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Congress Working Committee meets to finalise party's Lok Sabha poll manifesto

The Congress Working Committee, the party's top decision-making body, held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss and approve the party's manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi attended the meeting. Other senior leaders, including Ambika Soni, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, P Chidambaram, Digvijaya Singh, Ajay Maken and Kumari Selja were also present. The manifesto committee of the party has already sent the draft document to the Congress Working Committee (CWC) for its nod. The CWC would grant its approval and give a final shape to the draft manifesto which carries the five 'guarantees' for justice. The party is fighting the elections on the issue of 'five nyay' (justices) -- 'Bhagidari Nyay', 'Kisan Nyay', 'Nari Nyay', 'Shramik Nyay' and 'Yuva Nyay' -- giving 25 guarantees, five for each nyay, which have been announced by the Congress president Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. Sources said the party's Central Election Committee (CEC), chaired by Kharge, would discuss and finalise its candidates for remaining seats in the evening. The Congress has so far announced 82 candidates for the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls beginning April 19. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.

19 March,2024 11:12 AM IST | New Delhi | PTI
Jairam Ramesh. Pic/PTI

PM Modi has paid little attention to Tamil Nadu: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh

The Congress on Tuesday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that while he has been visiting Tamil Nadu frequently in the last few weeks, he has "historically paid little attention" to the state, reported news agency PTI. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh posed questions for the prime minister ahead of his visit to Tamil Nadu's Salem and Kerala's Palakkad on Tuesday. "The prime minister is visiting Salem, Tamil Nadu and Palakkad, Kerala today. Some important questions that he must address: While the prime minister has been visiting Tamil Nadu frequently in the last few weeks, he has historically paid little attention to the state," Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, reported PTI. For instance, he did not set foot there during the Cyclone Michaung crisis in December 2023, he claimed. The chief minister of Tamil Nadu has repeatedly urged for the release of Rs 37,907 crore from the Modi government for rehabilitation and reconstruction after the cyclone, he noted. Does the prime minister plan to fulfil this critical need of the people of Tamil Nadu, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh asked. "During Prime Minister Modi's visit to Salem, he will hopefully notice the numerous textile factories that have either shut down and disposed of machinery or reduced working hours for labourers," he said, reported PTI. After having single-handedly destroyed India's MSME manufacturing capacities with demonetisation, GST, and the unplanned COVID-19 lockdown, what is the prime minister's vision to rescue these textile factories, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh asked. Prime Minister Modi will address a rally in Salem on Tuesday. Alliance party leaders, including PMK founder S Ramadoss, are likely to attend the public meeting. The BJP has been focusing on the southern state, hoping to win as many of the 39 constituencies as part of its 'mission 400' seats in the coming polls. On the PM's visit to Kerala, Ramesh said, "Kerala is the state that the prime minister had infamously compared to Somalia. Kerala's performance on development indicators has been consistently better than all Indian states," reported PTI. "Will the prime minister finally apologise to the people of Kerala for his misleading commentary on the state," he asked, reported PTI. Kerala is home to the Western Ghats, an extremely fragile but important ecosystem. In the last 10 years, under Modi's tutelage, there have been continuous assaults on its ecosystem, he alleged. "The Modi government has diluted all environment and forest laws to help a few favoured corporates, and perhaps to repay the debts incurred for their purchase of the BJP's electoral bonds. Will the prime minister come clean on what his motivations were when he was diluting our environmental protection regime to favour his corporate friends?" Ramesh said and asked the PM to break his "silence" on these issues, reported PTI. (With inputs from PTI)

