With BMC elections slated for October, the BJP central leadership on Friday announced the appointment of Ashish Shelar as Mumbai unit president.
It also appointed MLC Chandrashekhar Bawankule as state unit president, replacing Chandrakant Patil.
Eknath Shinde pics missing-Shiv Sena MP Rahul Shewale says it’s mischief by civic chief
Shiv Sena MP Rahul Shewale on Friday demanded action against municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal for not including the photographs of CM Eknath Shinde and Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis in the Har Ghar Tiranga banners put up by the BMC.
Before Ganeshotsav, Rs 7 crore tenders to fill potholes
BMC will soon allot special pothole-filling contracts for Rs 7 crore in order to get smooth roads before the 10-day Ganpati festival.
BMC will use new materials and technology like geo polymer, fast-curing concrete and rapid reactive asphalt to fill potholes fast.
Misconception: Eknath Shinde faction building new Shivsena Bhavan
In the midst of the Supreme Court dispute between the Shiv Sena and the Eknath Shinde-led faction over the claim of the actual Shiv Senik. According to reports, the Eknath Shind faction is constructing a new Shiv Sena Bhavan in the city’s heart.
Dadar serves as the CM centre office to discuss and address the general public’s problems. They have chosen two or three places but have not yet decided on a new one.
The Shinde faction will establish offices throughout Mumbai, but Dadar will be the CM’s central office, according to rebel MLA Sada Sarvankar, who will build the new office.
Uday Samant former minister and member of the Shinde faction twitted, “There is a misconception that a parallel Shivsena Bhavan is being made in Dadar. However, we are trying to find a central office so that the CM can meet common people. We respect Shivsena Bhavan and it will remain so.”
Ajit Pawar slams induction of ‘tainted’ ministers in Shinde govt
Senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar on Saturday criticized the induction of “tainted” ministers in the Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra and said some persons in the ruling dispensation have not liked their inclusion.
Eighteen ministers were inducted in the government on Tuesday, over a month after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis took oath on June 30.
“Several tainted ministers were inducted in the state government. Many have not liked this decision.
Even some persons in the Shinde-Fadnavis government have not liked the decision to induct these persons,” Pawar claimed. Queried on Rupee Cooperative Bank shutting down, Pawar said efforts were taken to save it but its licence was cancelled on August 8.
“There are five to seven such banks in Pune district. We have requested veteran cooperative banker Vidyadhar Anaskar for suggestions. Banks in Maharashtra must not face difficulties,” he said.
Replying to a question on the status of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which comprises the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, Pawar said “the right to take final decision on MVA is reserved with Sonia Gandhi, Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray”.
He also condemned the attack on celebrated author Salman Rushdie and called it an attack on freedom of speech.
Ahead of ‘mega’ protest rally on price rise, top Congress leaders to meet to finalise strategy
Congress has called a meeting of all its general secretaries and state in-charges on August 16 for the preparation of a mega rally to be held in Delhi and ‘mehngai chaupals’ across the country as part of its protests against price rise, GST on essential commodities and unemployment, said sources.
Congress has stepped up its attack on the central government and has decided to organise ‘chaupals’ (meetings) across the country to protest issues like inflation and unemployment.
The party will hold a series of protest rallies in various parts of the country, including agricultural and mandis and retail markets, starting from August 17 till August 23. The protest rally will end in Delhi’s Ramleela Maidan on August 28.
Congress General Secretary and Communication Incharge Jairam Ramesh in a statement said the party’s nationwide agitation on August 5 against the current government’s “anti-people policies strongly resonated with the people”.
Ramesh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attempt to tar legitimate protest as “black magic” only highlights the BJP government’s insecurity about its failure to control rampaging inflation and unemployment. The Congress party aims to take this fight forward with the upcoming protests.
Ramesh further added that “The people of India are suffering because of the Modi government’s economic mismanagement. Inflation is being exacerbated by higher taxes on essential goods like curd, buttermilk, and packaged food grains, while the transfer of public assets to crony capitalists and the introduction of the misguided Agnipath scheme are making a bad employment situation worse.”
“The Indian National Congress will continue to spread awareness about these anti-people policies among the people and increase pressure on the BJP government to change course.”
Rajnath Singh unveils statue of Durgadas Rathod on his birth anniversary
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday unveiled the Statue of Veer Durgadas Rathore on his 385th birth anniversary in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur. “Unveiled the statue of Veer Durgadas Rathore, a symbol of courage, valour and devotion to self, at Salwa Kalan near Jodhpur,” Singh tweeted, translated from Hindi.
Veer Durgadas Rathore single-handedly preserved the rule of the Rathore dynasty over Marwar (Jodhpur) after the death of Maharaja Jaswant Singh in the 17th century.
People all across the country are conducting a Tiranga rally to commemorate the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence, this Monday, under the influence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to the countrypersons to hoist or display the tricolour in their homes to celebrate the Independence Day.
He urged everyone to take part in the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign.
While addressing the nation on Wednesday, PM Modi said that the Indian national flag does not only contain three colours in itself but is also a reflection of the pride of our past, our commitment to the present, and our dreams of the future.
Earlier, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel flagged off the rally organised in Surendranagar as part of the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign.
A bike rally was also organised in parts of the country including West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur. Earlier, Indians were allowed to hoist their National Flag only on some specific occasions but it changed after a decade-long legal battle of industrialist Naveen Jindal which culminated in the January 23, 2004 landmark judgment of the Supreme Court, that declared that the Right To fly the National Flag freely with Respect and Dignity a ‘fundamental right of an Indian citizen’ within the meaning of Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution of India.
