Karnataka Governor Sets Fresh Deadline For HD Kumaraswamy July 19, 2019 16:34
Karnataka's Congress-Janata Dal Secular coalition has received a new deadline from the governor to prove majority by the end of the day after it ignored the first deadline of 1:30 p.m. The coalition government said it was bound to follow only the Speaker, who adjourned the house for lunch after a debate. Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, in a long speech replete with allegations against the opposition BJP, accused the party of offering "Rs. 40-50 crore" to lawmakers to switch sides. On a complaint from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the governor had on Thursday written to the Chief Minister: "You have lost the confidence of the house." The BJP has alleged delaying tactics by the coalition, which appears to be in a minority after losing the support of 18 lawmakers over the past two weeks.By Sowmya Sangam
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Illegal Immigrants and Infiltrators Living in 'Every Inch of India' Will Be Identified & Deported: Amit Shah July 17, 2019 16:26
Union Minister Amit Shah, in a bid to resolve the infiltration issue, today in Rajya Sabha reiterated his strong views against all illegal immigrants of this country. According to an ANI update, he has been quoted as saying, "We will identify all the illegal immigrants and infiltrators living on every inch of this country and deport them as per the international law." Earlier in April, Shah referred to illegal migrants from Bangladesh as 'termites' and had opened threatened them saying that his party will throw them out after coming to power at the Centre for a second consecutive term.By Sowmya Sangam
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Assam Floods: Death Toll Rises to 20, over 50 Lakh People Affected July 17, 2019 12:27
The devastating floods in Assam is turning conditions bad to worse in the state after 32 of the 33 districts have been affected by the floods. The death toll on Tuesday reached 20 as the 52 lakh people have been affected by incessant rains. The Indian Army, as well as the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), are helping in rescue operations.According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) report, over 52 lakh people have been hit in the floods that hit the state early this month. Brahmaputra river and its tributaries are flowing about the danger levels in most of the district. In the capital city Guwahati, Brahmaputra is flowing at 51.23 meters.Ninety percent of the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) in Golaghat and Nagaon districts is still submerged, said a statement from the Assam Ministry of Forest and Environment. The KNF is home to the world's largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses. According to reports, two rhinoceros have drowned in the floods and and around 15 other animals are dead. Grasping the situation, the government released Rs 251.55 crore as assistance from the central share of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for 2019-2020. More than 200 relief camps and as many as 562 distribution centers have been set up across the state to provide relief to the affected people.In neighboring Meghalaya, at least 1.10 lakh people are affected in West Garo Hills district due to heavy rainfall and rising waters of Brahmaputra and the Jinjiram rivers, both flowing from Assam, flooded. A total of 57,700 people, residents of 50 villages in Demdema block and more than 66,400, residents of 104 villages in Selsella block have been affected due to the floods. The low lying areas of Shillong are also flooded.By Sowmya Sangam
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Nirmala Sitharaman to Present Budget 2019 Shortly July 05, 2019 10:48
The Union Budget 2019 will be presented at 11 a.m. Friday by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. This will be her maiden budget after being sworn in as the new finance minister. She will reach the Parliament with Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur. In Nirmala Sitharaman's maiden budget today, a big push for infrastructure spending, including roads and railways, is expected. This will be an attempt to drive growth which had slowed to a five-year low of 5.8 percent in the first three months of 2019. This time instead of the traditional budget briefcase, Nirmala Sitharaman was seen carrying the budget documents wrapped in red cloth with a golden ribbon and national emblem on top. One can watch live budget telecast on national television channels such as Doordarshan, Lok Sabha TV, Rajya Sabha TV. By Sowmya Sangam
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Rahul Gandhi Resigns, Senior Leader Motilal Vora Announced Congress' Interim President July 03, 2019 18:17
Hours after Rahul Gandhi quitting as Congress President, senior party leader Motilal Vora has been chosen to take over as the Congress president. Vora had earlier served as the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh.Rahul Gandhi stepped down from the top post of the party and said the party's working committee should meet immediately to decide on his successor."I am no longer the Congress president. I have already resigned. The CWC should convene a meeting immediately and decide on the new Congress president," he said when asked about the future course of the party.Taking moral responsibility for the party's poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi resigned as Congress president at a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on May 25, two days after the results were declared.The CWC rejected his resignation and authorized him to initiate changes in the party in order to revamp and restructure it at all levels.Congress leaders at various levels have been appealing to Gandhi to take back his resignation but he has been unrelenting. Some party workers are sitting on a 'dharna' outside the Congress headquarters, asking him to continue as president. There have also been several resignations of middle-rung leaders. And two days ago, the chief ministers of Congress-ruled states met Gandhi in an effort to make him change his mind. However, Rahul had been definite on his decision to quit as president. The Congress party had faced a major defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party secured 303 of total 544 seats.By Sowmya Sangam
