Latest news with #Venugopal
Hans India
6 hours ago
- Health
- Hans India
Youth advised to stay away from narcotics
Devanakonda (Kurnool district): An awareness seminar on 'Drug Addiction and Its Consequences' was organised at the Government Junior College, Devanakonda on Tuesday, under the joint aegis of the District Youth Welfare Department and SETKUR. Speaking on the occassion, SETKUR CEO Dr K Venugopal emphasised that many youngsters are falling into the trap of drug addiction either due to peer pressure or mental stress. He warned that selfish individuals are discreetly introducing drugs into schools and colleges, and although drugs may initially create a sense of joy and excitement, they soon lead to mental distress, compelling the user to crave repeated consumption. Dr Venugopal used a Power Point presentation to explain the harmful effects of drug abuse. He stated that oral consumption damages the digestive system and liver, smoking affects the lungs and heart, and injecting drugs increases the risk of life-threatening diseases like hepatitis and HIV. He strongly urged the youth to stay away from narcotics and to be aware of their severe physical and psychological repercussions. Inspector Vishwanath, who also addressed the seminar, remarked that drugs can completely ruin a person both mentally and physically. They alter one's behaviour and conduct, often leading to criminal activities to fund the addiction. He informed the students that if they witness any illegal drug-related activities in their surroundings, they should immediately report them to the toll-free helpline number 1972. He added that both Central and State governments have established a special police division named Eagle to combat drug trafficking and ensure community safety. College Principal Venu Gopal Sharma emphasised the crucial role of parental supervision in preventing drug abuse among students. He advised parents to regularly observe their children's behaviour and to act promptly if any suspicious changes are noticed. SETKURU supervisor Shyam Babu, along with college faculty members, also participated in the programme. Students were encouraged to download and utilise the Disha App for their safety and support.
United News of India
a day ago
- Politics
- United News of India
INDIA bloc leaders demand PM's presence in Parliament to address key issues
New Delhi, July 22 (UNI) The INDIA bloc leaders today collectively decided to press for the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament to respond to important questions raised on pressing national issues, including Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor and Bihar's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls exercise. In a post on X, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said the INDI Alliance has jointly resolved to press for the Prime Minister's presence in the House to directly respond to several urgent matters affecting the nation. A meeting of INDIA bloc floor leaders from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha was held in Parliament House, here which was attended by Opposition leaders including leaders of Opposition of both the Houses — Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. 'In the meeting of INDIA bloc leaders in the presence of Rajya Sabha LOP Mallikarjun @kharge ji and Lok Sabha LOP Sh. @RahulGandhi ji, the opposition has decided to press for the PM's presence in the House to answer questions on pressing issues,' Venugopal said. Among the key issues the Opposition seeks to raise Venugopal said are 'Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor and Donald Trump's statements on the ceasefire, Bihar SIR process, delimitation, growing atrocities against dalits, adivasis, backward classes and women, AI 171 plane crash and Manipur civil war'. 'These are people's issues and must be given utmost priority,' said KC Venugopal in his post. The monsoon session of parliament commenced yesterday but was adjourned after opposition parties disrupted proceedings, demanding a discussion on Operation Sindoor. UNI RBE PRS
New Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
‘Common man's issue': House panel flags Aadhaar issues, seeks review
NEW DELHI: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) headed by Congress MP K C Venugopal on Thursday called for review of the functioning of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and raised concerns over erroneous Aadhaar details, flagging that this denies people access to government benefits. 'This is a common man's issue. We flagged various problems and have raised several questions,' Venugopal told the press after the meeting. Venugopal said Aadhaar-related issues directly affect common people and require serious attention, especially those linked to biometric verification. The panel will examine the matter in detail. The committee, sources said, told the authorities to put out a circular at the earliest to inform people of the requirements to get Aadhaar and look into simplifying the process. The panel also recorded briefings from officials of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and the UIDAI. According to sources, several MPs raised concerns of data breach, to which the UIDAI officials replied that their central repository is unbreachable. Sources said some MPs were of the view that since Aadhaar is considered residency proof and does not certify one's citizenship, authorities should reconsider if this alone should be the basis for identifying eligible beneficiaries of government welfare schemes. Only an Indian citizen should be entitled to government benefits, a source said, noting that scandals related to people with fake documents getting Aadhaar have often come to light.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
PAC calls for Aadhaar review, flags high failure rate of biometric verification
Parliament's Public Accounts Committee has called for a review of the functioning of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), flagging several concerns, including the high rate of failure of Aadhaar biometric verification which can lead to many beneficiaries being excluded from social welfare schemes. At its meeting on Thursday (July 17, 2025), the committee, headed by senior Congress leader K.C. Venugopal, received a briefing from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) team which produced a 2021 report on the UIDAI. The panel also listened to oral evidence from officials of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and the UIDAI itself. 'This is a common man's issue. We flagged various problems and have raised several questions,' Mr. Venugopal told reporters at the conclusion of the meeting. Changing biometrics Across party lines, MPs on the committee pointed out that biometric verification failure is a serious issue since the majority of the government's social welfare schemes are tied directly to Aadhaar. This has led to many eligible beneficiaries being prevented from recieving food rations or jobs, under schemes such as the Public Distribution System or the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, because their biometric data no longer matches the UIDAI record. The UIDAI officials, according to sources, explained that in many cases of people doing hard labour, their fingerprints are not read properly by the machines. In the case of elderly people, there is often a failure in matching iris patterns. However, the officials also insisted that the UIDAI is constantly upgrading its systems to address these challenges. Data leaks and duplicates Sources said that several MPs also cited various reports to underline the dangers of data leaks. The UIDAI officials claimed that their central repository is unbreachable, and their investigations have shown that whatever leak has been reported has come from the enrolment centres. They added that UIDAI has strengthened the monitoring mechanism to plug all holes. Some estimates suggest that there are more Aadhaar cards currently in use than the total population of the country, indicating possible duplications as well as delays in deactivating the cards of the deceased. The UIDAI officials said that in the case of the deceased, it is dependent on voluntary deactivation. The PAC directed the UIDAI to act proactively to clean up the list of Aadhaar card holders.
