Nov 12,2020:After being elected leader of the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) on Thursday, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav asked the Election Commission on Thursday to release videos and other documentary evidence on counting of postal ballots in 20 seats where the alliance candidates lost by a margin of less than 200 votes.
“We lost about 20 seats where irregularities were resorted to in counting postal ballots and our candidates’ queries were not heard by the Election Commission…we’ve won 130 seats and the mandate was in our favour, but the Election Commission’s results were declared in favour of NDA,” Mr. Yadav told mediapersons in Patna.
CPI(ML) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya blamed the Congress party for the “dismal performance” of the Mahagathbandhan.
Congress leader Tariq Anwar admitted that had the party performed like the RJD and the Left, there would have been a Mahagathbandhan government. “Our performance was not as good… they performed better than us.”
Nov 12,2020: After an 11-day-long stalemate, Gujjars, demanding reservation in jobs and education, on Wednesday signed an agreement with the Rajasthan government, covering the crucial aspects of backlog posts, ongoing recruitments, withdrawal of criminal cases and rehabilitation of the families of those killed during previous agitations.
The pact was signed with the members of a Cabinet Sub-Committee here after six-hour marathon talks, while Gujjars continued to occupy the Delhi-Mumbai railway track in Bharatpur district. Gujjar leader Vijay Bainsla said the decision on calling off the agitation would be taken after consultation with the community members at the site of the stir.
Gujjar supremo Kirori Singh Bainsla met Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot at his official residence after signing the agreement late in the night. The signatories on behalf of the State government were Energy Minister B.D. Kalla and Ministers of State Tika Ram Jully and Subhash Garg.
According to the six-point pact, a committee will examine the issue of extending 5% reservation under the Most Backward Class (MBC) category in the ongoing recruitments and also study the provisions made in other States. Regular pay scale will be given to 1,252 MBC candidates on the completion of their probation period, while the arrears will be subject to the outcome of some court cases.
Mr. Bainsla told reporters that the important issue of appointments to the backlog posts for the period between 2015 and 2019, when a State law created the MBC category, would be resolved in the spirit of the February 15, 2019 agreement signed at Malarna Dungar. The State government will seek an early disposal of special leave petitions on the quota issue pending in the Supreme Court.
Other subjects dealt with by the agreement included financial assistance of ₹5 lakh and government jobs to the next of kin of Gujjars who died in violence during the earlier agitations, monitoring of withdrawal of cases registered against protesters and an increase in the capacity of MBC girls’ hostel in Jaipur.
Chief Secretary Niranjan Arya, Director-General of Police M.L. Lather and senior officers of the Law and Justice Department were present at the meeting of the 17-member delegation of Gujjars with the Cabinet Sub-Committee at Vidyut Bhavan guest house here.
The talks between Gujjars, who started their agitation on November 1, and Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Ashok Chandna in Bharatpur and Karauli districts had earlier ended twice without conclusion. The State government had then invited the representatives of Gujjar Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti for negotiations in Jaipur.
The State Assembly had passed the Rajasthan Backward Classes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions in the State and of Appointments and Posts in Services under the State) Amendment Act, 2019, on February 13 last year. The four other nomadic communities given the quota benefit along with the Gujjars were Banjara, Gadia-Lohar, Raika and Gadariya.
Nov 11,2020:The Union Cabinet has approved a production linked incentive (PLI) scheme for 10 key sectors for enhancing India’s manufacturing capabilities and exports.
These sectors include Telecom and Networking Products, Pharmaceutical and Drug, Automobile and Auto components, Textile products and Food products. Briefing reporters after the cabinet meeting today, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said the scheme will make Indian manufacturers globally competitive, attract investment and enhance exports. He said, this will also increase production, export and employment opportunities in the country.
Industry body FICCI has said that the announcement of PLI scheme for ten sectors by the Government today is a major boost for the manufacturing sector. FICCI President Dr Sangita Reddy said, the sectors covered under the PLI scheme are strategic and technology intensive and are also important from the perspective of employment generation in the country. She said, Indian economy offers a huge opportunity for these sectors not just from the domestic market perspective but also to make India an export hub for these products.
New Delhi , November 11,2020: Super-spreading events of COVID-19, in which big crowds with attendees do not take precautions leading to spread of infections on a large scale, must have occurred in Delhi, said All India Institute of Medical Sciences Delhi (AIIMS), Director, Dr Randeep Guleria on Wednesday.
