmanship of former Infosys board member and Manipal Global Education chairman T.V. Mohandas Pai, has recommended a holistic approach in promoting the rich and diverse tourist spots in the state spawning heritage sites, monuments, ancient and modern temples, pilgrim towns, wildlife sanctuaries, hill stations, beaches and historic cities like Mysuru and Hampi.

(IANS)

PM Modi’s message to the Nation on Good Governance

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Photo: PTI

Photo: PTI

Good Governance is the key to a nation’s progress. Our government is committed to providing a transparent and accountable administration which works for the betterment and welfare of the common citizen.

“Citizen-First” is our mantra, our motto and our guiding principle. It has been my dream to bring government closer to our citizens, so that they become active participants in the governance process. During the last seven months, our government has been consistently working towards this goal. mygov.in and interact with PM seek to make this engagement meaningful. The unprecedented response which these initiatives have evoked, places a large responsibility upon us, and I assure you, my countrymen that we will not let you down.

An important step for Good Governance is simplification of procedures and processes in the Government so as to make the entire system transparent and faster. The push towards self certification in place of affidavits and attestations is another indicator of the relationship of trust between the citizens and the Government. Doing away with cumbersome and out-dated legislations which no longer have relevance is another focus area. Already Appropriation Acts have been identified for repeal and more Acts are being reviewed.

Our government considers redress of public grievances as a very important component of a responsive administration. I have instructed all the Ministries to ensure that redress of public grievances receives the highest priority.

Government process re-engineering is yet another measure that we are pushing for. Ministries and Departments of the Government of India have been instructed to look into their work spheres, their internal processes and work on what and how to simplify and rationalise them. We are also working on a simpler internal work process manual, which would be delivered through an e-learning module.

I strongly believe that technology can and must bridge the divide between the government and the citizens. Technology is an empowering tool for the citizen and an accountability medium for the government. My government fully recognises the huge potential of this tool –Digital India aims to transform the country into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. Proposed to be implemented in phases, Digital India is transformational in nature and would ensure that Government services are available to citizens electronically. It would also bring in greater accountability through mandated delivery of government’s services electronically.

The effort to usher in an era of सुशासन has just begun, and begun on a very promising note. An open and accountable administration is what we had promised to deliver and we will do so.

Today is the birthday of our beloved leader, our former PM Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. On this occasion, we reiterate our commitment towards providing transparent, effective and accountable governance to the people of this country. Let us embark on this mission for good governance together.

Karnataka government may withdraw bill on mutts

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Cautious over the bill raising controversies, CM Siddaramaiah told reporters "Now we are planning not to pursue with bill. We will take it back.." Photo: The New Indian Express

Cautious over the bill raising controversies, CM Siddaramaiah told reporters “Now we are planning not to pursue with bill. We will take it back..” Photo: The New Indian Express

Koppal: Facing resistance from Hindu seers and reservations within cabinet, Congress government in Karnataka Wednesday said it would withdraw a bill which religious mutts fear is an attempt to take over their institutions.

Developing cold feet as the bill raised a storm of controversy, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told reporters here “Now we are planning not to pursue with bill. We will take it back.”

The Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments (Amendment) Bill of 2014 was introduced in the Assembly during the session at Belagavi last week, amid stiff opposition from BJP which termed it as an attempt to interfere in the affairs of Hindu religious institutions.

The bill has raised the hackles of seers across the state who say it is needless interference and question why only Hindu religious institutions are being “targetted”.

Siddaramaiah said the JDS-BJP coalition government in 2007 had given an undertaking to Supreme Court stating they would bring an amendment to the law, following which the bill was introduced. The bill was also recommended by a high powered committee headed by Rama Jois, a former Supreme Court judge who was also a BJP Rajya Sabha member.

“BJP is playing politics on this issue now, while they are the ones who had given such undertaking,” he said.

“Now we are planning not to pursue with the bill….We will take it (bill) back; ….We will inform the court about it, the undertaking was given by the previous government….”

At the cabinet meeting yesterday, several ministers as also the Chief Minister himself, had reportedly expressed reservations about the bill.

(PTI)

India slashes health budget, already one of the world's lowest

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A paramedic distributes free medicine provided by the government to patients inside a ward at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) in Chennai July 12, 2012. CREDIT: REUTERS/BABU/FILES

A paramedic distributes free medicine provided by the government to patients inside a ward at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) in Chennai July 12, 2012. CREDIT: REUTERS/BABU/FILES

by Reuters

The government has ordered a cut of nearly 20 percent in its 2014/15 healthcare budget due to fiscal strains, putting at risk key disease control initiatives in a country whose public spending on health is already among the lowest in the world.

Two health ministry officials told Reuters on Tuesday that more than 60 billion rupees, or $948 million, has been slashed from their budget allocation of around $5 billion for the financial year ending on March 31.

Despite rapid economic growth over the past two decades, successive governments have kept a tight rein on healthcare expenditure. India spends about 1 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on public health, compared to 3 percent in China and 8.3 percent in the United States.

But hopes were high that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was elected in May, would upgrade basic health infrastructure and make medical services more affordable for the poor.

The United Nations estimates about one third of the world’s 1.2 billion poorest people live in India.

“We were not expecting (budget cuts) this time because of the commitments they made in the manifesto,” one of the health ministry officials said, referring to Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “No reason was given … but there is shortage of funds. It is not rocket science.”

The officials requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

The finance ministry, which ordered the spending reduction and overruled objections from the health ministry at a recent meeting, did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

The move reflects the government’s struggle to achieve its 2014/15 fiscal deficit target of 4.1 percent of GDP.

Dominated by private players, India’s healthcare industry is growing at an annual clip of around 15 percent, but public spending has remained low and resulted in a dilapidated network of government hospitals and clinics, especially in rural areas.

One of the health ministry officials said the cut could crimp efforts to control the spread of diseases. More newborns die in India than in poorer neighbours such as Bangladesh, and preventable illnesses such as diarrhoea kill more than a million children every year.

The retrenchment could also derail an ambitious universal healthcare programme that Modi wants to launch in April. The plan aims to provide all citizens with free drugs and diagnostic treatments, as well as insurance benefits.

The cost of that programme over the next four years had been estimated at 1.6 trillion rupees ($25 billion). The health ministry officials had been expecting a jump in their budget for the coming year, in part to pay for this extra cost.

“Even next year we don’t think we’ll get a huge amount of money,” said one official, adding that it was now unclear how the new programme would be funded.

HIV/AIDS FUNDS SLASHED

In addition to the healthcare budget, the finance ministry has also ordered a spending cut for India’s HIV/AIDS programme by about 30 percent to 13 billion rupees ($205.4 million).

India had the third-largest number of people living with HIV in the world at the end of 2013, according to the U.N. AIDS programme, and it accounts for more than half of all AIDS-related deaths in the Asia-Pacific.

In October, India was on the brink of running out of a critical medicine in its free HIV/AIDS drugs programme due to bureaucratic delays. A crisis was averted with the assistance of pharmaceutical companies and global health organisations.

Still, health activists complain about dire shortages of several HIV/AIDS diagnostic kits.

“We are all in shock. That shows the kind of importance the government attaches to public health,” said Leena Menghaney, a New Delhi-based public health activist. “This will undermine the HIV programme in the long run.”

(Additional reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh; Editing by John Chalmers and Jeremy Laurence)

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