TN bypolls: Madurantakam records 55.19 pc voting; Dharapuram 56.09 pc after 6-hour polling

Ahmedabad, July 17 (IANS) Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha’s tree plantation initiative has “not ended” with the planting of 1.25 crore saplings but has instead entered its most important phase, as he called for sustained efforts to ensure every sapling survives and grows into a mature tree.

Shah made the remarks while chairing a review meeting of coordinators of the ‘Gandhinagar Lok Sabha – Green Lok Sabha’ campaign in Ahmedabad.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Ahmedabad Mayor Hitesh Barot, and elected representatives and BJP office-bearers from the Gandhinagar parliamentary constituency were present at the meeting.

The review followed the recent mass plantation campaign inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative.

The campaign, aimed at transforming the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency into a greener region, was part of a plantation drive that organisers said earned a place in the Guinness World Records.

Addressing campaign coordinators, Shah thanked party workers, organisations and citizens for helping achieve the target of planting 1.25 crore trees, but stressed that the focus must now shift to their long-term survival.

“I sincerely thank everyone who helped take the ‘Gandhinagar Lok Sabha Hariali Lok Sabha’ campaign to every household and fulfilled the resolve of planting trees. However, the campaign has not ended with the planting of 1.25 crore trees; it has only just begun,” Shah said.

He said the saplings must now be nurtured so that, over the next 50 to 100 years, they grow into large trees capable of providing shade, clean air, and helping to reduce temperatures.

During the meeting, Shah reviewed the plantation work carried out so far and emphasised the need for proper care and maintenance of every sapling to ensure the highest possible survival rate.

He said systematic efforts were required so that all the planted saplings grow into fully developed trees.

Appealing to campaign workers, Shah said: “They should view the responsibility of nurturing the trees not as a political programme but as a religious and social duty.”

Referring to a verse from the ‘Matsya Purana’, Shah said planting and nurturing a tree was considered a highly virtuous act. “Society followed such teachings by preserving and growing trees; challenges such as global warming might not have emerged in their present form,” he said.

Shah also noted his party was not merely an organisation focused on elections but one engaged in public service, adding that “ensuring the successful growth of the newly planted trees would be among its most meaningful service activities”.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said the plantation campaign had been carried out in the spirit envisioned by Shah and urged participants to maintain the same commitment during the next phase.

“The work of planting trees has been completed. Now we must all fulfil our responsibility of nurturing them and helping them grow,” Patel said.

He added that everyone should take inspiration from Shah and remain determined to ensure the saplings are properly cared for. “Today we must assure Amit Shah that we will discharge the responsibility of nurturing these trees with 100 per cent commitment,” he said.

Patel also said tree plantation was essential not only for human beings but for all living beings, and urged people to remain committed to protecting the environment for future generations.

–IANS

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Bhubaneswar, Aug 30 (IANS) The Odisha government has decided to directly deduct court-ordered maintenance grant or alimony from the salaries of male government employees who fail to pay their wives or children despite judicial directions.

According to an official statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) on Sunday, CM Majhi has taken strong note of the issue following the receipt of around two to three complaints during each state-level grievance hearing involving women and children deprived of maintenance grant or alimony by government employees.

As per the government, several male employees have failed to provide maintenance to their wives or children despite clear orders from various courts.

Similar complaints have also been received regarding non-payment of alimony in divorce-related cases. Taking note of the issue, the Chief Minister has directed that the amount ordered by the court be deducted directly from the salary of the concerned employee and transferred electronically to the bank account of the wife or children entitled to maintenance.

“Being a government employee of the state, defying a court order, and subjecting one’s wife and children to such injustice is completely unacceptable to the state government,” said the Chief Minister.

Under the new guidelines issued by the state government following the Chief Minister’s direction, the departmental Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO) will be responsible for making the deduction.

Once a court order directing payment of maintenance is received, the DDO will deduct the amount specified by the court while preparing the concerned employee’s monthly salary bill and electronically deposit it into the designated bank accounts of his wife and children.

The Chief Minister has also directed the officials to integrate court-directed maintenance-related matters into the Human Resources Management System (HRMS). The move is aimed at making the process more systematic and automated and ensuring timely compliance with judicial orders.

The new mechanism is expected to provide relief to women and children who face difficulties in receiving maintenance despite court orders.

It will also ensure that government employees comply with judicial directions regarding maintenance and alimony.

–IANS

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New Delhi, May 8 (IANS) Translation studies, cultural mediation and language politics topped the agenda at a National Young Researchers’ Seminar organised by the Department of Foreign Languages, Jamia Millia Islamia, an official said on Friday.​

Held at the India-Arab Cultural Centre (IACC), the seminar brought together over 48 young researchers from various prestigious institutions, including Jawaharlal Nehru University, the University of Delhi, Panjab University, Amity University, SRM University, and others, to deliberate on a wide range of themes.​

The topics of discussion included translation studies, cultural mediation, language politics, intercultural communication, literature, and global cultural exchange, said a statement issued by JMI Chief Public Relations Officer Professor Saima Saeed.​

The inaugural session featured a welcome address by Professor Md. Faizullah Khan, Head of the Department of Foreign Languages.​

Khan emphasised students’ perspectives on cross-cultural communication in the globalised and digitalised world.​

The session was attended by Anisur Rahman, a former professor from the Department of English, JMI, as the Chief Guest.​

In his inaugural address, Rahman noted that “no platform is more enriching than engaging with young researchers and learning from them,” while also underscoring the importance of interdisciplinary research and a multilingual approach.​

Guest of Honour Professor Kiran Chaudhry highlighted the relevance and timeliness of the seminar’s theme, noting the growing frequency of cultural encounters in today’s world and the urgent need to reflect on pluralism.​

She discussed the transition in foreign language teaching from a “monocultural” to a “pluralistic” approach, sharing valuable insights into contemporary foreign language pedagogy.​

In her keynote address, Professor Sonya Surabhi Gupta (Retd.), Department of Foreign Languages, Jamia Millia Islamia, remarked that identity has a lexical foundation, namely, language.​

She elaborated on the nexus between language and power and emphasised the role of foreign languages “in defence of cultural humanism”.​

She also identified the 1970s as a turning point for the indigenisation of foreign languages in India.​

Professor Simi Malhotra, Department of English, Jamia Millia Islamia, delivered the Chair’s remarks, highlighting the significance of organising a seminar on such a pertinent theme and emphasising that cultural understanding is the need of the hour.​

The seminar included multiple parallel technical sessions covering interdisciplinary themes such as Translation, Language & Cultural Mediation; Society, History & Interdisciplinary Perspectives; Cultural Diplomacy & International Relations; Literature, Identity & Self–Other; Language, Education & Politics and Media, Popular Culture & Representation, said the statement.​

–IANS

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