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Congress, RJD call for handshake with JD-U

May 19, 2014

Congress RJDJDUNew Delhi, May 19: Days after the BJP swept the Lok Sabha polls, the RJD and the Congress called for an urgent "understanding" with the JD-U to prevent any further split in "secular" votes.

"We do not rule out an arrangement with the JD-U (Janata Dal-United) to consolidate the secular votes in the future," Bihar Congress leader Premchand Mishra said.

Hinting at a possible realignment between the Lalu Prasad-led RJD and the JD-U, the two offsprings of the erstwhile Janata Dal, he said "vested interests" should give way to "larger interests" in Bihar, which has 40 Lok Sabha seats.

"If there is any scope for understanding between parties with secular ideologies, it should be exploited. False egos and previous animosity should not stand as obstacles to what can defeat the communal forces," Mishra said in a telephonic interview.

The Congress and the RJD, which were in an alliance, won only two and four seats respectively despite jointly polling a respectable 28.5 percent of all votes.

The ruling JD-U was crushed, winning just two seats. The BJP bagged 22 seats and its ally, the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) of Ram Vilas Paswan, six.

The RJD attributed the failure to convert the vote share into seats to the "spoiling factor" played by the JD-U.

RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwary said: "It wouldn't be right to say we have rejected any possibility of teaming up with the JD-U."

Tiwary said the RJD realises that the "secular" camp can have an advantage over the Bharatiya Janata Party in vote share if the JD-U was aligned with the RJD and the Congress.

Together with JD-U's 15.8 percent vote percentage, the Congress and the RJD would have had nearly 10 perent more votes than the BJP and the LJP which polled 29.4 percent and 6.4 percent votes respectively.

"RJD candidates got two-three lakh votes in every constituency and we could have won more seats if the JD-U hadn't played the spoiler," Tiwary said.

RJD leader Lalu Prasad retains his "iron will" to battle the communal forces and may make "significant decisions" in this regard, he said, indicating a possible coming together of Lalu Prasad and JD-U leaders Nitish Kumar and Sharad Yadav.

"We are observing the developments in the state," he added.

Both the Congress and the RJD contend that it was opportunism on the part of the LJP to desert them and join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance just ahead of the Lok Sabha battle.

"Ram Vilas Paswan had said he would abide by whatever decision (Congress president) Sonia Gandhi takes. But suddenly he became a part and parcel of the NDA," Mishra said.

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Agencies
August 8,2020

Idukki, Aug 8: Nine more bodies have been recovered from the landslide ravaged Pettimudi near Munnar in Idukki on Saturday. With this the death toll in the tragedy reached 26. Around 40 are feared to be still trapped under the debris or washed away.

The rescue operation by NDRF and Fire and Rescue Services that was stopped by Friday evening due to poor light and bad weather resumed by Saturday morning.

Horrifying scene prevailed in the area as relatives of the missing people screamed around in search of their beloved ones. As it is nearly 48 hours since the incident happened, the chances of recovering missing persons alive from the debris is becoming bleak. Three of the bodies recovered on Saturday could not be identified till evening.

Kerala Revenue Minster E Chandrasekharan, who visited the area on Saturday, said that search operation would be carried out until all the missing are recovered.

It was by around 11.30 pm on Thursday that landslide had hit the Nayamakkad estate of Kannan Devan Hills and Plantations. Settlement clusters of plantation workers where 83 persons were staying were reduced to debris as the huge rocks came bulldozing. Five of the residents were reported to be not in the spot while the mishap occured.

Meanwhile, heavy rains led to floods at many parts of the state. Red alert has been issued at Idukki, Malappuram and Wayanad districts for Sunday also. A total of 11,446 persons of 3,530 families were shifted to relief camps across the state, of which major chunk is at Wayanad.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that water level at most dams is increasing swiftly.

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News Network
July 3,2020

New Delhi, Jul 3: In a significant step, ICMR has partnered with Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) to fast-track clinical trials of the indigenous COVID-19 vaccine (BBV152 COVID Vaccine). It is the first indigenous vaccine being developed by India and is one of the top priority projects which is being monitored at the topmost level of the Government, says ICMR in a statement.

The vaccine is derived from a strain of SARS-CoV-z isolated by ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune. ICMR and BBIL are jointly working for the preclinical as well as clinical development of this vaccine.

In a letter to the institutes that will be involved in the trails of the vaccine, ICMR has said

"It is envisaged to launch the vaccine for public health use latest by 15th August 2020 after completion of all clinical trials. BBIL is working expeditiously to meet the target. However, final outcome will depend on the cooperation of all clinical trial sites involved in this project. you have been chosen as a clinical trial site of the BBV152 COVID vaccine. ln view of the public health emergency due to COVID-19 pandemic and urgency to launch the vaccine, you are strictly advised to fast track all approvals related to initiation of the clinical trial and ensure that the subject enrollment is initiated no later than 7th July 2020."

The ICMR also asked the institutes to comply with the order, "Kindly note that non-compliance will be viewed very seriously. Therefore, you are advised to treat this project on the highest priority and meet the given timelines without any lapse."

The ICMR has selected 12 institutes, including one from Odisha, for the clinical trial of the country's first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine.

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News Network
February 2,2020

New Delhi, Feb 2: The Congress on Sunday released its manifesto for Delhi polls, promising to implement unemployment allowance of Rs 5,000-7,500 per month and cashback schemes for water and power consumers, if voted to power.

Presenting the manifesto, Delhi Congress chief Subhash Chopra said the party will provide free power up to 300 unit per month.

The manifesto also committed to spend 25 per cent budget each year on fighting pollution and improving transport facilities.

An unemployment allowance of Rs 5,000 for graduates and Rs 7,500 for post graduates per month will be provided under the Yuva Swabhiman Yojna, he said.

The Congress will launch flagship cashback schemes for power and water supply to benefit consumers saving these resources. The party, if voted to power, will open 100 Indira Canteens to provide subsidised meals at Rs 15, Chopra said.

The Congress will challenge the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the Supreme Court and demand the Centre to withdraw the law. The party will also not implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the existing form of the National Population Register (NPR), if voted to power in Delhi.

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