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Cong Govt Soon To Seek Commission From School Teachers In Karnataka, Taunts Bommai

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The Commune
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Cong Govt Soon To Seek Commission From School Teachers In Karnataka, Taunts Bommai

Former Chief Minister and BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai slammed the Congress for “drowning in corruption” and said that soon, the latter would charge monthly commissions from primary and High School teachers. Speaking to the media in Hubballi, Bommai said: “The Congress government in Karnataka was drowning in corruption.”

“The Congress government has reached a stage where it is fixing monthly commissions from even primary and high school teachers,” Bommai claimed.

Bommai said in the past, baseless accusations were made against him without evidence. “Now, there were allegations against the State Excise Department. The Finance Department is directly under the control of the Chief Minister and he must investigate how much commission is being taken for granting each license,” the BJP leader said. Responding to a question about Congress leaders’ allegations that no development occurred in the Shiggaon Assembly constituency, represented by him, the former CM said that people have witnessed the development there. “There is a big difference between the thoughts of Congress leaders and those of the people of Shiggaon. The Shiggaon constituency houses a 200-bed hospital at the taluk level, a textile park, an Ayurvedic college in Savanur, an ITI college, and more than 12,000 homes were constructed during flood situations. The roads in Shiggaon are better than those in Bengaluru. Perhaps the CM is dozing off while travelling in his car,” he quipped.

He said: “Let the Congress ministers and legislators speak about their constituencies, such as Varuna and Chamundeshwari, represented by CM Siddaramaiah.” He claimed: “No funds have been released for developmental work since this government came to power. When I was the Chief Minister, I allocated Rs 10 crore for the development of dargahs and mosques of minorities, which they later revoked. What right do they have to talk about minority welfare?” Bommai questioned. About the CM’s statement that BJP leaders are making baseless allegations against him in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case, Bommai pointed out that the High Court has ordered an investigation into the case.

“This is the first time a sitting CM is appearing for an investigation,” he underlined. Referring to the incident in Belagavi, where the government staffer wrote a death note against the personal secretary of Women and Child Welfare Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, and ended his life, Bommai said an investigation should be conducted. Government officials are frustrated due to political pressure, and similar pressure is increasing on government officials in Shiggaon, he said.

–IANS

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₹ 3,600 Crore PM Vidyalaxmi Scheme To Help Talented Youth: Dharmendra Pradhan

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The Commune
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₹ 3,600 Crore PM Vidyalaxmi Scheme To Help Talented Youth: Dharmendra Pradhan

Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday lauded the Union Cabinet’s approval of the PM Vidyalaxmi scheme, a significant initiative to provide financial support to meritorious students under the central sector.

The minister said the scheme will help universalise access to 21st-century higher education for India’s talented youth. “With an outlay of ₹3,600 crore, the scheme will remove obstacles to higher education and enable the Yuva Shakti of the country to pursue their dreams,” said the minister. Collateral-free and guarantor-free education loans under PM Vidyalaxmi will maximise access to higher education for meritorious students and ensure that financial constraints do not prevent students from pursuing education, Pradhan added. Students having annual family income of up to ₹8 lakh will be eligible to get 3 per cent interest subvention on education loans up to Rs 10 lakh and loans up to ₹7.5 lakh shall be eligible for 75 per cent credit guarantee. “Education loans will be facilitated through a transparent, student-friendly and digital application process that will be common to all banks,” the minister noted.

Pradhan further stated that education loans under PM Vidyalaxmi will be facilitated to students securing admissions in the top 860 higher educational institutions based on NIRF. This will cover more than 22 lakh students every year. The financial assistance to meritorious students is a key recommendation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and PM Vidyalaxmi is another concrete step towards implementation of NEP.

“PM Vidyalaxmi will empower millions of students from the poor and middle class,” said the minister. Meanwhile, the Department of Higher Education will have a unified portal ‘PM-Vidyalaxmi’ on which students will be able to apply for the education loan as well as interest subvention, through a simplified application process to be used by all banks.

–IANS

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Cong MP Rakibul Hussain To Be Quizzed Over Backdoor Appointments: Assam CM

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The Commune
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Cong MP Rakibul Hussain To Be Quizzed Over Backdoor Appointments: Assam CM.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Congress MP Rakibul Hussain, alleging that the latter gave government jobs through the backdoor route during his tenure as state Cabinet minister, adding that he had told the police to question the Congress leader after the November 13 bypolls.

