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2L force, thousands of vehicles, dozen choppers for LS polls

March 30, 2014

New Delhi, Mar 30: More than two lakh gun-toting paramilitary personnel, thousands of vehicles and nearly a dozen helicopters will be deployed across the country to ensure smooth and violence-free elections beginning April 7.

2L_forceDuring the nine-phased polls, spread over nearly two months, the Home Ministry has chalked out the deployment plan for 543 constituencies having a total electorate of 81.4 crore with the special focus on violence-hit states.

"It is a massive exercise. But we will ensure peaceful polling. We are also taking special measures for Naxal- affected states, Jammu and Kashmir and Northeast," Joint Secretary in the Home Ministry, MA Ganapathy said.

The two lakh paramilitary personnel along with vehicles are being requisitioned from forces like CRPF, BSF, ITBP, SSB and Assam Rifles for deployment across the country.

Home Ministry will press into service more than 100 trains to transport paramilitary forces for deployment during the elections.

In this mammoth exercise, the trains will be used for the swift movement of forces from one state to another according to the election schedule and security considerations.

Railways has been requested to provide two sleeper coaches for each company (around 100 personnel) and two coaches with special trains instead of general coaches for the smooth mobilisation of troops.

The hired trains will be used for long-distance transportation of forces while, for shorter distances, security personnel will travel by road.

Thousands of private vehicles will also be requisitioned to ferry the forces.

Nearly a dozen helicopters will also be deployed in each phase of Lok Sabha polls. But since no BSF Mi-17 helicopters are serviceable, the entire requirement will have to be met through Indian Air Force choppers.

Helicopters are the most important force multiplier when it comes to rushing in reinforcements or taking out casualties and injured persons during operations.

Home Ministry has identified 33 worst Naxal-affected districts as being very sensitive with the highest number of incidents having been reported in these areas in Lok Sabha elections in 2004 and 2009 and also during Assembly polls in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2013.

The districts are Khunti, Gumla, Latehar, Simdega, West Singhbhum, Ranchi, Dumka, Giridih, Palamu, Garhwa, Chatra, Lohardaga and Bokaro (all Jharkhand).

Bastar, Bijapur, Sukma, Dantewada, Kanker, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Rajnandgaon (all Chhattisgarh), Aurangabad, Gaya, Jamui, Muzaffarpur and Lakhisarai (all in Bihar).

The Odisha districts are Malkangiri, Koraput, Nuapada and Bolangir, in Maharashtra it is Gadchiroli along with Vishakhapatnam and Khammam districts in Andhra Pradesh.

The high-stake Lok Sabha elections will be held between April 7 and May 12 on nine dates, the highest number of phases for a general elections so far.

Counting of votes for all 543 constituencies will be done on May 16.

As the Lok Sabha polls unfold, Assembly elections will also be held simultaneously in Andhra Pradesh, including in the Telangana region, Odisha, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

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News Network
June 29,2020

Kolkata, Jun 29: Sweet-loving Bengalis have something to cheer about in COVID-19 time as the West Bengal government decided to come out with a "sandesh" which will contain honey from Sundarbans and increase immunity, an official said on Sunday.

Cotton cheese made from cow milk will be mixed with pure honey from the Sunderbans to prepare the "Arogya Sandesh" which will also have extracts of tulsi leaves, an official of the Animal Resources Development Department said.

No artificial flavours would be added to the sweetmeat which will be available in the department's outlets in the city and neighbouring districts, he said.

The sandesh will boost the immune system as a whole but it is not a COVID-19 antidote, the official said.

Sunderbans Affairs Minister Manturam Pakhira said the honey for making Arogya Sandesh will be collected from beehives in places such as Pirkhali, Jharkhali and other parts of the Sunderbans and it will be stored in a scientific manner.

The sandesh is expected to hit the shelves in another two months and the pricing will be within the reach of the common man, the animal resources development department official said.

Earlier this month, a reputed sweetmeat chain of Kolkata came out with an "Immunity Sandesh" claiming that it contains various herbs and spices such as haldi (turmeric), tulsi, saffron, and cardamom and Himalayan honey, which will boost immunity to fight novel coronavirus.

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Agencies
February 11,2020

Bhadohi, Feb 11: With just two days left for the State Budget Session, a widow from Uttar Pradesh''s Bhadohi district has accused BJP MLA Ravindranath Tripathi and six others of sexual harassment over the years, the police said.

The incident is likely to cause considerable embarrassment to the ruling Yogi Adityanath government.

Bhadohi Superintendent of Police (SP) Ram Badan Singh said: "The woman, whose husband died in 2007, met the BJP MLA Ravindranath Tripathi''s nephew in 2014. She said that she was physically exploited by him for many years on the pretext of marriage."

The complainant also said that the nephew then got her lodged in a Bhadohi hotel for about a month during the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, "where she was raped by the MLA and his other family members".

The case has been handed over to the Additional Superintendent of Police for further investigations.

A case is yet to be registered.

The Uttar Pradesh Budget Session starts from Thursday.

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News Network
January 27,2020

Jan 27: Bollywood Film Director Anurag Kashyap, who has been vocal about his political views on social media, slammed Union Minister Amit Shah and accused him of being 'cheap'.

"How timid our Home Minister is. Its own police, its own goons, its own army and security increases and invades unarmed protestors. Amit Shah has crossed the extent of cheapness and inferiority. History will spit on this animal," Kashyap tweeted.

The film director has taken an active part in the anti-Citizenship Act protest rallies and was against the Jawaharlal Nehru violence. He also came in support of his contemporary Deepika Padukone when the latter faced backlash for showing up at JNU in support of the students.

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