Sushma Swaraj announces new Post Office Passport Seva Kendras

Agencies

June 17, 2017

New Delhi, Jun 17: No Indian will have to travel more than 50 km to get their passport, as the government is planning to set up a comprehensive network of Passport Seva Kendras (PSK) across the nation, with major post offices to also provide the service, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Saturday. sushma 2

The Minister, announcing the opening of 149 new Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs), said these will be set up in the second phase. In the first phase 86 POPSKs were to be set up -- 52 of which are now functional.

Apart from centres in the post offices, the government had earlier also announced 16 full-fledged PSKs taking the total number of new centres to the "auspicious" 251, she said.

"When I started at the Ministry, we had only 77 PSKs to cater to the whole nation. I realised that distance was the biggest hurdle for people to get their passports," she said.

Even after pushing through 16 more PSKs apart from 86 of them in post offices, Sushma Swaraj said she felt it was not enough.

"We planned to set a target and decided that no individual should have to travel more than 50 km for a passport."

"With that criterion for selection, today I announce 149 new POPSKs," she said.

Sushma Swaraj also launched a web portal for the ministry's flagship "Know India Programme" aimed at connecting the Indian youth living abroad with Indian culture and heritage.

Under the programme, the Indian diaspora would visit the country for a 25-day tour fully funded by the government.

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Congress expert in dividing parties, purchasing MLAs: Kumaraswamy over BSP row

News Network

July 29,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 29: A day after Congress staged a nationwide 'Save Democracy' protest, Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy slammed Congress for "dividing" the political parties and "buying MLAs" and questioned their "democratic behaviour" to lure Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLAs who supported them.

Kumaraswamy, in a media statement, said, "Is it a democratic behaviour to lure MLAs of other parties through political shenanigans and later merging with them?"

"Congress is an expert in dividing political parties and purchase of MLAs," said Kumaraswamy adding, "If you are dividing the like-minded party MLAs through deceit, who would support you?"

He alleged that the term "horse trade" in politics came to be used because of Congress.

Congress had tied to divide the Janata Dal (Secular) in 2004. To this, he added, "To avoid the party being hijacked by the Congress, I had to oust the Congress-JD(S) coalition government through a political coup."

Kumaraswamy further accused, "Haven't the Congress who is making a big noise about the purchase of MLAs divided the JD(S) in the past? Is it not a fact that for the sake of one Rajya Sabha seat, the Congress government in Karnataka purchased eight JD(S) MLAs?"

Both -- Congress and BJP -- are "criminals" in purchase matter, he added.

Rajasthan Congress is in turmoil after simmering differences between Sachin Pilot and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot came out in the open. Pilot was removed as the Deputy Chief Minister and the state unit chief of Congress.

The Congress has accused the BJP of indulging in horse-trading to bring down the Gehlot government. The BJP has rejected the allegations.

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'Politically motivated', says Ex Karnataka minister after being booked for violating lockdown guidelines

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May 16,2020

Kalaburagi, May 16: Former Karnataka Minister Dr Sharanprakash Patil, who was booked for violating COVID-19 imposed lockdown guidelines said on Friday that it was "politically motivated".

"It's politically motivated, the officer who filed the case was forced by MLA or some other people. As elected representatives, we're going in the constituencies, listening to people as they're apprehensive about the return of migrants. We had not conducted any meeting. Wherever we have gone we have followed social distancing," Patil said.

Patil said, "When I had gone there people came to discuss about a local problem and I was talking to an official concerned. In the meantime, some officer gave a complaint that we have violated the lockdown or something."

"They are trying to curb the voice of opposition because there are a lot of lacunae. We hear complaints about quarantine centres that there is no proper facility for food, or stay, or bathrooms," the Congress leader said.

The FIR was registered on Thursday against 23 persons, including the former MLA and 21 local Congress leaders, under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Congress leader Patil and his followers had conducted a meeting at a convention hall in Sulpeth town on May 13, following which sectoral magistrate Muneer Ahmed lodged a complaint.

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Team Be Human statiates the hunger of Mangaluru's civic workers amidst lockdown

Coastaldigest.com news network

April 19,2020

Mangaluru, May 19: Team Be Human, a city based group of philanthropists, has taken commendable initiative to satiate the hunger of the civic workers of Mangaluru City Corporation that are endangering their lives to keep the city clean amidst covid-19 lockdown.

On Friday, April 18, gorcesary kits were distributed among around 180 civic workers at Eidgah Maidan in Light House Hill in the presence of Corporator Abdul Raoof Bajal, Mansoor Ahmed Azad, Aina group Ashraf, Ceco Asif, Advocate Abdul Shukoor, U B Saleem, Sahil Zaheer, Rash Beary, Munna Kammaradi and Abdul Muttalib.

The Team swung into action on hearing the civic workers' plight due to the delay in payment of their wages by the Antony Waste Management firm. The Team was helped by the alumni of the St Aloysius College, Mangaluru (batch 1989).

This is not the first time the Team Be Human distributing kits among the needy. Amidst lockdown it has already distributed around 1200 grocery kits among the poor people including the daily wage workers, migrant labourers in Dakshina Kannada district with help of Ahnaf Deals, Altaf, Shameem, Basha, Pradeep, Vincent, Shiyaz Deals, Nawaz and Haneef.

In its next step the Team Be Human is planning to distribute the kits among civic workers in Urva and Suratkal region, said Asif Deals, founder president of Team Be Human. He called upon the youth and students to come forward to help the needy and poor people who are deprived of basic facilities.