19 March,2024 10:54 AM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Shashi Tharoor. Pic/AFP

Shashi Tharoor slams CPI, says it is playing BJP's game in Thiruvananthapuram

Ahead of Lok Sabha elections 2024, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor hit out at the CPI on Tuesday, saying that it is ironic that the Left party which complains about Rahul Gandhi's candidature in Wayanad is "playing the BJP's game" in Thiruvananthapuram, reported news agency PTI. The Congress candidate from Thiruvananthapuram said the only effect of the CPI's campaign against him in the constituency is to divide the anti-BJP vote, "and they preach alliance dharma in Wayanad". Tharoor, who has been representing Thiruvananthapuram for the past 15 years in the Lok Sabha, is eyeing a record fourth term. He is facing BJP's Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Electronics and Information Technology. The CPI has fielded Pannian Raveendran in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat. In a post on X, Tharoor said, "It's ironic that the same @cpofindia that complains about @RahulGandhi's candidature in Wayanad is playing the BJP's game in Thiruvananthapuram." "The only effect of the CPI's campaign against me in Thiruvananthapuram is to divide the anti-BJP vote. And they preach alliance dharma in Wayanad!" the former Union minister said. Last week, CPI general secretary D Raja had said that fielding Gandhi from Kerala's Wayanad is the Congress's prerogative but the public opinion is that a leader of his stature should have contested a seat where he could directly challenge the BJP whose ideology he is fighting, reported PTI. On Gandhi contesting from Wayanad, from where the CPI has fielded D Raja's wife Annie Raja, the Left leader had told PTI, "The public opinion is that a leader of his stature should have contested against the BJP because we are fighting the BJP ideologically, politically, at national level and in the states. So, as a leader of this fight, he should have contested BJP directly. That is one opinion." He had asked what was the message the Congress was trying to send by fielding Gandhi from Kerala, a state ruled by the Left Democratic Front at present. "...If he wanted to contest any seat from the southern part of India, he could have chosen a seat in Karnataka or in Telangana, wherever to fight BJP directly," Raja had said, adding that it is public opinion, and not that of his party, reported PTI. The Congress and the CPI are in alliance at the national level as part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) but in Kerala they are contesting against each other as part of the rival state blocs - United Democratic Front (UDF) and Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024. (With inputs from PTI)

19 March,2024 10:45 AM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
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Maharashtra: Four Naxalites killed in encounter with police in Gadchiroli

Four Naxalites, carrying a collective bounty of Rs 36 lakh, were killed in an encounter with police in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district on Tuesday, a senior official said. The police received information on Monday afternoon that some Naxalites had entered Gadchiroli from neighbouring Telangana by crossing the Pranhita river with an aim to carry out subversive activities amid the model code of conduct in place for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Superintendent of Police Neelotpal said. Multiple teams of C-60, a specialised combat unit of the Gadchiroli police, and the Central Reserve Police Force's Quick Action team were sent for a search in the area. While one of the C-60 unit teams was conducting a search on Tuesday morning in the Kolamarka mountains near Repanpalli, Naxalites fired at them indiscriminately to which the security personnel retaliated, the official said. After the firing stopped, the area was searched and bodies of four male Naxalites were found, he said, adding that they were carrying a collective cash reward of Rs 36 lakh on their heads. An AK-47 gun, a carbine, two country-made pistols, Naxal literature and other items were also recovered, the official said. The deceased Naxalites have been identified as Vargeesh, Magtu, both secretaries of different Naxal comittees, and platoon members Kursang Raju and Kudimetta Venkatesh, the police said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.

19 March,2024 10:17 AM IST | Gadchiroli | PTI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Pic/PTI

Lok Sabha polls: TMC complaints to EC about PM Modi's model code 'violation'

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has complained to the Election Commission alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is the BJP candidate from Varanasi, has violated the model code of conduct by using central government funds for campaigning, reported news agency PTI. In a letter addressed to the chief election commissioner on Monday, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien said a message by the PM highlighting his government's programmes reached the electorate on March 16, after the model code of conduct came into force ahead of Lok Sabha elections 2024, reported PTI. PM Modi has purportedly written the message in the form of a letter to the voters on March 15, the TMC leader claimed. "By using the office of the prime minister, the BJP has issued the aforesaid letter at the cost of the public exchequer under the guise of a message seemingly sent by the Government of India. Such mass circulation is nothing but an appeal to the voters in favour of the BJP and Mr Modi and thereby flouting the mandate of the Election Commission of India," O'Brien said in the complaint, reported PTI. He urged the EC to ensure that appropriate directions are issued to the BJP and its candidate Modi to withhold from future campaigns at the cost of public exchequer, to withdraw the letter....," reported PTI. O'Brien said that the cost of sending the prime minister's letter to the electorate should also be included in the accounts of the BJP and Modi against the head "election expenditure," reported PTI. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally in this western town on Tuesday, a day after he held a well attended roadshow in nearby Coimbatore. Alliance party leaders, including PMK founder S Ramadoss are likely to attend the public meeting. Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 in Tamil Nadu, the BJP has been focusing on the southern state, hoping to win as many of the 39 constituencies as part of its 'mission 400' seats in the coming polls. Modi had addressed a public rally in Kanniyakumari last week, even as he has made a number of visits to the southern state in the past few months. (With inputs from PTI)