The AIIMS Director said super-spreading might have been the reason behind the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in the national capital after the dip.
“What happens is if in a crowd one does not wear mask, one person who may be asymptomatic and is highly infectious he can spread the disease to a large number of people in the crowd. If they get the disease, they will take it to the area they go to, their own family members, their relatives and they will again spread the disease. So you can have super spreading events, and it is likely that this has happened in Delhi. There were crowds, people did not take precautions and they were super spreading events and this led to an increase in the number of cases,” Guleria told ANI here.
He further said there was a need for everyone in the national capital to be extra cautious and avoid crowds and wear masks at all points of time when they are in areas with a large number of people.
“We are seeing an increasing surge of cases in Delhi, and the numbers are increasing with time. The number of cases had come down to 2,000 from 4,000, and now they are going upwards of 7,000 and up to 8,000 in a day, this is also reflected in increased hospital admissions and to some extent in mortality,” he said.
“There is a need to be extra careful in Delhi, what it means is we need to make sure there is no crowding, people wear masks when they are in markets or functions where there is crowd,” he added.
The AIIMS Director said although avoiding crowds might be difficult, keeping the festive and marriage season in mind, but with the change in temperature, deteriorating air pollution levels there is an increasing need to be more cautious.
He also advised senior citizens and people with co-morbidities to be extra vigilant during this phase.
As per the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday, there are 41,385 active COVID-19 cases in the national capital, while 4,02,854 patients have been cured and discharged so far. Over 7,000 fatalities have been reported due to the disease in the national capital so far.
NEW DELHI,Nov 11,2020: Government will regulate content on video streaming platforms, including global services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Walt Disney’s Hotstar, as part of rules announced this week.
Ministry of information and broadcasting will oversee streaming video content, which was previously unregulated, a brief government circular said on Tuesday, without providing further details.
Earlier this year, more than a dozen local and global streaming services, including Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Hotstar, had signed a code for self-regulation.
Streaming services have gained traction in India because of the availability of affordable smartphones and cheap mobile data, making the country a battleground for Amazon, Netflix and Disney as they seek to expand outside their home markets.
That growth in streaming services, along with internet advertising, sports and music, is expected to help India’s media and entertainment industry increase 10.1% annually on average to reach $55 billion by 2024, PwC predicts.
News and current affairs content on online media, such as Facebook and Twitter, will also come under the new regulatory regime, the government circular added. Online news was not previously regulated.
Nov 11,2020: A stellar performance by the BJP enabled the ruling NDA to attain a simple majority in the Bihar assembly notwithstanding a sharp fall in the tally of the JD(U) headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, according to final results announced early Wednesday.
The ruling coalition won 125 seats in the 243-member state assembly against 110 clinched by the opposition Grand Alliance to pave the way for a fourth successive term for Kumar in office but with diminished clout following a debilitating slide in the number of JD(U) lawmakers that came down to 43 from 71 in 2015.
The BJP, which had contested 110 seats, won 74 while the JD(U) which fought 115, won only 43. With four seats each won by junior allies HAM and VIP, the NDA has 125 seats in its kitty, three more than the number required for a simple majority.
The opposition Grand Alliance fell way short of the magic mark. The total number of seats won by all its five constituents stood at 110. Nonetheless, the RJD emerged as the single largest party in the assembly bagging 75 seats.
Its vote share at 23.03% was also the highest for any single party in the elections.
The Congress managed to win only 19 of the 70 it had contested. The Left parties, though, sprang a surprise winning 16 out of the 29 seats the CPI(ML), the CPI and the CPI(M) had contested.
The performance of CPI(ML) stood out as it won 12 of the 19 seats it contested. The CPI and the CPI(M) won two seats each.
Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM clinched five seats while its alliance partner in Bihar, Mayawati’s BSP, bagged one.
Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party, which pulled out of the NDA and contested nearly 150 seats, managed to win just one.
The winners also included an Independent.
Bihar assembly election results final tally :
NDA: BJP – 74, JD(U) – 43, HAM – 04, VIP – 04
Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan): RJD – 75, Congress – 19, CPI(ML) – 12, CPI – 02, CPI(M) – 02
Others: AIMIM – 05, BSP – 01, LJP – 01, Independent – 01
Despite the slump in numbers, Kumar, who was declared the NDA’s chief ministerial candidate by the BJP brass, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief J P Nadda, is set to take over the reins of the government.
