Mumbai, May 14 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday directed the administration to set up a state-level committee for educational reforms in the military schools.“The policy of military schools has been announced with a view to ensuring that a maximum number of students in the state participate in the National Defence Academy (NDA) and to prepare disciplined, confident, team-oriented and leadership-oriented students. There is a demand for improvement in this from the schools, and in line with these demands, and to raise the educational standard, a state-level committee should be formed for this purpose,” he said at the meeting he chaired regarding educational reforms in the military schools.The Chief Minister said that the committee should study the educational reforms in Sainik schools, quality, admission process, CBSE curriculum and various demands of the schools and submit a report to the state government within a month. After receiving the committee’s report, a policy decision will be taken in the interest of the students.School Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse said that the government is positive about providing quality educational facilities in military schools, saying that the committee should conduct a physical inspection of the schools, study the demands and problems of the schools in detail and submit a report within a time frame.Meanwhile, the Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday said that swift action should be taken to ensure the transparent and effective implementation of the sand policy recently approved by the state cabinet. The policy proposes the availability of sand at cheaper rates and to curb unauthorised sand mining.Bawankule said that according to the new policy, the state government is conducting a tendering process for the extraction of sand from the sand group in the riverbed, transportation of the excavated sand to the depot and construction and management of the sand depot. “According to this new policy, the common man will get relief. Sand will be available to everyone, and the royalty amount will be waived as per the sand policy. Also, royalty receipts should be delivered to the beneficiaries constructing houses through the group development officers for providing sand from the nearest sand depot. Sand should be made available for construction in the villages. For this, the District Collector should hold a meeting with the Guardian Minister and the Tehsildars, with the MLAs and release the sand as per their demand,” he added.Further, Bawankule asked the administration to establish a state-level committee to ensure that as many workers are registered and they get all the benefits of the government schemes. He said that the government is implementing a slew of initiatives for the employment, service conditions of building and other construction workers in the state, their safety, health and welfare. Bawankule said that in order to provide justice to the building and other construction workers in the state and to include them in all government schemes, it is necessary to register a maximum number of workers.“As a taluka-level committee has been formed for the effective implementation of the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana and the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, a detailed study should be conducted at the village level by forming a committee for the building and other construction workers comprising local people’s representatives, gram sevaks, sarpanchs and other important persons,” he said.–IANSsj/dan

Vijayawada, May 14 (IANS) A city court on Wednesday sent Govindappa Balaji, Director of Bharathi Cement Corporation Pvt Ltd, to judicial custody till May 20 in the liquor scam case.After the ACB Court remanded Balaji to judicial custody, he was shifted to the Vijayawada jail.The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the multi-crore liquor scam under YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) rule, arrested Balaji in Karnataka on Tuesday.Balaji, alleged to be a close aide of former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, was brought to Vijayawada under a transit warrant, and after questioning by the SIT officials, he was produced before the court.Balaji, listed as accused number 33 in the case, is accused of distributing kickbacks among liquor syndicate members through shell companies.Meanwhile, K. Dhanunjaya Reddy, a retired IAS officer and ex-secretary of former chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, and Krishna Mohan Reddy, former Officer on Special Duty (OSD), on Wednesday appeared before the SIT for questioning.The SIT officials were questioning them at the SIT office at Vijayawada Commissionerate.Dhanunjaya Reddy and Krishna Mohan Reddy are accused numbers 31 and 32, respectively, in the case.On their petitions for anticipatory bail, the Supreme Court directed SIT not to take any action against the accused till May 16 but asked them to appear before SIT.The SIT had served notices last week to Govindappa and two others.They were directed to appear before the SIT office at Vijayawada Commissionerate on May 12 for questioning. However, they skipped the appearance.The Andhra Pradesh High Court on May 7 rejected their anticipatory bail pleas, citing the preliminary stage of the investigation into the alleged scam of Rs 3,200 crore.It was alleged that the YSR Congress Party leaders encouraged a new liquor policy, floated new brands during YSRCP rule, received kickbacks from the distillery companies and caused huge losses to the government.Raj Kasireddy, the prime accused in the case, was allegedly handing over the bribe to the trio after collecting from the owners of the liquor companies.The SIT on April 21 arrested Kasireddy, who allegedly played a key role in the alleged illegal collection of nearly Rs 3,000 crore over a five-year period. He was the IT advisor to Jagan Mohan Reddy.The TDP-led NDA government constituted the SIT in November last year to investigate the allegations of irregularities and corruption in Andhra Pradesh State Beverages Corporation Limited (APSBCL) under the YSRCP tenure.–IANSms/uk

