Delhi Confidential: String of meetings
Union Minister J P Nadda was last week occupied in meetings with officials and stakeholders of the programmes run by the ministries he is in charge of. After holding a meeting with the Indian Chemical Council on Tuesday, he met officials from Central government hospitals on the Kayakalp scheme for cleanliness and hygiene in healthcare institutions, and then on Friday met representatives of the fertiliser companies ahead of the Kharif season. The string of meetings took place at a time when India was participating in the ongoing World Health Assembly, where the PM through a video message reiterated the country's commitment to inclusive healthcare.
Special Focus
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati at a recent meeting in New Delhi divided the state units in three sectors, appointing a coordinator for each — Ramji Gautam, Randhir Singh Beniwal and Raja Ram. She, however, kept Uttar Pradesh with herself, leaving only a small Saharanpur zone of western UP for Beniwal who is a resident of Saharanpur. Party sources say since UP is the home turf of the BSP, Mayawati is paying special attention to the state ahead of the 2027 Assembly polls.
Praise From PM
At a time when the Armed Forces are getting accolades for the success of Operation Sindoor, the ITBP — India's frontline force on the China border — received special praise from PM Narendra Modi in his Mann Ki Baat on Sunday. The PM praised the force not only for scaling Mount Makalu but also for removing over 150 kg of plastic waste from the mountain. 'Just imagine a person is climbing snowy mountains, where it is difficult to breathe and there is danger to life at every step, and still that person is engaged in cleaning there,' the PM said in a message to motivate people to maintain cleanliness.
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The Hindu
36 minutes ago
- The Hindu
A renewed OBC outreach in Uttar Pradesh
In Uttar Pradesh, political parties are focused on mobilising the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), which are estimated to comprise more than 40% of the State's population and consist of about 48 caste segments. This move comes against the backdrop of the Centre's announcement that caste enumeration will be part of the Census in 2027. On June 14, the Congress began a month-long outreach campaign called Bhagidari Nyay Sammelan, with the aim of reaching out to the OBCs. The party has started holding conferences across the State to raise awareness about the declining employment opportunities for OBCs. It is also organising village-level 'chaupal' campaigns to sensitise people on the importance of a caste census and an economic survey. It plans to hold district-level marches on the need to increase the reservation cap beyond 50%. Congress leaders have said that they will raise caste-centric issues of various OBC segments, such as the Kurmis, Noniyas, Binds, Mauryas, Kushwahas, Rajbhars, Pals, Nishads, Nais, Mallahs, and Prajapatis. The party is confident of its OBC-centric approach in U.P. since Rahul Gandhi's recurrent pitch for a caste census during the party's campaign to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was moderately successful. Similarly, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has started organising OBC cadre camps in various Assembly constituencies across the State in a bid to attract the OBCs, especially groups that are extremely backward and which used to vote for the party along with Dalits in the 1990s and 2000s. The party is keen to remind OBC voters about the welfare measures launched for the segment by previous BSP governments under Mayawati. The reports of these cadre camps will be analysed at the party's State headquarters. The focus on OBCs by the BSP, considered to be a Dalit-centric party, is evident from the party's choices for leadership: State president Vishwanath Pal, for instance, belongs to the Gadariya (OBC) community. In 1995 and 1997, Bhagwat Pal and Dayaram Pal, two OBC leaders, were at the helm of the party in the State and played a significant role in helping the BSP make inroads within OBC groups and dent the Mandal formula of the Samajwadi Party (SP). The BSP today is a shell of its past. The party won just one seat in the 2022 Assembly polls and secured a vote share of just 12.8%. Given its downfall, it is keen to occupy the Opposition space through its OBC outreach and prevent the SP from making the State a bi-polar political battlefield. The main rivals on the U.P. political chessboard — the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the SP — are also making attempts to garner the support of these social segments. SP president Akhilesh Yadav recently held meetings in Lucknow with social and political organisations of the Noniya and Rajbhar OBC groups. He promised them a slew of progressive measures if elected to power in the 2027 Assembly polls. Mr. Yadav also promised to build a statue of Maharaja Suheldev, considered an icon by the Rajbhar community, along the Gomti river in Lucknow. The SP has constantly emphasised that it is the party's PDA (Pichhda, Dalits