19 March,2024 10:11 AM IST | Kolkata | mid-day online correspondent
Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Pic/PTI

India committed to combating piracy, terrorism in Indian Ocean region: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Tuesday that India is committed to protecting freedom of navigation and combating piracy and terrorism in the Indian Ocean region after Bulgarian President Rumen Radev thanked him for Indian Navy rescuing his country's ship and crew, reported news agency PTI. His remarks came in response to a message from Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, expressing gratitude for the safe return of seven Bulgarian nationals. On Monday, the Bulgarian President expressed his gratitude to the Indian Navy for successfully carrying out a rescue operation on the hijacked Bulgarian ship, MV Ruen. PM Modi expressed appreciation for the President of Bulgaria Radev, and conveyed India's satisfaction that the seven Bulgarian nationals were safe and would soon be returning home. "Appreciate your message President @PresidentOfBg. We are happy that 7 Bulgarian nationals are safe and will be returning home soon. India is committed to protecting freedom of navigation and combating piracy and terrorism in the Indian Ocean region," said PM Modi in a post on X. The "Rouen" ship with eight Bulgarians, nine Myanmarese and one Angolan citizen on board was captured by pirates in the Arabian Sea in December last year, reported ANI. In an official post on X, the Bulgarian President said, "My sincere gratitude to PM @narendramodi for the brave action of Navy rescuing the hijacked Bulgarian ship "Ruen" and its crew, including 7 Bulgarian citizens." Meanwhile, Bulgaria's foreign minister Mariya Gabriel in a Facebook post said on Saturday that she held a conversation with the Indian Ambassador to Bulgaria Sanjay Rana for the Indian Navy's Operation on MV Ruen and thanked him for rescuing Bulgarian nationals. In a recent post on Facebook Bulgaria's foreign minister Mariya Gabriel said, "Today, March 16, with the help of the Indian Navy, the crew of the ship "Rouen" hijacked on December 14, 2023, including seven Bulgarian citizens, was released." "Thanks to the efforts of the Indian military, the entire crew of the ship was freed. All sailors are in good health and efforts are currently being made for their timely return to Bulgaria," she added. Speaking regarding the incident, she stated that the ship "Rouen" with eight Bulgarians, nine Myanmar and one Angolan citizen on board was captured by pirates in the Arabian Sea in December last year. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in close cooperation with all competent institutions, the overseas representations of the Republic of Bulgaria in the region and international partners is actively involved in the efforts to release the Bulgarian crew." On March 16, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a conversation was also held with the Indian ambassador in Sofia, Ambassador Sanjay Rana and an additional request was made to the Indian side for assistance and to take all possible actions to protect the life and health of the crew, reported ANI. She added in her statement, "I am extremely grateful for the assistance of the Indian side in the process of releasing the Bulgarian sailors." (With inputs from PTI and ANI)

19 March,2024 10:03 AM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
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Congress Working Committee to meet today to approve manifesto for LS polls