“Rakibul Hussain himself acknowledged that he had given government jobs while he was the minister in Assam during the Congress regime. However, a minister is not capable of giving jobs to anyone and hence Hussain must be questioned by the police on his claim,” Sarma told the mediapersons. “I have asked the police to interrogate Rakibul Hussain after the by-elections,” he said. Bypolls in Assam’s five assembly constituencies — Dholai, Samaguri, Behali, Bongaigaon, and Sidli were necessitated as five legislators from there were elected to the Lok Sabha in the 2024 general elections. Except Samaguri, where Congress heavyweight Rakibul Hussain has been winning since 2001, the rest of the four seats are with the BJP-led alliance.

The BJP fielded candidates for three seats — Dholai, Samaguri and Behali. Diplu Ranjan Sarma has been given ticket in Samaguri while Diganta Ghatowar and Nihar Ranjan Das will fight for the BJP in Behali and Dholai Assembly segments, respectively. BJP’s two allies — Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) are contesting polls in Bongaigaon and Sidli assembly constituencies. The Chief Minister kickstarted his campaign for the by-elections in Assam on Tuesday from Dholai Assembly constituency in Cachar district of Barak Valley region.

He said: “We will comfortably win four seats and there is a contest for one seat. However, there are possibilities that the BJP and our allies can win all five assembly seats in the upcoming by-elections.” Voting for by-election in five Assembly seats of Assam will take place on November 13 while the ballots will be counted on November. On November 13, polling will also happen for the first of the two phase of Jharkhand Assembly elections.

–IANS

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Orthopedic Surgeon Assaulted By Alleged DMK Supporters At Trichy ESI Hospital Following Traffic Dispute

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The Commune
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Orthopedic Surgeon Assaulted By Alleged DMK Supporters At Trichy ESI Hospital Following Traffic Dispute

A 48-year-old orthopedic surgeon, Karthikeyan, at Trichy ESI Hospital in the Milaguparai area was assaulted by a group of men allegedly belong to the ruling party DMK on 5 November 2024, following a verbal dispute, resulting in minor injuries. The police have filed charges against five individuals in connection with the attack.

The incident reportedly started when Karthikeyan, upon returning to the hospital, had a verbal confrontation with someone over a traffic dispute near the hospital entrance. Soon after, a group of approximately ten individuals arrived at the hospital and physically attacked the orthopedic surgeon within the premises.

The incident reportedly began when Karthikeyan, returning to the hospital, had a verbal confrontation with an individual over a traffic dispute near the hospital entrance. The person, identified as Praveen, a hotel owner from the Karumandapam area, was allegedly turning without using an indicator. It is also claimed that Praveen is associated with the DMK party. Soon after, a group of approximately ten individuals arrived at the hospital and physically attacked Karthikeyan within the premises. In response, hospital authorities secured the campus until police arrived, but the attackers managed to flee before they could be apprehended.

The doctor sustained minor injuries and is currently being treated at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital. He has filed a formal complaint against the attackers.

The Service Doctors and Postgraduates Association (SDPGA) strongly condemned the assault, calling for the police to file charges under the Tamil Nadu Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act. Dr. Aruleeswaran, the association’s state treasurer, expressed concern about the safety of medical professionals, stating, “This attack within the hospital grounds is deeply troubling. It threatens our security. We have filed a complaint at the Cantonment police station and will wait for progress. If no action is taken by tomorrow morning, we will organize a protest.”

A police officer at the Cantonment station confirmed that an FIR has been filed against Praveen and four others, and investigations are ongoing. Authorities assured that appropriate action will be taken against the accused.

(With inputs from Times Of India)

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Go Goa Gone: Local Taxi Mafias Sounding A Death Knell To Tourism In Goa, Foreign Tourists At Record Low

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The Commune
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Go Goa Gone: Local Taxi Mafias Sounding A Death Knell To Tourism In Goa, Foreign Tourists At Record Low

Tourism in Goa, once India’s prime beach destination, is reeling under pressures that threaten its status as a tourist haven. In 2023, visitors—particularly international travelers—have been opting for alternative destinations like Sri Lanka. The root cause? A myriad of grievances, with the local taxi mafias taking center stage, alongside high costs, inadequate infrastructure, and government oversight.