Guwahati, May 14 (IANS) BSF’s Additional Director General (ADG) Mahesh Kumar Agrawal during a review meeting highlighting the changing scenario in Bangladesh and the current security challenges on the India-Pakistan border, emphasised the need for heightened alertness and vigilance on the India-Bangladesh border, officials said on Wednesday. A Border Security Force (BSF) spokesman said that Agrawal, a senior IPS officer, underlined the maximum vigil along the India-Bangladesh border to ensure a prompt and effective response to any adverse situation.The BSF ADG (Eastern Command), Kolkata, reviewed the current security scenario along the India-Bangladesh international border during his visit to the force’s Guwahati frontier.BSF’s Guwahati Frontier Inspector General Sukhdev Raj along with staff officers briefed the ADG on the current security arrangements and operational preparedness along the India-Bangladesh international boundary.The insights into the unrest in Bangladesh, the emerging security challenges and measures being taken to curb cross-border crimes were also discussed.During his visit, Agrawal also held a formal meeting with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday and apprised him on the matters related to border security.Sarma lauded the excellent operational efforts of BSF for safeguarding the India-Bangladesh international border in Assam, the spokesman said.The BSF ADG also met Assam’s Director General of Police Harmeet Singh and discussed the prevailing security scenario along the India-Bangladesh international boundary.He praised the BSF personnel deployed along the international border for effective domination and commendable duties.Earlier this month ADG Agrawal replaced Ravi Gandhi, who has now taken over as ADG (Logistics) at the BSF Headquarters in Delhi.The BSF’s Eastern Command is looking after the security of the 4,096-km International Border with Bangladesh along the five states of West Bengal (2216 km), Tripura (856 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Mizoram (318 km) and Assam ( 263 km).–IANSsc/pgh

New Delhi, May 14 (IANS) Congress on Wednesday asked the Union government to clarify the…

Patna, May 14 (IANS) The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will visit Bihar’s Darbhanga on May 15, where he will interact with youth and students as part of the Congress party’s new outreach initiative, ‘Nyay Samvad’.

The program aims to highlight critical issues affecting Bihar’s youth, particularly around education, employment, and migration.Announcing the initiative, Shakeel Ahmed Khan, Leader of the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) in Bihar, addressed media persons in Patna on Wednesday.“Rahul Gandhi will arrive in Darbhanga on Thursday. Top Congress leaders from across the country will also visit all 38 districts of Bihar simultaneously to interact with students and youth,” Khan said.Khan said that the Nyay Samvad will focus especially on students from Dalit, Mahadalit, backward, and minority communities, groups who are most affected by the privatisation of education and government neglect.“Hostels for SC, ST, minority, and backward class students are in a poor state. Scholarships worth even Rs 1,000 are not provided on time. The Bihar government talks about student credit cards and loans, but we are demanding free education from KG to PG,” Khan said.He alleged that the Sub-Plan for SC/STs is not being properly implemented, and the funds allocated for it remain unutilised.Khan further criticised the Bihar government for allegedly weakening the reservation system and promoting private institutions over public ones.“This has effectively excluded underprivileged communities from higher education. The majority of migration from Bihar is from Dalits, backward classes, and minorities—because they are not getting opportunities here,” he said.–IANSajk/dan

Agartala, May 14 (IANS) In a significant development, the state-owned Oil India Limited (OIL) commenced its exploration and production activities in Tripura by spudding its well at Debtamura in Tripura’s Gomati district, officials said here on Wednesday.

