Wayanad, May 31 : AICC President Rahul.Gandhi urged Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to take urgent steps in resolving the economic crisis of farmers that led to their suicides.

In a letter to Mr Pinarayi, Mr Gandhi said it was again the financial crisis faced by the farmers in general that has led to the suicide by V D Dinesh Kumar, a farmer in Panamaram, very recently.

The farmers commit suicide in fear of their piling debts.

But such unfortunate incidents happen in Kerala, even as the Government had proclaimed a morotorium on loan repayment, till December. There should be an enquiry into the cause that made Dinesh Kumar commit suicide, the Congress President said.

The Government should consider extending every possible way including financial support to Dinesh Kumar’s family, Mr Gandhi said, adding that he and his party will extend all support in ensuring the farmers a life with dignity.

Bengaluru, May 31 : Former Karnataka Minister and BJP MLA Renukacharya was on Friday remanded to Police custody by Special Court for Peoples Representatives in the City today.
The senior BJP leader was handed over to the Police custody as he had failed to appear before the Court despite being served with non bailable warrant against him in connection with violation of Model Code of Conduct case registered in Shivamogga Rural Police Station.
Renukacharya had come to the court to plea for recall of NBW against him.
However, the judge taking strong exception to his absence on the earlier occasions, asked Police to take him to custody.

Bengaluru, May 31 : Opposition leader in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly B S Yeddyurappa, who is also BJP State President, today said that the party Central leaders have instructed the State unit not to indulge in any activity, including ‘Operation Lotus’ to pull down the Congress-JDS Coalition government.
“We have been directed by the Central leaders not to initiate any step that leads to fall of this government. We will try in any way and as Opposition party we will point out mistakes. Let them undertake welfare measures including waive off farmers loan as announced,” he added.
Yeddyurappa alleged that CLP Chairman Siddaramaiah, who is also Coalition Government Coordination Committee Chairman, is playing tricks by making some of his party MLAs to be in contact with BJP and blame the party as indulged in ‘Operation Lotus’. “BJP senior leaders, after learning about his tacticks, has instructed to indulge in such step which brings bad name to the party at the national level,” he added.
“We are not power hungry. Now our government has come in the Centre and it is not upmost important to capture power in Karnataka. Let them function well,” he added.

Bengaluru, May 31 : The Coalition partners in Karnataka–Congress and JDS, who had an intensive parleys in the last couple of days over working out strategies to save the one-year-old government, have decided not to reshuffle the Cabinet but to fill the three existing vacancies in the cabinet, by inducting two Independent MLAs.

According to highly placed sources in the Congress, after two days of interaction by both the party leaders, it was decided not to disturb the present set up in the Cabinet, and go for filling up of the vacancies by inducting two independent MLAs, to the cabinet.

“The cabinet is likely to be expanded by inducting two Independent MLAs, in a day or two”, sources said.

Following severe drubbing in the just concluded Lok Sabha elections, in which the coalition partners had won only one seat each out of 28 Lok Sabha seats, series of meeting between the JD(S) and the Congress leaders were held in their bid to save the government.

Both the parties had also convened Legislature party meeting and pursued the respective party MLAs, not to rock the boat, as the Opposition BJP is allegedly making all its efforts to topple the state government.

The Senior party leaders, had come to the conclusion not to go for dropping any existing Ministers but to induct those who are sitting on the fence, to save the Government, after the incumbent ministers are not keen to make way for others, sources said.

The decision not to go for reshuffle of the cabinet, was taken up following lack of enthusiasm shown from the ministers to opt out from the cabinet, sources added.

New Delhi, May 31 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi and country’s first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhai Patel.

“Remembering India’s greats. At the Prime Minister’s Office in South Block, Narendra Modi pays tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel,” a PMO tweet said.

Mr Modi also presided over the first meeting of his Cabinet in the South Block office here.
Flanked by new Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on his right and new Home Minister Amit Shah on his left, Mr Modi was in a jovial mood while interacting with his ministerial colleagues.

The Cabinet meeting was attended among others by Ram Vilas Paswan, Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Arvind Sawant – all from NDA constituents.
Before the meeting began, on their arrival at the South Block, several Ministers posed for snaps before the awaiting camerapersons.