The visitor data tells a grim story. Goa saw a record 7.1 million domestic visitors in 2019. In 2022, it bounced back to around 7 million after a pandemic-induced dip in 2021, when visitor numbers hit a low of 3.3 million. Yet, foreign tourists, particularly Russians and Britons who used to flock to Goa annually, are now choosing Sri Lanka over Goa, disappointed by their recent experiences.

The Goa Taxi Mafia Issue: Tourists’ Anger and Frustration

One of the biggest grievances among tourists is the stranglehold of Goa’s “taxi mafia.” This unregulated network of taxi drivers often charges exorbitant rates, with local drivers allegedly threatening and intimidating tourists and even locals who attempt to circumvent their services. Instances of aggressive confrontations have left visitors feeling unsafe. One German tourist, accompanied by a local Goan friend, reportedly faced intimidation from more than ten drivers, only to end up paying ₹1800 for a mere 37 km ride. Stories like these circulate widely, fueling distrust and resentment among tourists.

High Costs, Poor Infrastructure, and a Declining Experience

Beyond the issue of transport, tourists are increasingly frustrated with the high costs of hotels, food, and services in Goa. Despite these costs, the infrastructure remains subpar, especially when compared to international beach destinations like Phuket, Thailand. For many visitors, Goa’s roads, public facilities, and environmental upkeep do not justify the price. North Goa, in particular, has seen a marked decline, with beaches like Anjuna becoming overcrowded, loud, and littered, which has disenchanted visitors seeking a serene beach experience.

While the Goa government has taken steps to regulate certain activities, like cracking down on drugs, these measures have also had unintended consequences. Many foreign tourists, once drawn by Goa’s relaxed atmosphere, now find themselves deterred by increased restrictions. Added to this, the government’s inability to manage key sectors—especially transportation—has exacerbated the problem. There is widespread demand to introduce app-based services like Ola and Uber in South Goa to end the monopoly of the taxi mafia and offer fair pricing and safer options.

https://twitter.com/kpartha/status/1853790080936136880

As Goa’s reputation deteriorates, tourists are increasingly looking to other beach destinations in South Asia, where they feel they get better value and a friendlier experience. If solutions to Goa’s systemic problems are not found soon, the “taxi mafia” and other issues may indeed sound the death knell for tourism in this once-vibrant paradise.

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PM Modi’s Congratulatory Post To New US Prez Trump Takes Social Media By Storm, Hits 10 Million Views On X

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The Commune
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PM Modi's Congratulatory Post To New US Prez Trump Takes Social Media By Storm, Hits 10 Million Views On X

Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Donald Trump on his reported victory in US presidential elections, his post on social media platform X has drawn unprecedented traction, surpassing 10 million views and generating a wave of reactions.

The post, till the filing of this report, garnered around 285,000 likes, and 48,000 retweets, and received about 7,400 comments. On Wednesday afternoon, PM Modi congratulated Trump on his victory, expressing eagerness to deepen the India-US Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership.

The Prime Minister also shared a series of photos showcasing their previous meetings, highlighting the camaraderie between the leaders. “Heartiest congratulations, my friend, Donald Trump, on your historic election victory. As you build on the successes of your previous term, I look forward to renewing our collaboration further to strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership. Together, let’s work for the betterment of our people and to promote global peace, stability, and prosperity,” PM Modi posted on X.

PM Modi’s social media post has also sparked excitement on social media, with one user labelling the relationship between the two leaders as “Best Friends.”

Another wrote, “Looking forward to a wonderful four years of friendship between two great countries,” while others revived the slogan, “Abki baar, Trump Sarkar.” A user even shared an image of PM Modi and Trump embracing each other and captioned, “Two nationalist friends now heading the two greatest democracies.”

PM Modi and Trump have long enjoyed a warm rapport, a relationship that has strengthened bilateral ties. During PM Modi’s recent US visit for the Quad Summit and UN General Assembly, Trump praised the Indian Prime Minister, calling him a “fantastic man”.

On the campaign trail, Trump even referred to the Prime Minister as a “total killer,” underscoring his respect for the Indian leader’s resolve. In a podcast interview, Trump remarked, “He’s great, he’s a friend of mine… We had a couple of occasions where somebody was threatening India. I said, let me help. I’m very good with those people.”

However, PM Modi politely declined any assistance, saying, “I will do it, and I will do anything necessary. We’ve defeated them for hundreds of years.”