An OIL spokesman said that the company’s Resident Chief Executive (RCE), Rupjyoti Phukan and other senior officials from OIL attended the spudding ceremony on Sunday at the location, around 120 km away from Agartala.Terming the event a historic breakthrough in Tripura’s hydrocarbon scenario, as the Debtamura-1 well is going to be the first well drilled by any oil and gas company in the state of Tripura, under the government of India’s Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP) regime.The well Debtamura-1 is located inside Baramura-Debtamura reserve forest in Gomati district, near the India-Bangladesh international border, the spokesman said.He said so far hydrocarbon exploration and production activities in this block had been beset with a myriad set of challenges which broadly include undulated and thick vegetated terrain, challenging surface logistics due to limited and narrow hilly roads having hairpin curves, and predominant.The extended monsoon season is causing unprecedented floods and the ensuing landslides due to younger sediments dissected by lineaments, which badly damaged the well plinths and the approach road, also causing a challenging task in the areas, the spokesman added.He said, “Overcoming all these, the spirit of all Oil Indians speaks to its moment and our aspiration of Atmanirbhar Bharat.”Maj General (Retd) Praveen Mathur, Advisor – Security (DGH), Sutirtha Paul, Joint Director, Directorate of Industries and Commerce, of Tripura government, Chitra Mohan Borah, Executive Director and HoD, Frontier Basin Project, OIL, Arunav Baruah, Chief General Manager (FB), OIL, Pankaj Kumar Biswas, General Manager, GAIL, and other senior officials from OIL attended the spudding ceremony at the location.Meanwhile, another government-owned oil and gas major, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), found a significant quantity of natural gas reserves in Tripura.Since 1972, it has drilled over 200 wells in the northeastern state, and a significant number of wells are yielding gas.The ONGC currently produces 3.5 MMSCMD of gas in Tripura. The ONGC has many years back formed the ONGC Tripura Power Company (OTPC) and set up the 726 MW electricity generation capacity Palatana gas-based power plant at Udaipur in Tripura’s Gomati district.Two separate units of the OTPC (363.3 MW X 2) were inaugurated by former President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2013 and 2014, respectively.–IANSsc/dan

Kolkata, May 14 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Wednesday, announced that Trinamool Congress will be organising ‘Nationalist Rally’ for two consecutive days on May 17 and May 18 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. throughout the state to celebrate the success of ‘Operation Sindoor’ launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.The Chief Minister’s announcement for organising the ‘Nationalist Rally’ on Wednesday came just few hours after the Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari announced that the state unit of BJP will be organising ‘Tiranga Yatra’ in Kolkata on May 16 to mark the success Operation Sindoor and to pay tribute to the courage of the Indian armed forces.Speaking to the media persons a couple of hours after Adhikari’s announcement, Mamata said that Trinamool Congress will be organising the ‘Nationalist Rally’ for two consecutive days both at bloc-levels in the rural areas and ward-level in urban areas to pay homage to the martyrs of Indian armed forces as well as to express sympathy towards their family members.“This will not be a political programme. Rather, this will be a reflection of our social responsibility,” the Chief Minister added.The state president of Trinamool Congress, Subrata Bakshi, had already sent a note to the respective district leadership of the party to start preparations for organising the ‘Nationalist Rally’ on Saturday and Sunday. Bakshi had also directed the party cadres to make an attempt to involve the family members of the martyrs in the areas concerned, if any, in that programme.Political observers feel that this sudden announcement of the ‘Nationalist Rally’ by Trinamool Congress is a counter to BJP’s ‘Tiranga Yatra’, so that the saffron camp cannot take advantage of the nationalist feelings of the people in general over Operation Sindoor, the reflection of which could be felt in the crucial West Bengal Assembly election due next year.–IANSsrc/uk

