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Hyderabad: BJP MLA rescues truckload of cows from the clutches of smugglers

By
The Commune
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On the morning of December 22, BJP MLA Raja Singh and his team rescued cows being transported in a specially-designed container truck near Shamshabad, a place on the outskirts of Hyderabad, Telangana. The cows were later shifted to a goshala and the truck was handed over to the police.

The MLA also alleged that the police are hand-in-glove with cattle smugglers. Instead of putting a stop to illegal transportation and cow slaughter, the police were endorsing the smuggling and slaughter of cows by harassing karyakartas, he said. Furthermore, Raja Singh alleged that a sub-inspector from Kothur police station in Cyberabad was supplying vehicles to cow-smuggling gangs for easy transportation.

“Why are police working with these people and collecting money from them? If the salary is not sufficient, we will beg and give them the money. But I request them not to commit a sin by supporting cow slaughter,” Raja Singh said.

Raja Singh is the MLA from Goshamahal Constituency in Telangana. He is known for his pro-Hindu stances, especially on the issue of cow protection. In a recent dharna at Indira Park, Raja Singh demanded that the cow be made the national animal and stressed on the need for all Hindus to protect the animal.

https://twitter.com/TigerRajaSingh/status/1341235478956163072

Centre approves ₹59,000 Cr Post-Matric Scholarship scheme, set to benefit for more than 4 Cr SC students in next 5 years

By
The Commune
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The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (December 23) approved major transformatory changes in the Centrally Sponsored Scheme ‘Post Matric Scholarship to students belonging to Scheduled Castes (PMS-SC)’ which will benefit more than 4 Crore SC students in the next 5 years that will enable them to successfully complete their higher education.

The Cabinet has approved a total investment of ₹59,048 crores of which the Central Government would spend ₹35,534 Cr (60%) and the balance would be spent by the respective State Governments. This replaces the existing ‘committed liability’ system and brings greater involvement of the Central Govt in this crucial scheme.

The Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Castes allows students to pursue any post matric course starting from class 11th and onwards, with the state meeting the cost of education.

The Central Govt is committed to give a big push and further impetus to this effort so that the Gross Enrollment Ration in Higher Education of students belonging to Scheduled Castes reach up to the National standards within the 5 year period.

The focus of the scheme would be on enrolling the poorest students, timely payments, comprehensive accountability, continuous monitoring and total transparency.

A campaign will be launched to enroll the students, from the poorest households passing the 10th standard, in the higher education courses of their choice. It is estimated that 1.36 crore such poorest students, who are currently not continuing their education beyond 10th standards would be brought into the higher education system in the next 5 years.

The scheme will be run on an online platform with robust cyber security measures that would assure transparency, accountability, efficiency, and timely delivery of the assistance without any delays.

The States will undertake fool-proof verification of the eligibility, caste status, Aadhar identification and bank account details on the online portal.

Transfer of financial assistance to the students under the scheme shall be on DBT mode, and preferably using the Aadhar Enabled Payment System. Starting from 2021-22, the Central share (60%) in the scheme would be released on DBT mode directly into the bank accounts of the students as per fixed time schedule, after ensuring that the concerned State Government has released their share.

Monitoring mechanism will be further strengthened through conduct of social audits, annual third party evaluation, and half-yearly self-audited reports from each institution.

The Central Assistance which was around ₹1100 crore annually during 2017-18 to 2019-20 would be increased more than 5 times to be around ₹6000 core annually during 2020-21 to 2025-26.

Udhayanidhi Stalin gets slapped on the face with a petition

By
The Commune
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DMK chief M.K. Stalin’s son and the party’s youth wing secretary ‘actor’ Udhayanidhi Stalin who is touring the state as part of the party’s campaign trail ‘Vidiyalai Noki Stalinin Kural’ (Stalin’s Voice Towards Dawn) for the Assembly elections, got slapped on the face with a petition as he was shaking hands with the public after a party meeting.

On December 22, Udhayanidhi Stalin had come to Chidambaram to address a party meeting arranged as part of the campaign. As soon as Udhayanidhi Stalin started speaking, many started leaving the arena. On seeing this, Udhayanidhi Stalin concluded his speech early and went on to shake hands with public who were waiting below the stage. At that time, a man trying to get the Udhayanidhi’s attention to give his petition threw it on the DMK leader’s face.

Shocked and agitated, he was swiftly left the place and proceeded towards his car. The video of this is now going viral on social media.

Mutant COVID-19 strain forces Karnataka government to impose night curfew until Jan 1

By
The Commune
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Fears over the mutant coronavirus strain having found its way here from the United Kingdom have forced the Karnataka government to impose a night-time curfew across the state.

