Congress: Govt delaying caste census, its intention is to grab headlines
A day after the notification for the upcoming Census was issued by the Centre, the Congress on Tuesday hit out at the government, alleging that the caste census was being delayed and the government's intention appears to be to 'grab headlines and manage the narrative'.
Congress general secretary Sachin Pilot also said the objective cannot just be to collect data on an individual's caste but to understand the living conditions of families and create policies to improve their lives.
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Hindustan Times
11 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Pact inked, decks cleared for 2nd Sainik School in Punjab
With the Punjab government and the Centre finally signing the long-pending agreement for the existing Sainik School in Kapurthala, the path has now been cleared for setting up a second Sainik School in a border district of the state. The state had proposed a new school in Dalla Gorian village of Gurdaspur district nearly 15 years ago, but the plan remained in limbo due to a stalemate between the Union ministry of defence and the Punjab government over the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for Sainik School, Kapurthala. The defence ministry had made this agreement a prerequisite for approving any new schools in the state. Officials familiar with the matter said the agreement between the state government and the Sainik Schools Society under the ministry of defence was signed in March this year, outlining their roles, responsibilities, and financial commitments in establishing and running such schools. The announcement regarding the signing of the agreement, which had been pending since 2006, was made by Punjab's defence services welfare minister Mohinder Bhagat on May 27. As per the agreement, the state government will now provide financial assistance of approximately ₹6 crore for staff salaries, pensions, NPS contributions, etc. So far, the funds were being given by the Centre as a special grant. 'The signing of this agreement has paved the way for the new school in the Majha region. We have already taken up this matter with higher authorities,' said one of the officials quoted above. The Sainik School in Gurdaspur was proposed by the Punjab government in December 2009, which also identified a 40-acre plot of land for its establishment. In June 2017, the central ministry conducted a site survey and found the area suitable for opening the school with a student strength of 250. 'There was no progress for years thereafter, as the plan got stalled over the agreement for the school in Kapurthala. However, we are hopeful now,' said the official, who did not wish to be named. The Kapurthala Sainik School was established in 1961 as a feeder institution for the armed forces. The school has been a source of pride for the state government, with an impressive list of alumni. During the previous government, Manpreet Singh Badal, the then finance minister, had met Union defence minister Rajnath Singh in 2021 and requested him to approve a school in Bathinda as well along with the one already proposed in Gurdaspur by the state government. At present, there are 33 Sainik Schools managed by the Sainik Schools Society, the nodal organisation for establishing and managing these schools across the country, with eight states having two or more of these prestigious institutions. The central government has also decided to set up 100 new Sainik Schools across the country in partnership mode with NGOs, state government schools, trusts and private schools.
Time of India
13 minutes ago
- Time of India
‘Blatant violation of democracy': TPCC chief Mahesh Goud testifies in Telangana phone tapping probe; Congress, BJP, TDP leaders targeted
HYDERABAD: TPCC president and MLC B Mahesh Kumar Goud on Tuesday accused the previous BRS govt of orchestrating a wide-ranging illegal phone tapping operation to suppress opposition voices and manipulate election outcomes. Mahesh Goud gave his statement as a witness in the phone tapping case being probed by the special investigation team and recorded his deposition before Jubilee Hills ACP P Venkatagiri. He alleged that over 650 political functionaries, including leaders from the Congress, BJP, and TDP, were targeted by the special operations team (SOT) at the Special Intelligence Branch (SIB) office between 2017 and 2023. "The officials informed me my number too was under surveillance. I've given a full statement without reservations," Mahesh Goud told the media. Calling it a "blatant violation of democratic norms," he demanded that cases be registered against former CM K Chandrasekhar Rao, BRS working president KT Rama Rao, and senior bureaucrats who, he alleged, facilitated the digital surveillance. He pointed out that the mass interception of calls, messages, and chats undermined the Congress campaign during 2018 polls. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Altenpfleger verrät: So zahlt die Pflegekasse Ihren Treppenlift Checkfox | Treppenlift Check Undo Sources said CM A Revanth Reddy and his family members' statements are also likely to be recorded by cops in connection with the case. Mahesh Goud claimed that the then chief secretary Somesh Kumar ignored warnings from him and then TPCC chief Revanth about tapping of their phones. He alleged that T Prabhakar Rao was installed as SIB chief to execute covert operation and that key hard disks were destroyed after the Congress came to power in Dec 2023. "They tried to brand us Naxalite sympathisers. It was a plot to smear us," he said. A SIT officer said over 4,000 phones were intercepted in Nov 2023. "We are recording statements from those whose numbers were tapped. None had any involvement in activities warranting surveillance," he noted. Congress Rajya Sabha MP M Anil Kumar Yadav, who also recorded his statement, said, "This explains how police placed us under house arrest every time we planned a protest." "Police will record statements from businessmen whose cash was seized based on intercepted calls, to verify whether the funds were legally accounted for," said an official.
Hans India
23 minutes ago
- Hans India
Snoopgate Probe: TPCC chief testifies before SIT; seeks stern action against guilty
Hyderabad: Designated as 'Maoist sympathisers', the phones of Congress leaders, including that of PCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud, were allegedly tapped during BRS regime. The State Congress party chief and other leaders recorded their statements as witnesses before the SIT (Special Investigation Team) of state police investigating the 'illegal phone tapping' on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters after his deposition, Mahesh Kumar Goud demanded that those involved in the phone tapping under the previous government be punished. He said the then ruling party leaders who ordered tapping of phones of their political rivals and the IAS and IPS officers who obeyed the orders should be punished. Mahesh Goud said the guilty should be punished strictly so that no government in the future would dare to indulge in such illegal and unethical activity. He claimed that the Congress party suffered defeats in Telangana due to illegal phone tapping of its leaders by the BRS government. He alleged that the BRS government tapped the phones of several Congress leaders. He said his and the Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy's phones were also tapped. The PCC president said that on suspicion that his phone was being tapped, he had lodged a complaint with the police. 'Today, the facts have come out. Phones of senior Congress leaders have been tapped since 2022. We learnt that there are names of 650 Congress leaders in the SIT's list whose phones were illegally tapped,' he said. Mahesh Goud also alleged that the previous government threw the Telegraph Act to the wind to indulge in illegal activity. Goud remarked that BRS leaders KCR and KTR should hang their heads in shame for indulging in this act. The state Congress chief said the SIT investigations are revealing how the BRS misused power to resort to phone tapping. He said the previous government appointed T Prabhakar Rao as intelligence chief after his retirement. He claimed that such a thing did not happen anywhere in the country. The Congress leader, who served as the working president of the TPCC in November 2023, was allegedly a victim of illegal phone tapping.