New Delhi, May 14 (IANS) The Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) is proving to be a boon for the residents of Bihar’s Begusarai district. The programme is creating ample opportunities for local people to explore self-employment and also initiate their own enterprises.A couple of beneficiaries in Begusarai have set up their own enterprises and are also giving jobs and employment to others. The aim of this scheme is to promote small scale industries in small cities, villages and towns.Amit Kumar, a resident of Sihama village who runs his own business, told IANS that he got information about PMEGP programme in 2021. He contacted UCO Bank, where he was given a loan of Rs 15 lakh under PMEGP.With the money obtained under bank loan, Amit bought a machine and installed a Bulk Milk Cooling Unit (BMCU) plant at his home and started his own business. Currently, 1,000 to 1,500 liters of milk is being collected every day.“We make paneer, curd, gulab jamun, sponge and curd and sell them in the nearby market,” he said.His business has also facilitated a network of cattle rearing farmers who are also drawing benefits indirectly.“We have given jobs to 10-12 youths from nearby areas. Earlier when we used to do farming, we used to do our own work, there was no support,” he said.”I buy milk from 50 people. This has engaged a lot of people from the village,” he said and added that they are all thankful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for rolling out such scheme for unemployed youth.Locals and villagers are in awe of Amit over his successful enterprise.Raghav Kumar, a resident of Sihma village, said that Shwet Shakti has become a brand not only for the entire village but also for the people living nearby.“People come to meet him to ask how they can take advantage of the Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Srijan Karyakram and what benefits they get from it,” he said.PMEGP is a major credit-linked subsidy programme, aimed at generating self-employment opportunities through the establishment of micro-enterprises in the non-farm sector. The scheme is implemented by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), as it functions as the nodal body.In the state level, the scheme is implemented through State KVIC Directorates, State Khadi and Village Industries Boards (KVIBs), District Industries Centres (DICs) and banks.–IANSmr/pgh

Vijayawada, May 14 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend International Yoga Day celebrations in Visakhapatnam on June 21, in which about two lakh people are expected to participate.Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary K. Vijayanand on Wednesday held a preliminary review with the officials of the concerned departments in Vijayawada on the arrangements to be made in this regard.The state government is making arrangements to celebrate the Yoga Day in the coastal city with the participation of about 2 lakh people in collaboration with the Union Ministry of AYUSH, Art of Living, Isha Foundation, Yoga Sports Association, various universities and other organisations.During the public meeting in Amaravati on May 2 to re-launch capital works by the Prime Minister, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had invited him to attend the Yoga Day celebrations in Visakhapatnam. The Prime Minister accepted the invitation.The state government will make appropriate arrangements to organize the 11th International Yoga Day celebrations in Visakhapatnam with the slogan “Yoga for One Earth, One Health”.Chief Secretary Vijayanand said that elaborate arrangements have to be made to successfully organise the event. He said that the government has appointed Special Chief Secretary of the Medical and Health Department M.T. Krishnababu as the nodal officer at the state level to supervise the arrangements.He instructed the officials to start the arrangements from now onwards. He said that all students studying from 8th class to degree and PG from various educational institutions in Visakhapatnam city should be involved in this programme.Similarly, Vijayanand suggested that representatives of the Ayush Mission across the state, yoga instructors, yoga sports associations, yogasana sports associations, PETs, sports coaches, and various central government institutions in Visakhapatnam should be involved on a large scale.Union AYUSH Ministry Secretary Rajesh, who participated virtually in this meeting from Delhi, said that the event management will be finalized in a few days and two lakh T-shirts and yoga mats will be sent to the state. He made it clear that all necessary support will be provided to the state government to organise these International Yoga Day celebrations successfully.In 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 21 as International Yoga Day. On June 21, 2015, the first International Yoga Day was inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi.To celebrate the 11th International Yoga Day, the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga has already launched a global campaign in the name of 100 organizations in 100 cities in 100 days from March 13 to June 21 to create awareness about the importance of yoga in protecting everyone’s health. In line with this, the Andhra Pradesh government is taking large-scale steps to create awareness about yoga among the people with the slogan “Yogandhra-2025”.In this meeting, Special Chief Secretary and Nodal Officer M.T. Krishnababu made a power point presentation regarding the International Yoga Day celebrations and said that arrangements will be made for about two lakh people to participate in these celebrations. He said that the Union AYUSH Ministry will soon finalise the event management. He said that the place to organise this event in Visakhapatnam has to be finalised.The state government decided to implement a four-week four-pronged campaign action plan from May 29 to increase awareness among the people about yoga. The awareness campaigns will be organized at the district level in all districts for the first week, at the assembly constituency level for a week from June 5, at the village level for a week from June 12, and at the educational institution level from June 17 on a large scale.–IANSms/pgh