Scroll.in
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Opposition questions EC's ‘hurry' to begin nationwide voter rolls revision
Opposition leaders have criticised the Election Commission after reports said it has decided to direct chief electoral officers of all states to begin preparing for a special intensive revision of electoral rolls on the lines of the exercise being conducted in Bihar. The commission had written to all state polling chiefs on July 5, directing them to complete ' pre-revision activities ', The Indian Express reported on Sunday. The activities include rationalisation of polling stations, filling vacant positions of key officials and supervisors who will carry out the enumeration, and conducting training, the newspaper reported. The Opposition said on Sunday that the poll panel should wait for the Supreme Court to decide on the challenges to the voter roll revision taking place in Bihar before replicating the exercise in other states. On Thursday, the Supreme Court urged the Election Commission to consider Aadhaar cards, voter ID cards and ration cards as valid documents for the revision of electoral rolls. The court will hear the case further on July 28. Commenting on the commission's decision to prepare for a nationwide voter roll revision, Congress leader KC Venugopal said that the Bharatiya Janata Party had 'mastered the art of taking a bad idea and making it worse '. 'As if the chaos and opposition to the Bihar SIR was not enough, the BJP-controlled ECI now wants to subject the entire country through this trauma,' Venugopal said on social media. 'Every Indian citizen will be looked at with suspicion, their voting rights will be under threat, and the whole electoral system will be rigged.' The Election Commission must shelve proposals seeking a nationwide voter roll revision immediately, said the Congress leader. Rajya Sabha MP Abhishek Singhvi told The Indian Express that the commission's decision was 'effectually meaningless because everything will depend on the outcome of the pending case' in the Supreme Court. In the case before the Supreme Court, Singhvi is representing the petitioners who have challenged the voter roll revision in Bihar. 'Not only on [July] 28, but on a few dates thereafter,' the Congress leader was quoted as saying. 'Depending on that outcome alone, everything else will proceed or not proceed. Merely giving jingoistic statements is meaningless...' Trinamool Congress leader Sagarika Ghose said the poll panel must answer 'if it is preparing a citizen's register' in the name of electoral roll revision, the newspaper reported. '…This is an NRC [National Register of Citizens] from the backdoor,' Ghose was quoted as saying. '…This is a malafide exercise targeting the poorest and most vulnerable,' the Rajya Sabha MP was quoted as saying. Communist Party of India leader D Raja was quoted as saying that the Election Commission must explain why it is in a 'hurry' to carry out a nationwide exercise while the Supreme Court is hearing the matter. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on July 6 defended the exercise, claiming that the exercise had to be carried out as no one was satisfied with the current voter rolls. Revision of voter rolls The revision of the electoral rolls in Bihar was announced by the Election Commission on June 24. As part of the exercise, persons whose names were not on the 2003 voter list will need to submit proof of eligibility to vote. This means that 2.9 crore out of the state's 7.8 crore voters – or about 37% of the electors – will have to submit documentary evidence. Voters born before July 1, 1987, must show proof of their date and place of birth, while those born between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004, must also submit documents establishing the date and place of birth of one of their parents. Those born after December 2, 2004, will need proof of date of birth for themselves and both parents. If the officers are satisfied with the details provided, the voters will be re-enrolled to a new voter list by electoral registration officers. If not, they will be removed from the voter lists. About 80.1% electors in Bihar had submitted their enumeration forms as part of the exercise, the Election Commission said on Saturday. A draft roll will be published on August 1 and the final roll will be out on September 30. Bihar is expected to head for Assembly polls in October or November. On July 2, eleven INDIA bloc parties told the Election Commission that the revision of Bihar's electoral rolls risked disenfranchising more than 2.5 crore voters, as they may not be able to produce the necessary documents.
