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Modi announces Rs 1.25 lakh crore package for poll-bound Bihar

August 18, 2015

Ara (Bihar), Aug 18: In a major pre-poll sop for Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced package of a whopping Rs 1.25 lakh crore, promising that the state will touch new heights of development if the BJP is voted to power.modi copy copy

Modi also hit out at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for putting the prestige of Bihar at stake for his political gains by pleading with the previous UPA government for packages and getting only Rs 12000 crore.

"I am here today to fulfill my promise to you. I am announcing a package of Rs 1.25 lakh crore for Bihar. Now you give me your blessings to change the fate of Bihar... Only development will benefit the state and eradicate its poverty. Bihar will touch new heights of development," he said at a government function where several projects were launched. Modi also made it clear that the Rs 1.25 lakh crore package will be in addition to the ongoing development projects worth Rs 40657 cr, announced previously.

Amid high-stakes Assembly election, BJP is banking heavily on the Centre's development package to wrest power from Kumar, its one time ally-turned-rival, who has now joined hands with Lalu Prasad's RJD to take on the saffron combine.

Attacking Kumar for his claim that Bihar was no longer a 'bimaru' state as claimed by Modi in his previous rally in Bihar, Modi wondered why the chief minister had been seeking packages all the time.

"Our chief minister turned very angry and said who is Modi to call Bihar a 'bimaru' state. He said with authority that Bihar is no longer a bimaru state. If it is true, then I will be the happiest person. I welcome this.

"Tell me, if somebody is healthy, will he go to a doctor. If somebody's stomach is full, will he go anywhere seeking food? I am surprised that on the one hand he says Bihar is not bimaru and on the other he keeps asking for something or the other. Let the people of Bihar decide," Modi, accompanied by many Union Ministers, said.

Building up the tempo ahead of special package announcement, Modi cited the previous two packages of Rs 10,000 crore and Rs 12,000 crore given to the state in 2003 and 2013 and said the Kumar government could not utilise them properly.

Referring to his promise made during the Lok Sabha polls that Rs 50,000 cr package would be given to Bihar, Modi said he realised after coming to power that the amount was "nothing".

The PM also compared the past assistance given by the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee NDA government and UPA government and told the Chief Minister that he should properly take note of his package announcement, "kaan theek rakh kar sun lijiye".

Referring to Kumar's split with BJP in 2013, he said the chief minister then went to 'Delhi Durbar' and pleaded that please give me something to keep my honour.

"For political benefits, he put at stake the prestige of Bihar," Modi said, adding that Rs 12000 crore given by UPA was like giving a candy to a child who cries too much.

That package played with the self respect of Bihar, he maintained. Invoking freedom fighter Babu Veer Kunwar Singh, who hailed from Arrah, and seeking Jayaprakash Narayan's blessings, he went on to ask people, "Should it be Rs 50000 crore or more, Rs 60,000 cr, Rs 70,000 cr...," he said as the crowd cheered and then stood up as he made the final announcement of Rs 1.25 lakh crore.

Wooing the electorate, he said people of Bihar were bestowed with "sharp intellect" and mentioned that Chanakya was born here.

He also spoke about the "comprehensive work" being done by his government, especially regarding skilling youth and training women, to develop the country and took a jibe at the previous dispensations, saying they had a "piecemeal" approach to progress.

Chief Minister Kumar, who had gone to receive the PM at Patna Airport, was not present at the Arrah function where the PM inaugurated & laid foundation stone of 11 National Highway projects of 700 kms at a capital cost of Rs 9700 crore. Bihar Road Construction Department minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lallan was present on the dais.

The Prime Minister spoke about his trip to UAE and said the government their had promised investment of Rs 4.5 lakh crore in India.

"In coming days, skill development is going to change the future of Bihar. The Centre does not work by throwing crumbs and nor can the country be taken forward by throwing crumbs. We don't want to work in piecemeal," he said and added that his government's 'Make in India' and 'Skill India' initiatives complemented each other.

India, he said, cannot progress without growth in eastern states like Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal and his government was working towards their development.

Reaching out to dalits and backwards, he invoked the lifelong work of new Bihar governor Ram Nath Kovind who, Modi said, had spent his life for the development of dalits, backwards, extremenly backwards and the deprived.

Giving details of Rs 40,000 crore package announced earlier, he said Rs 8000 crore would be the unspent amount of the package given by the UPA government, Rs 12,000 crore worth road projects of National Highways and Rs 20,000 crore of the factory that would come at Banka district.

