‘A drop of water in desert': Oppn slams Tripura govt as CM Saha distributes 288 appointment letters
Criticising the BJP-led Tripura government, Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury said over 51,000 posts lay vacant across departments and that 288 appointment letters distributed on Sunday amounted to just 'a drop of water in the desert'.
Chaudhury's statement came shortly after Chief Minister Manik Saha distributed appointment letters to 66 undergraduate teachers and 162 graduate teachers in the education department.
'As many as 20,000 posts are lying vacant in the education department. A few days back, the ministers provided these figures during the Assembly's budget session in reply to our legislators' questions. It was found that over 51,000 posts were lying vacant. Still, data from 18-19 departments are yet to be received,' the CPM leader said.
At the event, Saha said 17,554 candidates had been appointed since the BJP -led government came to power in 2018. He also said all the appointments were merit-based unlike during the erstwhile Left Front rule, when jobs were given allegedly along political party lines.
Reacting to Saha's statement, Chaudhury alleged that people from West Bengal had secured government jobs in Tripura using fake residency certificates. 'How did youths from West Bengal get jobs in Group D posts without having Permanent Resident of Tripura Certificates? Bengal youths don't have PRTC…those are fake certificates,' the CPM leader said.
Chaudhury also pointed to how a local governance body member in Kamalpur of Dhalai district was allegedly appointed to the jail department. 'A video circulating on social media shows a BJP nagar panchayat member in police uniform. No one knows when she appeared for or cleared the interview,' he said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Maharashtra Assembly polls in 2024 were blueprint for rigging democracy: Rahul Gandhi
The Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Saturday, alleged that the Maharashtra assembly election held in November 2024 was "rigged", and claimed that the same will be repeated in Bihar assembly polls due later this year. In a post on X, Gandhi shared his article published in a newspaper, explaining the "rigging" in the Maharashtra assembly polls. "Maharashtra assembly elections in 2024 were a blueprint for rigging democracy. My article shows how this happened, step by step," Gandhi said on X. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like B. Tech. Engineering Technology For Working Professionals. BITS Pilani WILP Apply Now Undo The former Congress President explained a five-point process. He said that step one includes rigging the panel that appoints the Election Commission, followed by adding fake voters to the electoral roll. He further claimed that the next steps include inflating the voter turnout, targeting the bogus voting exactly where the BJP needs to win and hiding the evidence. Live Events "Step 1: Rig the panel for appointing the Election Commission; Step 2: Add fake voters to the roll; Step 3: Inflate voter turnout; Step 4: Target the bogus voting exactly where BJP needs to win; Step 5: Hide the evidence," Gandhi said. He further labelled rigging as "match-fixing", saying that the side cheats might win the game but damage institutions and destroy public faith in the result. "It's not hard to see why the BJP was so desperate in Maharashtra. But rigging is like match-fixing - the side that cheats might win the game but will damage institutions and destroy public faith in the result. All concerned Indians must see the evidence. Judge for themselves. Demand answers," the Rae Bareli MP said. Gandhi warned that the "match-fixing" of Maharashtra would come to Bihar next, where the polls are due later this year, and then "anywhere" the BJP was losing elections. "Match-fixed elections are a poison for any democracy," he added. The Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024 witnessed a decisive victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance, securing a landslide win with 235 seats. The results marked a significant milestone for the BJP, which emerged as the single-largest party with 132 seats. The Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party, part of the Mahayuti alliance, also made notable gains, with 57 and 41 seats, respectively. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a major setback with Congress winning just 16 seats. Its alliance partner, Shiv Sena (UBT), won 20 seats, while the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) secured only 10 seats. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has earlier cleared misconceptions on voter turnout amidst concerns raised by the Congress party after the Maharashtra Assembly elections. In its detailed response to the Congress party, the apex poll body explained the process behind the aggregation of voter turnout data during the election. In a letter to the Congress Party, the ECI had explained how an increase in voter turnout from 5 pm to 11:45 pm is normal as part of the process of aggregation of voter turnout and how there can be fide but inconsequential differences in Votes polled and Votes Counted data. The poll body categorically affirmed that it is impossible to change actual voter turnout, as statutory Form 17C giving details of voter turnout is available with authorised agents of candidates at the time of close of poll at the polling station itself. On the allegation of arbitrary additions or deletions of voters, ECI had said that there were no arbitrary additions or deletions in Maharashtra.
