logo
GVMC council meeting likely to be held on June 6

GVMC council meeting likely to be held on June 6

The Hindu25-05-2025

The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) council meeting is expected to be held on June 6. If all goes according to plan, this will be the first official council meeting of the year, and the first since the NDA assumed leadership of the GVMC, including the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor. The last council meeting was held in December 2024.
Earlier this year, the GVMC conducted a special budget meeting at the end of March. However, it was not attended by corporators from the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), as NDA leaders had proposed introducing a no-confidence motion at that time.
A senior NDA corporator said on condition of anonymity that though there were initial plans to hold the council meeting by the end of this month, it was postponed to avoid a clash with the TDP Mahanadu event. 'Many TDP corporators and senior leaders will not be available during that time.'
The corporator noted that several proposals have been pending as no council and standing committee meetings were held over the past few months. He added that the corporation needs to kickstart monsoon preparations, including measures to prevent spread of seasonal diseases.
Sources said the GVMC officials have begun finalising proposals such as those relating to desilting and streetlighting. Some previously approved administrative works are also expected to be included in the agenda. Given that the council meeting is being convened after a long gap, sources indicate that corporators may be allotted extended time during the question hour.
Meanwhile, NDA corporators are reportedly urging the government to appoint a full-time commissioner for the corporation ahead of the proposed council meeting. Recently, some leaders met Minister for Municipal Administration P. Narayana during his recent visit to the city and submitted representations, in which they stated that the corporation has no fulltime commissioner, since January-end, which is directly affecting the civic body's functioning.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Middle class in focus, says govt; highlights gains from pensions, tax relief, smart city push
Middle class in focus, says govt; highlights gains from pensions, tax relief, smart city push

Mint

time20 minutes ago

  • Mint

Middle class in focus, says govt; highlights gains from pensions, tax relief, smart city push

New Delhi: The Centre's policies aim to better equip middle-income families to face the future with confidence, an official statement said, highlighting the policy attention this segment will receive over the next four years. The statement, marking the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government's completion of the first year of its third term in office, also noted that 2.3 million central government employees will benefit from the new unified pension scheme (UPS) launched in April this year, which is a hybrid of contributory and assured models. The statement titled, 'the middle class story', discussed various measures implemented so far by the NDA government in taxation, pension, inflation reduction and connectivity. It said this segment of the population plays a vital role in India's growth story. UPS, which assures an employee a pension of 50% of the average basic pay drawn in the last one year before retirement, is open to those with at least 25 years of experience. For those with shorter service tenure, pension will be computed proportionately, with a minimum qualifying period of 10 years. They will get a minimum assured pension of ₹ 10,000 a month on retirement. If an employee passes away, then his family will receive 60% of the assured pension, the statement clarified. It is expected to benefit around 2.3 million central government employees, the statement said, adding that several state governments have also adopted this model, extending its coverage to over nine million individuals currently under the National Pension System. The statement also said the income tax relief announced in the Union budget for FY26 will benefit crores of salaried citizens. The budget had announced that individuals earning up to ₹ 12 lakh annually will now pay no income tax, except on special incomes like capital gains. With the standard deduction of ₹ 75,000, even those earning ₹ 12.75 lakh will pay no tax, the statement said. 'It shows a deep understanding of middle-class needs and comes despite the government giving up nearly ₹ 1 lakh crore in revenue,' the statement said. On the smart cities mission, the government said the plan, rolled out in 2015, saw 93% of the 7,545 approved projects completed by 2025, with a total investment of over ₹ 1.51 trillion.

Bihar has turned into crime capital of India, alleges Rahul
Bihar has turned into crime capital of India, alleges Rahul

The Print

timean hour ago

  • The Print

Bihar has turned into crime capital of India, alleges Rahul

'Bihar, once considered the land of peace and justice, has now turned into the crime capital of India,' the former Congress president asserted. Addressing the 'Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan' in Nalanda's Rajgir, Gandhi also took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for 'remaining silent' on US President Donald Trump's claims of brokering peace between India and Pakistan during the military conflict. Rajgir (Bihar), Jun 6 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday slammed the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in Bihar over the law and order situation, alleging that the state has turned into 'the crime capital of India'. Gandhi also said he was apprehensive whether the Centre could properly conduct the caste census 'with no officers from the OBC, Dalit or tribal communities finalising the questionnaire'. 'I am fighting for the caste census to save the Constitution and for the overall betterment of the country… Wherever we form government in future, we will remove the 50 per cent cap on reservation. It will start from Bihar,' he said. On the military conflict between India and Pakistan, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha added: 'A call came from Trump and Narendra Modi ji immediately surrendered. Trump himself has said it (about brokering peace) publicly at least 11 times. But, the PM is silent over the issue. I know he has nothing to say on this.' PTI CORR PKD RBT This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.

