Today in Politics: Home Minister Amit Shah in Chhattisgarh to review anti-Naxal operations
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to visit a security camp and chair a meeting to review ongoing anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh during his two-day trip to the state starting from Sunday, said Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma of the BJP-led state government.
Shah will also lay foundation stones for a National Forensic Science University (NFSU) and a state forensic lab in Nava Raipur Atal Nagar on Sunday. The state government has allotted 40 acres of land for NFSU, which will be built by the Centre at a cost of around Rs 400 crore.
Later in the evening, he will chair a high-level security review meeting with Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, where senior state and top security officials will be in attendance. The meeting will focus on the current internal security scenario in the state, with a special emphasis on anti-Naxal operations.
The CM described the upcoming visit of Shah as a 'symbol of renewed energy and confidence for Chhattisgarh', underscoring the importance of coordinated efforts between the Centre and the state to combat extremism and promote inclusive growth.
Notably, anti-Naxalite operations have been intensified in Chhattisgarh since the BJP was elected to power in the 2023 Assembly polls and more than 400 Maoist cadres, including senior functionaries, gunned down by security forces in separate encounters since January 2024.
Maharashtra's Baramati, the bastion of the Pawar political family, is abuzz about the elections to the Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill on Sunday, as reported by Partha Sarathi Biswas.
While Ajit has fielded his panel for the 21 posts of the Malegaon Cooperative Sugar Mill, he is himself running for the chairman position. Adding further spice to the contest, after Ajit's entry, Sharad Pawar announced he was putting up own panel too, with the uncle and nephew rivalry now playing out in the mill, located on the family turf of Baramati and long a Pawar fiefdom.
Before the NCP split in 2023, Ajit 'managed' the running and politics of almost all cooperative bodies in the region, including the Malegaon mill. In 2019, its outgoing board pledged their support to Ajit in both the general and state Assembly elections; now their loyalties are seen as divided between him and Pawar Senior.
The Malegaon mill's functional area is about 37 villages, and the electorate for the June 22 polls are the 20,000 farmer members of the mill, who are also shareholders in the cooperative. Pawar Senior and Ajit are among the members. The mill's VIP status is reinforced by its reputation of compensating its member farmers well.
Besides these two panels, the 'Sahakar Bachao Shetkari Panel' led by known Pawar baiter Chandrarao Taware, is in the race, along with a panel of Independents. The Tawares, who have for long been the only ones standing between the Pawars and their total dominance of Baramati, joined the BJP in 2019.
Elections will be held on Sunday for more than 3,894 gram panchayats across Gujarat to elect sarpanchs and panchayat members in the first such exercise after the state government announced 27% OBC reservation in local body polls in 2023. Earlier, OBC reservation in local bodies was capped at 10%.
Of 8,326 gram panchayats for which elections were declared on May 25, general and mid-term polls will be held for 3,541 gram panchayats. More than a thousand gram panchayats have been declared uncontested or vacant with no candidate filing their nomination, the State Election Commission (SEC) said.
The SEC said gram panchayat elections in six talukas under Kadi and Visavadar Assembly seats have been cancelled due to by-elections held there on Thursday.
Elections to the lowest level of local government administration are usually not contested on a party basis. Candidates do not fight on party tickets, though they may be affiliated with political parties.
– With PTI inputs
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Deccan Herald
12 minutes ago
- Deccan Herald
Drop fresh caste census exercise, support Centre's survey: Forum
Bengaluru: The Samajika Nyaya Jagruthi Vedike on Sunday urged the state government not to 'hurriedly' conduct another Social and Educational survey (caste census) since the Union government had already decided to enumerate castes during the upcoming decadal forum conducted a round-table conference to gather opinions about the caste reporters after the meeting, Prof Vishnukant Chattapalli said: 'We welcome the Centre's decision to enumerate castes along with the upcoming census. It will be more comprehensive and constitutionally sound too. Already, Rs 165 crore of the taxpayers' money has been wasted on the caste census (in Karnataka). Thus, the state government should not go for another hurried caste census but instead support the Centre's move and strengthen federalism.'.Fresh caste census in Karnataka: Panel preps for fresh survey even as Congress faces Ahinda that 10 years had been 'wasted' in Karnataka over the caste census issue, he said: 'Hereon, the government must be careful while utilising taxpayers' money. They must not make the caste census a victim of their selfishness and politics. The Kantharaj Commission report should be released to the public.'.Chattapalli noted that the Union government's exercise, expected to cost Rs 13,000 crore, would use 32 to the Congress' allegations that the Centre hadn't specified whether the census would include a social and educational survey, former Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) member Mukudappa said the Congress didn't have the 'ethical standing' to oppose the report.
Time of India
31 minutes ago
- Time of India
Car-centric tunnel road proposal ignores Bengaluru's real needs, rue citizens
Bengaluru: The controversial tunnel road project proposed to connect Hebbal with Silk Board Junction has sparked widespread backlash, with critics accusing the govt of prioritising the car-centric elite over the city's real and urgent infrastructure needs. They say the underground toll road's objective of decongestion is quixotic as it seeks to exclude two-wheelers and autorickshaws. Bangalore Central MP PC Mohan, in a sharp critique posted on X, questioned the rationale behind the mega investment and offered an alternative vision for the same amount of public money. While the tunnel road DPR puts the project cost at nearly Rs 16,000 crore, Mohan said it will be closer to Rs 19,000 crore. He listed a series of socially inclusive and sustainable works that could be wrapped up using that money. As per the DPR, the toll from Sarjapur/HSR Layout to Hebbal (16.9km) will be Rs 330 and that from Hebbal to Silk Board (16.2km), Rs 320. Shorter drives like Mehkri Circle-Seshadri Road (4.9km) will cost Rs 95. The pricing is likely to rise by the time the tunnel becomes operational, experts point out. "BBMP's proposed tunnel road isn't free," said Satya Arikuthamaran, an urban transport expert. "First, it will cost the citizens upfront in the form of Viability Gap Funding (VGF). Next, car users will pay around Rs 18 per kilometre in toll charges. And if the govt later makes the tunnel road toll-free, as was seen in Mumbai, citizens will continue to bear the burden through perpetual maintenance costs. This is not a wise idea. The govt must drop this and expedite Metro construction." VGF, essentially a subsidy to private entities, is the money the govt pumps into an infrastructure project to plug the gulf between its cost and poor revenue. According to Satya, the tunnel road project requires Rs 7,100 crore as VGF to encourage the private sector to participate, and citizens will end up funding a facility that's exclusively built for the benefit of car users. Construction chaos Citizen groups have expressed concern not only over the high toll charges but also over the likely delays and construction-related chaos the project will unleash. Rajkumar Dugar, from Citizens for Citizens, said, "These rates, proposed now, will become much higher by the time the tunnel is ready. They say five years, I say 10. It's a complete waste of money and will cause an immense mess during construction. By then, the patronage will be so poor, and those who supported it won't have the guts or grace to admit their unforgivable blunder. " Residents have also criticised the plan for being exclusionary. Prasad N, a senior advocate from Yelahanka, said, "This project seems tailor-made for car owners, while the rest of us, who use scooters, autos, and buses, are completely ignored. It's like Bengaluru's public money is being used to build a private road. Why not invest this money in more Metro coaches or better bus frequency instead?"
Deccan Herald
33 minutes ago
- Deccan Herald
Patil's allegations not grave, says Karnataka Home Minister
The Home minister said that his colleague H K Patil has written a letter to chief minister stating that Rs 1.5 lakh crore has been looted in illegal mining.
