Men in Ladki Bahin Yojana list: Money will be recovered, says Dy CM Pawar; promises action
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New Indian Express
17 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Reforms in last 11 years led to transparent, sensitive, citizen-centric governance: PM Modi
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that sweeping reforms introduced by his government over the past 11 years have transformed India's governance model into one that is transparent, sensitive, and citizen-centric. Citing the success of the JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, and Mobile) trinity, Modi said that the initiative had plugged massive leakages in welfare schemes and prevented the theft of over Rs 4.30 lakh crore that was allegedly being siphoned off through 10 lakh fake beneficiaries under previous regimes. "Approximately 10 crore beneficiaries listed under various schemes such as the ration card, gas subsidy, and scholarships were found to be nonexistent. These individuals, who never actually existed, were being used by previous governments to funnel money to middlemen. However, these 10 crore fake names have now been removed from the list of beneficiaries by the incumbent government. According to an estimate, this cleanup has resulted in savings of over Rs 4.30 lakh crore, which would have otherwise gone into the wrong hands. Imagine theft of Rs 4.30 lakh crore. Now, this amount is being used for the development of this country," the prime minister said. PM Modi was speaking at an event at Kartavya Path after inaugurating Kartavya Bhavan (Common Central Secretariat Building) 3, the first of the 10 state-of-the-art Central government office complexes planned as part of the Central Vista redevelopment plan. These blocks will house offices of all ministries and associated departments, presently functioning from Shastri Bhawan, Krishi Bhawan, Udyog Bhawan, Nirman Bhawan, North and South Blocks and other buildings located at different locations.
Indian Express
17 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘Political greed of mayor and MLA has ruined Mohali': SAD district chief slams Kulwant Singh & Mayor Sidhu
Shiromani Akali Dal's Mohali district president Parvinder Singh Sohana has launched a fierce attack on Mohali Mayor Amarjit Singh Jeeti Sidhu and local MLA Kulwant Singh, blaming their 'political greed' for the decline of the city. Addressing a press conference Wednesday, Sohana alleged that 'both these leaders unite when it serves their interests, and at other times, they cross swords to fool the public'. He said that they have destroyed Mohali by prioritising their own political gains over public welfare. With the Municipal Corporation elections just months away, Sohana accused Mayor Sidhu of suddenly pretending to care about civic problems that he ignored for over four years. 'After four and a half years of corruption that financially ruined Mohali MC, the mayor now wants to act like a savior,' said Sohana, warning that residents will not fall for such tactics again. He questioned the Mayor's recent demand of Rs 600 crore from the government, asking, 'Where is the estimate for this? Where is it supposed to be spent? When was this discussed in any MC meeting?' Turning his criticism toward MLA Kulwant Singh, Sohana said the legislator has ignored the city's core issues. 'For the past one year and a half, garbage management has failed completely. People are falling sick, but the MLA is only busy with politics,' he stated. He also criticised Kulwant Singh's claim of using Samgoli village as a garbage dump. 'Will people not be living there? Is it right to dump our city's waste into someone else's backyard?' asked Sohana. On the issue of rainwater flooding, Sohana said both the Mayor and MLA were equally responsible. 'Every year, citizens suffer massive losses, but these two only play blame games while people become victims of their political rivalry.' He emphasised that the Shiromani Akali Dal government had earlier invested Rs 2,500 crore in developing Mohali's infrastructure, yet 'not even one-fifth of that has been brought in by the current Mayor and MLA, and whatever came wasn't spent properly'. Demanding accountability, Sohana said, 'Instead of troubling Mohali residents with their political enmity, these two leaders should either work sincerely for the betterment of the city or step down from their positions, owning up to their moral responsibility.'
