English हिन्दी
Connect with us

India News

Agniveers: Rahul Gandhi says Centre denying martyr status, Rajnath Singh hits back

Published

on

The contentious Agnipath scheme was debated in the Lok Sabha on Monday with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh accusing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of distorting and misrepresenting facts concerning the scheme.

Gandhi said the Agnipath scheme as per the 2024 budget, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, was an injustice done to the nation’s soldiers, jeopardising their financial security and respect, since it doesn’t have a pension provision. He asserted that this policy was proof that the government was having an anti-youth and anti-farmer stance.

In his reaction to Gandhi’s remarks, Singh claiming Gandhi had disseminated misconceptions about the budget to the public, and assured that Finance Minister Sitharaman would clarify and address the misleading allegations in her speech.

Gandhi had said when recently when an Agniveer had lost his life in a landmine blast, he was not given the status due to a martyr. He charged that even PM Modi called them Agniveers instead of calling the deceased Agniveer a martyr. “His family will not receive any pension or compensation for their loss. This Agnipath scheme regards them as labourers,” Gandhi stated, triggering protests from the treasury benches.

Singh said unlike Gandhi’s claims, the family of the Agniveer who perished in the line of duty was granted substantial compensation. He further added that Gandhi was misrepresenting facts to sway the House’s opinion.

Singh reiterated that Gandhi should not misrepresent facts in the House. He said as per Agniveer rules, a compensation of Rs 1 crore had been disbursed to the family of the deceased Agniveer. 

Gandhi later referenced the case of Agniveer Ajay Kumar, who died in the line of duty. Posting a video of Kumar’s father, he asserted that the family had not received any financial assistance from the central government and demanded facilities and a pension for them.

Ajay Kumar’s family subsequently clarified that they had received some compensation but were demanding martyr status for him.

The Agnipath scheme was conceived to enlist personnel for short-term service in the armed forces and to lower the age profile of candidates. Known as Agniveers, these individuals currently do not qualify for regular benefits such as pensions for their families in the event of their death in service.

The issue has incited broader discussions, with a parliamentary panel earlier recommending that families of Agniveers who die in the line of duty should receive benefits equivalent to those provided to families of regular military personnel.

India News

After Kejriwal, AAP leader Manish Sisodia leaves it to people to decide on his honesty

The former Delhi Deputy CM Sisodia said that he has also decided to go to the public court along with AAP supremo Kejriwal and ask whether the public considers him honest or not.

Published

on

After Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia on Sunday asserted that he will sit on the chair of Deputy Chief Minister only if the public approves his honesty.

The former Delhi Deputy CM Sisodia said that he has also decided to go to the public court along with AAP supremo Kejriwal and ask whether the public considers him honest or not.

“I have also decided that I will go to the public court along with Arvind Kejriwal ji and ask whether the public considers me honest or not,” Sisodia said in his post on X.

In a major move on Sunday, Kejriwal announced that he will resign as the Delhi Chief Minister in the next two or three days and asserted that he won’t hold the position of CM, until the people of Delhi declare him honest.

Joining AAP supremo in his honesty test, Sisodia said that he came into politics to work honestly in the field of education. For 10 years, I worked honestly as Delhi’s Education Minister and built schools and new universities, Sisodia said.

As the Education Minister of Delhi, Sisodia said, he worked with the mantra that India cannot become a developed nation without providing the best education in government schools.

The result of ten years of hard work is visible that today even in the government schools of Delhi, children are studying brilliantly and topping exams like IIT, JEE, NEET, the senior AAP leader said.

After being in jail for 17 months in the money laundering case linked to the liquor policy scam, Sisodia said that despite being honest attempts were made to prove him dishonest by making false allegations against him under petty politics.

“After two years of legal process, now even the country’s top court has told me to go and do my work. But I will not sit on the chair of Deputy Chief Minister-Education Minister right now”, he said.

The AAP leader said that he did not join politics for the greed of chairs and posts, instead, he came into politics to work honestly in the field of education.

“Elections are to be held in three to four months. Only if the public approves my honesty, I will sit on the chair of Deputy Chief Minister-Education Minister and work for education,” AAP leader Sisodia said.

Continue Reading

India News

PM Modi launches projects worth Rs 660 crore in Jharkhand

“The depot will help start several new trains and services,” Modi said.

Published

on

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday virtually launched various projects worth Rs 660 crore from Ranchi in Jharkhand.