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Heavy Rains in Mumbai: 52 Flights Canceled, 55 Diverted from Mumbai Airport July 02, 2019 15:44
As many as 52 flights were canceled and another 55 diverted to nearby airports due to the inclement weather and skidding of a SpiceJet aircraft at Mumbai airport Monday night, an official said Tuesday. Efforts are underway to remove the Boeing 737 aircraft from the runway and restore operations as early as possible, the official said. A city-bound SpiceJet flight from Jaipur carrying 167 passengers and crew overshot the runway at Mumbai airport Monday night after landing amid heavy rains, which have severely hit normal life in the city over the last two days. This was the second incident of a SpiceJet aircraft overshooting the runway in the past few days.On 30 June, SpiceJet flight from Bhopal veered off the runway at Surat airport due to heavy rainfall and wind. “A total of 52 flights have been canceled and another 55 diverted to the nearby airports due to the inclement weather and non-availability of the main runway since Monday late night,” said the official. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft is still stuck on the runway (09x27) and operations are being carried out from the secondary runway (14x32), the official said. “Efforts are underway to remove the aircraft from the main runway to bay area,” the official said, adding that it may take time to restore operations from the main runway as the continuous rain is hampering the aircraft rescue work.By Sowmya Sangam
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Mamata Banerjee Meets Protesting Doctors, Accepts Proposal to Set up Grievance Redressal Cell in Govt Hospitals June 17, 2019 17:56
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday held a meeting with representatives of protesting doctors at Nabanna. According to reports, Banerjee has accepted the proposal of doctors to set up Grievance Redressal Cell in Government Hospitals. She also directed Kolkata Police commissioner Anuj Sharma to deploy a nodal police officer in every hospital. The meeting was held at an auditorium adjacent to the state secretariat in Howrah. The meeting was held as doctors' strike enters the seventh day in the state. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) government had earlier promised for the live telecast of the meeting, but later it backtracked. Banerjee on Saturday had extended an olive branch to the agitating doctors. Several doctors across the country have been protesting against the violence. The Indian Medical Association (IMA)-called protest intensified on Monday as junior doctors of the All India Institute of Medical Studies (AIIMS) in Delhi also joined the strike. By Sowmya Sangam
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AN32 Aircraft Crash: All 13 People on Board Dead, Confirms IAF June 13, 2019 16:03
All 13 people on board the AN-32 aircraft which crashed in Arunachal Pradesh are dead, the Indian Air Force (IAF) said after a team of rescuers searched the wreckage of the plane in a heavily forested mountainous terrain on Thursday. An IAF official said there were no survivors from the crash of the AN-32 aircraft. "IAF Pays tribute to the brave Air-warriors who lost their lives during the #An32 crash on 03 Jun 2019 and stands by with the families of the victims. May their soul rest in peace," an Indian Air Force (IAF) spokesperson said. Those who died in the crash are Wing Commander G M Charles, Squadron Leader H Vinod, Flight Lieutenants L R Thapa, MK Garg, Ashish Tanwar and Sumit Mohanty, Warrant officer K K Mishra, Sergeant Anoop Kumar, Corporal Sherin, LAC (leading aircraftman) S K Singh, LAC Pankaj, and non combatants Rajesh Kumar and Putali. AN-32, the Russian-originaircraft was on its way to Menchuka advanced landing ground near the border with China from Jorhat in Assam to Menchuka on June 3 when it lost contact around half-an-hour after taking off. The wreckage of the plane was spotted by an IAF chopper on Tuesday at a height of 12,000 ft near Gatte village on the border of Siang and Shi-Yomi districts, after eight days of a massive search operation involving a fleet of aircraft and choppers as well as ground forces. A 15-member team of rescuers was sent look for survivors in the accident Wednesday and eight of them reached the crash site on Thursday morning, an IAF official said. By Sowmya Sangam
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Wreckage of IAF's Missing AN-32 Plane Found June 11, 2019 18:18
After nine days of the around-the-clock search operation for the missing AN-32 aircraft, the security forces have finally succeeded in locating the military plane. According to the statement issued by the Indian Air Force (IAF), parts of the ill-fated military plane has been recovered from north of Lipo region in Arunachal Pradesh. The IAF, which had deployed MI-17 chopper for aerial surveillance on Tuesday, spotted the wreckage of AN-32 aircraft nearly 16 kilometers to the north of Lipo region. "The wreckage of the missing AN-32 was spotted today 16 Kms North of Lipo, North East of Tato at an approximate elevation of 12,000 feet by the IAF Mi-17 Helicopter undertaking search in the expanded search zone," the IAF said in its statement. The wreckage of the missing #An32 was spotted today 16 Kms North of Lipo, North East of Tato at an approximate elevation of 12000 ft by the #IAF Mi-17 Helicopter undertaking search in the expanded search zone.. — Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) June 11, 2019 The AN-32 aircraft had gone missing on June 3, shortly after taking off from Jorhat at around 12:27 p.m., and was scheduled to reach Mechuka at 1:30 p.m. However, it went off radar nearly 33 minutes after the take-off. A total of 13 people were on board the plane, which is used by the IAF for transportation purpose. All of them are feared to be killed in the accident. By Sowmya Sangam