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) is slated to meet on Tuesday to discuss the party's manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 that are scheduled to be held in seven phases beginning from April 19, reported news agency ANI. The party's top decision making body is also expected to pass a resolution lauding former party chief Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which started from Manipur on January 14 and ended in Mumbai on March 17. The Congress' Central Election Committee (CEC) chaired by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge is also likely to meet to finalise the remaining candidates of the party for the seven-phase polls beginning April 19, reported ANI. The Congress had formed a manifesto committee for the Lok Sabha Election 2024. The Convenor of the committee is former Deputy Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh TS Singh Deo. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are the other members. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram who heads the Maniesfto committee had said that the party's manifesto for Lok Sabha polls will be a "people's manifesto" and apart from public consultations by party leaders, suggestions have been taken through e-mail and a website, reported ANI. The party also made five guarantees, each for 'Shramik Nyay' and 'Hissedari Nyay' while party chief Mallikarjun Kharge promised to pass a constitutional amendment to raise the 50 per cent cap on reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs, and a comprehensive social, economic and caste census, reported ANI. The Congress guarantees an annual job package of Rs 1 lakh for diploma holders up to the age of 25, a commitment to enact stringent laws to get rid of paper leaks, the establishment of social security measures in the gig economy, the fulfilment of 30 lakh government job vacancies, and the initiation of 'Yuva Roshni' aimed at fostering startups among individuals below 40 years of age, reported ANI. The first point included 'Bharti Bharosa' or recruitment trust by the Congress party wherein the party guaranteed recruitment to the youth and asserted that all the 30 lakh vacancies in the Central Government would be filled. "Congress guarantees that it will create 30 lakh jobs in the Central Government, according to a published jobs calendar. There are 10 lakh sanctioned posts that are vacant in Central Ministries or Departments. We will also create new jobs, our party manifesto will outline the details," the All India Congress Committee stated on Thursday, reported ANI. The second guarantee said that the 'Pehli naukri pakki' (first job guaranteed) would be confirmed and that the grand old party would provide apprenticeship training to every Diploma or Degree holder youth below 25 years of age in the government or private sector. The release read, "Congress guarantees a new Right to Apprenticeship Act to provide a one-year apprenticeship with a private or a public sector company to every diploma holder or college graduate below the age of 25. Apprentices will get 1 lakh a year (Rs 8,500/month)." It further mentioned 'Paper leak se mukti' (Freedom from paper leak) and said that the party would put an end to the paper leaks by bringing a new law, reported ANI. "Congress guarantees new laws to ensure the highest standards of integrity and fairness in the conduct of public examinations that will prevent paper leaks from destroying the future of crores of youth," it added, reported ANI. The fourth guarantee stated financial assistance under 'Yuva Roshni' and stated that a fund would be created with an amount of Rs 5 thousand crore which will be distributed in all the districts of the country. (With inputs from ANI)

19 March,2024 09:12 AM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
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Indian Navy's Remotely Piloted Aircraft crashes during routine training sortie

A Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) or Searcher of the Indian Navy crashed during a routine training sortie at INS Garuda in Kochi on Monday. The RPA crashed at about 5 p.m., about one mile short of the runway. No injuries or damage to property has been reported in the incident. "At about 5 pm on March 18, one Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA)/ Searcher, during a routine training sortie at INS Garuda, Kochi, crashed about one mile short of the runway," the Indian Navy said. Responding swiftly, a specialist team was dispatched to the site to ensure the crashed RPA is rendered safe, the Indian Navy said in a statement. An inquiry to investigate the incident has been ordered, the Navy added. Further information is awaited. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

19 March,2024 07:53 AM IST | Kochi | ANI
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Delhi world's most polluted capital city again: Report