Earlier, US media projected Trump would win 277 Electoral College votes, passing the 270 mark, needed to secure the presidency.

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Donald Trump Triumphs Over Odds To Win White House In Historic Comeback

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The Commune
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Donald Trump Triumphs Over Odds To Win White House In Historic Comeback

Donald John Trump made a phenomenal comeback on Wednesday beating back a conviction, three indictments, two assassination attempts, two impeachments, and continuous assault by most of the mainstream media to reclaim the White House.

“We made history”, declared Trump who will become the 47th president of the United States. He won 277 electoral college seats – a clear majority in the 538-member body – and 51 per cent of the popular votes counted as of 5:30 am (4 pm in India), setting him on a clear path to the presidency that he lost in 2020.

“This is a magnificent victory for the American people that will allow us to make America great again,” he said at his victory celebration in Florida as his supporters shouted, “USA, USA”.

At 78, he will be the oldest president to set foot in the White House. He is also the second president to be elected after being defeated; the last one was Grover Cleveland who won his second term in 1893.

Trump’s victory was powered by economic issues, the popular disquiet over the inflation that has sent prices of food soaring by about 25 per cent now compared to when he was defeated in 2020.

The Republicans recaptured the Senate, assured of at least 51 seats in the 100-member body. The control of the House of Representatives hung in the balance, even though Republicans had the edge with 200 seats to Democrats’ 175.

Although it will take days or weeks for states to announce the official results as they will have to complete formalities and the counting, by tradition the media declared him the winner based on the analysis of the counting data pouring.

The election was a shocking disappointment for Kamala Harris who stepped in to carry the Democratic Party torch three months ago after President Joe Biden dropped out as questions arose over his mental and physical capabilities.

Since the August Democratic National Convention which nominated her unopposed, Harris scrambled to forge a distinct identity but was drowned by weaknesses of the Biden administration which projected her as a partner.

When Harris leaves office in January, there would still be a person of Indian origin in 1 Observatory Circle, the US Vice President’s official residence – Usha Vance, the wife of JD Vance, Trump’s running mate.

The declaration of Trump’s victory came swiftly confounding the pollsters and the analysts who predicted a tight race that would have taken a lot longer – days or weeks – to resolve.

The result was a repudiation of the Democrat’s identity politics that stereotypes people and puts them into monolithic groups. Erosion of support among Latinos contributed to Harris’s defeat as they appeared to not buy into her arguments that Trump’s opposition to illegal migration translated to racism against Latino citizens.

Another group that exit polls showed contributed to the Democrat’s defeat was young voters, especially men. Trump also made headway among African Americans.

Harris made abortion rights a central point of her campaign hoping to win women’s support. But it appears that many women still voted for Trump, even in some of the states where abortion rights referendums carried.

It was also a rejection of celebrities like Taylor Swift or Beyonce, and the mainstream media who went all in for Harris and ceaselessly attacked Trump.

The liberal elite who seem to set the Democrats’ agenda had advocated policies like defunding police, open borders and having men who are transgenders use girls’ bathrooms and participate in women’s sports.

Harris, who had once subscribed to these ideas, tried to distance herself from the past political persona. Trump will view the victory as a vindication of his claims that the 2020 election was “stolen” and that he had defeated Biden.

His election will mean the end of the two federal cases over alleged mishandling of secret documents and election obstruction. In New York, he was convicted of manipulating business records to hide hush money payments to a porn star who claimed to have had a tryst with him.

He is due to be sentenced later this month and is unlikely to get a prison term. The case against him over the alleged 2020 election interference in George is snagged by the prosecutor’s alleged misconduct.

–IANS

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Bushfire Threat Forces Evacuation Of Australian Town

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The Commune
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Residents of a town in the Australian state of Queensland have been evacuated due to a threat posed by a fast-moving bushfire. Queensland Police on Tuesday night declared an emergency situation for the town of Dirranbandi, 500 km southwest of the state capital of Brisbane, and ordered the approximately 600 residents of the town to leave immediately at 8 p.m. local time.

As of Wednesday morning, a “Watch and Act” warning remained in place and it was not safe for the residents to return to the town, Xinhua news agency reported. The evacuation was ordered on Tuesday as two bushfires burning to the southeast and northeast of the town were moving north.

