TMC will pay for conspiring to stall Women’s Reservation Bill, says PM Modi in Bengal

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Kolkata, April 19 (IANS) Trinamool Congress will have to pay the price in the forthcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal for being part of the conspiracy along with Congress and other opposition parties in blocking the Women’s Reservation (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.

“The mothers and sisters of West Bengal will punish the Trinamool Congress for this. We have seen what happened in the Parliament. Trinamool Congress has once again betrayed the sisters of West Bengal. Trinamool Congress does not want women in West Bengal to be MLAs and MPs in large numbers. This is because the women in West Bengal are challenging Trinamool Congress’ misrule in the state,” the Prime Minister said while addressing a campaign rally in Darjeeling district in the morning.

Speaking on the occasion at the rally in this tribal-dominated district, the Prime Minister also launched a scathing attack against Trinamool Congress and the state government for allegedly ignoring the issues and demands of the people from the tribal communities in the state.

“Trinamool Congress has no time to listen to the tribal people. But they have enough time to listen to the illegal infiltrators. Trinamool Congress wants to bypass the Constitutional provision to ensure their dedicated vote bank. Because of such attempts, they had been censured by the High Court several times. But they don’t even listen to the court. Even the court had called for the reservation of women without delay. But the Trinamool Congress does not want that,” the Prime Minister said.

According to him, Trinamool Congress’ attitude towards tribal people was evident from the recent insult of President Droupadi Murmu, during the latter’s visit to West Bengal to attend an International Santal Conference.

“BJP gave the country its first tribal President. We want their empowerment. Even the Trinamool Congress fielded its own candidate against our tribal candidate. Just like Pandit Nehru fielded a candidate to defeat Babasaheb Ambedkar. Similarly, Congress and Trinamool Congress also started playing the game of defeating the tribal presidential candidate. They did not want anyone from the tribal community to become the Indian President,” the Prime Minister said.

He also said that if the BJP comes to power in West Bengal, its priority will be to ensure the safety and empowerment of the women of the state.

“Women in West Bengal are totally deprived now of many things. What they get in BJP-ruled states, they do not get here. What women get in Assam, Odisha, and Gujarat, they do not get that here. If the BJP comes to power here, poor sisters will be provided free ration. No one will be able to snatch it away. The BJP will help up to Rs 1.5 lakh under the PM Awas Yojana to build concrete houses. The Ayushman Bharat scheme is not allowed here. If the BJP comes to power, it will pay up to Rs 5 lakh for treatment. If a woman has kidney disease, dialysis will be done free of cost in government hospitals,” the Prime Minister said.

He said, “West Bengal is rejecting TMC’s cut-money culture and deep-rooted corruption. People are now placing their trust in the BJP for honest governance and development.”

–IANS

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Women empowerment leads to development of nation: Rajasthan CM

Jaipur, Jan 21 (IANS) Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma stated that in alignment with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the state government is dedicated to the welfare of youth, women, farmers, and labourers.

“Over the past year, several crucial decisions have been made to enhance women’s education, health, security, and entrepreneurship,” he said while addressing women and girl students during the pre-budget dialogue at the Chief Minister’s Office.

He assured that the government will carefully consider all suggestions from women representatives and incorporate them into the budget wherever feasible.

He emphasised that empowering women leads to the empowerment of families, the creation of strong societies, and the development of a prosperous nation.

“This principle has been the cornerstone of the government’s efforts from day one,” he said.

The Chief Minister further highlighted that the state government has launched multiple initiatives for the holistic development of women.

“The Laado Protsahan Yojana provides financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh in seven instalments, from the birth of a girl child to her completion of higher education. The first instalment of approximately Rs 33 crore has been distributed, with 3 lakh girl children expected to benefit by March this year,” he said.

He further said that under the Mukhyamantri Nari Shakti Udyam Protsahan Yojana, women can access easy loans through banks.

“Over 58,000 girls have been granted the opportunity for free secondary and higher secondary education through the Kalibai Bhil Mahila Sambal Shiksha Setu Yojana,” he said.

