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Jaipur, Jan 27 (IANS) Rajasthan Leader of the Opposition Tika Ram Jully said that meaningful issues were discussed during the all-party meeting. He stated that the opposition raised the demand that the government must respond to every issue raised by the opposition in the House.

“The government may give whatever reply it chooses, but at least a reply must be given,” he said.

Jully added that farmers, youth, the poor, and women of the state are closely watching the proceedings of the Assembly with hope.

He said, “The outcome of the meeting should be positive. Otherwise, it will be the same old story. We are not going to back down.” He also informed that the opposition raised the issue related to cameras before the Speaker.

Speaking further, Jully said that when the session begins, these issues will be raised in the House. He alleged that attempts are being made to tarnish Rajasthan’s image by introducing the Disturbed Areas Bill.

“Riots do occur in Rajasthan, and everyone knows who is responsible for them. Such elements want to weaken Rajasthan’s long-standing image of ‘Atithi Devo Bhavah’ across the country,” he said.

He questioned the intent behind bringing the bill to Rajasthan, stating that its introduction reflects the mindset of those promoting it.

“The consequences will be visible in the coming days. Tourism is already declining. What kind of image do they want to project of Rajasthan?” he asked.

On the issue of OBC reservation in the TSP area, the Leader of Opposition said that the matter would be discussed in the legislative party meeting.

He emphasised that the fight for the rights of every section of the state would be taken up in the Assembly.

“Today’s meeting was only an all-party meeting. Whether this agenda will be included in the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) will be decided later. Our future strategy will be finalised in the legislative party meeting tomorrow at 7:00 pm,” he said.

Regarding the UGC code, Jully stated that the party’s stand has not yet been finalised. He added that if any bill ensures non-discrimination and promotes harmony, there should be no objection to it.

The party’s position will be decided at a later stage. The Legislative Assembly will commence on Wednesday, January 28. Ahead of the session, an all-party meeting was held at the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Speaker Vasudev Devnani.

During the meeting, a consensus was reached to conduct the proceedings of the House peacefully and in accordance with established rules and traditions.

Members of both the ruling and opposition parties assured the Speaker that they would maintain decorum and use respectful and dignified language during the session.

–IANS

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Nagpur, Dec 9 (IANS) Minister of State for Urban Development Madhuri Misal on Tuesday informed the Legislative Assembly that an audit would be conducted on the ‘Swachh Mumbai Prabodhan Abhiyan’ (Clean Mumbai Awareness Campaign) slum sanitation scheme, which has been implemented since 2013, replacing the previous Adopt-a-Slum Scheme.

The matter was raised through a Calling Attention Motion by legislators Tukaram Kate, Amin Patel, Amit Satam, and Prakash Surve.

Minister Misal explained that the ‘Swachh Mumbai Prabodhan Abhiyan’ scheme was implemented across the entire city of Mumbai starting from February 1, 2013.

Under the scheme, one unit was created for every 200 households. Each unit receives a total grant of Rs 6,000 per month from the Municipal Corporation (MC). This includes Rs 5,400 for the unit itself and Rs 600 for awareness activities.

“The scheme’s design involves Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that take the initiative for slum sanitation. These organisations are supposed to collect contributions from residents of Rs 20 per household and Rs 50 from commercial establishments. The NGOs then use the collected funds and the grant received from the Municipal Corporation to purchase essential sanitation equipment and maintain cleanliness in the slum areas with the help of volunteers,” said the minister.

Minister Misal clarified that the volunteers working under this scheme do not fall under the category of sanitation workers, and therefore, minimum wage regulations do not apply to them.

She noted that this scheme is supplementary, as the municipal corporation’s regular sanitation staff continue to work from ward offices as before.

She also informed the Assembly that the Municipal Corporation is currently considering a proposal to increase the assistance provided to the volunteers and to raise the support given for sanitation equipment.

Meanwhile, Environment Minister Pankaja Munde today informed the Legislative Council that the government would strive to immediately complete the work on the Nag River pollution prevention project in Nagpur.

She confirmed that the proposal for the project, costing Rs 1,926 crores under the National River Conservation Plan, has received administrative approval.

The Minister was responding to a Calling Attention Motion regarding Nag River pollution tabled by member Parinay Fuke. Member Prasad Lad also participated in the subsequent discussion on the issue.

Providing details on the environmental measures being taken, Minister Munde stated that the work for the Nag River pollution eradication is planned in a total of five packages. These packages include Sewage Treatment Plants (STP), Sewerage Lines and Electric Crematoriums. The Nag River pollution eradication project proposes a Sewage Treatment Plant with a capacity of 92 million litres per day (MLD).

The Minister noted that river water is being treated before being released further, which has allowed fishing activities at the Gosikhurd Dam to continue regularly.

Regarding the information provided by Parinay Fuke about eleven STP projects being shut down, Minister Munde assured the Council that a committee would re-examine the matter and take the necessary action.

–IANS

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Bengaluru, Jan 30 (IANS) The Karnataka Education Department has issued a circular on Thursday ordering granting of provision of menstrual leave facility for women government employees in the state.

The order in this regard has been issued by the Commissioner of the School Education Department, Vikas Suralkar.

It may be noted that the Karnataka government issued a November 2025 order mandating 12 days of paid menstrual leave annually (1 day/month) for women in both government and private sectors, covering ages 18-52, applicable across various establishments under different labour laws.

The order by the Education department stated, “To enhance the efficiency and performance of women employees working in various departments of the state, and to boost their morale, the provisions for availing one day of paid leave per month during the menstrual cycle—amounting to a total of 12 days of paid leave annually—shall be as proposed in Reference (2) and as specified in the Government Order dated Nov 12, 2025.”

The order has also mentioned conditions. They include, “Women employees shall avail the menstrual leave for the respective month only in that month. Carrying forward unused menstrual leave to the subsequent month shall not be permitted; Women employees are not required to produce any medical certificate to avail one day of menstrual leave per month.

Women government employees aged between 18 and 52 years who are menstruating shall be eligible to avail this leave. The competent authority empowered to sanction casual leave shall also be authorised to sanction menstrual leave. This leave shall be entered separately in the leave/attendance register.

Menstrual leave shall not be combined with any other kind of leave, the order stated.

The order further stated, “The facility may be availed by submitting an application to the competent authority. Employees availing the leave shall, depending on the circumstances, necessarily bring to the notice of the concerned section officer any urgent office files or court-related files and ensure that responsibilities are duly attended to.”

“In accordance with the above government orders, menstrual leave shall be implemented for women employees working in departmental offices who are within the age limit of 52 years and are menstruating, with effect from the date of issuance of the government order,” the order said.

–IANS

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