Govt bungalow not anyone’s ancestral property: CM Samrat Choudhary attacks Lalu family

Chamoli, March 5 (IANS) The Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), imparting short-term skill training to scores of unemployed youth and upskilling the vocational skills of others, has brought commendable changes in lives of local residents of Chamoli district in Uttarakhand.

Women, in particular, have drawn benefits of the scheme by subscribing to the government’s financial assistance and starting their own ventures.

Today, many women beneficiaries have started self-sustaining enterprises while others have achieved considerable success and fame in the neighbourhood.

Chamoli, despite having treacherous terrains, has emerged as example of many such self-sustaining enterprises, with many being run by women.

Many women, having receiving training under the scheme, have started their own businesses and today are earning good income.

This skill development initiative has brought positive changes in their lives.

As of now, more than 200 women in the district have been trained under the scheme.

Under the scheme, women are provided training in jute bag manufacturing, sewing, embroidery, handicrafts, and other useful products.

After the training, they start their own businesses through self-help groups (SHGs) or individually.

Jute bags and other products are in high demand in the market. This has not only strengthened their financial situation but also boosted their confidence in their families and society.

The training centres also provide them with information on product quality, packaging, and marketing, enabling them to reach a wider market.

A beneficiary Seema Negi told IANS that she learned sewing for free during the training.

She is now sewing jute bags using a sewing machine and has also learnt to make women suits and ethnic dresses.

She also praised the initiative as well as the Central government and said that this has made many women like her self-reliant.

Notably, the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) scheme was launched in 2015 to encourage and promote skill development in the country, by providing free short duration skill training and incentivising this by providing monetary rewards to youth for skill certification.

–IANS

mr/khz

New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS) AAP MP Raghav Chadha has demanded toll tax exemption for commuters forced to wait more than five minutes at highway toll plazas, while Union Minister Nitin Gadkari assured that by 2026 India will move to a “zero wait time” system using satellite-based tolling.

In a sharp intervention during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha raised concerns over delays at toll plazas, calling them a drain on both citizens’ wallets and the economy.

He argued that commuters already pay road and infrastructure cess on vehicles and fuel, yet are burdened further with toll charges. He said, after paying so much money, commuters deserve two basic things: smooth, pothole-free roads and seamless connectivity without endless delays, Chadha said, adding he acknowledges Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) models, under which tolls are collected to recover infrastructure costs.

Chadha highlighted the opportunity costs and fuel wastage caused by prolonged waits at toll booths, which often stretch beyond several minutes.

He proposed a reform: if a vehicle is forced to wait more than five minutes, it should be exempted from paying toll.

Such a measure, he argued, would not only reduce frustration but also incentivise efficiency in toll operations.

Gadkari, however, assured that the government is working on a satellite-based tolling system that will eliminate queues.

“From 2026, even before that, there will be zero wait time. Vehicles will pass at 80 km per hour, cameras will capture number plates and satellite photos, and the toll will be automatically deducted from the user’s bank account,” Gadkari said.

On the issue of road quality, Gadkari clarified that his ministry is responsible only for national highways, not city or state roads.

He admitted that in nearly 70 per cent of complaints, the roads in question were outside his ministry’s jurisdiction.

To improve accountability, he announced stricter measures against contractors, including debarring non-performing firms for two years and even invoking provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to take punitive action.

–IANS

sktr/dpb

New Delhi, April 9 (IANS) The Union government on Thursday reiterated before the Supreme Court that restrictions at the Sabarimala temple are not rooted in gender discrimination, arguing that several temples across the country impose practices that are either male- or female-centric based on faith and tradition.

Appearing before a nine-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta submitted that the 2018 verdict allowing entry of women of all age groups into the Sabarimala temple proceeded on an incorrect assumption that men were treated as superior and women placed on a lower pedestal.

“I have given instances of temples where men are not allowed… There are temples where male priests are mandated to wash the feet of women devotees. There is the Pushkar temple, the only Brahma temple in the country, where married men are not allowed. There is also a temple in Kerala where men go dressed as women. So it is not a question of male-centric or female-centric beliefs. In the present case, it happens to be woman-centric,” SG Mehta told the Bench, also comprising Justices B.V. Nagarathna, M.M. Sundresh, Ahsanuddin Amanullah, Aravind Kumar, Augustine George Masih, Prasanna B. Varale, R. Mahadevan, and Joymalya Bagchi.

The apex court is currently examining larger constitutional questions relating to the interplay between religious freedom and fundamental rights.

During the hearing, Justice Nagarathna stressed the importance of inclusivity in religious spaces, observing that “everybody must have access to every temple and matha”, while clarifying that her remarks were independent of the Sabarimala controversy.

“If you say it is my practice that only my denomination must attend my temple and none else, that is not good for Hinduism,” she remarked.

Justice Aravind Kumar cautioned that such exclusionary practices could lead to societal divisions.

Senior advocate C.S. Vaidyanathan, appearing in the matter, countered that denominational temples — particularly private ones — have historically restricted entry to specific groups. He argued that such institutions, if not reliant on public funds or general footfall, may not necessarily violate constitutional principles.

“Question is whether it is contrary to the constitutional prohibition. If it is not contrary to public order, morality and health, what would be the realistic consequences,” he submitted.

The Centre has consistently maintained that the 2018 Sabarimala judgment warrants reconsideration, contending that the restriction in question is rooted in the unique nature of the deity and religious practices, rather than notions of patriarchy or gender bias.

In his written submissions, SG Mehta cited examples such as the Attukal Temple in Kerala, where men are not allowed entry during certain rituals, and the Chakkulathukavu temple, where male priests perform rituals washing the feet of women devotees. He also referred to the Kottankulangara temple, where men dress in women’s attire as an expression of faith.

–IANS

pds/vd