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.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday set out his government’s energy roadmap, envisaging more than double the share of cleaner natural gas in the consumption basket, diversifying sources of energy, connecting the nation with one gas pipeline grid and bringing affordable fuel to people and industry.

Inaugurating a 450-km natural gas pipeline between Kochi in Kerala to Mangaluru in Karnataka, he said India under his government is seeing unprecedented work on highways, railway, metro, air, water, digital and gas connectivity which will aid economic development.

The government has an “integrated approach to energy planning. Our energy agenda is all-inclusive,” he said.

While on the one hand, natural gas pipeline network is being doubled to about 32,000 km in 5-6 years, on the other, work on the world’s biggest hybrid renewable plant combining wind and solar power has started in Gujarat.

Also, the emphasis is being laid on manufacturing biofuels as well as electric mobility.

In 10 years’ time, petrol will be doped with as much as 20 per cent of ethanol extracted from sugarcane and other agro products, he said.

This would help cut reliance on imports for meeting oil needs as well as reduce carbon emissions.

Alongside, the share of natural gas in the energy basket is being targeted to be raised to 15 per cent from the current 6.2 per cent, he said.

The pipeline grid will help improve clean energy access as well as also aid in the development of city gas projects, he said.

Modi said 900 CNG stations were set up till 2014 after the advent of compressed natural gas as fuel for automobiles in the country around 1992. In the last six years, the number of CNG stations has gone up to 1,500 and the target is to take them to 10,000, he said.

Also, 25 lakh households had piped natural gas connections for using the fuel for cooking purposes till 2014 which has risen to 72 lakh now, he said.

“We are working to provide clean, affordable and sustainable energy,” he said.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday asked the Centre to either withdraw or amend rules notified in 2017 for confiscating animals of traders and transporters during the pendency of trial in cases under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, saying they are contrary to the law.

The top court said the rules will be stayed if not withdrawn or amended by the Centre as the law provides that animals can be confiscated only if a person is convicted under the Act.

A bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian said that animals are a source of livelihood for the people concerned.

The bench told Additional Solicitor General Jayant K Sud, appearing for the Centre, that the government cannot confiscate the cattle and keep it before a person is convicted.

At the outset, Sud informed the bench that the 2017 rules have been notified.

The bench said: Animals are source of livelihood. We are not talking about pet dogs and cats. People live on the basis of their animals. You can’t confiscate them and keep them before the man is convicted. Your rules are contrary. You either withdraw it or we will stay it.

Sud reiterated that the rules have been notified as atrocities were being committed on animals.

The bench said, We are trying to tell you that the section is very clear that only the person who is convicted can lose the animal. You either amend the rule or we will stay it. We cannot have a situation where the rule is running contrary to the express provision of the Act .

The ASG urged the court to post the matter for further hearing in next week to enable him seek instructions on the matter. The bench posted the matter for further hearing on January 11.

The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Care and Maintenance of Case Property Animals) Rules, 2017 framed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, were notified on May 23, 2017.

The top court had on August 17 last year asked Sud to make a statement about the notification of the Rules in question.

On July 2, 2019, the top court had sought response from the Centre on a plea of Buffalo Traders Welfare Association challenging the constitutional validity of the rules of 2017.

The traders have claimed that they were being forcibly deprived of their cattle which is sent to Gaushalas’, and the seizure of their livestock that is a means of livelihood for many families was being done under the 2017 rules.

The association alleged that the 2017 rules have travelled beyond the limits of the 1960 Act.

It is pertinent to mention that these frequent lootings are also threatening the rule of law and generally emboldening groups of persons to take the law into their own hands. Moreover, these incidents are acting as triggers for communal polarisation of society, and if not halted effectively and immediately, will have disastrous consequences on the social fabric of the country, the plea of the association said.

The 2017 rules allow a magistrate to forfeit the cattle of an owner facing trial under the Act and the animals are later sent to infirmaries, gaushalas’ and pinjarapole’ and offered for adoption.

New Delhi:  In a majority verdict, the Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the environmental clearance and notification for change in land use for the Central Vista Project.

The Central Vista revamp, announced in September, 2019 envisages a new triangular Parliament building, with seating capacity for 900 to 1,200 MPs, that is to be constructed by August, 2022 when the country will be celebrating its 75th Independence Day.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar, by 2:1 majority, held that the grant of the environmental clearance and the notification for change in land use for the project was valid.

Justice Khanwilkar, writing the judgement for himself and Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, also directed that the project proponent set up smog tower and use anti-smoke guns at the construction site for the Central Vista project.

Justice Sanjiv Khanna, the third judge on the bench, also agreed on the issue of award of project.

He, however, disagreed with the judgment on change of land use and on grant of environmental clearance for the project.

The top court’s verdict came on several pleas on the issue, including the one filed by activist Rajeev Suri, against various permissions given to the project by authorities including the grant of environmental clearance and the nod to change of land use.