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Red Alert Issued in Parts of Kerala as Monsoon Hits Kerala Coast June 08, 2019 15:49
India Meteorological Department issued a red alert in different parts of Kerala as the Southwest Monsoon winds struck the coast of Kerala on Saturday morning. The IMD has also issued a red alert in the four districts of Thrissur, Ernakulam, Malappuram, and Kozhikode.The IMD station in Thiruvananthapuram issued the red alert for Ernakulam, Malappuram, and Kozhikode on June 11, claiming that the three districts will receive heavy-to-heavy rainfall on Tuesday. A similar alert has been issued for Thrissur on June 10. An advisory has been issued for fishermen, warning them against venturing into the sea on the above dates."Monsoon has made an onset over Kerala today (June 8)," said India Meteorological Department's Director General-designate Mrutyunjay Mohapatra.Last year in August, Kerala witnessed one of its worst floods in which more than 350 people lost their lives.A red alert, which means ‘very heavy’ to ‘extremely heavy’ rainfall, has been issued in Thrissur district on June 10 and in Ernakulam, Malappuram, and Kozhikode districts on June 11.An orange alert, which means ‘heavy’ to ‘very heavy’ rainfall, has been issued in state capital Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, and Thrissur on June 9-10.The state disaster management authority has released a monsoon preparedness and disaster relief handbook. The document contains instructions for 30 departments on what needs to be done as part of the monsoon preparedness and disaster response. The incident response system, which was earlier only till the district level, has now been elevated up to the taluk level.The IMD has also predicted squally weather with winds reaching 35-45 kmph and likely to prevail over the southwest Arabian sea off the coast of Somalia, Lakshwadeep, Maldives area and Gulf of Mannar. Fishermen have been advised not to venture out to sea from June 7-11 in these areas. By Sowmya Sangam
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YS Jaganmohan Reddy Takes Oath as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister May 30, 2019 14:08
YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Thursday took the oath of office and secrecy at a grand public function at the Indira Gandhi Municipal International Stadium in nearby Vijayawada, becoming the second chief minister of Andhra Pradesh after its bifurcation. Reddy was administered the oath by Governor ESL Narasimhan at 12:23 p.m.The 46-year-old Jagan led his party to a resounding victory in the recent Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. The YSR Congress Party won 151 of the 175 seats in the state Assembly, eliminating the Telugu Desam Party headed by N Chandrababu Naidu, who became the first chief minister of the state after it was bifurcated to form out Telangana five years ago. YSRC won 22 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats.TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu has turned down an invitation to attend Jagan Mohan Reddy's swearing-in ceremony, news agency ANI has reported.Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president MK Stalin were among the dignitaries who attended the swearing-in ceremony.By Sowmya Sangam
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Arun Jaitley Writes to PM Modi Requesting Not to Induct Him in New Cabinet May 29, 2019 14:54
Arun Jaitley Writes To Narendra Modi, Says 'Request You Not to Induct Me In New Cabinet, Need to Concentrate On Health'A day ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of the Narendra Modi government, Arun Jaitley on Wednesday wrote a letter to the Prime Minister requesting him not to induct him in the new cabinet. In his letter to PM Narendra Modi, Arun Jaitley opted out of the new cabinet citing prolonged illness and said he needs time for treatment."I am writing to you formally request you that I should be allowed a reasonable time for myself, my treatment and my health and, therefore, not be a part of any responsibility, for the present, in the new Government," Jaitley wrote. Railways Minister Piyush Goyal may succeed Jaitley. Goyal served as the interim finance minister when Jaitley was undergoing treatment."During the last 18 months, I have had some serious health challenges. My doctors have enabled me to emerge out of most of them. After the campaign had concluded and you were leaving for Kedarnath, I had orally informed you that even though I was able to discharge the responsibilities assigned to me during the campaign, I would in future, for some time, like to keep away from any responsibility," Jaitley further wrote.Jaitley (66) is a key strategist of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and has not been attending office for the past three weeks. He did not attend the last cabinet meeting of the outgoing government. However, he went to the Finance Ministry for a customary meeting with top officials. This was his last engagement, a thanksgiving one, as Finance Minister.Jaitley was recently admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) but was later discharged. He had undergone a renal transplant surgery in May last year.By Sowmya Sangam
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