Kerala will continue to eat beef; BJP has no problem with it: Modi govt’s minister

News Network
September 4, 2017

New Delhi, Sept 4: Kerala is a “beef-eating State” and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has no problem with the people eating beef there, newly appointed Tourism Minister K Alphons has said.

“Kerala is a beef-eating state. It is not going to stop eating beef. It will continue to eat beef. BJP doesn't have a problem,” he said while speaking a news channel after assuming charge of the Tourism Ministry on Monday while replying to a question on the issue.

He rejected all accusations against the BJP on the issue, dubbing them as “absolutely untrue.”

He said that the Chief Minister of Goa, which is a BJP-ruled State, has made it clear that the State would continue to eat beef.

"I am sure there is a lot of propaganda. There is no food emergency They said churches would be demolished and mosques will be burnt if the BJP comes to power but nothing like that happened, he added.

Alphons asserted that the BJP had no plans to impose a “food emergency” in any of the States including Kerala.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking everybody along. He has said 'I will take care of you all. I will protect you'," he added

Alphons also said that he would be “a bridge between Prime Minister and the Christian community,” when asked if his induction into the Narendra Modi's Council of Ministers was a move to reach out to the Christian community.

“I would be a bridge between the Prime Minister and the Christian community. The Prime Minister has talked about the development of all sections of the community," he said.

Earlier in the day, he took over the charge of Tourism Ministry in presence of the outgoing Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma. He also joined the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (IT) as Minister of State to function under Union Minister Ravishankar Prasad.

"There is a lot of potential in our tourism sector but first we will have to love ourselves and love India then we can attract tourists from other countries," he said.

Handing over the charge of the Tourism Ministry, Sharma said Prime Minister “handpicked” Alphons for the job as he had created an image of himself “as an able administrator.”

“He is like a flower that Modi has picked from a bouquet. When the tourism development rate globally is 4.7 per cent India's is 17.3 per cent. I hope next time when these statistics are issued, Alphons would have bettered this,” Sharma added.

Comments

Abdullah
 - 
Wednesday, 6 Sep 2017

Hahahaha.....  Anukoola Shastra.

Kuttan
 - 
Tuesday, 5 Sep 2017

No Problem in kerala beef is not gomatha.

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Agencies
July 30,2020

New Delhi, Jul 30: India's gold demand in 2020 is expected to fall to the lowest level in 26 years with domestic bullion prices hitting a record high and as falling disposable incomes could curtail retail purchases, the World Gold Council (WGC) said on Thursday.

Lower demand by the world's second-biggest bullion consumer could limit a rally in global prices, which hit a record high earlier this month, although it could also reduce India's trade deficit and support the ailing rupee.

"Fast rising gold prices could act as headwinds," said Somasundaram PR, the managing director of WGC's Indian operations.

Local gold futures have jumped 35% so far this year after rising a quarter in 2019.

India's gold consumption in the first half of 2020 plunged 56% on-year to 165.6 tonnes. Meanwhile, the coronavirus-triggered lockdown also slashed demand by 70% in the June quarter to 63.7 tonnes, the lowest in more than a decade, the WGC said in a report published on Thursday.

Millions of Indians have lost their jobs or taken a pay cut after the country imposed a lockdown on its 1.3 billion people to curb the spread of the virus that has infected more than 1.5 million Indians.

Consumption is generally high during the June quarter due to weddings and key festivals such as Akshaya Tritiya, but lockdown restrictions kept shoppers indoors this year.

The weak demand in the first half could drag down India's gold consumption in 2020 to the lowest since 1994, when demand stood at 415 tonnes, Somasundaram said, adding that it is still difficult to provide an estimate for full-year demand as the coronavirus crisis is still unfolding.

"Indian demand has previously jumped as much as 300 tonnes in a quarter. Latent demand could come out in the second half," Somasundaram said.

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News Network
April 7,2020

Bengaluru, Apr 7: Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Siddaramaiah on Monday urged Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to announce a special package to help farmers, agriculture labourers and also working class in various sectors who are affected by the lockdown.

Mr Siddaramaiah put forth his demands during a telephonic conversation and the Chief Minister positively responding to it informed that he will formulate a programme keeping in mind the suggestions made by the Opposition, a statement from the LoP's office said.

It said, the Chief Minister also spoke to Mr Siddaramaiah regarding the government's decision to stop supply of free food for poor and needy through Indira Canteens.

Mr Siddaramaiah on Saturday had written to Yediyurappa urging him to utilise Indira Canteens efficiently and provide food for poor and needy until the coronavirus crisis and lockdown is over.

The former Chief Minister's letter had come a day after the state government had decided not to provide free food at Indira Canteens as concerns were raised about the quality and misuse that was happening.

It had, however, decided to continue to provide subsidised food- breakfast at Rs 5 and lunch and dinner at Rs 10, as usual.

Mr Yediyurappa during the phone conversation on Monday appraised Siddaramaiah that the decision to supply food by fixing a price was taken to stop misuse that was happening.

Mr Siddaramaiah, however, insisted the government should provide food free of cost to the poor and needy, by taking care that misuse doesn't happen.

The senior Congress leader asked the Chief Minister to take action against errant officials who allowed misuse to happen, the statement said, adding that Yediyurappa has promised to look into it.

Initially, the government last month had decided that the state subsidised Indira Canteens would provide food packets free of cost to the poor and needy in the wake of the lockdown.

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News Network
July 27,2020

New Delhi, Jul 27: India's COVID tally on Monday crossed 14 lakh mark with the highest single-day spike of 49,931 cases reported in the last 24 hours, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The total COVID-19 cases stand at 14,35,453, including 4,85,114 active cases, 9,17,568 cured/discharged/migrated, it added.

With 708 deaths in the last 24 hours, the cumulative toll reached 32,771.

India had crossed 13 lakhs COVID-19 cases on July 25.

Maharashtra has reported 3,75,799 coronavirus cases, the highest among states and Union Territories in the country.

A total of 2,13,723 cases have been reported from Tamil Nadu till now, while Delhi has recorded a total of 1,30,606 coronavirus cases.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 5,15,472 samples were tested for coronavirus on Sunday and overall 1,68,06,803 samples have been tested so far.

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