Bhubaneswar, May 14 (IANS) The Odisha Cabinet on Wednesday gave its nod to the introduction of reservation of 11.25 per cent to students of Socially and Economically Backward Classes (SEBC) categories in admission to Higher Secondary & Higher Education Courses in the state from the academic year 2025-26.

The decision was taken during a Cabinet meeting held here on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. While addressing a press meeting after meeting here, the Chief Minister announced the state Cabinet’s nod to introduce 11.25 per cent reservation in admissions for students belonging to SEBC categories. He further stated that the policy will be implemented uniformly across State Public Universities, government, and aided higher secondary and higher education institutions from the academic year 2025–26. Calling the Cabinet decision historic, the Chief Minister said, “This is a significant decision by the Odisha government towards social justice, especially for the people who are economically backward.” The Chief Minister claimed that the BJP government has given the people of backward classes their constitutional rights, which were denied by the previous governments ruling the state. As per the official press statement, this initiative ensures uniform implementation of reservation in admission for students belonging to ST (22.5 per cent), SC (16.25 per cent), SEВС (11.25 per cent), PwD (5 per cent) & ESM (1 per cent) reservations in all State Public Universities, State Govt and aided Higher Secondary and Higher Education institutions under the School & Mass Education Department (for HSS, Teacher Training & Vocational Courses), Higher Education Department (U.G, P.G, Teacher Education, LL.B., Integrated Law Courses), Odia Language and Literature & Culture Department (Bachelor in Performing Arts Course) and Sports & Youth Services Departments (B.P.Ed. / M.P.Ed. Courses) of the state government. “Aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, this initiative aims to promote access, equity, and inclusion in education, while also enhancing the Gross Enrolment Ratio and expanding opportunities for marginalised and disadvantaged communities across Odisha,” said the Chief Minister.In another major decision, the state Cabinet also approved to implement the state scheme ‘MAMATA’, a conditional cash transfer maternity benefit scheme, in convergence with Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) in a co-branding manner as ‘MAMATA-PMMVY’ from April 1. The state government further informed that beneficiaries earlier used to get Rs 10,000 for the birth of a girl child under MAMATA Yojana. Now, under MAMATA-PMMVY, they will get Rs 12,000. “Women from the PVTG community will be given Rs 12,000 for the birth of a girl child and Rs 10,000 for the birth of a boy for all live births. Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and Anganwadi Helpers (AWHs), who were earlier getting Rs 200 and Rs 100 respectively as incentive amount, will now get Rs 250 and Rs 150 under MAMATA-PMMVY,” informed an official statement. The eligibility criteria of the government of India’s PMMVY scheme will also be applicable to the MAMATA-PMMVY scheme. The state government is targeting to spend about Rs 2,670 crores in the next five years on MAMATA-PMMVY. Several other proposals of different departments have also been approved by the state cabinet in its meeting on Wednesday.–IANSgyan/dan