‘Tejashwi Yadav leading Bihar alliance coordination panel … not our mandate to announce anyone as CM face': Congress state in-charge
‘Tejashwi Yadav leading Bihar alliance coordination panel … not our mandate to announce anyone as CM face': Congress state in-charge

Indian Express

timean hour ago

  • Indian Express

‘Tejashwi Yadav leading Bihar alliance coordination panel … not our mandate to announce anyone as CM face': Congress state in-charge

As the NDA and INDIA bloc begin gearing up for the Bihar Assembly polls, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi visiting the state at regular intervals, the Congress's Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru speaks to The Indian Express about the party's revival strategy, ties with ally Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and the challenges posed by the ruling NDA and newcomer Prashant Kishor. Excerpts: * The Congress has been in the shadows in Bihar for almost 30 years now. How are you planning to re-energise the party? The Congress got so weak in the past that its repair will take time. But we have been working hard on all fronts, right from social justice to political justice. When we say political justice, we are talking about representational politics. Our Bihar team, led by Pradesh Congress Committee president Rajesh Kumar, will announce its committee soon. We will try for a much better social balance than in past teams. * There has been criticism that choosing Rajesh Kumar, a Dalit leader, as the state Congress chief is just symbolism… No. Rajesh Kumar has been associated with the party for a long time and has contributed immensely to the organisation. Along with Congress Legislature Party leader Shakil Ahmad Khan, he is our Bihar face. Rahul Gandhi has been focusing on representation from as many social segments as possible. We have also redone our district committees, giving good representation to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Extremely Backward Classes (EBC), minorities, and Dalits. * What is the Congress's strategy to convince voters? We have been talking about migration, unemployment, poor quality education, and greater participation of women in politics, government and non-government sectors. Rahul Gandhi has been addressing 'Samvidhan Bachao (Save the Constitution)' meetings. He also met EBC, OBC, and Dalit students in Darbhanga. The Bihar government has been so terrified by our plans to reach out to students that they tried their best to stop Rahul Gandhi from meeting the students. Haven't BJP and JD(U) leaders organised functions in schools and colleges? But they foisted a false case on our leader for holding a meeting without permission. * What do you make of the Centre announcing a caste enumeration in the next population Census? They have done so under our pressure. The demand for a nationwide caste census has been our agenda. We still think that the NDA is not serious about it. Their conscience is not clear. Had it been so, it would have devised policies as per the findings of the Bihar caste-based survey. But we will keep talking about it in a phased manner through meetings and yatras. Rahul Gandhi is in Nalanda on June 6 to further pitch for social and political justice. * How are the Congress's ties with the RJD? Is Tejashwi Yadav the leader or the chief ministerial face of Mahagathbandhan? Our INDIA bloc allies have their distinct strengths. We have to complement and supplement one another. The coordination committee is the supreme body for discussing all issues, from joint rallies to seat sharing. There have been coordination committee meetings at the district level, too. As for Tejashwi, he is the leader of the coordination committee. It is not the Congress's mandate to announce anyone as the CM face. It is the collective job of all allies to announce their leader at the right time. * Is the 'jungle raj' tag for the RJD holding the Congress back from declaring Tejashwi as the Mahagathbandhan's leader? The real 'jungle raj' is being witnessed under the current NDA regime. One can see the rising graph of crime in recent times. There has been too much interference from the bureaucracy in governance. * Is there any concern that you may end up contesting fewer seats as part of the alliance since it won just 19 of the 70 seats it contested in 2020? We cannot speculate on seat sharing. We aim for a strong Congress that will make the INDIA bloc stronger. Our campaign is not region-specific; our focus is on quality seats. Seat sharing will be completed well ahead of the polls. * What is the Congress's view on National Students' Union of India (NSUI) in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar's role? Can one see Tejashwi and Kanhaiya sharing the dais during campaign events? Kanhaiya is a very good orator. People come to listen to him. He connects well with people. We hope Tejashwi and Kanhaiya share the dais. This is more a matter of perception than reality. We have a vast line-up of leaders who will campaign in Bihar. Besides national party president Mallikarjun Kharge and LoP Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Sachin Pilot, and other senior leaders will campaign. * Will the NDA's nationalism pitch following Operation Sindoor make things tough for the Opposition in the elections? Ours is a win-win alliance. On the contrary, we see the NDA constituents wavering. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has switched sides so many times that we will not be surprised if he does it again. LJP (RV) leader Chirag Paswan looks non-committal towards the NDA with his recent statements (on wanting to contest the Assembly polls). Rashtriya Lok Morcha leader Upendra Kushwaha is also wavering. As for the nationalistic pitch around Operation Sindoor, US President Donald Trump exposed the myth of Narendra Modi's nationalism with his social media post on brokering the ceasefire between India and Pakistan. * How big a factor will Nitish Kumar be? Nitish Kumar is a nice person. But he is no longer running his party or the government. A handful of people have taken control over him. He has not been able to provide employment. Nor could he bring big industries to Bihar as was done during the Congress's rule. Whatever little employment the Bihar government could give, it was during the Mahagathbandhan government. * Will Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor be a factor in the Assembly polls? He is trying hard to be a factor. But he is struggling.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store