Latest news with #ShivrajSingh
Mint
3 days ago
- Business
- Mint
No proposal to enhance financial support under PM-KISAN: Agriculture minister
New Delhi, Aug 5 (PTI) There is no proposal under consideration to expand the coverage and quantum of financial support under the Pradhan Mantri Kishan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. Launched in February 2019, the PM-KISAN scheme aims to supplement the financial needs of farmers with cultivable land-holding with a financial assistance of ₹ 6,000 per year in three equal instalments. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh said the central government has disbursed over ₹ 3.9 lakh crore to farmers in 20 installments since inception of the scheme. "Currently, there is no proposal under consideration to expand the coverage and quantum of financial support under the PM-KISAN," Chouhan said in his written reply to the Lok Sabha. Further, ownership of cultivable landholding remains the primary criteria to avail benefits under the scheme, he said, while responding to a query on inclusion of tenant and sharecropping farmers under the scheme. The minister said the benefits of the PM-KISAN scheme are transferred to the beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode, based on the verified data received from states/UTs on the PM-KISAN portal. Asked if the Centre will consider replicating Tamil Nadu's "Uzhavan App" model to provide real-time weather, market and advisory data, the minister said, "Currently, there is no proposal under consideration." However, the government is implementing the Kisan Call Centre scheme to provide comprehensive support to farmers by addressing their enquiries and providing advisory related to various aspects of agriculture via telephonic communication in their preferred languages. These call centres operate from strategic locations throughout the country, ensuring coverage across all states and Union Territories. A dedicated common eleven-digit toll-free number, 1800-180-1551, has been established for the Kisan Call Centre. This number is accessible through both mobile phones and landlines. The agents at the Kisan Call Centre, known as farm tele advisors, are equipped with relevant academic qualifications, thereby enabling them to respond effectively to farmers' queries and advise them in regional languages. Moreover, to disseminate tailored pest management advisories for major crops, the government has launched the National Pest Surveillance System.
News18
3 days ago
- Business
- News18
No proposal to enhance financial support under PM-KISAN: Agriculture minister
New Delhi, Aug 5 (PTI) There is no proposal under consideration to expand the coverage and quantum of financial support under the Pradhan Mantri Kishan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. Launched in February 2019, the PM-KISAN scheme aims to supplement the financial needs of farmers with cultivable land-holding with a financial assistance of Rs 6,000 per year in three equal instalments. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh said the central government has disbursed over Rs 3.9 lakh crore to farmers in 20 installments since inception of the scheme. 'Currently, there is no proposal under consideration to expand the coverage and quantum of financial support under the PM-KISAN," Chouhan said in his written reply to the Lok Sabha. Further, ownership of cultivable landholding remains the primary criteria to avail benefits under the scheme, he said, while responding to a query on inclusion of tenant and sharecropping farmers under the scheme. The minister said the benefits of the PM-KISAN scheme are transferred to the beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode, based on the verified data received from states/UTs on the PM-KISAN portal. Asked if the Centre will consider replicating Tamil Nadu's 'Uzhavan App" model to provide real-time weather, market and advisory data, the minister said, 'Currently, there is no proposal under consideration." However, the government is implementing the Kisan Call Centre scheme to provide comprehensive support to farmers by addressing their enquiries and providing advisory related to various aspects of agriculture via telephonic communication in their preferred languages. These call centres operate from strategic locations throughout the country, ensuring coverage across all states and Union Territories. A dedicated common eleven-digit toll-free number, 1800-180-1551, has been established for the Kisan Call Centre. This number is accessible through both mobile phones and landlines. The agents at the Kisan Call Centre, known as farm tele advisors, are equipped with relevant academic qualifications, thereby enabling them to respond effectively to farmers' queries and advise them in regional languages. Moreover, to disseminate tailored pest management advisories for major crops, the government has launched the National Pest Surveillance System. PTI LUX TRB view comments First Published: August 05, 2025, 16:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
India.com
19-07-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Shivraj Singh Chouhan to be next BJP national president? Ex-Madhya Pradesh CM makes big statement, talks about his...
