Latest news with #StateAssembly
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- Business
- The Hindu
CM Nitish Kumar announces free electricity for up to 125 units ahead of Bihar polls
Ahead of Bihar elections, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday (July 17, 2025) announced that eleigible domestic consumers across the State will receive up to 125 units of electricity free of cost starting August 1, a move set to benefit around 1.67 crore families. Mr. Kumar said that the government has also decided to install solar power plants on the rooftops or in the nearby public places of domestic consumers in the next three years. 'We have been providing electricity to everyone at affordable rates from the very beginning. Now we have decided that from August 1, 2025, that is, from the July bill itself, all domestic consumers in the State will not have to pay any money for electricity up to 125 units. This will benefit a total of 1 crore 67 lakh families in the state,' the Bihar CM said on X. 'We have also decided that in the next three years, with the consent of all these domestic consumers, solar power plants will be installed on their rooftops or at nearby public places to provide benefits,' he added. हमलोग शुरू से ही सस्ती दरों पर सभी को बिजली उपलब्ध करा रहे हैं। अब हमने तय कर दिया है कि 1 अगस्त, 2025 से यानी जुलाई माह के बिल से ही राज्य के सभी घरेलू उपभोक्ताओं को 125 यूनिट तक बिजली का कोई पैसा नहीं देना पड़ेगा। इससे राज्य के कुल 1 करोड़ 67 लाख परिवारों को लाभ होगा। हमने यह… — Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) July 17, 2025 Mr. Kumar further stated that the State government will fully cover the cost of installing solar power systems for extremely poor families, while others will receive suitable financial assistance under the Kutir Jyoti scheme. He stated that the State could have up to 10,000 megawatts of solar energy available within the next three years. 'Under the Kutir Jyoti scheme, for extremely poor families, the State government will bear the entire cost of installing solar power plants, and for the rest, the government will provide appropriate support. This means domestic consumers will no longer have to bear any cost for electricity up to 125 units, and at the same time, it is estimated that within the next three years, up to 10,000 megawatts of solar energy will be available in the State,' Mr. Kumar's post reads. This announcement came as a move to woo voters ahead of the State Assembly elections scheduled for later this year. Continuing with his string of poll sop announcements, a day earlier, Bihar CM Mr. Kumar directed the Education Department to promptly assess vacancies for teachers in government schools and initiate the process for conducting the Teacher Recruitment Examination (TRE) 4. The Chief Minister said that the government is committed to filling teaching positions without delay and has asked officials to expedite the recruitment process. He also reiterated the government's policy on women's reservation in the recruitment process, stating that the 35% quota for women will apply only to those who are residents of Bihar.
The Hindu
20 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
2026 Tamil Nadu elections will mark a permanent farewell to Edappadi Palaniswami: CM Stalin
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday (July 16, 2025) said the upcoming State Assembly elections would mark a permanent farewell to AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami, alleging that even members of his own party no longer trust him. Mr. Stalin made the remarks while launching and inaugurating completed development projects and distributing welfare assistance in Mayiladuthurai district, during which he expressed criticism of both the AIADMK and BJP-led Union government. Responding to Mr. Palaniswami's criticism of the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme, Mr. Stalin said, 'He is unable to accept the scheme's success. His criticisms only serve to advertise our achievements. We implement this scheme without bias; even women from AIADMK families benefit.' He accused Mr. Palaniswami of reversing welfare progress during his tenure, pointing to the cancellation of the Moovalur Ramamirtham marriage assistance scheme and the free laptop distribution programme. 'Mr. Palaniswami says 'Tata, bye bye' to me. But since 2019, the people of Tamil Nadu have been saying the same to him. In the upcoming elections, it will be a permanent goodbye,' Mr. Stalin remarked. 'Even his own party cadres no longer believe in him.' Taking aim at Mr. Palaniswami's outreach to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Mr. Stalin alleged, that the AIADMK leader had knocked on Delhi's doors not for the people of Tamil Nadu but to escape raids and protect his family. 'He mortgaged a party built by lakhs of cadre,' Mr. Stalin alleged. On the issue of Tamil Nadu fishermen's frequent arrests by Sri Lankan authorities, Mr. Stalin criticised the Union government for political inaction. 'The BJP-led Union government has failed to act, while continuing to politicise the Katchatheevu issue. The Sri Lankan Foreign Minister clearly said the Tamil Nadu fishermen are intruding into their waters and that Katchatheevu will never be returned. And what has our External Affairs Minister said in response? Nothing.' Mr. Stalin reiterated his demand for the Prime Minister to directly intervene and bring a lasting solution to the issue. Mr. Stalin declared that the next government at the Centre would be a 'Dravidian Model 2.0 government', one that would serve as a national benchmark for inclusive and progressive governance. Earlier in the day, Mr. Stalin unveiled a statue of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi at Vazhuvur village in Kuthalam taluk. He also held a brief roadshow near Dharmapuram, where he greeted school and college students as well as members of the general public.