Seeking to highlight the approach of the Congress, which is now a part of secular alliance with JD(U) and RJD in Bihar poll, towards the state, Modi said "the UPA provided a chocolate to Bihar in the form of Rs 12,000 crore as given to a crying child to calm him."

The PM said he was criticised for not announcing a special package during his last visit to Bihar when the Parliament session was on.

Kumar has been attacking Modi on the issue of providing special package for Bihar. Yesterday also he had said that he was waiting to see if the special package announced by PM has some new projects or "merely repackaging of old ones."

The PM also criticised Kumar for failing to spend money provided on previous two packages.

"Its a 'karwa satya' (bitter truth) that out of Rs 10,000 crore special package given by Vajpayee government in 2003 the state could not spend Rs 1000 crore and in Rs 12,000 crore package of UPA government it could spend only Rs 4000 crore," he said.

Earlier, in a bid to strike a rapport with the people, the PM opened his speech by greeting the people in Bhojpuri and remembered freedom fighter Kuer Singh, who hailed from Bhojpur district of Bihar.

The PM will address a rally at Saharsa later in the day. A host of leaders, including Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Ramvilas Paswan, Ravishankar Prasad, Radhamohan Singh, Rajiv Pratap Rudy besides, state BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, Upendra Kushwaha, Bihar Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lallan and local MP R K Singh were among others present on the dais.

Later addressing a rally in Saharasa, the Prime Minister cited latest state government crime figures to argue that Bihar was already hearing the footsteps of 'jungle raaj', a jibe at Kumar's alliance with Lalu Prasad's RJD, whose government in the 90s was criticised for the poor law and order situation.

Between January and June 2015, heinous crimes had risen by 34 per cent and murders by 46 per cent across the state, he said, adding these were signs of 'jungle raaj'. Numbers of riots had increased by 72 per cent, he said.

"Tell me, these are signs of jungle raaj or not. Your life will become difficult or not... You give us power in Patna and we will sort out all your problems," he said.

Lashing out at Kumar, Modi said he has "sat in the lap" of Congress which had jailed Jayaprakash Narayan and called it a "betrayal" with the socialist leader.

"I have announced a Rs 1.25 lakh crore package to change the fate of Bihar, to make a 'naya' Bihar. I assure you that I will change the face of Bihar," he told a rally as he sought their votes for the BJP-led NDA.

Talking of Kumar's decision to split with BJP in 2013, which Modi dubbed as a betrayal with the saffron party and the people of Bihar, the Prime Minister said he ran to the then UPA government offering his support to it if the state was given a package.

"He got Rs 12,000 crore and began dancing over it. This package played with the self-respect of Bihar... The total package I have given is Rs 1.65 lakh crore," Modi said, underlining that the Rs 1.25 cr package was in addition to several projects worth Rs 40000 cr announced earlier.

The Prime Minister also made a mention of 2008 Kosi floods, which had badly hit the region, and targeted Kumar for returning Rs 5 cr cheque sent to Bihar by him as the then Gujarat Chief Minister.

"Is this behaviour appropriate in public life? People in the Kosi region may die but I will not leave my arrogance. Those who cannot leave their arrogance should be left or not?," he said, without naming the chief minister.

Kumar had returned the cheque after Modi put out advertisements in Bihar newspapers about it, which he saw as an attempt by the BJP leader to build his political capital.

This was Modi's third rally in Bihar and first in the Mithila region, which the NDA had swept in the Lok Sabha polls.

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News Network
May 21,2020

United Nations, May 21: At least 19 million children in parts of Bangladesh and India are at "imminent risk" from flash flooding and heavy rain as Cyclone Amphan makes landfall and the state of West Bengal is expected to take a direct hit from the powerful storm, the UN's children agency has warned.

The extremely severe cyclonic storm Amphan made a landfall at Digha in West Bengal and Bangladesh on Wednesday, leaving a trail of destruction. At least three persons were killed in India and seven in Bangladesh.

The UNICEF said that at least 19 million children in parts of Bangladesh and India are at “imminent risk from flash flooding, storm surges and heavy rain as Cyclone Amphan makes landfall.”

West Bengal, “home to more than 50 million people, including over 16 million children, is expected to take a direct hit from the powerful storm,” the UN agency said in a statement on Wednesday.

The UNICEF said it is also very concerned that the COVID-19 could deepen the humanitarian consequences of Cyclone Amphan in both the countries. Evacuees who have moved to crowded temporary shelters would be especially vulnerable to the spread of respiratory diseases like COVID-19, as well as other infections.

“We continue to monitor the situation closely,” said UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia Jean Gough.

“The safety of children and their families in the areas that will be impacted is a priority and it is good to see that the authorities have planned their urgent response factoring in the on-going COVID-19 pandemic.”