An evacuation centre was set up 80 km north of Dirranbandi and evacuees were told to take bedding and essential items. “This is a very extraordinary circumstance and not something that we would normally be experiencing,” Samantha O’Toole, the local mayor, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday night.

Fire crews from Queensland and the neighbouring state of New South Wales, including aerial water-bombing crews, fought the fires through the night and were expected to return on Wednesday.

The Queensland Fire Department said that crews would work to establish a state of containment. Power lines in the area were down and O’Toole said that Dirranbandi has been without telecommunications since 1 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

The maximum temperature in Dirranbandi was forecast to reach 42 degrees Celsius on Wednesday as a heatwave hit the state. The Bureau of Meteorology has issued an official heatwave warning for much of Queensland, with temperatures up to 10 degrees higher than the long-term November average.

–IANS

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Indian Stock Market Bullish On Trump Win, Sensex Surges 901 Points

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The Commune
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Indian Stock Market Bullish On Trump Win, Sensex Surges 901 Points

The Indian benchmark indices on Wednesday welcomed Donald Trump winning the US presidential elections, with both Sensex and Nifty gaining more than 1 percent amid heavy buying in the IT sector.

The Sensex closed at 80,378.13, up 901.50 points or 1.13 per cent. On the other hand, Nifty closed at 24,484 after gaining 270.75 points or 1.12 per cent. The Nifty Bank rose 110.15 points or 0.21 per cent to 52,317.40.

The Nifty Midcap 100 index closed at 57,355.80 at the end of trading after gaining 1240.35 points or 2.21 per cent. Nifty Smallcap 100 index closed at 18,906.10 after gaining 402.65 points or 2.18 per cent.

Buying was seen in Nifty’s auto, IT, PSU bank, financial service, pharma, FMCG, metal, realty, media, and energy sectors. All sectors closed with trading in green. TCS, HCL Tech, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, Adani Ports, L&T, and Maruti were the top gainers in the Sensex pack. The top losers were Titan, IndusInd Bank, Hindustan Unilever, Axis Bank, and HDFC Bank.

The market trend remained positive. On the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), 3,013 stocks were trading in the green, 961 in the red, and there was no change in 89 shares. According to market experts, the global markets experienced a relief rally following the US election results, reducing political uncertainty with Trump securing a strong mandate.

This has led to strong risk-on sentiments, driven by expectations of tax cuts and increased government spending. The domestic buying was broad-based, with IT leading the charge in anticipation of a rebound in IT spending in the US, they said.

–IANS

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Nvidia Surpasses Apple To Become World’s Largest Company In AI Era

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The Commune
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Graphics chip giant Nvidia has become the world’s largest company by market capitalisation, surpassing Apple in the artificial intelligence (AI) era. At the close of the market late on Tuesday, Nvidia was valued at $3.43 trillion, crossing Apple’s $3.38 trillion market value.

Jensen Huang-led Nvidia for the first time pushed past Apple in June, though only for a day. The company’s stock rose 2.9 per cent to $139.93, resulting in a market capitalisation of $3.43 trillion.

The chipmaker now accounts for 7 per cent of the weight of the S&P 500 Index. Microsoft currently has a market cap of $3.06 trillion. In its second quarter ended July 28, Nvidia reported revenue of $30 billion, up 15 per cent from the previous quarter and up 122 per cent from a year ago.

“Hopper demand remains strong, and the anticipation for Blackwell is incredible,” said Huang.

“Nvidia achieved record revenues as global data centers are in full throttle to modernise the entire computing stack with accelerated computing and generative AI.” During the first half of fiscal 2025, the chipmaker returned $15.4 billion to shareholders in the form of shares repurchased and cash dividends.

As of the end of the second quarter, the company had $7.5 billion remaining under its share repurchase authorisation. The company’s outlook for the third quarter of fiscal 2025 predicts revenue to be $32.5 billion, plus or minus 2 per cent. Nvidia will host a conference call on November 20 to discuss its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2025, which ended October 27.

Ahead of the call, it will provide written commentary on its third-quarter results from its chief financial officer, Colette Kress. Meanwhile, Huang has asked SK hynix to deliver its next-generation high bandwidth memory (HBM), named HBM4, six months earlier than scheduled amid rising demand for AI computing chips.

Huang’s request highlighted the soaring demand for Nvidia’s AI accelerators, which heavily rely on HBM chips for data and energy-intensive tasks as AI technology advances beyond text-based models.

–IANS

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