Much of Kumar’s plight can be blamed on the damage Chirag Paswan’s LJP inflicted on his JD(U). Down in the dumps with just one MLA, the party spoiled the JD(U)’s chances in at least 30 seats.
JD(U) spokesperson K C Tyagi told PTI in New Delhi that a “sinister” campaign was run against Nitish Kumar as part of a “conspiracy”.
“Apne bhi shamil the aur begane bhi (Our own also harmed us along with the outsiders),” he said, without taking any names.
He, however, expressed confidence that Kumar will become the chief minister again, noting that top BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have made it clear that he will head the government if the ruling NDA retains power.
Bihar BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal voiced similar views in Patna when he said in Patna “the issue has been cleared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief J P Nadda much before the elections”.
The drastic fall in the number of JD(U) MLAs, however, will likely make the BJP, which hitherto played a second fiddle to Kumar, more assertive, and it may insist on a larger share in the ministerial pie and greater say in governance.
Apart from Kumar’s creditable performance as an administrator, the multiple claimants to Muslim votes, including the Grand Democratic Secular Front (GDSF) comprising Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM, BSP and Upendra Kushwaha’s RLSP worked in NDA’s favour and scuppered the Mahagathbandhan’s chances. Muslim and Yadav voters have for long formed the bedrock of the RJD’s support base.
Owaisi’s AIMIM emerged as a surprise package of the election, winning five seats. The party had gained a foothold winning a seat in a by-election in Bihar earlier, but made significant inroads into the Seemanchanchal region which has a large presence of Muslim voters. Its ally BSP also clinched one seat.
Kumar, who has a clean image and is considered incorruptible, has been credited with ridding the state of the “jungle raj”, as the Lalu-Rabri government of 15 years preceding 2005 is often described by its critics.
The JD(U) leader also earned praise for his impetus on infrastructure development and improving health care system and education.
Besides, Modi’s enduring charisma not only powered the alliance’s victory but also helped the BJP to pre-eminent position in the NDA in Bihar for the first time and cut his former bete noire Nitish Kumar, once considered a secular alternative to him, to size.
The election also saw the coming of age of Tejashwi Yadav, who came across as an indefatigable leader after RJD’s unprecedented drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls last year when it failed to open its account.
The NDA had clinched all but one of the 40 seats in the state, leaving the young leader in torpor and his party demoralised. Tejashwi’s ability to lead the party in the absence of his charismatic father and party supremo Lalu Prasad, who had landed in jail after conviction in fodder scam cases, was called into question.
However, after the assembly elections were announced, he steeled himself for the struggle ahead and almost single handedly brought the five party Grand Alliance surprisingly close to power in a fight where an army of battle hardened veterans were arrayed against him.
A major upshot of the gruelling electoral tussle between the two alliances was the resurgence of Left, which aligned with the RJD-Congress combine after being pushed to the margins in the post-Mandal era politics of Bihar.
The biggest gainer was the CPI-ML, which clinched 12 seats, followed by the CPI and CPI-M (two each). Barring the CPI-ML, which had three seats in the outgoing assembly, none of the Left parties had a presence in the House.
Brothers Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap won the Raghopur and Hasanpur seats with impressive margins of 38,174 and 21,139 votes respectively.
New Delhi, Nov 7 ,2020: Bihar recorded 55.22 per cent voter turnout in final and Phase 3 of the Assembly polls till 1700 hrs, the Election Commission said in a briefing on Saturday.
As per Deputy Election Commissioner Chandra Bhushan Kumar, the figures were real time data and subject to change, as the voting had not ended till the filing of this report.
The 2.35-crore strong electorate will decide the fate of 1,204 candidates.
Elaborate arrangements, as per guidelines of the election commission, were made at all polling stations for the electorate, in wake of pandemic.
Besides polling personnel, security staff were also seen alert advising electorate to follow the guidelines and wear masks while exercising their franchise. Sufficient number of hand gloves sanitizer and other essentials were made available by Election Commission at all booths where polling happened today.
Patna, Nov 7,2020: Voting started from 0700 hours amid the tight security arrangements for 78 assembly seats, spread across 15 districts, in the third and last of phase of Bihar Assembly polls.
Voting also commenced for Valmikinagar Lok Sabha constituency by-elections in the state. The electing was necessitated due to the death of the sitting JD(U) MP Baidyanath Mahto.
Total 33782 polling booths have been set up across the districts where more than two crore voters will Exercise their franchise.