The Hindu
20 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
2026 Tamil Nadu elections will mark a permanent farewell to Edappadi Palaniswami: M.K. Stalin
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday (July 16, 2025) said the upcoming State Assembly elections would mark a permanent farewell to AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami, alleging that even members of his own party no longer trust him. Mr. Stalin made the remarks while launching and inaugurating completed development projects and distributing welfare assistance in Mayiladuthurai district, during which he expressed criticism of both the AIADMK and BJP-led Union government. Responding to Mr. Palaniswami's criticism of the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme, Mr. Stalin said, 'He is unable to accept the scheme's success. His criticisms only serve to advertise our achievements. We implement this scheme without bias; even women from AIADMK families benefit.' He accused Mr. Palaniswami of reversing welfare progress during his tenure, pointing to the cancellation of the Moovalur Ramamirtham marriage assistance scheme and the free laptop distribution programme. 'Mr. Palaniswami says 'Tata, bye bye' to me. But since 2019, the people of Tamil Nadu have been saying the same to him. In the upcoming elections, it will be a permanent goodbye,' Mr. Stalin remarked. 'Even his own party cadres no longer believe in him.' Taking aim at Mr. Palaniswami's outreach to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Mr. Stalin alleged, that the AIADMK leader had knocked on Delhi's doors not for the people of Tamil Nadu but to escape raids and protect his family. 'He mortgaged a party built by lakhs of cadre,' Mr. Stalin alleged. On the issue of Tamil Nadu fishermen's frequent arrests by Sri Lankan authorities, Mr. Stalin criticised the Union government for political inaction. 'The BJP-led Union government has failed to act, while continuing to politicise the Katchatheevu issue. The Sri Lankan Foreign Minister clearly said the Tamil Nadu fishermen are intruding into their waters and that Katchatheevu will never be returned. And what has our External Affairs Minister said in response? Nothing.' Mr. Stalin reiterated his demand for the Prime Minister to directly intervene and bring a lasting solution to the issue. Mr. Stalin declared that the next government at the Centre would be a 'Dravidian Model 2.0 government', one that would serve as a national benchmark for inclusive and progressive governance. Earlier in the day, Mr. Stalin unveiled a statue of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi at Vazhuvur village in Kuthalam taluk. He also held a brief roadshow near Dharmapuram, where he greeted school and college students as well as members of the general public.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Chhattisgarh logged 1,301 cybercrime cases in 18 months, victims lost ₹107 crore
Chhattisgarh has recorded 1,301 cybercrime cases in the last one-and-a-half years, in which the victims lost more than ₹107 crore, State Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma informed the State Assembly. Police have recovered ₹3.36 crore in 107 of these cases, he said. Raising the issue during the Question Hour, BJP MLA Sunil Soni sought information about the number of cybercrime cases lodged in Chhattisgarh from January 2024 to June 2025, and also asked what action was being taken to curb such crimes. Thousands of people are being cheated through cyber crime and some victims are even forced to commit suicide, he said. In his reply, Mr. Sharma, who also holds the Home portfolio, said a total of 1,301 cybercrime cases have been registered in the State during this period. In these cases, victims lost money to the tune of ₹107.03 crore, he said. During this period, an amount of ₹3.69 crore was recovered and refunded to the victims, he added. For the prevention of cybercrimes, one State Cyber Police Station and five Range Cyber Police Stations are operational at the range level. Cyber cells are also operating at the district level, and approval for cyber police stations has been received in some districts, he said. Cyber Forensic Lab equipped with modern cyber tools is operating at the Police Headquarters in Raipur for testing digital evidence collected during investigation of cyber crimes. For the development of cyber crime research capacity, police officers/employees are being trained from time to time on complex subjects like dark web/crypto currency through the country's prestigious institutions like C-DAC and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, he said. As per the instructions of the Union Home Ministry, recently one gazetted officer and five other officers/employees from the state have been trained under the Cyber Commando Scheme to fight cyber crime. SIM cards and IMEI numbers involved in cybercrime are being blocked. To prevent cyber crime, extensive public awareness programmes are being conducted at the police headquarters and district level, he added. On