POLITICS
CPI-M's red flag for Magsaysay Award to former health minister K.K. Shailaja
According to information available, Shailaja was shortlisted by the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation for the 64th Magsaysay award for her service towards public health as the state had won global recognition for its effective handling of Nipah outbreak and Covid pandemic during her tenure. She was lauded across the globe for leading from the front to contain contagious diseases. The foundation had verified with Shailaja during the end of July 2022 and intimated by e-mail that she was shortlisted and wanted her confirmation in accepting the award.
Union Home Ministry gets busy preparing the ground for J and K polls
If Home Ministry sources are to be believed, elections can be held in the Union Territory next year. According to information available, Union Home Minister Amit Shah can visit the UT in September end. If everything goes smoothly, the Assembly polls can be held next year. According to sources it will be more convenient if the Assembly polls are held in March or April next year.
At Delhi rally, Cong workers demand Rahul as chief
The Congress has deferred its presidential election to next month. The chorus for Rahul Gandhi becoming the party's national chief has been growing. Many party leaders have openly demanded that he be made the president, the post he quit in June 2019 after a poll debacle. Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi has, however, declined to run for the party chief's post again even as efforts are on to persuade him. Senior leaders such as Mallikarjun Kharge and Salman Khurshid have said that they will try to convince Rahul Gandhi on the matter.
Opposition has no way but to go to the people: Rahul
He said, "Bharat Jodo Yatra is being undertaken because the media is not with us, other institutions are under pressure from the government. So the opposition has no way but to directly go to the people and tell them the truth about the government." He reiterated that the opposition was not allowed to speak in Parliament on the issues concerning the people.
Jammu and Kashmir: Final electoral rolls to be out on Nov 25, polls early next year
After the conclusion of the delimitation exercise of assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, there was strong speculation that assembly polls in the Union Territory will be conducted in November probably along with the other state polls including Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. But, the poll panel has fixed November 25 as the deadline for publication of the final electoral rolls. Officials said that it gives an indication that the polls are unlikely to be held this year. As per the election office, any Indian citizen, including non-locals living or working in Jammu and Kashmir, can enlist their names in the voting list and vote in the assembly and local body elections.
'Muslim sounding names' of UP's Gorakhpur wards changed
The move has evoked a sharp reaction from the leaders of the Samajwadi Party and the Congress. According to official sources, the changing of names was part of the delimitation exercise, under which the number of wards went up to 80 in Gorakhpur, with several of these named after iconic personalities and freedom fighters. A senior official said that people can file their objections within a week and after their disposal, the delimitation will be approved. Samajwadi Party leader and Ismailpur corporator Shahab Ansari charged that changing of names is an attempt at polarisation.
BJP may again have Jammu, but Kashmir remains the challenge
The BJP went into the 2014 Assembly polls in erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state with the 'Mission 44-plus', marking its intention to get a majority in the then 87-member House. It did well by winning 25 seats and occupying the position of a king-maker then. The rise of the BJP did happen in J&K, but it could not secure anything in Kashmir. The wins were in Hindu-majority Jammu while Muslim-majority Kashmir said a big no. The party not only drew a blank in the valley, all its 34 candidates lost their deposits.
After years of discrimination, two communities find their voice in J&K politics
After decades of discrimination and subjugation, the West Pakistani Refugees (WPRs) and the Valmiki community have a lot to cheer about. It has taken 75 years for the WPRs and 65 years for the Valmiki community to finally get voting rights in J&K and live with honour and dignity. The WPRs comprise members of Hindu and Sikh communities, who migrated from Pakistan after Partition in 1947. As per official records, there are nearly 5,400 families who migrated to the border areas of Jammu -- to Kathua, Samba and Jammu districts. The community leaders say these families have now grown to over 22,000 families.
Bengal's scams, their time frame and the controversies around them
The chit fund bubble burst at the end of 2012 and because of the combined pressure of different central agencies, the Ponzi activities totally dried up by the beginning of 2014. Besides the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), other agencies like the Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), the investigation arm of the Union ministry of corporate affairs, also became active in the matter. The combined pressure of these four agencies forced the Ponzi entities to go underground by closing down several offices and deactivating their agents' network.
Kashmiris ignore calls for bandh & boycotts, eager for elections
Sustained action by the government against the separatist elements has dealt a major blow to them. Their top leaders, such as Yasin Malik and Shabbir Shah, are in jail. Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who was the patron of the Pakistan-sponsored separatist movement in the valley, died alone with no valley outpouring of grief for him even on his final journey. Most of the separatist leaders and their sympathisers have been exposed through sustained action by various government forces.
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