He also noted that 85,000 women and girls have received training in employment, digital skills, and personality development via the Chief Minister Nari Shakti Training and Skill Development Scheme.

“Moreover, more than 1.22 crore women and girls are benefiting from the free distribution of sanitary napkins through the Kalibai Bhil Udaan Yojana,” he said.

–IANS

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Air India cancels Singapore-Chennai flight due to technical snag in plane

New Delhi, Aug 3 (IANS) Air India cancelled its flight from Singapore to Chennai on Sunday as the Airbus A321 plane operating on the route developed a technical snag.

Air India said in a statement that the flight AI349 scheduled to operate from Singapore to Chennai has been cancelled due to a maintenance task identified prior to departure, which required additional time for rectification.

“Arrangements are being made to fly the passengers to Chennai at the earliest. Hotel accommodation is being provided, and full refunds on cancellation or complimentary rescheduling are also being offered to passengers based on their preference,” the statement said.

The airline further said that Air India ground staff in Singapore are making every possible effort to minimise the inconvenience caused to the passengers due to this unforeseen disruption.

The incident follows a series of disruptions in Air India flights in recent days.

On Friday, an Air India flight from London to Delhi was delayed by more than 11 hours, stranding passengers at the airport. The flight was originally scheduled to depart at around 8.35 p.m. on August 1 but was rescheduled for the next day.

A London-bound Air India flight from Delhi was also forced to return to the bay on Thursday after the cockpit crew detected a suspected technical fault before take-off.

The flight, callsign AI-2017, was preparing to depart when the pilots halted the departure and brought the aircraft back for checks.

“Flight AI-2017 operating from Delhi to London on July 31 returned to the bay due to a suspected technical issue. The cockpit crew decided to discontinue the take-off run following standard operating procedures and brought the aircraft back for precautionary checks,” the airline said in a statement.

The airline said that all necessary safety procedures were followed and that an alternative aircraft was arranged to fly the passengers to London as soon as possible.

The incidents come just days after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) flagged 51 safety lapses at Air India during its annual audit.

These included outdated training manuals, incomplete pilot training, unqualified simulators, and irregularities in low-visibility operation approvals.

Of these lapses, seven were classified as critical Level I breaches, which the airline was instructed to address by July 30. The remaining 44 non-compliances must be rectified by August 23.

The DGCA’s action followed recent enforcement measures, including the grounding of an Air India aircraft found to have an overdue inspection of its emergency slide — a crucial safety feature.

–IANS

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MHA directs Bhakra Board to release extra water to Haryana for 8 days

New Delhi, May 2 (IANS) The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday sprung into action to prevent Haryana taps from running dry and directed Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to work out the modalities for implementing the release of extra 4,500 cusecs of water to the state.

Home Secretary Govind Mohan chaired a meeting and discussed the implementation of measures to ensure the release of water to the state to meet its needs for the next eight days.

It was decided that the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) will immediately convene a meeting to work out the modalities for implementing the release of an extra 4500 cusecs of water to Haryana.

The meeting was attended by senior officers of the Government of India, the partner states of BBMB – Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana, an official said.

It was advised to carry out the decision of BBMB to release 4,500 cusecs of extra water from Bhakra Dams to Haryana for next eight days to meet their urgent water requirements.

It was also agreed that during the filling period of Dams, BBMB will provide this excess water to Punjab to fulfil their additional requirements.

Earlier in Chandigarh, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann chaired an all-party meeting which unanimously decided that the state itself has no surplus water. The meeting members also decided to meet either Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Union Home Minister Amit Shah, to apprise them of the situation.

After the all-party meeting, leaders of prominent parties expressed solidarity with the AAP government’s refusal to share extra water with Haryana.

Punjab Chief Minister Mann told the media that all the political parties, rising above their ideology, suggested to the state government that it must save every drop of the water which is the state’s lifeline.

CM Mann said Haryana, which is already receiving 4,700 cusecs against its allocated 1,700 cusecs, is now set to benefit from additional theft of Punjab’s rightful share.

–IANS

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