India News
Ban on cattle sale for slaughter not a prestigious issue, says Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Harsh Vardhan’s words came after Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu’s assurance that Centre is open to review the order.
Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said that the Centre is not viewing the ban on sale of cattle for slaughter a “prestige issue” and has been examining the objections raised against it thus indicating a shift in the government’s policy on the regulation.
The directive, The Regulation of Livestock Market Rules, framed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960, was issued last month and drew flak as a move to ban cattle slaughter and an outreach of the Centre on federalism where slaughter is exclusively a state issue.
The Madras High Court last week has stayed the regulation for a month and several political parties and groups have written to the Environment Ministry protesting against the new rule.
“We are carefully studying all the suggestions that we have been receiving. Our officials have also met a few groups of stakeholders,” Harsh Vardhan told media.
“We will do what is the right thing. There is no prestige issue involved here,” he replied to questions whether the government is under pressure to make amendments.
Harsh Vardhan’s words came after Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu’s assurance that Centre is open to review the order.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Tamil Nadu opposition leader M K Stalin openly criticised the new rules and the former had announced to challenge the issue in court. Beef festivals were organised in various parts of Kerala to protest against the cattle sale ban. Oppositions came from inside the BJP also as party’s Meghalaya leader Bernard N Marak quit over the row. Many other party leaders from North East raised threats to leave BJP if the government would not scrap the ban.
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India News
There is still a chance to send the Women’s Reservation Bill to the Select Committee for including caste quota: RJD MP Manoj Jha
Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha suggested sending the bill to the Select Committee for including the Schedule Caste, Schedules Tribes, Other Backward Castes in the Bill.
Speaking on the Women’s Reservation Bill in Rajya Sabha, the Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha, said there is still a chance to send the bill to the Select Committee for including the Schedule Caste, Schedules Tribes, Other Backward Castes in the Bill as well.
The Rajya Sabha MP said it would have been a revolutionary step if the 33 percent reservation would not be from the existing quota but it should be a separate quota.
He said the government has created a provision to empower women who come from SC, ST, and OBC communities. There is not much for the welfare of women in the religious text, he added. RJD MP Jha suggested the Modi-led BJP government to take a stand and work for the welfare of the women without any hesitation, he further added.
Speaking on surname privilege, he said people often overlook their privilege. He said his surname is a privilege. He added our surname has afforded us privilege. Consider those surnames that lack such advantages. In this country, a name may hold little significance, but everything lies in the surname, the Rajya Sabha MP said.
Early in the day, he said the government doesn’t have a clear intention on this bill. There’s no road map and this bill is being passed in Lok Sabha. You have rejected and excluded a big population. PM Modi and his team need to understand that the discussion is not happening on the passing of the bill but on OBC. He further raised questions on OBC not being included in the bill. He said government should revise their position once again or else people have other options to change their position and their bill, Manoj Jha said.
Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav has also spoken on the Women’s Reservation Bill and said the reservation should be ensured for backward women and minority women. No one knows when it will be implemented because it will be implemented after the census and delimitation, he added.
India News
PM Modi to lay foundation stone of International Cricket Stadium in Varanasi on September 23: PMO
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi on September 23 to lay the foundation stone of an International Cricket Stadium.
The Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi on September 23 to lay the foundation stone of an International Cricket Stadium around 1:30 pm.
The PMO also said that PM Modi will also reach Rudraksh International Cooperation and Convention Centre where he will participate in the closing ceremony of Kashi Sansad Sanskritik Mahotsav 2023 around 3:15 pm.
PM Modi will also inaugurate 16 Atal Awasiya Vidyalaya built across Uttar Pradesh, during the programme, the Prime Minister’s Office added.
The Varanasi International Cricket Stadium is a step towards realising PM Modi’s vision to develop a modern and world-class sports infrastructure. PM Modi is a Lok Sabha MP from Varanasi.
As per the PMO statement, the International Cricket Stadium will be built in Ganjari, Rajatalab. This will be developed at the cost of Rs 450 crore and will be in more than 30 acres of area.
It has been revealed that the world-class stadium will take inspiration from Lord Shiva for its thematic architecture. The designs will be developed for crescent-shaped roof covers, trident-shaped floodlights and ghat steps-based seating arrangements for the attendees.
According to the statement, the total capacity of the stadium to accommodate people will be 30,000 spectators.
To provide the best quality education, 16 Atal Awasiya Vidyalaya, which is basically built for the children of labourers, construction workers and those orphaned due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the same day. The project has been developed at the cost of Rs 1,115 crore with an aim to make quality education accessible for these children and support their holistic development.
Every school under this scheme has been constructed in an area of 10-15 acres with a classroom, recreational area, sports grounds, mess, a mini auditorium, hotel complex, and also residential flats for the staff members. Such facilities will help children get quality education.
India News
India suspends visa services in Canada as diplomatic crisis worsens
The incidents took place three days after the Canadian prime minister accused India of being involved in the assassination of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
In the midst of a diplomatic dispute between the two nations over allegations linking Indian government officials to the death of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in June, India has banned visa services for Canadian citizens until further notice.
The notice issued by centre reads, with effect from September 21, 2023, Indian visa services have been suspended until further notice, according to a notice posted on the website of BLS International, an online visa application centre in India that also offers visa consultancy services.
The incidents took place three days after the Canadian prime minister accused India of being involved in the assassination of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
In his Monday speech to Parliament, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed that Indian spies were responsible for Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s death by gunshot.
The Canadian citizen, who also served as the president of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, was killed, according to Trudeau, and there are reasons for national security agencies in his country to suspect that agents of the Indian government were responsible.
According to Trudeau, Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential association between Government of India agents and the murder of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
India responded to Canada’s charges by calling them absurd and motivated.
The two nations then each removed a senior official; India expelled a top Canadian diplomat on Tuesday for interference in internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities while Ottawa ordered a senior Research and Analysis Wing officer to leave the country.
To discuss relations between India and Canada, PM Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met on Wednesday in the new Parliament building.
The Canadian Prime Minister’s and Foreign Minister’s statements in their Parliament were both rejected, according to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
