Fani hit Odisha seeks donation from foreigners, NRIs

Agencies
May 21, 2019

Bhubaneswar, May 21: Odisha government has sought donations from foreign nationals and NRIs to rebuild the state in the aftermath of cyclone Fani, saying their contribution will "heal many lives".

Cyclone Fani had ravaged the coastal districts of the state on May 3, resulting in an estimated loss of Rs 12,000 crore.

"#Odisha Chief Minister's Relief Fund now accepts donations from foreign nationals, Persons of Indian origin, overseas citizens of India and NRIs," the Chief Minister's Office tweeted on Monday.

People can donate by visiting cmrfodisha.gov.in/donation/onlinedonation.php.

Calling upon all to join hands to rebuild Odisha, the state government said, "Your contribution will heal many lives and also the state."

Separate phone lines have also been set up for donors from the US, Canada, UK, Australia, Singapore and UAE, among others.

Though the state government has spent more than Rs 6,000 crore in relief and restoration works within a fortnight of the calamity, the Centre has released Rs 1,341 crore so far, an official said.

The state government has sought Rs 12,000 crore from the Centre for the restoration work.

The state has so far received donations of about Rs 200 crore from different agencies, organisations, individuals, industries and others in the aftermath of the cyclone that wreaked havoc in the coastal districts, leaving at least 64 people dead and above 5 lakh houses damaged.

The condition of people in the worst-affected Puri district continues to be grim as they have no power in mid- summer. Of about 19 lakh electricity consumers in the district, power has been restored to only 19,000 even after 18 days of the calamity.

"In Puri, electricity restoration work is being carried out in full swing," an official said, adding that daily necessities of affected people have been met as relief assistance and monthly pensions have been disbursed.

The official said normalcy has returned to 90 per cent areas in the other 13 districts.

"It will take time to restore power in Puri because of the massive destruction of the infrastructure," he said.

More than 100 electricity towers have been uprooted in the cyclone in Puri. The cyclone, which made landfall in Puri with a wind speed of up to 240 kmph, also left at least 241 people injured.

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News Network
May 27,2020

Mumbai, May 27: The Maharashtra government on Tuesday ordered re investigation by the CID into the suicide of a 53-year-old interior designer and his mother, allegedly over non-payment of dues by TV journalist Arnab Goswami and two others.

State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said he ordered re investigation after Adnya Naik, daughter of interior designer Anvay Naik, claimed that Alibag Police in neighbouring Raigad district did not probe the non-payment of dues which had driven her father and grandmother to suicide.

"Adnya Naik had complained to me that #AlibaugPolice had not investigated non-payment of dues from #ArnabGoswami's @republic which drove her entrepreneur father & grandmom to suicide in May 2018," Deshmukh tweeted.

"I've ordered a CID re-investigation of the case," the minister, an NCP leader, added.

He also used the hashtag "Maharashtra government cares" while sharing the tweet. Earlier this month, the police registered an abetment of suicide case against Republic TV editor-in-chief Goswami and two others.

The suicide note purportedly written by Anvay Naik, managing director of Concorde Designs Private Limited, said he was forced to take his life as he was not paid dues of Rs 5.40 crore by the three accused.

Republic TV denied the allegation and said that certain vested interest groups were running "a false and malicious campaign and making false statements and innuendos against the company by exploiting the tragic event".

Mumbai Police are also conducting a probe against Goswami over his statements about the Palghar lynching case of April this year.

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News Network
July 25,2020

New Delhi, Jul 25: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the government of benefitting by making profits during the coronavirus-induced lockdown when people were in trouble.

He tagged a news report that claimed the Indian Railways was making profit by running 'Shramik trains' for transporting migrants during the pandemic.

"There are clouds of disease and people are in trouble, but one seeks to benefit -- this anti-people government is converting a disaster into profits and is earning," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

The news report claimed that the railways made a profit of Rs 428 crore by running Shramik special trains during the lockdown that transported migrants to their native places.

In another tweet, he lauded the efforts of the Himachal government in conducting a survey to select 'one district, one product', saying he had suggested this sometime back.

"This is a good idea. I had suggested it some time back. Its implementation will need a complete change of mindset," he said on Twitter.

He also tagged a report that stated the state Industries Department is conducting a baseline survey in all districts to select one district, one product for centrally-sponsored Micro and Small Enterprises Cluster Development Programme (MSE-CDP). 

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News Network
January 19,2020

Mumbai, Jan 19: After Kerala and Punjab, the Maha Vikas Agadi (MVA) government is also mulling over a resolution against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 in Maharashtra Assembly.

Speaking to news agency, Congress spokesperson Raju Waghmare said: "Our senior party leader Balasaheb Thorat has also shared his stand on the CAA. Even Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has said that we are against the CAA. As far as the resolution against CAA is concerned, our senior leaders of MVA will sit together and decide."

If this happens, then Maharashtra will be the third state to pass a resolution against CAA, which grants citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.

Emphasising that CAA is 'unconstitutional,' senior lawyer and Congress leader Kapil Sibal has said that every state Assembly has the constitutional right to pass a resolution and seek CAA's withdrawal.

He added that it would be problematic to oppose the CAA if the law is declared to be 'constitutional' by the Supreme Court.

"I believe the CAA is unconstitutional. Every State Assembly has the constitutional right to pass a resolution and seek its withdrawal. When and if the law is declared to be constitutional by the Supreme Court then it will be problematic to oppose it. The fight must go on!" Sibal tweeted.

Earlier speaking at the Kerala Literature Festival on Saturday, the Congress leader had said that constitutionally no state can say that it will not implement the amended Citizenship Act, as doing so will be "unconstitutional".

Kerala government has also approached the Supreme Court against the CAA following the passage of a resolution against it in the state Assembly.

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh has also announced that the Congress state government is going to join Kerala in the Supreme Court in the case.

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