Across the region, the UNICEF is “working closely with the governments of Bangladesh and India and stands ready to support humanitarian operations to reach children and families affected by Cyclone Amphan.”

Based on the storm’s current trajectory, Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh – now sheltering over 850,000 Rohingya refugees – is likely to experience high winds and heavy rains which may cause damage to homes and shelters in the refugee camps and Bangladeshi communities. This population is already highly vulnerable and cases of COVID-19 have recently been confirmed in the camps and host communities.

The UNICEF said it is working with the Deputy Commissioner’s Office in Cox’s Bazar, the Office of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, and humanitarian partners to help ensure Bangladeshi and Rohingya children and families remain protected.

These efforts include raising awareness among Rohingya and Bangladeshi communities on cyclone preparedness and prepositioning emergency life-saving water, sanitation, hygiene and medical supplies to meet immediate humanitarian needs.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at the daily press briefing that UN teams on the ground continue to work with the Government of Bangladesh to prepare and support those in need in the wake of the cyclone.

“Given the current pandemic, this support includes distributing personal protective equipment, disinfectants and other materials to evacuation shelters. To reduce the person-to-person contact during the delivery of aid, e-cash distributions will be used,” he said adding that the UN along with its partners is mobilising more than 1,700 mobile health teams and preparing for emergency food deliveries.

“The Super Cyclone is taking a westerly trajectory towards India, but nearly 8 million people in Bangladesh remain at risk,” he said adding that the Bangladesh government has evacuated more than 2 million people in high-risk areas. 

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Agencies
May 31,2020

New Delhi, May 31: The fourth phase of the coronavirus-triggered lockdown, which began on May 18, saw 85,974 COVID-19 cases till 8 am on Sunday, which is nearly half of the total cases reported in the country so far.

Lockdown 4.0, which will end on May 31 midnight, has accounted for 47.20 per cent of the total coronavirus infection cases, number crunching from the Union Health Ministry data reveals.

The lockdown, which was first clamped on March 25 and spanned for 21 days, had registered 10,877 cases, while the second phase of the curbs that began on April 15 and stretched for 19 days till May 3, saw 31,094 cases.

The third phase of the lockdown that was in effect for 14 days ending on May 17, recorded 53,636 cases till 8 am of May 18.

The country had registered 512 coronavirus infection cases till March 24.

India is the ninth worst-hit nation by the COVID-19 pandemic as of now.        

The first case of COVID-19 in India was reported on January 30 from Kerala after a medical student of Wuhan university, who had returned to India, tested  positive for the virus.

India registered its highest single-day spike of COVID-19 cases on Sunday, with 8,380 new infections reported in the last 24 hours, taking the country's tally to 1,82,143, while the death toll rose to 5,164, according to the Union Health Ministry.

The number of active COVID-19 cases stood to 89,995, while 86,983 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, it said.

"Thus, around 47.75 per cent patients have recovered so far," a senior Health Ministry official said.

With the fourth phase of lockdown ending on Sunday, the Home Ministry on Saturday said 'Unlock-1' will be initiated in the country from June 8 under which the nationwide lockdown will be relaxed to a great extent, including opening of shopping malls, restaurants and religious places, even as strict restrictions will remain in place till June 30 in the country's worst-hit areas.

While announcing the extension of the lockdown in containment zones across the country, the Home Ministry said temples, mosques, churches and other religious places and shopping malls will be allowed to open in a phased manner from June 8, while a decision on opening of schools and colleges will be taken in July in consultation with states.

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Agencies
January 11,2020

New Delhi, Jan 11: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the curative petition of two death row convicts in 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape case on January 14.

A five-judge Bench of Justices N V Ramana, Arun Mishra, R F Nariman, R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan will hear the petition filed by Vinay Sharma and Mukesh.

The duo had moved a curative petition in the top court after a Delhi court issued a death warrant in their name and announced January 22 as the date of their execution.

Besides them, two other convicts named Pawan and Akshay are also slated to be executed on the same day at 7 am in Delhi's Tihar Jail premises.

They were convicted and sentenced to death for raping a 23-year-old woman on a moving bus in the national capital on the night of December 16, 2012.

The victim, who was later given the name Nirbhaya, died at a hospital in Singapore where she had been airlifted for medical treatment.

A curative petition is the last judicial resort available for redressal of grievances. It is decided by the judges in-chamber.

If it is rejected, they are legally bound to move a mercy petition. It is filed before the President who has the power to commute it to life imprisonment.

The court after issuing a black warrant in their name gave them two weeks' time to file both the curative and mercy petition.

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