Jammu flood tolls climbs up to 160, Rajnath assures help

September 6, 2014

Srinagar, Sep 6: The toll in the Jammu and Kashmir floods has risen to 160 as the floods, the worst the state has seen in 60 years, affected a staggering 2,500 villages, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Saturday said as he assured help to deal with the grim situation.jk flood

Rajnath Singh told the media at the Jammu airport that "160 people have lost their lives in these floods".

"Floods of this magnitude have hit Jammu and Kashmir after 60 years." He said 2,500 villages were affected, out of which 450 were completely submerged.

The union minister arrived in the state earlier in the day on a day's visit to take stock of the flood situation.

Rajnath Singh said in Srinagar that he had met Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and senior officials who briefed him about the severity of the situation.

"If there is so much devastation in the city, I wonder what would be the situation like in rural areas," said Singh, who had to cancel an aerial tour because of inclement weather.

"I want to assure the people and the government of Jammu and Kashmir that the central government stands besides you in your hour of crisis and we extend all necessary help to you," he said. The home minister was accompanied by Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh.

The chief minister told him the state's top most concern was the safety of human lives and to evacuate those trapped in submerged areas.

But he also said that paddy, maize, vegetables and fruit crops over a large area have been destroyed. He said the public infrastructure and private property besides residential houses were damaged.

Commissioner Secretary Revenue and Relief Vinod Koul, earlier in the day, said that 390 villages were submerged in the Valley, while 1,225 were partially affected. He said in Jammu region alone, 1,000 villages were affected by the flood waters.

He said that 50 bridges, hundreds of kilometers of roads and power installations units were damaged and a final assessment could be made only after the flood waters receded. He added that the state urgently needs 25,000 tents and 40,000 blankets.

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Agencies
July 13,2020

Jaipur, July 13: Amid a deepening political crisis in Rajasthan where the number 2 leader of the Congress party Sachin Pilot has revolted, over 200 Income Tax (I-T) sleuths raided the residences and properties of two of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s close confidants.

The Income Tax department has carried out searches at over a dozen locations linked to Congress leader Dharamender Rathore as well as jewellery firm owner Rajiv Arora, both of whom are considered close to Gehlot.

Officials said that the raids that are underway in Jaipur, Kota, Delhi, and Mumbai were done after a complaint of tax evasion was made. Under the scanner, they said, are transactions that were made outside the country.

The curious timing of the Income Tax department’s action against Gehlot’s aides has made the Congress accuse the sleuths of acting on the behest of the BJP.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted: “After all, BJP's lawyers came on the field. The Income Tax Department started raids in Jaipur. When will ED arrive?”

The Congress is facing a cliffhanger in Rajasthan after the open rebellion by deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, who on Sunday night claimed that he had the support of 30 MLAs and that Gehlot was leading a minority government in the state.

However, Congress leader Avinash Pande on Monday said 109 MLAs have signed a letter of support to the chief minister, well above the majority mark of 100. The party has issued a whip to all the MLAs, asking them to attend the Congress Legislature Party meeting at 10.30 am. 

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News Network
February 9,2020

Srinagar, Feb 9: Authorities on Sunday snapped mobile internet services in Kashmir as a precautionary measure to prevent any law and order disturbance on the seventh death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru, officials said.

The mobile internet services were suspended early in the morning as the authorities apprehended violence in the valley in view of the bandh call given by separatist outfits, the officials said.

The authorities had restored 2G internet services in Kashmir on January 25, more than five months after snapping all communication facilities in the valley following abrogation of Article 370 on August 5 last year.

Police on Saturday lodged an FIR against the banned Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) for calling a strike on Afzal Guru's death anniversary.

Guru was hanged in 2013 inside Tihar jail for his role in the Parliament attack in December 2001.

Two journalists were summoned by police for reporting the JKLF press release, which had called for strike on Sunday and Tuesday -- the death anniversary of the outfit founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat.

They were let off after five hours of questioning. Bhat was hanged in 1984 and is buried inside Tihar jail.

Meanwhile, normal life in Kashmir was affected due to the strike, the officials said.

Markets and business establishments remained closed, while public transport was largely off the roads, they said.

There have been no reports of any untoward incident from anywhere in the valley so far, the officials added.

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Agencies
August 5,2020

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Ayodhya to lay the foundation of the Ram temple. He participated in the bhoomi poojan rituals at the temple site and offered prayers. He will shortly lay the foundation of the temple with a sliver brick.

From Varanasi to Tamil Nadu, many devotees have sent gifts for the ceremony, like silver bricks and coins.

Special prayers were started on Monday and will culminate with the PM laying the foundation stone for the temple. The city has been decorated with paintings depicting scenes from the Ramayana. The Uttar Pradesh government has also made elaborate security arrangement for the event.

Apart from the state police, the NSG commandos have also been kept on stand-by. The invitations for the ceremony have been kept limited due to the coronavirus pandemic. Veteran BJP leaders LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi will witness the event from New Delhi via video-conferencing.

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