Centre releases over Rs 3,324 crore to strengthen rural local bodies in 5 states

Kolkata, Dec 6 (IANS) Almost 99 per cent of enumeration forms have been digitised during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal, and the number of excludable voters stands at nearly 55 lakh.

As per the trend of digitisation done till Friday, the total number of voters, whose names are likely to be deleted from the voters’ list, is 54,59,541.

The figure was 52,99,663 as on Thursday night, sources in the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, said.

“Of the 54,59,541 identified excludable voters, 23,71,239 names have been identified as deceased voters, and the rest are under the shifted, untraceable, and duplicate voters’ categories. Some voters, though very few, have been deemed to be excludable because of other reasons,” the CEO’s office sources said.

The situation will be clearer after the draft voters’ list is published on December 16.

The total number of voters as per the list on October 27 is 7,66,37,529. The SIR exercise started on November 4.

The draft voters’ list will be published on December 16, while the final voters’ list, after completion of all related processes, will be published on February 14.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday gave fresh instructions to electoral officers at different levels engaged in the ongoing SIR in West Bengal regarding the preparation of a separate list of deceased voters in the state.

The Commission has directed electoral officers to re-check the data of those who have already been identified as deceased voters during the digitisation and mapping of the duly filled enumeration forms with the list for 2002.

The ECI has also specified three sources from which the re-verification of data on deceased voters should be done.

The first source is the record of deaths registered with different municipal corporations, municipalities, and panchayats in the state.

The second source, as specified by the Commission, is the death records available with insurance companies and banks. The third and final source of re-verification is the list of beneficiaries under different social welfare schemes of the state government, especially those related to death benefits.

–IANS

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Lucknow, Dec 25 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Rashtriya Prerna Sthal in Lucknow on Thursday and led the nation in remembering the timeless legacy of three national icons — Dr Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, and Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

After opening the national memorial to the public, featuring 65-tall statues of the three towering figures, PM Modi said that the land of Lucknow is becoming a witness to the new inspiration of nationalism.

Addressing the large gathering, PM Modi said, “December 25 marks a rare coincidence of the birth anniversary of the nation’s two illustrious personalities – Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Madan Mohan Malviya, both Bharat Ratnas, whose contribution in nation-building remains unmatched and unparalleled.”

The Prime Minister said that the Rashtra Prerna Sthal signifies a thought to serve the nation with unwavering commitment and resolve, and also spoke about the lives and contributions of three national icons.

“Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee’s role was pivotal in unifying the nation. It was he who launched the campaign for one nation, one law. The NDA government has worked towards it, and the demolition of Article 370 was a step in this direction,” PM Modi said.

PM Modi recalled Mukherjee’s focus on laying the foundation for economic upliftment and said that today, Lucknow was soaring into new frontiers of growth, across multiple fronts.

“After Operation Sindoor, Brahmos Missile will be made in Lucknow. The UP defence corridor will soon be known for defence manufacturing,” he highlighted.

Prime Minister further said that Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay dreamt of Antoyada decades ago and stressed formulating policies to serve and attend to the last person in the row.

“Our government has made his vision a cornerstone of our policy-making. Our government is focusing on public welfare for every citizen without any discrimination. For the first time, people of the country have access to clean water, food, toilets, electricity and other facilities. It’s a pledge that our government undertook to serve every poor and downtrodden family to realise the vision of Pt Deendayal Upadhyay,” PM Modi said.

Further, highlighting the NDA government’s focus on public welfare policies, he said, “Under the Jeevan Jyoti Beema Yojana, Rs 2 lakh insurance is given to people at a measly cost. About 25 crore farmers are availing its benefits. Under Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Beema, 55 crore people are benefiting. Altogether, the families of poor households and marginalised families are availing benefits to the tune of Rs 25,000 crores.”

PM Modi further said that Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday is rightly celebrated as the Good Governance Day, as his government introduced intensive programs and policies, the benefits of which are still manifesting.

“Vajpayee govt laid the foundation for good governance. Today’s digital revolution has its genesis in Atal ji’s regime; deep penetration of telecom services across the country is also the result of his governance,” he told the crowd.

Earlier, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, showering praise on the three national icons, spoke about the enactment of the Viksit Bharat Guaranteed Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Grameen) (VB-GRAM G), explaining how this will bring a transformational shift in the lives of people.

“The Modi government has brought VB G RAM G legislation to replace MGREGA, which has been plagued by many inconsistencies and lapses over the years. The new law will not only remove the procedural gaps but will also enhance days of employment for the rural population, giving them 125 days of employment as compared to 100 days earlier,” he said.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Oct 30 (IANS) Advancing the Gaganyaan mission, the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) on Thursday said that it has developed as well as tested specialised food and parachute systems for the Gaganyatris.

Gaganyaan, India’s first human spaceflight, is scheduled to launch in 2027. The mission will carry astronauts to low Earth orbit for a three-day mission and bring them back safely to Earth.

Speaking to IANS, on the sidelines of the DRDO Industry Synergy Meet in Bengaluru, Dr B.K. Das, Director General of Electronics and Communication at DRDO, said that from developing products and technologies for the armed forces, the premier institute has also spread its wings into the space domain with ISRO.

“There are a lot of activities happening on the Gaganyaan mission at DRDO. We have developed specialised food required for the mission and specialised systems for parachutes. We have also got specialised technologies for astronauts who can be dependent on our own systems, products,” Das said.

He noted that the DRDO is ensuring dual use of technologies developed for the armed forces, for the ISRO programmes.

“Many of the technologies have been developed, tested, and have been collaborated with the ISRO,” Das said.

He also noted that phase one and phase two tests of the technologies developed, conducted both in laboratories and in external environments, have produced “very good results”.

“I think both ISRO and the DRDO have got a good satisfaction level from the tests,” he said, adding that “still some more work is left”, and it should be completed soon.

“Be sure there is a part of the DRDO in the Gaganyaan programme, and we will be happy to contribute much more to the ISRO programme,” Das told IANS.

Earlier this week, ISRO chief Dr V Narayanan also spoke about the Gaganyaan mission, the progress made under the country’s first human spaceflight mission.

Narayanan highlighted that the development work for the Gaganyaan Mission is nearing completion, “with about 85 to 90 per cent of subsystem-level activities finalised”.

“We are now conducting integrated tests and software validation. Three uncrewed missions will be launched before the crewed flight to ensure full safety and system reliability,” the ISRO Chief told IANS.

–IANS

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