and Alpsankhyak — meaning, backward castes, Dalits, and minority communities, respectively) plank and demand for a caste census that has pushed the BJP government to include caste enumeration in the 2027 Census. The BJP, which has been saying that its decision to include caste enumeration at the national level shows the party's push for social justice and upliftment of the OBCs, has been giving a lion's share of its organisational posts to OBC leaders. In its district president list, announced recently, the BJP had 25 OBC presidents. Of them, five are Kurmis, two are Lodhs, two are Mauryas, and one each is from the Yadav, Kushwaha, Rajbhar, Pal, Saini, Kashyap and Vaishya communities. The Kurmis are numerically significant among the OBCs; they constitute roughly 4% of the State's population. Last week, former minister and a prominent OBC face, Swami Prasad Maurya, launched a political front called Lok Morcha. This comprises nine small parties, led mostly by OBC leaders. The parties have coined the slogan, 'Jiski jitni sankha bhari, uski utni hissedari' (representation according to population), which is an old cry of OBC-centred parties. Evidently, no party is leaving any stone unturned to woo the OBCs.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
NHIDCL scraps contract for Aizwal tunnel project over security concerns
Aizawl: The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) has cancelled a key consultancy contract for supervising the construction of a 2.5km twin-tube tunnel on the eastern Aizawl Bypass, following a joint venture's failure to secure mandatory national security clearance from the ministry of home affairs. The contract, which was awarded on April 29 to a joint venture led by railway PSU Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) Limited in collaboration with Turkish partners, was scrapped last week after multiple reminders from the NHIDCL failed to elicit the required documentation. Officials said the security clearance was critical due to the tunnel's strategic location on NH-6, a lifeline in the northeastern region vulnerable to landslides and floods. The move comes close on the heels of India's cross-border military Operation Sindoor and reflects a broader shift in India's infrastructure policy — one that increasingly weighs foreign firms' geopolitical associations. Turkey's perceived alignment with Pakistan is understood to have raised red flags during the vetting process. According to official documents, NHIDCL had written to the joint venture on May 28, instructing them to furnish security clearance certificates. With no response forthcoming, the cancellation was done 'with immediate effect' on national security grounds. The project, which entails authority engineering services for the critical tunnel, will now be re-tendered or awarded to a fully vetted Indian firm, potentially delaying progress by up to a year. A senior official involved in the review said, "Any infrastructure in proximity to international borders or strategic terrain must meet strict security protocols. This is not just procedural — it's non-negotiable."
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Govt releases irrigation water to Krishna East Delta canals for Kharif season
1 2 Vijayawada: In a significant development for the agricultural community, the govt whip and Vijayawada Central MLA, Bonda Umamaheswara Rao, along with other officials, formally released irrigation water to the Krishna East Delta canals from Prakasam Barrage on Sunday, marking the beginning of the Kharif season. On the occasion, a special pooja ceremony was performed and a total of 1,000 cusecs of irrigation water was released, with 700 cusecs allocated to Ryves Canal and 300 cusecs to Bandar Canal, benefiting approximately 7.40 lakh acres of ayacut under the Krishna East Delta region. Umamaheswara Rao emphasized that the TDP-led NDA state govt is a pro-farmer administration that prioritizes the welfare of farmers and ensures timely release of irrigation water to aid in crop cultivation. He highlighted that, unlike previous govts, the present NDA govt releases water to canals according to the schedule. Gannavaram MLA Yarlagadda Venkat Rao noted that although the decision to release irrigation water was initially scheduled for June 10, it was deferred to June 15 as farmers were not prepared for agricultural operations. He criticized the previous YSRCP govt for causing hardships to farmers due to untimely release of irrigation water for both Kharif and Rabi crops. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Avanigadda MLA Mandali Buddha Prasad pointed out that the Avanigadda constituency, being a tail-end region in the Krishna delta, often faced severe losses due to neglect of canal maintenance and failure to remove debris. However, the present NDA govt has completed all necessary repairs and maintenance works, ensuring timely water release for crops. The event was attended by NTR district collector Dr G Lakshmisha, president of irrigation water consumer union federation Alla Venkata Gopala Krishna Rao, irrigation engineer-in-chief K Narasimha Murthy, and other officials.