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa announced that the night curfew will be enforced starting today (December 23), from 11 PM to 5 AM, until January 1. (The earlier duration of the night curfew – beginning December 23 until January 2, from 10 PM to 6 AM has been subsequently revised)

The Chief Minister requested the public to cooperate to contain this new coronavirus strain. He said that the decision to impose night curfew was taken after inputs from the Centre and the technical advisory committee. It is also mandatory now for all international passengers travelling to Bengaluru or Mangaluru international airports to secure a RT-PCR negative certificate 72 hours in their host nation prior to departure.

The Health Minister Dr. K. Sudhakar said that no festivities and functions will be allowed after 10 PM. He added that about 2,500 people travelled from the UK to Karnataka from November 25 to December 22, and that they had all been traced.

The Maharashtra government imposed a night curfew in municipal areas in the state on Tuesday. The decision to impose night-time curfew by these states comes despite the NITI Aayog saying that the mutant strain was no cause for panic.

 

Edu Min says CBSE board exams will not be held in February 2020

By
The Commune
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In an important announcement for both students and parents, Union Education Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Tuesday (22 December) said that the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) will not conduct the class 10 and 12 examinations in February.

In a statement released by the Ministry of Education,  final dates for the Board exams will soon be announced after discussion with the stakeholders, Pokhriyal said.

Pokhriyal was in a virtual interaction with teachers from across the country and talked about how the CBSE is making necessary preparations for conducting the 2021 examinations.

The minister also talked about the schedule and syllabus of the entrance examinations and said that the syllabus of JEE (Main) 2021 examination will remain the same as it was last year.

However, in order to overcome the impact of reduction of syllabus undertaken by some Boards, the question papers for JEE (Main) 2021 will have 90 questions (30 questions each in Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics), out of which the candidate will have to answer 75 questions (25 questions each in Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics), he added.

Love Jihad foiled: Karnataka man arrested under POCSO Act for luring minor girl and sending vulgar msgs on Instagram

By
The Commune
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Bellary Police have arrested a man under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act, 2012 after a complaint was filed against him for harassing a minor online.

According to local reports, the complainant has alleged that the man had been harassing her on social media. The arrested, identified as Soyub Kotwal, had allegedly sent ‘request’ on Instagram to the girl studying in PUC (Pre-University College) hailing from Periyadka village near Savanoor in Dakshina Kannada. He had been sending her unsolicited and vulgar messages and had said that he loved her. Furthermore, Soyub proceeded to coerce the girl to accept gifts from him and also began to force her to convert her religion.

The accused Soyub is an employee of MESCOM (Mangalore Electricity Supply Company Ltd.)

In a statement, the Hindu Jagarana Vedike has said that such instances of Love Jihad, where Hindu women are trapped and forced to convert, are becoming rampant. The Vedike urged Hindu women to be cautious in light of these circumstances. Members of the Hindu Jagarana Vedike had earlier visited the home of the complainant and had spoken to her and members of her family.

No need to panic about mutant coronavirus, NITI Aayog says

By
The Commune
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Speaking about the mutant Coronavirus in the United Kingdom, Member, Health, NITI Aayog, Dr. V.K. Paul said, ‘ There is no need to panic. We are yet to spot such a virus in our country for which there are intensive efforts in the offing. This virus increases infectiousness but does not increase propensity for death or hospitalization or severity of the disease.’ He also mentioned that this will have no impact on the potential of emerging vaccines that are being developed in our country and other countries. He also emphasised that there are no changes in the current treatment guidelines. “Mutation is a very common behaviour in viruses. The current mutation says that 17 mutations have happened all at once. Its tendency to enter our cell has become higher. Transmissibility has increased with this mutation,” he added.

Dr. Paul informed about the steps taken in this regard. Indian Council of Medical Research and Department of Bio Technology have started genomic sequencing of samples collected at their designated laboratories. “Genomic sequencing of viruses in the country is being done. No such mutation has been shown in the samples in the country. The mutation found here is insignificant”, he said. He also mentioned that the passengers who had returned from the UK are to be contacted; their clinical issues to be understood and tests to be conducted and their specimen will be subjected to genetic sequencing. In addition to this he pointed out that temporary travel restrictions have been imposed to and from UK.

Continue

World Bank signs $500 million project to develop green, resilient and safe highways in India

By
The Commune
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The Government of India and the World Bank on December 22 signed a $500 million project to build safe and green national highway corridors in the states of Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. The project will also enhance the capacity of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in mainstreaming safety and green technologies.

The Green National Highways Corridors Project will support MoRTH construct 783 km of highways in various geographies by integrating safe and green technology designs such as local and marginal materials, industrial byproducts, and other bioengineering solutions. The project will help reduce GHG emissions in the construction and maintenance of highways.

Dr C S Mohapatra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance stated that the Government of India is committed to environmentally sustainable development in its infrastructure projects. This project will set new standards in the construction of safe motorable roads. The selected stretches in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh will also help improve connectivity and promote economic development.

The agreement was signed by Dr Mohapatra on behalf of the Government of India and Ms Sumila Gulyani, Acting Country Director, India on behalf of the World Bank.