The new Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani, who humbled Congress president Rahul Gandhi in his family bastion Amethi, grinned more than once and also shook hands with the photo journalists.
In a first decision of the BJP-led NDA government since it took charge, Prime Minister himself announced that changes were approved in ‘PM’s Scholarship Scheme under the National Defence Fund’.

According to an official release, the major changes includes enhanced scholarships for wards of police personnel martyred in terror or Maoist attacks.

New Delhi, May 31 : Ms Nirmala Sitharaman will be the new Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs in the Narendra Modi Government 2.0.

In all, six women got berths in the Modi Government.

In the previous government, Ms Sitharaman ? a Rajya Sabha member — has been serving as the Defence Minister since 2017. She also held the portfolio of Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs in the past.

Earlier, there were speculations that BJP president Amit Shah might get the Finance portfolio after Arun Jaitley chose to stay out of the new government citing health reasons.

Besides, Smriti Irani will be the new Women and Child Development and Textiles Minister. She made the news after defeating Congress president Rahul Gandhi from his stronghold seat Amethi. Prior to this, she was a member of Rajya Sabha twice.
Ms Harsimrat Kaur Badal gets the same Ministry of Food Processing Industries, she was holding in the previous government. She is a member of BJP ally Shromani Akali Dal from Bathinda seat in Punjab.
Another woman who gets a berth in the Modi Government is Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti. She is Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development. Earlier, she was given the charge of Minister of State for Food Processing Industries in November 2014.

Ms Renuka Singh Saruta will be Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs while Ms Debasree Chaudhuri will assist Ms Irani. She is junior minister for the the Women and Child Development.

New Delhi, May 31 : In a first decision of the BJP led NDA government on Friday after it took charge, changes were approved in PM’s Scholarship Scheme under the National Defence Fund.
According to an official release, the major changes includes enhanced scholarships for wards of police personnel martyred in terror or Maoist attacks.
In line with the Prime Minister’s vision for India’s safety, security and the well-being of those who protect the nation, the very first decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on assuming his office is approval to a major change in the ‘Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme’ under the National Defence Fund.
The Prime Minister has approved the changes under which the rates of scholarship have been increased from Rs 2000 per month to Rs 2500 per month for boys and from Rs 2250 per month to Rs 3000 per month for girls.

The ambit of the Scholarship Scheme is extended to the wards of State Police officials who are/were martyred during terror/naxal attacks.
The quota of new scholarships for wards of state police officials will be 500 in a year.
The Ministry of Home Affairs will be the nodal Ministry in this regard

Srinagar, May 29 : Asserting that the secular visage of the country was reeling under the threat from the surge of communalism in the country, National Conference (NC) President Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday said that need of the hour calls for making collective efforts for the protection of religious freedom and rule of law in the country.
Addressing various delegations, individuals, Dr Abdullah, who recently won Lok Sabha election from Srinagar parliamentary constituency, said, “The spur in the targeted attacks on the Muslims at various places across north India is just painful. The rise of the communalism in India has to be countered by all the right-thinking secular parties of the country. The fascist syndrome of communal strife if allowed to grow unchecked will eventually munch the very secular fabric of our society, which otherwise has been known for tolerance.”
“The strife of communal hatred is one of the biggest challenges for our society. It is for the new government to decide if they want to let the mammoth of communalism grow unhindered. The idea of development is impossible if 25 Cr Muslims are not a part of that story of that development,” he said.
“Government cannot think of taking the country forward without taking along the Muslims. Now we get to see Muslims men and women being attacked by unruly mobs across the country. The other day we saw how a Muslim boy was thrashed for wearing a skull cap, is this idea of India that was envisaged by the makers of our constitution. The biggest challenge ahead of the central government would be to stop such incidents from recurring again,” he added.
Addressing a delegation of women workers and functionaries led by party’s Women wing president Shameema Firdous, Dr Abdullah said, “The plight of girls remained an utmost concern. However, education is the key to reducing discrimination against girls. Gender inequality is a multifaceted issue. The need of the hour is to do away with the gender assumptions by educating society. It was National Conference that started the idea of co-schooling in the state of Jammu and Kashmir besides giving gender neutral voting rights to the people. Under the dynamic leadership of Omar sahib the forthcoming state government will work on numerous issues affecting girl child including Nutrition, Security, Lawful rights, and education.”