Lauding the Centre and PM Modi for the Har Ghar Tiranga Campaign, Naveen Jindal has urged every Indian to make ‘Har Din Tiranga’ their motto
Nadda urges people to make the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign successful
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda on Saturday urged the countrymen to make the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign successful.
Earlier on Saturday JP Nadda and his wife Mallika Nadda hoisted the national flag at their residence in Delhi.
“The country is celebrating ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’. Under Prime Minister Modi, the whole country has taken an oath to hoist the tricolour under ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ programme. I request everyone to make ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ successful,” the BJP chief said.
Nadda also visited an exhibition on the partition, at BJP Headquarters in Delhi.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and his wife Sonal Shah hoisted the tricolour at their residence in New Delhi on Saturday.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath flagged off the tricolour yatra along with school children at his residence in Lucknow.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also participated in a tricolour Prabhat Pheri in Guwahati, as a part of the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign.
“This morning we organised a Prabhat Pheri in Guwahati. We all participated. I appeal to the people of Assam to hoist the national flag in every household,” Chief Minister Sarma told ANI.
The ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign will run till August 15.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Indian national flag does not contain only three colours in itself but is a reflection of the pride of our past, our commitment to the present and our dreams of the future.
Addressing a Tiranga Rally in Surat via video conferencing, PM Modi recalled that in a few days’ time, India is completing 75 years of its independence and said that all of us are preparing for this historic Independence Day as the Tricolour is hoisted on every corner of the country.
The Prime Minister expressed happiness that the Tiranga Yatras being held across the country are a reflection of the power and devotion of the Har Ghar Tiranga Abhiyan.
“From August 13 to 15, the Tricolour will be hoisted in every house of India. People from every section of society, every caste and creed are spontaneously joining with only one identity. This is the identity of the conscientious citizen of India,” he said.
‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ is a campaign under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to encourage people to bring the Tiranga home and to hoist it to mark the 75th year of India’s independence.
Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is an initiative of the Government of India to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of independence and the glorious history of India’s people, culture and achievements.
The programme envisages inspiring Indians everywhere to hoist the national flag at their homes. The aim of the programme is to make the relationship with the national flag a more personal one rather than just keeping it formal or institutional.
The idea behind the initiative is to invoke the feeling of patriotism in the hearts of the people and promote awareness about the tricolour.
Earlier, Indian citizens were not allowed to hoist the National Flag except on selected occasions. This changed after a decade-long legal battle by industrialist Naveen Jindal culminated in the landmark SC judgement of January 23, 2004, that declared that the right to fly the National Flag freely with respect and dignity is a fundamental right of an Indian citizen within the meaning of Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution of India.
Lauding the Centre and PM Modi for the Har Ghar Tiranga Campaign, Naveen Jindal has urged every Indian to make ‘Har Din Tiranga’ their motto.
CBI arrests revenue department official in Jammu in bribery case
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday said it has arrested a Revenue Department Official in Jammu in a bribery case.
According to the CBI, a case was registered on complaint against Ajay Kumar, Girdawar (Revenue Department Official equivalent to Kanungo) Miran Sahib, Jammu on the allegations of demanding bribe.
It was alleged that Kumar demanded bribe of Rs 50,000 from the complainant for issuing fard in respect of land owned by him. It was further alleged that the bribe amount was to be paid in two installments of Rs 25,000 each.
CBI laid a trap and caught the accused while demanding and accepting bribe of Rs 25,000 from the complainant. Cash of Rs 2 lakh (approx) was recovered during searches, said the probing agency.
Kumar has been produced before the CBI special court, Jammu on Saturday.
World’s highest Chenab railway bridge inaugurated today
The golden joint of the world’s highest Chenab railway bridge was inaugurated on Saturday.
For the first time ever since independence, Srinagar will be linked to the rest of India after the overarch deck on the world’s highest single-arch railway bridge over Chenab River will be launched.
From the two ends of the Chenab River valley, the bridge superstructure on the arch was being gradually pushed, and it will eventually connect at the Center of the arch. Speaking to ANI, Sanjay Gupta, Chairman and MD, Konkan Railway said, “This has been a long journey. The term ‘Golden Joint’ was coined by civil engineers… It’s the world’s highest railway bridge.”
Chenab Bridge was a famous bridge with intricate engineering that had to overcome several challenges. The geology, the harsh terrain, and the hostile environment were just a few of the challenges that the engineers and railway officials had to overcome to get to this point.
“We can confidently state that the bridge would be roughly 98 per cent complete after the golden joint is finished,” said Giridhar Rajagopalan, Deputy Managing Director of Afcons.
“When we completed the arch closure project last year, we felt a great sense of relief about our ability to complete the project accurately so that there was no mismatch. And that gave us a great deal of confidence to easily handle the project’s balance portion. We are excitedly anticipating the upcoming golden joint milestone with NR and KRCL,” Giridhar continued.
The world’s highest railway bridge is now being built, and when it is finished, it will be 35 meters higher than the Eiffel Tower.
Afcons is building 16 additional railway bridges for Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) in the dangerous terrain of Jammu and Kashmir in addition to the Chenab Bridge. All the bridges are part of the Udhampur Srinagar Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project.
Afcons recently finished the main deck slab concreting of a bridge that is even higher than the Qutub Minar as part of the 16 KRCL bridges project. In under 70 days, four levels of concreting totalling over 1,550 cum were completed.
The entire event took place in Jammu and Kashmir’s steep Sangaldan at a height of more than 90 meters above the surrounding countrysid