The ultimate objective of transport infrastructure is to provide seamless connectivity and reduce logistics costs. The Government of India has launched many investment programs in road sector infrastructure to strengthen and improve logistics performance. This project will also support analytics to map the freight volume and movement pattern on the National Highway network, identify constraints, and provide innovative logistics solutions.

Historically, the transport sector in India has offered limited employment opportunities for women. The project will support the ministry with an in-depth analysis of gender-related issues in the transport sector along with help in creating jobs for women by training women-led micro enterprises and women collectives to implement green technologies in the highway corridors.

“Connectivity for economic growth and connectivity for sustainable development are two important aspects of a country’s development trajectory. This operation brings these two priorities together in support of India’s growth strategy,” said Mr Junaid Ahmad, World Bank Country Director in India. “This project will provide efficient transportation for road users in the four states, connect people with markets and services, promote efficient use of construction materials and water to reduce the depletion of scarce natural resources, and help lower GHG emissions,” he added.

The National Highways of India carry about 40 percent of road traffic. However, several sections of these highways have inadequate capacity, weak drainage structures and black spots prone to accidents. The project will strengthen and widen existing structures; construct new pavements, drainage facilities and bypasses; improve junctions; and introduce road safety features. It is imperative that the infrastructure investments are climate resilient. To this effect disaster risk assessment of about 5,000 km of the National Highway network will also be undertaken under the project along with support to ministry for mainstreaming climate resilience aspects in project design and implementation.

The $500 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), has a maturity of 18.5 years including a grace period of five years.

(Published from PIB)

“Take a vow that you won’t show enmity and inform IT dept until elections”, DMK General Secretary says to party functionaries

By
The Commune
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"Central Govt Has Formed A Committee Full Of Brahmins To Rewrite Indian History, Time For DMK To Show Its Strength", Says DMK Min Durai murugan At DMK's 75th Anniversary Event disproportionate asset

In a comic yet unfortunate incident, DMK General Secretary Duraimurugan while addressing the party functionaries at the launch of the yet another campaign titled “Reject ADMK” asked party functionaries to now show enmity and inform Income Tax department atleast until the elections are done.

On December 20, the DMK under the leadership of M.K. Stalin kickstarted yet another campaign against the incumbent AIADMK government titled “Reject ADMK”.

While speaking at the event, Duraimurugan who is also the Katpadi MLA said “Promise on your mother, promise on your mother’s womb, promise on your father, promise on our leader Anna who raised us, promise on our leader [Karunanidhi], promise on the embodiment of ‘Thalaivar’ and ‘Anna’ our ‘Thalapathy’ [M.K. Stalin]… Take a vow that for the coming days, until elections are done, that you won’t show enmity among yourselves. That you won’t tip-off information about anyone. Let me go a step further.. There are some ungrateful people in the party who are informing the Income Tax department about us. Their hearts have become rotten and thankless. Thinking about it as a person who has grown in this party for 60 years pains me“.

The DMK is about to face series of challenges in the next few months as some of its leaders are involved in high profile scams for which investigations and court proceedings are on-going. The 2G spectrum corruption case that involves DMK ‘Deputy’ General Secretary and Nilgiris MP A. Raja along with Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi has been fast-tracked with the CBI filing an appeal. DMK MP Jagathrakshakan faces charges of land grab who has also invested more than ₹26,000 crores in an oil refinery in Hambantota, Sri Lanka.

 

India’s leopard population sees 60% rise

By
The Commune
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Releasing the Status of Leopards report in New Delhi today, Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar said that increase in Tiger, Lion & Leopards numbers over the last few years is a testimony to the conservation efforts and of the fledgling wildlife & biodiversity of the country.

India now has 12,852 leopards as compared to the previous estimate of 7910 conducted 2014. More than 60% increase in population has been recorded. The States of Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra recorded the highest leopard estimates at 3,421, 1,783 and 1,690 respectively.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister remarked that monitoring of the tiger in India has clearly shown its umbrella role in the ecosystem, which has shed light on other charismatic species like the Leopard.

India’s world record tiger survey also estimated the population of leopards and the tiger range was found home to 12,852 (12,172-13,535) leopards. They occur in prey rich protected areas as well as multi-use forests.A total of 5,240 adult individual leopards were identified in a total of 51,337 leopard photographs using pattern recognition software. Statistical analysis estimates the leopard population at – 12,800 leopards within the tiger’s range.

The leopardwas estimated across forested habitats in tiger range areas of the country but other leopard occupied areas such as non-forested habitats (coffee and tea plantations and other land uses from where leopards are known to occur), higher elevations in the Himalayas, arid landscapes and majority of North East landscape were not sampled and, therefore, the population estimation should be considered as minimum number of leopards in each of the landscapes.

Tiger has not only served as an umbrella species but even its monitoring has helped evaluate the status of other species, like the leopard. The National Tiger Conservation Authority-Wildlife Institute of India (NTCA-WII) shall be reporting on several other species shortly.

(Published from PIB)

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