Archives for 2021

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan asked the new governing bodies to provide ease of doing business for the entrepreneurs.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday asked the newly elected representatives of local bodies to focus on achieving food self-sufficiency and creation of jobs in the state, as he pledged the LDF government’s support without any political bias.

He also told them to encourage entrepreneurship at the local level while ensuring an industry-friendly environment.

In an online interaction with the local self government representatives elected in the recent local body elections, which the LDF swept, he said the policy of the government was that no one should go hungry in the state.

“The distribution of the free ration kits and the opening of low-cost hotels are meant to achieve this goal. This system needs to be further strengthened. The Subhiksha Kerala scheme for achieving food self-sufficiency should be implemented more vigorously,” Vijayan said.

“We all should work together beyond politics for the development of the state. The state government will not show any sort of discrimination and will support all the local body institutions in the state without any political bias,” he said.

Vijayan asked the new governing bodies to provide ease of doing business for the entrepreneurs.

Their problems should be addressed and resolved and necessary interventions should be made to create an industry-friendly environment.

“Marketing facilities should be provided for the products of small scale producers. The support and cooperation of cooperative societies should be ensured for this,” the chief minister added.

Stressing the need to implement welfare and development programmes at all levels as people need more relief, Vijayan urged the local body representatives to create maximum number of working days before the onset of next monsoon through the rural employment guarantee Scheme.

An offence was registered under relevant sections of the IPC and the accused was subsequently nabbed, the cop said

PUNE: An 18-year-old man was arrested for allegedly attempting to take a video of a woman on his phone inside the restroom of an eatery in a suburb of Pune, police said on Wednesday.

According to the police, the accused, who is a waiter at the eatery in Baner area, tried to film a video of the victim from the gap on the roof of the restroom on Monday.

On noticing this, the victim immediately raised an alarm, prompting the accused flee the scene, an official from Chatushringi police station said.

An offence was registered under relevant sections of the IPC and the accused was subsequently nabbed, he added.

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday stood in a queue along with other locals in Kalighat area here to collect her ‘Swasthya Sathi’ smart card from a Kolkata Municipal Corporation distribution centre.

State BJP president Dilip Ghosh, however, dubbed the move as “pure drama”.

The TMC chief, accompanied by urban development minister Firhad Hakim and other government officials, arrived at Joy Hind Bhavan, close to her residence on Harish Chatterjee Street, around 11.45 am, to collect the card.

Swasthya Sathi, a flagship scheme launched by the TMC government, provides health cover of up to Rs 5 lakh per annum to a family for secondary and tertiary care.

Hakim, while talking to reporters, said that the chief minister stood in the queue like any ordinary person to collect the card.

It goes on to show that she is one among the people of the state, he stated.

The CM had on Monday urged all ministers of her government to collect the card. “I will keep this card in my archive. I urge other ministers, too, to join the scheme,” she had said.

The state government has been providing ‘Swasthya Sathi’ smart cards to people, as part of her ‘Duare Sarkar’ initiative — a mass outreach programme for doorstep delivery of welfare scheme benefits.

State chief secretary Alapan Bandopadyay had said that over one crore people have enrolled themselves for the scheme so far.

Haleyangadi: In an incident reported on Tuesday morning, near the National Highway 66 here, a car fell into the river after the driver lost control over the vehicle. 

Reportedly, there were two passengers in the car at the time of the accident, who managed to escape without any grievous injuries. 

A resident of Kaatipala in Krishnapura, Ashraf, and his friend were returning after a trip to Arand near Pavanje when the accident took place. Upon reaching the Pavanje Bridge, the driver is said to have lost control over the car which fell into the nearby Nandini River. It is learned that as the car began to sink into the river, Ashraf and his friend promptly escaped from the vehicle and successfully swam to the shore.

The locals who witnessed the accident immediately informed the Police. The Surathkal Traffic police arrived at the scene and with assistance from the locals, helped fish out the car from the river using a mechanical crane.

New Delhi: Camping at Delhi borders for over a month now, protesting farmers seem undeterred in the face of severe cold, rains and waterlogging, and firm on their demands for repeal of farm laws and legal backing for MSP even as talks with the government remained inconclusive.

On Monday, the seventh round of talks were held to resolve the deadlock. The unions stuck to their demand for a complete repeal of the new farm laws they find pro-corporate, while the government wanted to discuss only “problematic” clauses or other alternatives. The two sides will meet again on January 8.

Speaking to reporters after the meet, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said he expected positive talks and a possible resolution in the next meeting, but asserted that “efforts need to be made from both sides for a solution”.

The protesting farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been at the border points of the national capital for almost 40 days now, braving the bone-chilling cold weather in the region.

Sporadic rains have also lashed the city in the last couple of days, following which the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) arranged makeshift elevated beds in a tent provided by the organisation at the demonstration site near Singhu border.

The tent, located right beyond the main stage at the site, is pitched on the lower end of the highway, making it susceptible to waterlogging.

Since the farmers arrived at the national capital’s borders in late November, the Delhi Traffic Police has been posting alerts on its official Twitter handle to inform commuters about road closures across the city.

In a series of tweets on Tuesday, the traffic police said Singhu, Auchandi, Piau Maniyari, Saboli and Mangesh borders are closed for traffic movement.

“Please take alternate route via Lampur Safiabad, Palla & Singhu school toll tax borders. Traffic has been diverted from Mukarba & GTK road. Please avoid Outer Ring Road, GTK Road & NH-44,” it said.

“The Chilla and Ghazipur borders are closed for traffic coming from Noida & Ghaziabad to Delhi because of farmer protests. Please take alternate route for coming to Delhi via Anand Vihar, DND, Bhopra & Loni Borders,” it added.

The traffic police said Tikri and Dhansa borders are also closed for traffic movement.

“Jhatikara Border is open only for LMV (Cars/Light Motor Vehicles), two wheelers and pedestrian movement,” it said in another tweet.

According to the traffic police, people travelling to Haryana can take the routes via Jharoda (only single carriageway), Daurala, Kapashera, Badusarai, Rajokri NH-8, Bijwasan/Bajghera, Palam Vihar and Dundahera borders.