Latest news with #K.C.Venugopal
India.com
29-05-2025
- Politics
- India.com
NHAI, Transport Ministry Admit Design Flaws In Kerala's NH 66: KC Venugopal
New Delhi/Malappuram: Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman and senior Congress leader K.C. Venugopal on Thursday said that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways have admitted to lapses, including a design failure, in the under-construction stretches of National Highway 66 in Kerala. Speaking to the media in New Delhi after a meeting of the PAC, Venugopal said that both the NHAI and the Transport Secretary acknowledged technical snags during the review, including flaws in the project's design, which have led to the crumbling of road segments in multiple districts. 'At the meeting, NHAI and the Transport Secretary accepted that technical failures, especially in design, were behind the damage to NH 66. Alarmingly, it has emerged that the final design was made by the contractor,' Venugopal said. The PAC also raised concerns over procedural lapses. Venugopal noted that during the interaction, it was revealed there was no high-level technical committee in place for quality assurance. 'In the case of the collapsed stretch at Kuriyad in Malappuram, locals had long warned that the highway should have been elevated, as it passes through a paddy field. These warnings were ignored,' he said. The PAC has now asked the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to conduct a performance audit, including a detailed review of the design. Venugopal added that the PAC has directed the NHAI chairman to visit Kerala for a three-day inspection starting Saturday, not just to Kuriyad but to other sites as well. A three-member technical committee comprising senior experts has also been formed, which has been tasked with submitting a report to the PAC within three weeks. 'We have asked for a comprehensive report detailing what went wrong and what corrective measures will be taken,' Venugopal said. Venugopal also took a swipe at Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his son-in-law, PWD Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas, accusing them of silence after initially taking credit for the project. 'Until the NH 66 collapses came to light, both the Chief Minister and the PWD Minister were boasting about the project. Now, they have gone quiet,' he remarked. Venugopal had visited NH 66 sites in Kerala on Wednesday and raised strong objections to the construction standards and lack of oversight.
The Hindu
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Laxman, K.C. Venugopal for Fiji Islands
Rajya Sabha and BJP national OBC Morcha president K. Laxman along with PAC chairman and Congress MP K.C. Venugopal will be representing the country in the Asia Pacific Regional Workshop being jointly organised by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association of UK and the Parliament of the Republic of Fiji in Nadi, Fiji Islands from May 19 to 21. Invited MPs will deliberate on the functioning and efficacy of the public accounts committees in the respective democracies. Mr. Laxman will also be delivering a talk on – 'Assessing PAC effectiveness, measuring impact, and enhancing performance', said a press release.
The Hindu
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Congress holds ‘Jai Hind Yatra' to express solidarity with armed forces
In a show of support for the armed forces, the Congress on Friday (May 9, 2025) organised the 'Jai Hind Yatra' in several States, citing the need to boost morale in light of the recent escalation in tensions between India and Pakistan. Also read: Operation Sindoor updates on May 9, 2025 In the national capital, the march commenced from Jantar Mantar and witnessed the participation of senior party leaders, including general secretaries K.C. Venugopal and Sachin Pilot, treasurer Ajay Maken, head of media and publicity Pawan Khera, and Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav. Carrying the national flag, the leaders led the procession in a symbolic gesture of unity and resolve. Similar marches were held in other parts of the country, with senior Congress leaders joining citizens in expressing solidarity with the armed forces. Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, issued a strong statement on social media platform X, asserting that India had once again been provoked and its patience tested. 'History is witness that whenever someone has challenged India's self-respect and self-esteem, we have responded decisively,' he wrote. Mr. Ramesh further added, 'When our soldiers roar with the passion to sacrifice every drop of blood for this land, the enemy trembles. Terrorists have ruthlessly taken innocent lives and will be held accountable.' The Congress's mobilisation comes amid rising public sentiment around national security, with political parties across the spectrum voicing support for the armed forces.
Hans India
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Congress' big plans on caste census issue, to hold nationwide rallies
New Delhi: The Congress party has asked its leaders to aggressively take up the caste census issue during the 'Samvidhan Bachao (Save the Constitution)' rallies in the country. Congress has been holding the Samvidhan Bachao rallies in all the states across the nation since April 25, and now wants its leaders to take up the CWC resolutions on the caste census also. The party on Saturday issued a circular, named "Implementation of CWC Resolution on Caste Census – during the Scheduled Samvidhan Bachao Rallies" to its state chiefs, Congress legislature party leaders, general secretaries, secretaries and all of its frontal organisations. The circular issued by party general secretary K.C. Venugopal said that after 'sustained and principled pressure from the Indian National Congress, the Modi Government, which had long ridiculed, delayed, and dismissed the demand, has now been compelled to accept the genuine and democratic call for a caste-wise census'. It said that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had formally written to the Prime Minister on the issue, reiterating the party's demand for an updated and comprehensive caste census. Rahul Gandhi has also firmly asserted that social justice requires a caste census. On May 2, the Congress Working Committee held detailed deliberations on the issue of the caste census. The CWC Resolution passed in this meeting demanded: immediate implementation of Article 15(5) of the Constitution to enable reservations for OBCs, Dalits, and Adivasis in private educational institutions; the caste census be conducted without delay, avoiding any pretext or bureaucratic evasion; a transparent, time-bound process, including immediate Parliamentary debate and full budgetary allocation; a participatory and inclusive approach in designing the questionnaire, enumeration, classification, and publication of data; and the use of updated caste data to review and strengthen policies on reservation, education, employment, and targeted welfare. The party has also listed action points for its state chiefs -- to raise this demand "vocally and visibly" in the upcoming Samvidhan Bachao Rallies scheduled to be held across all states and districts. It has also asked the party cadre to particularly demand the immediate implementation of Article 15(5), also constitute state-level control rooms under the PCCs to monitor implementation, and to appoint dedicated observers at the district level to oversee and coordinate all activities and reporting. The party has asked its leader to undertake activities during the Assembly-level Samvidhan Bachao rallies and house-to-house campaigns scheduled till May 30. These include: organising Chaupal meetings with active participation from social activists, civil society activists, teachers, lawyers, shopkeepers, SHG members, and Bahujan communities; disseminating the Congress Party's historical and ongoing commitments at the grassroots level, including the leadership role played by Rahul Gandhi; exposing the BJP's anti-Bahujan ideology, its resistance to caste enumeration, and its efforts to suppress social justice; mobilising broad-based public support for the caste census and full implementation of Article 15(5). It has also asked the party leaders to hold state-wise press conferences in each Assembly constituency, with regular media briefings at the Assembly level, coordinated with the AICC Communication Department. All PCCs must work closely with the AICC Social Media Department to ensure that party workers, youth leaders, and elected representatives actively post on all platforms, amplifying -- the Congress Party's demand for a caste census, the leadership role of Rahul Gandhi and the CWC resolution, and the BJP's record of caste denial and anti-Bahujan actions. Venugopal has also asked the leaders to treat this campaign with top priority and submit weekly reports on the progress of each action point. Recently, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central government gave its nod to conduct a caste census in the upcoming national enumeration.
