
Civil services aspirants set to get free coaching in Odishas Kalahandi
An MOU in this regard was signed between the Kalahandi district administration and Vision IAS, New Delhi, on the occasion of Independence Day, he said.
Vision IAS vice-president Deepali Chaturvedi and Kalahandi Collector Sachin Pawar signed the agreement to implement the mission under the CSR initiative of the private coaching institute, the district magistrate said in a post on X.
The district administration will provide the infrastructure facilities and Vision IAS will impart free coaching to a group of 60 students each year, selected on the basis of a written test and interview in both classroom and online mode, the official said.
Registrations will start from August 22, and the examination will be conducted on September 21, he said.
Chaturvedi said Vision IAS has taken similar initiative in the interiors of aspirational districts of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
In Odisha, this is the first such venture in Kalahandi district, the official said. Kalahandi is an aspirational district identified by the NITI Aayog for focused development under the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP).
The selected students will be provided coaching by experts in Bhawanipatna from the first week of October, he added. PTI CORR BBM RBT
view comments
First Published:
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Mint
22 minutes ago
- Mint
INDIA bloc mulls impeachment motion against CEC Gyanesh Kumar amid Rahul Gandhi's ‘Vote Chori' row
The Opposition INDIA bloc is planning to move an impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. The move will escalate the Opposition's confrontation with the Election Commission amid Rahul Gandhi's 'Vote Chori' allegation. Congress Rajya Sabha MP Syed Naseer Hussain told news agency ANI that the party is ready to use all democratic tools, including an impeachment motion if needed, though no formal discussions have been held so far. "If there is a need, we will use all the weapons of democracy under the rules. We have not had any discussions (about impeachment) as of now, but if needed, we can do anything," Hussain told ANI. While the Congress and other parties are in the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament, a 14-day notice period is a requirement for initiating an impeachment process against a President or Vice President in India and the CEC, as per the law. The Monsoon Session of Parliament resumed after Independence Day break on Monday. The INDIA bloc continued to protest against issued, including Bihar Special Intensive Revision (SIR). 'The ECI cannot relinquish its Constitutional duty and evade genuine queries of political parties. The 'Right to Vote' is the most important right, given to us by the Constitution of India. INDIA will protest any attempt to stifle Democracy,' Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said in a post on X. The decision comes a day after Kumar rebuked Rahul Gandhi over his 'Vote Chori' allegation and urged the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha to either sign an affidavit or apologise to the nation for his remarks, which he described as an 'insult' to the Constitution of India. The Election Commission's remarks came on a day when Rae Bareli Member of Parliament (MP) Rahul Gandhi launched his 1,300 km-long 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' from poll-bound Bihar's Sasaram to step up the Opposition INDIA bloc's campaign against its 'Vote Chori' (vote theft) claims. The CEC can only be removed in the same manner as a Supreme Court judge, requiring a motion of impeachment by Parliament, according to Article 324(5) of the Constitution. On 7 August, Rahul Gandhi had alleged 'vote chori (theft)' of 1,00,250 votesin an assembly of a Karnataka Lok Sabha constituency, with 11,965 duplicate voters in the segment, 40,009 voters with fake and invalid addresses, 10,452 bulk voters or single-address voters, 4,132 voters with invalid photos. After Sunday's press conference by CEC, the Opposition, Congress leader Pawan Khera said the remarks sounded like those of a BJP functionary rather than an independent constitutional authority. 'It seemed like BJP was speaking today. Did he give any response about the one lakh voters we exposed in Mahadevapura?' Khera asked. RJD leader Manoj Jha accused the Commission of ducking 'burning questions' while JMM MP Mahua Maji asked the poll body to clarify the authenticity of documents presented by Gandhi in his press conference. The INDIA bloc had moved an impeachment against former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar in December. The motion was rejected. Dhankhar quit as Vice President on 21 July. Key Takeaways The opposition is mobilizing against perceived electoral misconduct. Impeachment motions are a significant political tool in India, reflecting the gravity of electoral disputes. The ongoing tensions may lead to heightened political unrest and scrutiny of the Election Commission's actions.