efforts made to refund money to victims, the Deputy CM replied, National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) is operated to provide the facility of immediate registration of complaints to the victims of cyber crime. The modern call centre of Cyber Crime Helpline number 1930 is operating 24X7 in the state. Suspicious transactions are put on hold by the trained police officers/employees working in the call centre by establishing direct coordination with the nodal officers of banks, e-wallets and payment gateways. In the registered cases of cyber crime, the process of refunding money is done as per the court orders, he said. In a written reply to another question raised by BJP MLA Gajendra Yadav, the Deputy CM replied, 67,389 people from the state have lodged complaints of online fraud involving an amount of ₹791 crore on the NCRP portal from 2023 till June, 2025. Of these, 21,195 complaints have been disposed of and the money of 1,820 victims was recovered and refunded, he added.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Anti-sacrilege bill likely to tabled in Punjab Assembly
A draft bill seeking stricter punishment for acts of sacrilege is likely to be introduced in the Punjab Assembly on Monday (July 14, 2025), sources said. Ahead of the third day of the special session of the State Assembly, a Cabinet meeting was held here in which the anti-sacrilege bill was given nod by the council of ministers, the sources said. The draft bill may propose life imprisonment for sacrilege acts against religious scriptures, sources said. There may also be a provision for setting up special courts to deal with cases pertaining to desecration of scriptures. There will be no parole for those guilty of sacrilege acts, they further said. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had earlier said the State Government would seek the opinion of all stakeholders and religious bodies for the proposed legislation, indicating it would not be enacted immediately. "We are drafting it. A law is going to be enacted. But for this, we will talk to stakeholders, religious organisations. We will present the draft legislation [in the Assembly]. "But for the final draft, we will require time. After presenting it in the Vidhan Sabha, we will seek public opinion," he had said. "We will speak to religious bodies about how the law should be. We will take the (draft) bill to the public to seek their opinion for any amendments," he had then said. Mr. Mann had said the government would consult leading legal experts to ensure that a robust State legislation is enacted - one that prevents offenders from evading strict consequences, including the possibility of capital punishment for such heinous crimes. Reaffirming his government's commitment to justice, Mr. Mann had stated that every person involved in these sacrilegious acts, either directly or indirectly, would face exemplary punishment. Mr. Mann had highlighted that while the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) provides clear provisions regarding religious places, it remains silent on holy 'granths'. He had also said that as the subject falls under the concurrent list, the State has the authority to enact such legislation, and legal opinions would be sought accordingly. Previous attempts at increasing punishment for act of sacrilege It is not the first time that a law was being brought in the State for stricter punishment for perpetrators of sacrilege acts. In 2016, the then SAD-BJP government brought in the IPC (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2016 and CrPC (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2016 recommending life sentence for sacrilege acts against Guru Granth Sahib. The Centre later returned the bill, saying all religions should be treated equally given the secular nature of the Constitution. In 2018, the Amarinder Singh government had passed two bills — the Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018', and 'the Code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2018', which stipulated a punishment of up to life imprisonment for injury, damage or sacrilege to Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagavad Gita, Quran and the Bible. However, the two Bills did not get the President's assent. Acts of sacrilege against religious scriptures has been an emotive issue in Punjab and there has been a demand from various quarters for stringent punishment for the acts of sacrilege against religious texts. The incident related to the theft of a 'bir' (copy) of Guru Ganth Sahib from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala gurdwara, putting up handwritten sacrilegious posters in Bargari and Burj Jawahar Singh Wala and torn pages of the holy book found scattered at Bargari, had taken place in Bargari in Faridkot in 2015. These incidents had led to anti-sacrilege protests in Faridkot. In the police firing at anti-sacrilege protesters in October 2015, two persons were killed in Behbal Kalan while some persons were injured at Kotkapura in Faridkot.