Shivraj Singh Chouhan to be next BJP national president? Ex-Madhya Pradesh CM makes big statement, talks about his... The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre has been brainstorming on the name of its next president for the past several months. However, no name has been finalised so far. Recently, news has come out that BJP may announce the next president after August 15. Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan is considered to be the top contender in the race to become the next national president of the party. He himself has responded to these discussions. During an interview with India Today, Shivraj Singh has answered the questions asked about his candidature. Shivraj Singh has said that he will follow the instructions of the party in this matter. Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan said, 'As a dedicated volunteer and a dedicated worker of BJP, I believe in doing any task given by the party with full honesty.' He further said, 'When you are part of a big mission, a big purpose, how can you decide about yourself that I will do this work?' When is he going to retire? When asked about retirement, the Union Minister said, 'I will not sit and think that I was not given this post or I wanted that post. When a person thinks like this, he remains upset and his efficiency also gets affected.' Shivraj Singh Chauhan further said, 'I became the Chief Minister four times, was an MLA 12 times and was also made a Union Minister.' It is worth noting that Shivraj Singh Chauhan, who is currently handling the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Central Government, has completed his tenure as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh four times. According to analysts, his path to becoming the national president of BJP is not easy. Despite leading the BJP to victory in the Madhya Pradesh elections in 2023, he did not get the opportunity to become the Chief Minister. After this decision of the BJP leadership, reports of internal discord had also surfaced. Who will become the next national president of BJP? Four names are considered strong contenders for the post of BJP's national president. Apart from Shivraj Singh Chauhan, these include Dharmendra Pradhan from Odisha, Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav and senior BJP leader BD Sharma. BJP may also get its first woman national president. For this, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, former Union Minister NT Rama Rao's daughter D. Purandeswari and Coimbatore South MLA Vanathi Srinivasan are strong contenders.
India Gazette
25-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Congress proved power is supreme for them": Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas'
New Delhi [India], June 25 (ANI): With the overnight imposition of Emergency, Congress proved to the people that they only care about maintaining power, not about the Constitution or democracy, Union Minister Shivraj Singh said on Wednesday while observing the 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas'. 'June 25, 1975, is the darkest chapter in Indian democratic history, a horror that the nation can never forget. The pain of innocent citizens thrown into the dark dungeons of jails, the anguish of their families, and the saga of the cruellest assault on democracy will forever remain etched in the pages of history. By imposing the Emergency overnight, Congress proved that for it, power is supreme, not democracy or the Constitution,' Chouhan said in a post on X. The union minister also remembered the sacrifice of the people who worked to protect the 'dignity of the Constitution and democratic values.' 'Today, let us resolve to protect the Constitution with greater determination and pledge that we will never allow such anarchic, undemocratic, and arrogant forces to come to power again on Indian soil,' his post read. 'May our Constitution and democracy remain immortal; we are forever dedicated to this cause. Jai Hind! Jai Bharat! Jai Constitution,' he added. Earlier today, while speaking to ANI, the union minister termed the imposition of Emergency as the 'biggest blot' in the history of Independent India. 'Can those days be forgotten? The country will never forget that the day is the biggest blot in the democratic history of independent India - Samvidhan Hatya Diwas. The country should take a pledge that this day should not come again', Chouhan said. The Union Minister highlighted that the Constitution was 'killed' and democracy was 'crushed' on June 25, 1975. Chouhan noted that the Congress should recall that 'dictatorship' is in their 'DNA'. He stated that Indira Gandhi made attempts to crush democracy across the country just to save her position. The Bharatiya Janata Party is observing the 50th anniversary of the Emergency as the 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas'. India was placed under a state of Emergency from June 25, 1975, to March 21 1977, following the implementation of Article 352 of the constitution. (ANI)
Indian Express
26-05-2025
- Indian Express
Delhi: Poor phone signal? Thieves targeting mobile tower parts could be to blame
