Modi praises Nitish, targets Lalu and Congress in poll-bound Bihar

July 25, 2015

Patna, Jul 25: In a clear bid to divide the anti-BJP opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday lauded Chief Minister Nitish Kumar but targeted his allies RJD leader Lalu Prasad and the Congress on the issue of Bihar's development.

Bihar poll1Modi, who arrived here earlier in the day, referred to Nitish Kumar seven times in his speech here, praising him for his various requests and suggestions related to the development of Bihar.

Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United, Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party have formed a grand alliance to defeat the BJP-led coalition in the upcoming Bihar assembly election.

Modi, who shared the stage with Nitish Kumar at the Veterinary College ground, admitted that he agreed with the chief minister that railway projects for Bihar started when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister were delayed after the Congress took power in 2004.

But Modi made no effort to spare Lalu Prasad and the earlier Congress-led UPA government - the RJD leader was its railway minister - for allegedly blocking and delaying some projects meant for Bihar.

Modi did not take Lalu Prasad's name but made references to the railway minister then. But he attacked the Congress by name.

Modi made the comments after flagging off the Daniyawa-Biharsharif railway line and the Patna-Mumbai railway line here.

Modi also blamed the Congress-led UPA government for failing to complete the Barauni fertilizer factory and other projects in Bihar.

Modi was seen regularly interacting with Nitish Kumar during the inauguration and launch of different projects here and at the foundation day function of the ICAR here.

At another venue, Modi said development was the answer to all the plaguing the country ills including poverty, illiteracy and unemployment.

"There is no alternative to development. Development is the answer for all problems," Modi said.

On a day-long visit to Bihar, Modi was received by Governor K.N. Tripathi and Nitish Kumar when he flew in here.

The prime minister said his government's agenda was to develop eastern India including Bihar. "Unless Bihar is developed, the country cannot be developed.

"I will announce a special package for Bihar at the right time, not now," he added.

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News Network
April 23,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 23: Amid opposition charges, the Kerala government on Tuesday constituted a two-member committee to examine whether the privacy of personal and sensitive data of COVID-19 patients has been protected under the agreement entered by it with US-based IT firm Sprinklr.

The committee, headed by former Special IT Sscretary M Madhavan Nambiar and former health secretary Rajeev Sadanandan, will also ascertain whether adequate procedures were followed while finalising the arrangements with the private company.

The Opposition Congress has been levelling charges that the collection of data by the US firm violated the fundamental rights of the patients.

In its order, state government said it had initiated steps to set up a Data Analytics platform to integrate data from various sources available in the government to meet the "exigency of a massive and unprecedented surge of epidemic".

The committee will also examine whether deviations, if any, are fair, justified and reasonable considering the extraordinary and critical situation faced by the state, it said.

Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court on Tuesday asked the state government to file its reply by April 24 on a plea seeking to quash its contract with the US-based firm.

Expressing concern over the confidentiality of the citizen's data processed by a third party, the court sought to know why the sanction of the law department was not taken before finalising the agreement.

The court hailed the state government's fight against COVID-19, but said it is concerned about data confidentiality.

The government informed the court that the agreement with Sprinklr has safeguards for data protection "as per standard practices of software as a service model."

The ward-level committees, set up by the government for the anti-coronavirus fight, collect information of those under home isolation, the elderly and those at the risk of the disease, using a questionnaire and later uploads it on the server of the private agency.

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Agencies
August 6,2020

New Delhi, Aug 6 : With a single-day spike of 56,282 new COVID-19 cases and 904 deaths in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 tally reached 19,64,537 on Thursday.

With the increase of 904 deaths, the toll due to the disease now stands at 40,699 in the country, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).

The COVID-19 count includes 5,95,501 active cases and 13,28,337 cured/discharged/migrated patients.

Meanwhile, as per the MoHFW, the percentage of discharged patients stands at 67.62, while the active cases are at 30.31 in the country as of today.

The deaths reported due to the infection are currently at a little above two per cent of the total confirmed cases in the country.

Maharashtra with 1,46,268 active cases and 3,05,521 cured and discharged patients continues to be the worst affected. The state has also reported 16,476 deaths due to the infection.

Tamil Nadu has 54,184 active cases while 2,14,815 patients have been discharged after treatment in the state. 4,461 deaths have been reported due to COVID-19 in the state.

Andhra Pradesh with 80,426 active cases is the third on the list. There are 1,04,354 cured and discharged patients and 1,681 deaths reported from the state.

The national capital's active cases tally once again crossed the 10-thousand mark with 175 new cases being reported. Delhi now has 10,072 active cases and 1,26,116 cured and discharged patients. 4,044 people have lost their lives due to the disease in the Union Territory so far.

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News Network
January 12,2020

Kolkata, Jan 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced that Kolkata Port Trust will be renamed as Syama Prasad Mukherjee Port.

Addressing the gathering at the inauguration of 150th anniversary celebrations of Kolkata Port Trust, he said: "I announce the renaming of the Kolkata Port Trust to Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Port. He is a living legend who was a leader for development and fought on the forefront for the idea of One Nation, One Constitution."

"This port represents industrial, spiritual and self-sufficiency aspirations of India. Today, when the port is celebrating its 150th anniversary, it is our responsibility to make it a powerful symbol of New India," Modi said.

The Prime Minister said that the Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder had set the stone for industrialization in India. "Chittaranjan Locomotive Factory, Hindustan Aircraft Factory, Damodar Valley Corporation and several others saw active participation from him," he said.

The Prime Minister also felicitated the two oldest pensioners of the Kolkata Port Trust, Nagina Bhagat and Naresh Chandra Chakraborty.

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