Indian Express
17 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Tension after crowd forcefully opens Dadar Kabutarkhana to feed pigeons
Over a hundred members of the Jain community took to the streets Wednesday morning, forcefully opened the Dadar Kabutarkhana and offered grains to pigeons at a time when the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)'s closure of such feeding spots has ruffled feathers across quarters in the city. Anticipating the agitation and protest, BMC Tuesday sought police assistance in taking action against those who would be found feeding pigeons at public spaces. The protest comes a day after Maharashtra's Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis directed BMC to permit the feeding of pigeons in a controlled manner. Over the weekend, BMC shut the 92-year-old feeding spot in Dadar and lodged FIRs, much to the chagrin of animal rights activists and members of the Jain community for whom feeding pigeons holds religious significance. Tensions flared in Dadar where hundreds of Jain community members flocked to the Kabutarkhana. Some of them climbed atop the bamboo structure, and pulled down the tarpaulin sheets over the site, which the BMC had installed over the weekend. Following the partial removal of the cover, the crowd, led by women, climbed inside the feeding ground and offered grains to the pigeons even as the police attempted to control the protesters. Tucked in the bustling neighbourhood near Dadar railway station, Dadar Kabutarkhana — established in 1933 — is maintained by the Dadar Kabutarkhana Trust. According to members of the trust, over 980 pigeons had died in the vicinity over the past 3 days. 'It was to offer prayers, that a peace gathering had initially been planned on Wednesday. However, after our meeting with the Chief Minister where he spoke in favour of us, we had called off the gathering. Even as we had conveyed a message of the cancellation throughout the night, some members perhaps did not receive the message and gathered at the site on Wednesday morning,' said Sandeep Doshi from the Dadar Kabutarkhana Trust. He maintained that the extreme reactions were triggered by members outside of the Jain community, who had also gathered on Wednesday. 'Some other members from other communities also gathered and the extreme action was taken by them. While some things happened in the heat of the moment, we did not break anything, did not fight with the police nor the administration,' added Doshi. Even as the Mumbai Police had on Wednesday morning said that it was in the process of filing an FIR, officials said that no FIR was filed until Wednesday. 'We can file an FIR only on the basis of complaints filed by BMC, as the High Court had directed the BMC to take action on the matter,' an official from Mumbai Police told The Indian Express. Meanwhile, the BMC had not filed any complaints until Wednesday evening. Dadar Kabutarkhana is among the 44 feeding spots the civic body has initiated action against for pigeon feeding. Between July 13 and August 3, at least 141 people have been fined for feeding pigeons with the civic body collecting over Rs. 68,700 in penalties. Mumbai is home to at least 51 such Kabutarkhanas with the Maharashtra Government on July 3 calling for the closure of these feeding sites owing to concerns of public health hazards. However, BMC's stance on the closure of Kabutar Khanas gained further momentum after the Bombay High Court order issued on July 30, directing the civic body to lodge FIRs against those who 'illegally' and in a 'defiant' manner feed pigeons at Dadar West, among other feeding areas in Mumbai, despite the policy prohibiting the feeding. Amid the civic body shutting pigeon feeding across the city, members of the Jain community Monday staged a 'Shantidoot Yatra' from Colaba to the Gateway of India, appealing for the reversal of the decision. Meanwhile, as the protest subdued by Wednesday afternoon, the area continued to wear a tense look with the Mumbai police deploying its personnel while also later pressing in barricades. With the tarpaulin sheets and plastic cover partially removed, several pigeons returned into the central feeding spot while many continued to flutter around the grade-II heritage structure. As members of the Dadar Kabutarkhana trust maintained that the forceful opening was triggered by members outside of the community, the incident triggered reactions across the political spectrum. In the aftermath of the incident, Maharashtra cabinet minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha backed the Dadar Kabutarkhana Trust. He said, 'The Kabutarkhana trust had no role to play in this incident with the members maintaining that the incident was triggered by members of another community. Some people came here and the Jain community and monks had no role to play in the matter.' Earlier on August 4, Lodha had written to the civic chief, Bhushan Gagrani, calling for alternate feeding spots in the city. Meanwhile, Manisha Kayande, Shiv Sena UBT leader who had raised the issue of illegal Kabutarkhanas in council in July, said, 'Members of the Jain community tore the sheets which had been laid over the feeding site. This is a complete contempt of the High Court. This is no religious subject but in fact, a subject of medical science and concerns birds and animals. However, now, voices of people who have suffered ailments due to the pigeons have been completely stifled. How is this appropriate and who will help them?' 'There has been news today that some animal lovers and particularly members of the Jain community have done destruction at the Dadar Kabutarkhana. This is not true. As per the decision taken on Tuesday, people had only come there to feed birds by opening the tarpaulin,' Sandeep Bhandari, president of BJP's Jain cell said on Wednesday. Earlier on Tuesday, CM Fadnavis had directed BMC to facilitate feeding of pigeons in public spaces in a controlled manner to ensure that the birds do not starve. Even as the civic body maintained that the sites would remain closed until the Bombay High Court hearing on August 7, officials said BMC was exploring the options of feeding for staggered durations, following Fadnavis's directives.