In 2023, the national nodal officer of Airtel, one of the largest telecom service providers in the country, filed a complaint with the Delhi Police that its signal transmission was going haywire at many places in the Capital. Turns out, it was because Remote Radio Units (RRUs) and Base Band Units (BBU), components attached to the company's towers, worth crores, were being stolen. A senior police officer, involved in the probe, explained that this equipment is a vital component of mobile towers: 'BBUs receive signals from mobile users via antenna, which transfers the signal to RRUs for further processing of voice calls and data services like the internet.' Between 2023 and 2025, 7,000 RRUs of Airtel towers, worth Rs 350 crore, were stolen from Delhi-NCR. 'Frequent calls about service disruptions were being reported to Airtel. When an RRU is stolen, it takes almost a day to reinstall the new parts and resume normal services. For that entire day, the whole area serviced by the tower suffers,' a police officer said. A team from the Inter-State Cell of the Crime Branch was set up, under Inspector Shivraj Singh, to investigate major FIRs of thefts — it would end up uncovering a cross-border racket. What the probe showed Officials involved in the probe said most stolen RRUs and BBUs were being sold on the black market in the Trans Yamuna region. They were then smuggled out of the country. 'The components were stolen from areas around Seelampur, Shahdara, Jaitpur in the Trans Yamuna areas to Palam, Delhi Cantonment in Southwest Delhi,' a police officer said. The process of stealing this equipment involves three people. 'A person would climb the tower and detach the component. He would then climb down, where another person would be waiting on a bike. That person would take the RRU to another person, parked a couple of kilometres away, who would then take it to the black market,' a police officer said. A mobile tower has four RRUs, a police personnel said, each costing around Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh. Every time thieves target a tower, a direct loss of Rs 20 lakh is incurred by the company. On January 18, the Crime Branch team received an input that two RRUs were stolen from an Airtel tower in Palam. The team arrested five people: Harish Chander, Mumtyaj, Ramdhan, Ajay and Virender. Their questioning revealed they were involved in more such thefts. 'The accused persons admitted to stealing more than 100 RRUs from different mobile towers across Delhi-NCR. On checking, several FIRs were found registered in Delhi-NCR regarding the thefts,' Additional CP (Crime) Sanjay Sain said. Indus Power Limited, a registered entity with the Department of Telecommunications, which handles maintenance and installation of these RRUs, was asked by the police to share the locations of all RRUs before they were stolen. Data revealed that people stealing these critical communication units were in touch with scrap dealers in the Trans Yamuna region. String of arrests Earlier, on April 4, 2023, three men — Naseem (32), Imran (30), and Dinesh (45) — were arrested by the Crime Branch team with a mammoth consignment of 51 RRUs and 30 BBUs. During the investigation, police said Dinesh admitted he had supplied 110 RRUs to a man in Dubai for Rs 1.8 crore in cash. 'Naseem and Imran used to purchase RRUs/BBUs between Rs 1.2 to Rs 1.4 lakh, and they, along with Dinesh, further sold it for Rs 1.7 lakh to Rs 1.8 lakh,' a police officer said. Then, in May 2024, the Crime Branch team got a tip-off about a man named Danish, who was stealing RRUs and BBUs in South India and transporting them for buyers in Delhi. The team got a tip-off about a significant consignment coming to the New Delhi railway station on May 29. A trap was laid, and soon two men were spotted unloading bags from a train that came from Vellore. 'Twenty-four RRUs were recovered and two accused persons, Ikram and Mohd Nadeem, were arrested on May 29,' a police officer said. During questioning, the two accused revealed that on the instructions of Danish, they were to sell this consignment to a Punjab-based man, who has a storage godown in Rajpura. The Crime Branch team then collaborated with the CIA, Patiala, to orchestrate a raid on the Rajpura hideout. 'On June 6, 2024, eight people were arrested and 56 BBUs and 55 BTS were recovered from the storage facility,' a police officer said. More arrests followed. In October 2024, the Crime Branch team got another tip-off about an organised RRU syndicate, with links to a Hong Kong-based buyer. At the initial stages, information about a band of five thieves supplying this chain was received. They were all located in a familiar region — the Trans Yamuna range. On October 17, three traps were laid in Sunder Nagri, Mustafabad and Harsh Vihar areas of Delhi, leading to five arrests. 'The accused — Farruk, Abdul Talib, Shahid, Wasim, Hardeep — were arrested for running an RRU theft syndicate and supplying it to a man named Zubair. With the arrests, 42 cases of RRU thefts were solved,' a police officer said. Zubair, police said, was taking RRUs from these thieves and supplying them to men who run cargo courier companies. His arrest, police said, had forced other illegal dealers of RRUs to be on their toes. As the screw around Zubair's network tightened, the police had now their eyes on the middlemen connecting Zubair to the alleged transporter. 'We zeroed in on a Mahipalpur godown, operated by a middleman, who stored the proceeds Zubair bought and then moved it to another man named Sagar Bhatnagar; he transported the RRUs to Hong Kong,' a police officer said. The godown was raided, with the police claiming to have recovered 77 RRUs. 'Sagar was nabbed in December; he admitted that he used to send these RRUs to Hong Kong, by claiming they were electrical switches. This helped him transport the stolen components via air.' 'During the investigation, a record of around 2,750 RRUs was extracted from his office computer, which were sent by him to Hong Kong during the corresponding period,' a police officer said. Meanwhile, telecom company officials said they have now installed advanced security systems, with sirens to extra guards, to curb the thefts. 'Now, the moment an RRU is detached from the tower, an alarm rings, and all the staff near the tower area, including guards and engineers, are warned. Police have also increased patrolling around towers in sensitive areas, with the alarm leading to a swift dispatch of a PCR van,' a company official said.