Bihar's Begusarai emerged as the world's most polluted metropolitan area while Delhi was identified as the capital city with the poorest air quality, according to a new report. With an average annual PM2.5 concentration of 54.4 micrograms per cubic metre, India had the third worst air quality out of 134 countries in 2023 after Bangladesh (79.9 micrograms per cubic metre) and Pakistan (73.7 micrograms per cubic metre), according to the World Air Quality Report 2023 by Swiss organisation IQAir. In 2022, India was ranked as the eighth most polluted country with an average PM2.5 concentration of 53.3 micrograms per cubic metre. Begusarai stood out as the most polluted metropolitan area globally with an average PM2.5 concentration of 118.9 micrograms per cubic metre. The city did not even figure in the 2022 rankings. Delhi's PM2.5 levels worsened from 89.1 micrograms per cubic metre in 2022 to 92.7 micrograms per cubic metre in 2023. The national capital was ranked the most polluted capital city in the world four times on the trot starting 2018. It is estimated that 1.36 billion people in India experience PM2.5 concentrations exceeding the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended annual guideline level of 5 micrograms per cubic metre, the report said. Also, 1.33 billion people, 96 per cent of the Indian population, experience PM2.5 levels more than seven times the WHO annual PM2.5 guideline. This trend is reflected in city-level data, with more than 66 per cent of the country's cities reporting annual averages greater than 35 micrograms per cubic metre. IQAir said the data utilised to create this report was aggregated from the global distribution of more than 30,000 regulatory air quality monitoring stations and low-cost air quality sensors operated by research institutions, governmental bodies, universities and educational facilities, non-profit non-governmental organisations, private companies and citizen scientists. The 2022 World Air Quality Report included data from 7,323 locations in 131 countries, regions and territories. In 2023, those numbers have grown to include 7,812 locations in 134 countries, regions and territories. Causing an estimated one in every nine deaths worldwide, air pollution is the greatest environmental threat to human health. According to the WHO, air pollution is responsible for an estimated seven million premature deaths worldwide every year. Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution leads to and exacerbates numerous health conditions, including but not limited to asthma, cancer, stroke and lung disease. Exposure to elevated levels of fine particles can impair cognitive development in children, lead to mental health issues, and complicate existing illnesses, including diabetes. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

19 March,2024 07:45 AM IST | New Delhi | PTI
Last week SC issued notice to SBI

Make complete disclosure by March 21: SC to SBI on electoral bonds

In a third tongue-lashing to the State Bank of India, the Supreme Court on Monday told it to stop being “selective” and make “complete disclosure” of all details related to the electoral bonds scheme by March 21. The apex court said the details to be disclosed include the unique bond numbers that would reveal the link between the buyers and the recipient political parties. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud said there is “no manner of doubt that the SBI is required to make complete disclosure of all the details” which are in its possession. The bench, also comprising Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice B R Gavai, Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, said the EC shall forthwith upload on its website the details received from the SBI. In a landmark verdict, a five-judge constitution bench had done away with the scheme, calling it “unconstitutional”, and ordered disclosure by the Election Commission of donors, the amount donated by them and the recipients by March 13. On March 11, the SBI, which unsuccessfully sought an extension of time till June 30 to disclose electoral bonds details, faced searching questions from the top court which wanted to know about the steps taken to comply with its directions. Last Friday, the SC admonished SBI for furnishing incomplete information and issued a notice to the bank to explain the reasons for the non-disclosure of unique alphanumeric numbers.  Mar 13Day SBI had to disclose all data Pradhan Mantri Hafta Vasuli Yojana: Congress  Stepping up its attack on the Centre, the Congress accused government of “hafta vasuli” (extortion) and claimed that a total of 21 firms which have faced investigations from the CBI, ED, or IT, have donated through electoral bonds. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that with each passing day, more examples emerge on the true depths of “electoral bond scam”. “Today, we zoom in on the ‘Pradhan Mantri Hafta Vasuli Yojana’, the second of the four channels of corruption in the Electoral Bond Scam: 1.Chanda Do, Dhandha Lo 2.Hafta Vasuli,” Ramesh said in a post on X.  This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

19 March,2024 07:35 AM IST | New Delhi | Agencies
Unit will research futuristic techonologies. Representation pic

Indian army raises elite unit for military tech research

The Indian Army has raised an elite unit that will undertake research and evaluation of futuristic communication technologies like 6G, artificial intelligence, machine learning and quantum computing for military use in view of the changing nature of the field. The Signals Technology Evaluation and Adaptation Group or STEAG is mandated to nurture technologies spanning the complete spectrum of wired and wireless systems, officials said. The setting up of STEAG is part of the Army’s efforts to develop technologies considering the future battlefield, they said. “It will be a premier organisation, the first of its kind equipped with the capability to harness niche technology, leverage cutting-edge solutions and identify suitable cases for defence applications by fostering collaboration with academia and industry,” one of the officials said. The elite unit will focus on all upcoming critical technology domains including electronic exchanges, mobile communications, software defined radios, electronic warfare systems, 5G and 6G networks, quantum technologies, AI, machine learning, etc., he said.  This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

19 March,2024 07:33 AM IST | New Delhi | Agencies
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