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Congress in a fix as BSP, SP lock horns over reservation bill

[email protected] (The Hindu)
December 11, 2012

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New Delhi, December 11: A week after convincing the SP and the BSP to support it during the FDI-in-retail vote, the UPA now has the job of getting the bitter rivals on the same page on the quota bill. BSP leader Mayawati on Monday warned of a tough posture after the SP succeeded in not letting the government table the bill that provides for quotas for the SCs/STs in promotions. “We will see for two-three days more...we will see the government’s stand on the issue, what they do and what the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha says. Then, we will decide and take a tough stand,” she said.

 

Ms. Mayawati, whose BSP walked out in the Lok Sabha during the FDI vote but voted for the government in the Rajya Sabha, noted that “the SC/ST Bill is a very serious issue for us. It is the government’s duty to run the House properly and get this bill debated and passed.”

 

The Rajya Sabha could not function post-lunch following the SP’s action. The Congress now seems to be in a fix as its two supporting parties — (pro-Bill) Bahujan Samaj Party and (anti-Bill) SP — have taken intractable positions. As Ms. Mayawati insisted on the bill, Samajwadi Party leaders said they would not let the Rajya Sabha function if the Congress-led UPA government went ahead. SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav said: “We will continue to oppose the Bill and we are ready for suspension. If they [the government] are adamant to get it passed, then we will do it [disrupt the House].”

 

Senior ministers continue to be in touch with both SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav and Ms. Mayawati to end the logjam. Rajya Chairman Hamid Ansari’s meeting with leaders of various parties remained inconclusive. Mr. Ansari is likely to meet these leaders, including Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley, BSP leader Satish Mishra, SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath and Minister of State in the PMO V. Narayanasamy, again in the morning to find a way out to let the Upper House function.

 

Earlier in the day, when the Rajya Sabha reassembled at 2 p.m., the SP MPs started raising slogans against the bill as Mr. Narayanasamy tried to move the Constitution Amendment Bill on quota in promotion for discussion. Amid the din, Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien asked the SP MPs to oppose the Bill when it came up for discussion. However, as the sloganeering continued, Mr. Kurien adjourned the House for the day.

 

BJP and SP working together

 

Later, talking to journalists, Ms. Mayawati accused the SP and the BJP of being hand-in-glove in trying to stall the Bill. “It is sad that to stop this bill, the BJP and company raised the issue of lobbying [by Walmart] in the Rajya Sabha. They allowed the Lok Sabha to function but they did not remember the issue of FDI and lobbying there. It proves that the BJP and its supporters don’t want this bill to be passed,” she added.

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Agencies
August 5,2020

Ayodhya, Aug 5: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday recalled the significance of the path of 'maryada' associated with Lord Ram in the backdrop of the situation created by COVID-19 and emphasised the importance of social distancing and wearing face masks.

He said that the current situation demands 'maryada' should be 'do gaz ki doori, mask hai zaroori' and exhorted everyone to follow it.

In his speech after laying the foundation stone of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the Prime Minister said the temple of Lord Ram will inspire and guide humans for ages to come.

He said that the path of `maryada' followed by Lord Ram is all the more necessary today in the situation created by COVID-19.

"The `maryada' (need) today is do gaj ki doori, mask hai jaroori (keep distance of two yards, wear mask). The Almighty may keep all the citizens healthy and happy, this is my prayer. The blessings of Mother Sita and Shri Ram be always there on the citizens," he said.

The Prime Minister termed the occasion as historic and said that India is starting a glorious chapter when people across the country are excited and emotional to have finally achieved what they had been waiting for centuries.

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News Network
April 6,2020

New Delhi, Apr 6: With an increase of 490 cases in the last 12 hours, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases in India climbed to 4067, said Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday.

As many as 109 deaths have been reported across the country due to the deadly disease.
There are 3666 active cases in the country while 292 people have been cured/discharged/migrated.

Maharashtra has reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases so far, standing at 690, followed by Tamil Nadu and Delhi with 571 and 503 cases respectively. 

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News Network
January 13,2020

New Delhi, Jan 13: Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, has fired around 50 of its India executives as part of its restructuring in the country, three sources with direct knowledge said.

The move underscores the struggles Walmart has faced in expanding its wholesale business in India. The Bentonville, Arkansas based company currently operates 28 wholesale stores where it sells goods to small shopkeepers, and not to retail consumers.

The firings mostly affected executives in the company’s real estate division because the growth in the wholesale model has not been that robust, two of the sources said.

“It’s happening because focus is shifting to e-commerce rather than physical (stores),” said one source, who declined to be identified as the decision is not public.

Walmart did not respond to a request for comment.

Walmart has placed bold bets on India’s e-commerce sector. In 2018, it paid $16 billion to acquire a majority stake in India’s online marketplace Flipkart, in its biggest global acquisition.

The second source added that while Walmart could slow down the pace of opening new wholesale stores, the focus will increasingly be on boosting sales through business-to-business and retail e-commerce.

Some of the executives were sacked last week and more could be let go on Monday, two sources said.

In a statement to India’s Economic Times newspaper, which first reported the news, Walmart said it was always looking for ways to operate more effectively and that “this requires us to review our corporate structure to ensure that we are organized in the right way to best meet the needs of our members.”

Walmart has around 600 staff in its India head office out of a total of around 5,300 nationally, one of the sources said.

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