Cabinet reshuffle likely on Sunday

October 24, 2012

sonia_manmohanNew Delhi, October 24: A UPA cabinet reshuffle, anticipated for months now, might finally take place on Sunday, October 28. Among the changes expected is that ministers who currently hold additional charge of portfolios are likely to give those up, sources said.

The sources said a Sunday reshuffle was also likley to effect other changes like Tariq Anwar of the Nationalist Congress Party replacing Agatha Sangma as a minister. Ms Sangma's father, Purno Sangma, a founding member of the NCP, fell foul of party chief Sharad Pawar and other leaders when he contested the Presidential elections against the official UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee, who is now India's President. Mr Sangma, whose candidature was backed by opposition parties, quit the NCP in July.

Then, with Mamata Banerjee having marched out of the UPA coalition last month, three or four Congressmen from West Bengal might be inducted into the cabinet to ensure adequate representation from that state; Ms Banerjee had six ministers in the Cabinet. Among the names doing the rounds is that of Deepa Dasmunshi, whose husband, Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, a prominent Congressman and minister, suffered a paralytic stroke some years ago. A Maharashtra leader is also likely to be inducted to fill a slot for the state left vacant by the death of Congressman Vilasrao Deskhmukh in August this year.

There are also berths vacated by DMK representatives A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran in the last two years after charges against them in the 2G spectrum allocation scam. However, DMK President M Karunanidhi has recently made clear that his party will not like to reclaim their lost berths.

While the government is yet to confirm that such a reshuffle will take place this weekend, there have been several high-level meetings suggesting a build-up to it. Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have held separate meetings with President Pranab Mukherjee last week and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi too met the President and the Prime Minister a day after those meetings. Sources close to Mr Gandhi insist that his meetings were not linked to the expected reshuffle, but there has been much speculation about whether Mr Gandhi will accede to the demand of partymen that he play a larger role. Rahul Gandhi is currently a Congress General Secretary.

Party spokesman Sandeep Dikshit had nothing new to add to many statements made by many Congress leaders in the past few months. "The party and Rahul will decide", was all he would say on Monday when asked if Mr Gandhi will finally join the Manmohan Singh government. The Prime Minister has said he has repeatedly invited Rahuk Gandhi to join his Cabinet.

Mr Dikshit was also non-committal on when a Cabinet reshuffle could be expected. "It is purely the prerogative of the Prime Minister", he said, adding that the PM would decide in cconsultation with Sonia Gandhi, who is also the UPA Chairperson.

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April 16,2020

New Delhi, Apr 16: South Delhi District Magistrate Brij Mohan Mishra on Thursday said that the administration is investigating how the pizza delivery boy contracted the coronavirus.

"In the last 15 days, we discovered houses he had delivered food. We contacted people living in 72 houses and they have been asked to stay in-home quarantine. No symptoms have been seen in people related to him. 

Testing of his roommate has been done and his reports are awaited. The rest of the people don't have any symptoms, they have been placed under institutional quarantine. Those in-home quarantines are also asymptomatic," Mishra said.

"Unless a positive case comes, we feel that transmission has not taken place. The boy told us that he was continuously wearing a mask while delivering the food. We are also finding out how he got infected. We are getting the information about the places he visited for delivery. He was tested on the basis of the doctor's advice. Later, he tested positive," he said.

72 families have to stay in home quarantine in the Malviya Nagar area after the delivery boy tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday.
Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain said that 17 other delivery boys linked with the infected person have also been placed under institutional quarantine.

"A pizza delivery boy has been detected with COVID-19 here. 17 other delivery boys linked with him have been placed under institutional quarantine and 72 people have been placed under home quarantine," Jain said.

Food delivery app Zomato said that the staff of the infected person's restaurant has delivered some orders which were placed on its platform.

"We've been made aware today that a restaurant's employee, who has been recently tested positive for COVID-19, had delivered food in the past to a few customers in the Malviya Nagar area in Delhi. All these customers have already been contacted by the govt authorities... We are not sure whether the rider was infected at the time of delivery," the company said in a statement.

Zomato also claimed that colleagues of the delivery boy have tested negative for COVID-19.
"This restaurant had instructed their riders to wear masks and follow strict hygiene to keep customers safe from any unintended mishap.

All co-workers of the said rider have been tested negative. And as a precaution, the restaurant where this rider worked has suspended operations," read the statement.

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Agencies
August 6,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 6 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that Congress is known for adopting a soft Hindutva agenda and that there was nothing new in the remarks of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi on Ayodhya temple construction.

"I am not surprised regarding, Priyanka Gandhi's remark on Ayodhya. From Rajiv Gandhi and Narasimha Rao, Congress had followed a similar stance. I don't think Congress has any stand when it comes to secularism. 

If it was the case, then our country would not have reached such a level," the chief minister said when asked about the 'Bhumi Pujan' ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya on Wednesday.

"There is nothing new on Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi's position on the issue. They are following the Congress' soft Hindutva agenda. There is no element of surprise," Vijayan said.

Further, Vijayan said that CPI(M) Politburo had made clear the party's viewpoint on the Ayodhya temple construction.

"When it comes to Ayodhya issue. I want to ask who had allowed worship there. It was Congress. Who had allowed to lay the idol there? It was Congress. 

Who gave permission to Karseva? It was Congress. Even when it came to demolition of Babri Masjid too who shut their eyes and gave a silent nod for it- wasn't it the Congress regime at the centre? And Muslim League (IUML) was part of it. These are all part of our history," said Kerala Chief Minister.

He said instead of involving in discussions on it, more time should be utilised towards containing the COVID-19 spread in the country and helping the poor who are suffering due to the pandemic.

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Agencies
January 11,2020

Kochi, Jan 11: Two of the four illegal apartment complexes were brought down by controlled implosion here on Saturday.

However, the other two apartments-- Golden Kayaloram and Jain Coral-- will be demolished on Sunday.

The demolition of the first building Holy Faith H2O, slated to be carried out at 11 am, was delayed by 18 minutes while the twin towers of Alfa Serene, which is surrounded by 36 houses, were brought down at 11.43 am.

As per authorities, as many as 343 kgs of explosives were used for the demolition of twin towers of Alfa Serene, which had 80 apartments and 16 floors each.

Section 144 has been imposed within a 200-metre radius of the complexes on Saturday and Sunday. Moreover, traffic has been halted on land, water and air in the evacuation zone during the process.

There are concerns that some concrete pieces of the second tower of the building may have fallen into the lake nearby. It is yet to be estimated if the debris or concrete pieces have affected the buildings nearby.

The four apartment complexes in Maradu were ordered to be demolished by the Supreme Court for violating the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms.

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