These include laying the foundation stone for the Madhupur bypass line in Deoghar district and the Hazaribag town coaching depot. “The depot will help start several new trains and services,” Modi said.

He also dedicated to the nation doubling of the Kurkura-Kanaroan line, which is a part of the Bondamunda-Ranchi single-line section and the Rourkela-Gomoh route via Ranchi, Muri and Chandrapura stations.

The project will help in increased mobility of goods and passenger traffic. Besides, the PM also launched four road-under-bridges (RUBs).

“The work of laying railway lines, doubling of these and developing modern facilities at railway stations are underway at a fast pace in Jharkhand,” Modi said.

The Prime Minister also virtually distributed sanction letters to 32,000 beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) and released first instalment of  Rs 32 crore for the construction of houses.

PM Moid also virtually handed over keys to 46,000 beneficiaries of PMAY-G across the country. The Centre has approved 1,13,400 houses for the poor in Jharkhand under the PMAY-G scheme, PTI reported.

Addressing a gathering virtually, Modi congratulated the people of Jharkhand for these projects.

PM Modi said: “There was a time when modern development was limited to certain cities of the country. States like Jharkhand lagged in terms of modern development. But the approach of ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas’ has changed the mentality of the country. Now the poor, Adivasi and Dalits are the priority of our nation. Women, farmers and youth are a priority”

He said that the whole region will develop with the expansion of rail services in Eastern India.

“The budget for railway development for Jharkhand is Rs. 7000 crores. If we compare this to the budget 10 years ago, it is 16 times more,” PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister is on a three-day visit to Jharkhand, Gujarat and Odisha beginning Sunday during which he is scheduled to lay the foundation stones and launch projects worth more than Rs 12,460 crore.

Continue Reading

India News

Arvind Kejriwal says he will resign as Delhi CM in 2 days

“If you think I am honest, vote for me in large numbers. I will sit on the CM’s chair only after being elected,” he said. The elections are supposed to be held in February, he added.

Published

on

In a shocking announcement, Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday that he will step down as Delhi Chief Minister in the next two or three days, days after walking out of Tihar Jail in an alleged money laundering case linked to the liquor policy scam.

“I am going to resign from the CM position after two days,” the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor said while addressing the party workers in Delhi.  

Kejriwal added that he will not sit on the CM chair until the people give their verdict, and he will go to every house and street and not sit on the CM chair till he gets a verdict from the people. The Assembly election to Delhi is due early next year.

Attacking the BJP government, Kejriwal said, “They sent me to jail because their goal was to break the AAP and the courage of Kejriwal. They thought they would break our party and form a government in Delhi after jailing me. But our party did not break.”

“I did not resign from the jail because I wanted to protect the Constitution of India. I wanted to fail their formula. The Supreme Court asked the central government why a government cannot run from jail. The SC proved that a government can run from jail,” he added.

While addressing the gathering, Kejriwal appealed to the people of Delhi to cast their vote in his favour if they feel that Kejriwal is an honest leader in the coming Assembly elections.

“If you think I am honest, vote for me in large numbers. I will sit on the CM’s chair only after being elected,” he said. The elections are supposed to be held in February, he added.

Kejriwal demanded elections be held in November with Maharashtra elections. Till elections are held, someone else from the party will be the Chief Minister, the AAP chief said.

In the next 2-3 days, a meeting of the MLAs will be held, where the next CM will be decided, Kejriwal asserted.

Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia, addressing the workers and MLAs at the party office in Delhi before Kejriwal’s resignation announcement, said the BJP drafted a fantasy story named the ‘Liquor Scam’. The Supreme Court gave bail to Arvind Kejriwal and ended that story, he added.

“It is a happy ending for us and a sad ending for the BJP. They thought they would keep Arvind Kejriwal jailed till the Delhi elections but their stories were proven to be wrong in the court, and today Arvind Kejriwal and I are out of jail,” Sisodia said.

AAP MP Raghav Chadha said Kejriwal had asked for votes in the name of work in 2020 and said that if “I have worked then vote for me, if I have not worked then do not vote for me.”

The people of Delhi will declare the Chief Minister honest by voting for AAP and in the upcoming 2025 Delhi elections, the people of Delhi will declare their Chief Minister honest through that election, Chadha added.

Continue Reading

Trending

© Copyright 2022 APNLIVE.com