Re-polling of Hilsa assembly constituency in Nalanda district are also being held at three booths. The voting is underway at polling booths number 52, 52 (a) and 55 of this constituency. After the completion of the polling on November 3 in Hilsa, while ballot boxes were being taken to the strong room, during which, the electronic voting machine (EVM) of three polling stations fell into the water. Subsequently, the Election Commission then ordered a re-polling.
New Delhi , November 6,2020: The Supreme Court on Friday issued a show-cause notice to the Secretary of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly asking why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him over a letter to Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami about the privilege notice issued against him.
A bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice of India Sharad Arvind Bobde, also said that Arnab Goswami should not be arrested in the case till the next date of hearing.
Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for Arnab Goswami, submitted that Arnab is in jail. “He is being threatened, questioned. Case after case after case is being filed against him. He needs relief in this case,” Salve said.
The bench allowed a plea moved by Salve to make the Central government a party to the case and appointed senior advocate Arvind Datar as an Amicus Curiae in the matter.
The top court was hearing a plea filed by Arnab Goswami challenging a breach of privilege motion moved against him in the Maharashtra Assembly for criticising Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
During the last date of hearing, Salve had submitted that there could be a breach of privilege only if there is any hindrance, obstruction, interference by a person in the performance of duties or workings of the House.
Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik had on September 16 moved the breach of privilege motion against Goswami for allegedly using derogatory language against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and NCP president Sharad Pawar for their alleged inaction in the actor Sushant Singh Rajput death case. A similar motion was moved by MLA Manisha Koyande in the Legislative Council.
New Delhi , November 6 ,2020: In a bid to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic from worsening due to increased air pollution, the Delhi government has banned all types of firecrackers from November 7 to 30, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Friday.
“The ban on crackers has been imposed in view of air pollution. This time around, there is pollution and COVID-19. When firecrackers are burst on Diwali, people are unable to breathe properly for around 3-4 hours late at night due to air pollution,” Jain told reporters here.
Responding to whether ‘green cracker’ will be included in the ban, Jain said that there is a pandemic spreading around the globe and people should avoid refrain from bursting crackers.
“There is a pandemic across the country. People have not seen such a thing in their entire lifetime. People should understand and refrain from bursting crackers. Everyone should conduct poojas and offer prayers at their homes. The Laxmi pooja by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will be broadcasted live. Everyone can join him in their homes,” Jain said.
“Pollution and COVID-19 are dangerous in and of themselves. To protect yourself from both, people should ensure not to leave their houses without a face mask… In the third wave of the COVID-19, positive cases are increasing. At present 7,231 COVID beds are occupied in Delhi and 8,572 are still available,” he added.
Jain said that the number of COVID-19 beds in Delhi government hospitals will be increased and said that private hospitals will be asked to do the same.
Speaking about the approaching winters and the arrangement made by the Delhi government to provide shelter homes to the needy, Jain said, “Shelter homes are being prepared and COVID-19 guidelines will be kept in mind while doing so. We are increasing the size of the shelter homes in view of the pandemic and will only fill the tents to half its capacity in view of COVID-19.”
New Delhi, Nov 3 ,2020: The government has ordered to block 12 websites linked to pro-Khalistani outfits, a source aware of the development said on Tuesday.
Some of the blocked websites were being directly operated by outlawed organisation Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).
These websites were carrying pro-Khalistani content.
“12 websites have been ordered to be blocked by the Ministry of Electronics and IT under section 69 A of the IT Act. They were supporting pro-Khalistani activities. The order was issued on Monday,” the source – who did not wish to be identified – told PTI.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) is the nodal authority for monitoring the cyberspace in India.
The banned websites include SFJ4Farmers, pbteam, seva413, pb4u, sadapind, among others with “org” extension.
“Your requested URL has been blocked as per the directions received from Department of Telecommunications, Government of India. Please contact administrator for more information,” some of the banned websites said.
Last year, the Home Ministry had banned SFJ for its anti-national activities.
SFJ had pushed for Sikh Referendum 2020 as part of its separatist agenda.
The government had blocked 40 websites in July belonging to SFJ for supporting secessionist activities.
Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 1: Kerala State has been ranked as the best-governed state by the Bangalore-based Public Affairs Centre.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a message, said, “Kerala tops the Public Affairs Index-2020 of Public Affairs Centre.”
“The State has been ranked as the best-governed state based on a composite index with a focus on sustainable development goals. The people of the State deserve the credit for this achievement,” he added.