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Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav blames Wayanad landslides on illegal mining, uncontrolled construction

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Wayanad-Flood

After Home Minister Amit Shah’s claim that the Centre had warned Kerala of the rain pattern that caused the landslide in Wayanad, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has once again put the onus on the Kerala government.

Yadav said the landslide was caused by illegal mining, uncontrolled construction, and unregulated commercial activity alongside heavy rainfall. More than 350 people have died and an almost similar number missing after the landslides early on July 30.

Yadav said that while the Environment Ministry had granted its preliminary approval for a twin-tunnel road project near Meppadi, where the disaster struck, the ministry’s had not given its clearance in the last decade for other projects in the region.

“The Wayanad incident gave us a lesson that illegal mining and unregulated habitation can be dangerous for lives,” said Yadav. He added various environmental factors should be kept in mind while developing such regions.

As more and more colonies and residential outlays are being created, the soil conditions such as topography,  geomorphology, slope angle, and vegetation become vital considerations. Heavy rain added to the mix claiming hundreds of lives, he said.

Yadav disclosed that the notification for declaring Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs) in the Western Ghats is in the final stages of drafting. An expert committee headed by former Director General of Forests Sanjay Kumar is assessing inputs from the six Western Ghats states: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. This initiative is actually a step toward protecting fragile ecosystems and preventing further environmental degradation, he said.

The Centre may also come out with state-specific notifications for declaring ESAs, said officials, since each state faces challenges of a different kind in identifying and declaring these areas.

As late as 2014, the then UPA government had circulated a draft notification declaring 60,000 sq km in the six Western Ghats states as ESAs, following the recommendations of an expert panel headed by space scientist K Kasturirangan. This move underscored the fact that it was time for one uniform approach to conserving the environment.

The proposed ESA designation would be a balanced way to ensure development is not detrimental to environmental conservation, along with the protection of the natural landscape and local communities from the ill-effects of unplanned development and exploitation.

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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.

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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.

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PM Modi launches projects worth Rs 660 crore in Jharkhand

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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