&w=3840&q=100)

Business Standard
22 minutes ago
- Business Standard
PM's Diwali Dhamaka may come as GST cuts on small cars, insurance premiums
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Diwali 'dhamaka' for consumers may come in the form of cuts in Goods and Services Tax (GST) on small cars and insurance premiums. According to a report by Reuters, citing government sources, Centre has proposed lowering GST on small petrol and diesel cars to 18 per cent from 28 per cent, and reducing GST on health and life insurance premiums to 5 per cent from the current 18 per cent, or even exempting them entirely. If cleared, the relief package could be unveiled before Diwali in October, India's busiest retail season, and just weeks ahead of the Bihar Assembly election. PM Modi, in his Independence Day address, promised 'next generation' GST reforms to ease the burden on consumers and micro, small and medium enterprises. Larger GST overhaul in the works PM Modi's rationalisation agenda is built on three pillars, the Reuters report said. This includes structural reforms, rate simplification, and ease of living. It seeks to correct inverted duty structures, reduce classification disputes, and eventually move towards a simplified two-slab structure with standard and merit rates while phasing out the 12 per cent slab. Moreover, as the compensation cess on luxury and sin goods is set to end, the Centre sees an opportunity to use that room to cut GST on everyday and aspirational products without hurting revenues. Compensation cess expiry and GST review Compensation cess refers to the extra levy introduced in 2017 on luxury and sin goods such as coal, tobacco, aerated drinks, and large cars. It was designed to compensate states for revenue losses after GST replaced earlier state taxes like VAT and octroi. Originally meant to expire in 2022, the cess was extended until March 2026 to help cover revenue shortfalls caused by the pandemic. Once it lapses, the Centre will have greater flexibility to rationalise GST rates without relying on this additional revenue stream. Small cars to see turnaround Small cars, defined as those under four metres with petrol engines up to 1,200cc and diesel engines up to 1,500cc, have steadily lost ground to SUVs, shrinking from nearly half the passenger vehicle market pre-pandemic to about one-third of the 4.3 million units sold in FY24. A lower tax rate could help revive demand in this category, which remains significant for manufacturers such as Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motor India, and Tata Motors. Big cars may get costlier The government is also considering a 40 per cent special GST slab for larger vehicles, which currently attract 28 per cent GST plus a compensation cess of up to 22 per cent, taking the effective burden close to 50 per cent. Officials are weighing whether to impose supplementary levies to keep the final incidence within the existing 43-50 per cent band. Insurance relief on the cards Households may see additional relief through cheaper health and life insurance. Cutting GST to 5 per cent from 18 per cent or zero would help lower premiums and expand coverage in a country. GST Council to meet in September The matter has been referred to the Group of Ministers set up by the GST Council, which is expected to take place on September 9, according to a report by CNBC-TV18. If approved, the package would mark the most significant GST restructuring since 2017.
&w=3840&q=100)

Business Standard
22 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Op Sindoor made it clear who stands with India: Ex-principal adviser to MoD
Operation Sindoor made it clear who stands with India diplomatically, former principal adviser to the Ministry of Defence, Lieutenant General Vinod Khandare (retired) has said. War is a costly affair and leads to pressure on a country's economy, he further said, stressing that a lot of work needs to be done on civil defence as it will continue to remain a "vulnerability". The Army veteran was in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city on Sunday for an interaction with public on Operation Sindoor, during an event organised by a local NGO. India destroyed nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir with precision strikes in May as part of the Operation Sindoor in response to the April 22 Pahalgam massacre in which 26 persons were killed by terrorists. Asked about takeaways from the Operation Sindoor, Lt Gen Khandare told PTI, "It is clear that diplomatically who is there with you (India) and who is not. Internally it is clear where the problems or faultlines are. If you think comprehensively, the identification of faultlines has come out very clearly." The "selfish interests" have also become clear, he said. Besides, we have to work a lot on civil defence because it will continue to remain a vulnerability, he added. "Today, with the kind of missiles and the reach that you have, everything is approachable. We are ahead in critical technologies and research," he pointed out. He further said a major part of transformation is that the one who is going to use that technology should be proficient. From the lab to the battlefield, it is a complete chain. "I think we have understood where we have to stand," Lt Gen Khadare said. He also said there is a major issue in border areas that has to be addressed by state governments. "Drone attacks impact the civilians. What about their shelters? Border states should be the first to have some regulation that every home has a shelter beneath, like in Israel and Ukraine. I think we have to learn from others also so that we don't repeat mistakes which they ignored," he said. Asked during the public interaction why Operation Sindoor took a sudden pause when there was a "win-win" situation, Lt Gen Khandare said, "I was with the defence minister then and discussions take place on such things at different levels. War is a costly affair and pressure comes on the economy of a country." It is clear that we have to be a developed country by 2047, he noted. "We have hard choices at times, to indulge in war with a nonsensical country like Pakistan or teach them a lesson and get back to our work. We have to avoid the mistake that took place in Russia-Ukraine war," he said. Punishment can be given again if they (Pakistan) commit the mistake again, he added. People think in that manner (to continue Op Sindoor) from a patriotic point of view. But pragmatism says it has be thought about how much punishment is to be given and why, Lt Gen Khandare said. "The aim of our government was to damage or destroy had to teach a lesson to the terrorist organisations," he said. "We succeeded in that but they (Pakistan) targeted civilian areas which was unacceptable, so we targeted their military establishments. Some people think we would have gone for PoK. But it is a costly, deliberate operation and needs preparations," he added.