India.com
an hour ago
- India.com
269 Million People Lifted Out Of Extreme Poverty In India Over 11 Years: World Bank
New Delhi: In a significant feat under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visionary government, India has made key strides in the last decade in reducing its extreme poverty rate, which fell to 5.3 per cent in 2022–23 from 27.1 per cent in 2011–12, latest World Bank data has revealed. About 75.24 million people were living in extreme poverty in India during 2022–23, a massive drop from 344.47 million in 2011–12. According to the World Bank data, this means 269 million individuals were lifted out of extreme poverty over approximately 11 years. Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh, which collectively accounted for 65 per cent of India's extreme poor in 2011–12, contributed to two-thirds of the overall decline in extreme poverty by 2022–23. 'In absolute terms, people living in extreme poverty fell from 344.47 million to just 75.24 million,' showed latest data from the World Bank. The World Bank's assessment, based on the $3.00 per day international poverty line (using 2021 prices), shows a broad-based reduction across both rural and urban areas. At $2.15 daily consumption — the earlier poverty line based on 2017 prices — the share of Indians living in extreme poverty is 2.3 per cent, which is significantly lower than 16.2 per cent in 2011-12, according to the World Bank's estimates. The number of people living below the $2.15-per-day poverty line is recorded at 33.66 million in 2022, down from 205.93 million in 2011, as per the latest data. The data further showed that this sharp decline was uniformly observed, with rural extreme poverty falling from 18.4 per cent to 2.8 per cent and urban extreme poverty reducing from 10.7 per cent to 1.1 per cent in the last 11 years. Moreover, India has also made remarkable progress in reducing multidimensional poverty. The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) dropped from 53.8 per cent in 2005–06 to 16.4 per cent by 2019–21 and further declined to 15.5 per cent in 2022–23, according to the data. As the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre completes 11 years in office, PM Modi has highlighted the pathbreaking steps taken by the Centre for the uplift of people from poverty and its focus on empowerment, infrastructure and inclusion. Initiative like PM Awas Yojana, PM Ujjwala Yojana, Jan Dhan Yojana and Ayushman Bharat have enhanced access to housing, clean cooking fuel, banking and healthcare. Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), digital inclusion and a robust rural infrastructure have ensured transparency and faster delivery of benefits till the last mile, helping over 25 crore people defeat poverty.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Democratic states double down on laws resisting Trump's immigration crackdown
As President Donald Trump's administration targets states and local governments for not cooperating with federal immigration authorities, lawmakers in some Democratic-led states are intensifying their resistance by strengthening state laws restricting such cooperation. In California alone, more than a dozen pro-immigrant bills passed either the Assembly or Senate this week, including one prohibiting schools from allowing federal immigration officials into nonpublic areas without a judicial warrant. Other state measures have sought to protect immigrants in housing, employment and police encounters, even as Trump's administration has ramped up arrests as part of his plan for mass deportations. In Connecticut, legislation pending before Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont would expand a law that already limits when law enforcement officers can cooperate with federal requests to detain immigrants. Among other things, it would let 'any aggrieved person' sue municipalities for alleged violations of the state's Trust Act. Two days after lawmakers gave final approval to the measure, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security included Connecticut on a list of hundreds of 'sanctuary jurisdictions' obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws. The list later was removed from the department's website after criticism that it errantly included some local governments that support Trump's immigration policies. Since taking office in January, Trump has enlisted hundreds of state and local law enforcement agencies to help identify immigrants in the U.S. illegally and detain them for potential deportation. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement now lists 640 such cooperative agreements, a nearly fivefold increase under Trump. Trump also has lifted longtime rules restricting immigration enforcement near schools, churches and hospitals, and ordered federal prosecutors to investigate state or local officials believed to be interfering with his crackdown on illegal immigration. The Department of Justice sued Colorado, Illinois and New York, as well as several cities in those states and New Jersey, alleging their policies violate the U.S. Constitution or federal immigration laws. Just three weeks after Colorado was sued, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed a wide-ranging law expanding the state's protections for immigrants. Among other things, it bars jails from delaying the release of inmates for immigration enforcement and allows penalties of up to $50,000 for public schools, colleges, libraries, child care centers and health care facilities that collect information about people's immigration status, with some exceptions. Polis rejected the administration's description of Colorado as a 'sanctuary state,' asserting that law officers remain 'deeply committed' to working with federal authorities on criminal investigations. 'But to be clear, state and local law enforcement cannot be commandeered to enforce federal civil immigration laws,' Polis said in a bill-signing statement. Illinois also has continued to press pro-immigrant legislation. A bill recently given final approval says no child can be denied a free public education because of immigration status — something already guaranteed nationwide under a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision. Supporters say the state legislation provides a backstop in case court precedent is overturned. The bill also requires schools to develop policies on handling requests from federal immigration officials and allows lawsuits for alleged violations of the measure. Democratic-led states are pursuing a wide range of means to protect immigrants. A new Oregon law bars landlords from inquiring about the immigration status of tenants or applicants. New laws in Washington declare it unprofessional conduct for bail bond agents to enforce civil immigration warrants, prohibit employers from using immigration status to threaten workers and let employees use paid sick leave to attend immigration proceedings for themselves or family members. Vermont last month repealed a state law that let law enforcement agencies enter into immigration enforcement agreements with federal authorities during state or national emergencies. They now need special permission from the governor to do so. As passed by the House, Maryland legislation also would have barred local governments from reaching immigration enforcement agreements with the federal government. That provision was removed in the Senate following pushback from some of the seven Maryland counties that currently have agreements. The final version, which took effect as law at the start of June, forbids public schools and libraries from granting federal immigration authorities access to nonpublic areas without a judicial warrant or 'exigent circumstances.' Maryland Del. Nicole Williams said residents' concerns about Trump's immigration policies prompted her to sponsor the legislation. 'We believe that diversity is our strength, and our role as elected officials is to make sure that all of the residents within our community — regardless of their background — feel safe and comfortable,' Williams said. Though legislation advancing in Democratic states may shield against Trump's policies, 'I would say it's more so to send a message to immigrant communities to let them know that they are welcome,' said Juan Avilez, a policy associate at the American Immigration Council, a nonprofit advocacy group. In California, a law that took effect in 2018 already requires public schools to adopt policies 'limiting assistance with immigration enforcement to the fullest extent possible.' Some schools have readily applied the law. When DHS officers attempted a welfare check on migrant children at two Los Angeles elementary schools in April, they were denied access by both principals. Legislation passed by the state Senate would reinforce such policies by specifically requiring a judicial warrant for public schools to let immigration authorities into nonpublic areas, allow students to be questioned or disclose information about students and their families. 'Having ICE in our schools means that you'll have parents who will not want to send their kids to school at all,' Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener said in support of the bill. But some Republicans said the measure was 'injecting partisan immigration policies' into schools. 'We have yet to see a case in California where we have scary people in masks entering schools and ripping children away,' said state Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil. 'Let's stop these fear tactics that do us an injustice.' Associated Press writers Susan Haigh, Trân Nguyễn, Jesse Bedayn, John O'Connor and Brian Witte contributed to this report.
