Saudi Arabia raises India's Haj quota from 1.7 lakh to 2 lakh

Agencies
June 28, 2019

Osaka, Jun 28: In a significant step, Saudi Arabia has increased India's Haj quota from 170,000 to 200,000, paving the way for 30,000 more Indians to go for the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca in the kingdom.

The issue of India's Haj quota was discussed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bilateral talks with Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman here.

Modi, who is in Japan for the G20 Summit, discussed the deepening cooperation in trade and investment, energy security and counter-terrorism with the "invaluable strategic partner".

Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said that the Crown Prince had promised Prime Minister Modi that India's Haj quota would be raised from 170,000 to 200,000 annually.

"This is important and this has been done," he said.

Two lakh Indians will have the opportunity to go for Haj which will begin very shortly, Gokhale said.

The two leaders also spoke about the need for greater tourism, more flights and agreed to meet again, he said.

The Saudi Crown Prince has also invited the Prime Minister to be one of the main guests at an international conference later this year and he has accepted the invitation with pleasure, the Foreign Secretary said.

The government last year allowed women to go on Haj without 'Mehram' or male companion, which saw about 1,300 women going without any male companion. They had been exempted from the lottery system.

Last year, Saudi Arabia increased India's Haj quota by 5,000, while in 2017 it was increased by about 35,000.

The Haj subsidy provided by the government was removed last year in the light of a Supreme Court order of 2012.

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coastaldigest.com news network
July 26,2020

Udupi, Jul 26: Two persons including a lady doctor have been arrested by the Kaup police in Udupi district for trying to use fake salary documents to avail loan from a bank to buy a car. 

According to police, on July 24, the doctor had visited Bank of Baroda's branch office at Kaup Moodabettu. She had approached the branch manager for a car loan for herself and her brother. She claimed that her monthly salary is Rs 2.66 lakh.

The bank verified the details furnished along with the loan application. The bank found that even though the doctor had furnished salary slips of Manipal Academy of Higher Education, she was presently not employed there.

The bank manager has filed a complaint at Kaup police station, accusing the doctor of trying to cheat the bank by availing loan on the basis of fake documents.

The police registered a case and nabbed her when she visited the Katapady branch of the same bank today. The police also arrested a man, who according to the doctor, created fake documents for her.

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News Network
July 10,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 10: Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers under the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) on Friday held protests in different parts of Karnataka, demanding personal protective equipment (PPE) kits and a salary of at least Rs 12,000 per month.

According to Madhu Kumari, an ASHA worker from Kalaburgi, ASHA workers currently receive a salary of Rs 3,000 per month.

"Our demand is to increase our wages to at least Rs 12,000 per month. We have been making this demand for the last six months but we have not received any response from the authorities. We will not go back to work until we are given an appropriate response. We did not want to create a difficult situation but the government has given us no choice," Kumari told ANI.

Clad in their signature pink saris, the women were holding posters in their hands and raising slogans to demand appropriate salary for their work and the necessary equipment to protect themselves from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Farhana, an ASHA worker protesting in Shivamogga, said that the women have been making demands for PPE kits since June 30. "We have been taking care of COVID patients for the last few weeks but have not received adequate PPE kits. A few of us received some in the beginning but they were not enough. We are not even given hand sanitiser or masks to protect ourselves," she added.

"We have sent letters to the District Commissioner's Office and to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare but our pleas have gone unheard. We are protesting to get the attention of the concerned authorities," she added.

They also demanded that authorities to conduct their COVID-19 tests as they have to deal with patients infected with the virus.

Sajida, an ASHA worker in Kalaburagi said, "We are very stressed about the COVID situation. We take care of sick people day in and day out, but no one is there to take care of us. We want the government to conduct COVID tests for all ASHA workers in the state."

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Angry bakth
 - 
Sunday, 12 Jul 2020

ASHA worker its better to sleep in home instead of working and risking your life, 3000 rupes is nothing...who can work home....government of indian is one of the namarad and currupt, you wont get any hike...

 

poor people will survive this COVID but not the rich currupt politician, let them die like dog

 

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News Network
January 5,2020

Bengaluru, Jan 5: Former Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara has said the Karnataka Congress has unanimously decided to appeal to the party high command regarding the appointment of KPCC President and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader in the state.

Speaking to reporters, the Congress leader said, "We have decided to gather the opinion of senior leaders regarding the selection of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president and opposition leaders. We will appeal to the high command regarding the same. The party will decide its next course of action."

He made these remarks after a meeting of senior party leaders was held at Parameshwara's residence here on Saturday.

Adding that the Congress leaders discussed the current political scenario in the state, Parameshwara said: "We held a meeting to reiterate that we are not confused and we all are together."

"There has been no personal discussion on who should be the president," he said.

Earlier, KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had tendered resignation from their respective posts owning moral responsibility for the party's poor performance in the recent by-polls.

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