UP ministers invite Haryana Governor, CM for Mahakumbh

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Chandigarh, Dec 24 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh government is aiming to make Mahakumbh — 2025, a symbol of India’s cultural unity.

As part of its endeavour, Minister for Industrial Development Nand Gopal Gupta ‘Nandi’ and Minister of State for Industrial Development Jaswant Singh Saini led a roadshow here.

They highlighted the Mahakumbh is a unique celebration of unity within India’s diversity and extended an invitation to Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatraya and Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, and people to participate in the Prayagraj Mahakumbh — 2025.

Minister Gupta emphasised that the government is taking significant steps to ensure the event is historic, featuring international participation and state-of-the-art facilities.

Speaking to the media after the roadshow, he said the Mahakumbh “embodies the spirit of India’s cultural and spiritual consciousness and is a divine and vibrant representation of ‘Ek Bharat-Shreshth Bharat-Samaveshi Bharat’ (One India, Great India, Inclusive India)”.

“Many of you may have witnessed the ‘divine and grand’ experience of the Prayagraj Kumbh in 2019, which became an indelible symbol of India’s cultural pride on the global stage. The world widely acknowledged the efficient management of the event.”

He emphasised that this year’s Mahakumbh will surpass the previous one in both grandeur and divine essence.

“Prayagraj Mahakumbh — 2025 is expected to welcome more than 450 million pilgrims, saints, ascetics, and tourists. In preparation, the Uttar Pradesh government has made meticulous and timely arrangements.”

He said under the inspiration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leadership of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Mahakumbh will take place in Prayagraj from January 13 to February 26, on the sacred banks of the confluence of the Ganga, the Yamuna, and the Saraswati rivers.

Recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the Mahakumbh will once again be held on the holy land of Prayag after a gap of 12 years.

Minister Gupta said it would be a clean, healthy, safe and digital Mahakumbh.

A pledge has been taken to make the event environment-friendly by declaring it a single-use plastic-free Mahakumbh.

As part of this initiative, various shops of ‘dona-pattal’ vendors will be allocated within the Mela area, and meetings have been conducted with principals of 400 schools to discuss cleanliness and the initiative of a clean Maha Kumbh is being communicated to four lakh children.

–IANS

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Focus on reforms and tax evasion to increase revenue mobilisation, Ajit Pawar tells officials

Mumbai, Dec 24 (IANS) Amid ballooning fiscal deficit and rising public debt, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who holds the Planning, Finance, and Excise departments, has asked the officers to work in a result-oriented manner by bringing in coherence and reforms in the process of tax collection and revenue generation.

He also directed them not to be complacent but to be proactive in the prevention of tax evasion by making the tax collection process transparent.

Deputy CM Pawar, who on Tuesday officially took charge of these departments, held review meetings with the officers concerned about the various pending schemes, the additional funds needed for the pending and ongoing schemes and the efforts needed to achieve revenue mobilisation proposed in the state budget for 2024-25.

He also discussed key issues like revenue reforms, agricultural development, industrial investment and employment generation in the state.

He directed the officers to focus on bringing financial schemes for the welfare of farmers and common citizens.

Deputy CM Pawar’s maiden meeting took place at a time when the fiscal deficit has shot up to Rs 2.3 lakh crore, especially after the launch of several welfare and development schemes, including the much debated Ladki Bahin Yojana ahead of the recently concluded Assembly election.

The state’s public debt is expected to be Rs 7.82 lakh crore after the end of the current fiscal year as projected in the state budget.

The Deputy CM’s directive to the officers to focus on tax mobilisation is crucial especially when the GDP in the second quarter grew at 5.4 per cent and it will certainly have an impact on the growth of gross state domestic product (GSDP).

In 2024-25, Maharashtra has projected a GSDP growth of 5.5 per cent (at current prices).

This is accompanied by a three per cent growth in revenue receipts and expenditure.

The national GDP (nominal) is estimated to grow by 10.5 per cent.

Deputy CM Pawar in the budget presented in July last year has estimated the collection of state GST at Rs 1,55,756 crore in 2024-25 as compared to Rs 1,44,791 crore of the revised budget for 2023-24 which is almost eight per cent more.

The sales tax/VAT collection is predicted at Rs 62,00 crore against Rs 62,050 crore, stamp duty and registration fee Rs 55,000 crore against Rs 51,500 crore, state excise Rs 30,500 crore against Rs 29,000 crore, taxes of vehicles Rs 14,875 crore against Rs 15,000 crore, taxes and duties of electricity Rs 14,180 crore against Rs 14,000 crore, and land revenue Rs 3,000 crore against Rs 2,500 crore.

–IANS

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Fraudulent, without authority: Two Delhi govt departments red-flag AAP’s ‘election’ schemes

New Delhi, Dec 25 (IANS) The Department of Women and Child Development and the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Delhi, on Wednesday issued a public notice refuting claims regarding the existence of the ‘Sanjeevani Scheme’ and ‘Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana.’

The Women and Child Development Department stated it has been alerted through media and social media reports that a political party is claiming to offer ₹2,100 per month to women in Delhi under the ‘Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana.’

The department clarified, “No such scheme has been notified by the Delhi government.”

The public notice, published in national newspapers, emphasised, “Since no such scheme is in existence, the question of accepting forms or applications for registration under this non-existent scheme does not arise. Any private person or political party collecting forms or information under this name is committing fraudulent and has no authority.”

Similarly, the Health and Family Welfare Department denied the existence of claims promising free medical treatment for individuals aged 60 and above at all government or private hospitals in Delhi, regardless of income criteria.

The department urged citizens to disregard such promises, terming them “misleading and unauthorised.” It also declared it would not bear responsibility for any liabilities or fraudulent activities arising from these false claims.

These statements come in the wake of the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) door-to-door registration drive for two alleged welfare schemes: the ‘Mahila Samman Yojana,’ which promises ₹2,100 monthly to women, and the ‘Sanjeevani Yojana,’ which assures free medical treatment for individuals aged above 60 years.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seized the opportunity to bash AAP and its national convenor Arvind Kejriwal.

Delhi BJP vice president Kapil Mishra slammed Kejriwal for misleading the public, stating, “What a big fraud Kejriwal is committing with the sisters of Delhi. On one side, Kejriwal is getting women to fill forms; on the other side, the Delhi government’s notice in today’s newspapers says there is no such scheme, and these forms are fake.”

Mocking the AAP leader, he concluded, “Wah re Farjiwal.”

–IANS

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