Chandigarh, July 27 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said the Malwa Canal is being dug with an outlay of Rs 2,300 crore to cater to the irrigational needs of nearly two lakh acres of land in southern Punjab.

Addressing the gathering at Muktsar Sahib after inspecting the ongoing work of Malwa Canal, he said, “It is on record that none of the previous governments of the state had paid heed towards this necessity of the state.”

He said due to the “gross negligence” of the successive state governments, the groundwater was “over-exploited”, resulting in maximum blocks turning into dark zones.

CM Mann said the 150-km-long new canal will usher in a new era of unprecedented progress and prosperity in the state, especially in the Malwa region.

The Chief Minister said the government would spend around Rs 2,300 crore on this project that would cater to the irrigational needs of nearly two lakh acres of fertile land.

CM Mann said he had conceived the project much before assuming the charge of Chief Minister.

“In reality, this is my dream project which is aimed at giving a major impetus to the overall development and progress of the state in general and that of Malwa region in particular,” he said.

Taking a jibe over the previous governments, the Chief Minister said those who had always sought votes on the name of “panth” had never bothered to take such a step.

He alleged the Akali leaders were more “interested” in supplying water to their farms rather than executing projects that could have transformed the destiny of the common man.

He said due to such “anti-people” stances, the voters outrightly rejected these leaders and a whopping mandate was given to the incumbent government.

–IANS

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Jaipur, July 27 (IANS) Gold, copper, and lithium reserves found in Rajasthan are set to boost the revenue and employment opportunities in the state, Mines Secretary Anandhi said on Saturday.

“There is a clear mandate from the government that we have to boost revenues and generate employment from this segment, Now there are clear directions to double and triple the revenue in the next five years to use it in the development of the state. Our team is busy achieving these goals and is making this segment more active,” she said speaking exclusively to IANS.

“The department is witnessing hectic activity and our team has finished the auctions in seven months which were equal in number to the auctions conducted in the last seven years in the state,” she told IANS.

Anandhi said that not many people are aware that mining is the largest non tax revenue earning sector for the state government.

“Mining is the largest non tax revenue earning sector for the state govt. While it directly employs 3 to 5 lakh people, it employs 20-25 lakh people indirectly. So this number will definitely be going up in the next few years as there is a rising scope and significance in the sector.

“The minerals which are strategic and critical in importance and which were imported from other nations are now slowly being found in Rajasthan”, she added.

Accepting that the mines segment in Rajasthan is bustling with activity, she said that exploration has also started for coal bed methane and underground coal gasification which are significant sources of energy in countries like America, Canada and Australia.

She informed that Rajasthan is the richest state which has over 87 minerals and there is a major demand for certain minerals. The state government is taking inspiration from other states in using technology.

“There is a major demand for limestone, iron ore as well as gold. Now, as we are catering to the demand, there is a good response in auctions,” she added.

Anandhi explained that “We are taking inspiration from other states like MP, UP, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and others. These are states which are experimenting with technology. For example Gujarat experimented with geofencing with good results, she stated.

Speaking about lithium, she said that there are some minerals like lithium which are strategic minerals. A good reserve has been found in Rajasthan. However, as strategic minerals are looked after by the Central government I am unable to speak much on it, she added.

After Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand, Rajasthan has become the fourth state to yield gold.

An initial assessment of 113.52 million tons of gold ore has been done in an area of 940.26 hectares in Banswara.

The amount of gold is estimated to be 222.39 tons.

Gold mining in Banswara district is likely to generate opportunities for direct and indirect employment along with new investments in several industries including electronics, petroleum, petrochemicals, batteries, air bags etc, said Anandhi.

Besides Banswara, gold deposits have been located in Salumbar in Rajasthan, Anandhi added.

–IANS

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Kochi, July 27 (IANS) In a significant ruling, the Kerala High Court has ordered 28 lawyers of the Kottayam Bar Association to offer legal aid services for six months to get relief from contempt of court proceedings, stating that mere apologies will not suffice.

The lawyers came under the high court scanner for raising ‘abusive’ slogans against a Chief Judicial Magistrate inside the court in Kottayam last year.

When the high court started proceedings the erring lawyers, 28 of them offered to apologise unconditionally.

“This court is of the view that the respondents ought not to be allowed to get away by merely offering ‘sorry’ by way of an apology as the easiest way,” the court noted, as it pointed out that the 28 lawyers should provide free legal services to the poor and needy as a remedial measure.

The lawyers said they would do so provided it did not affect their right to practice law.

“Given the peculiar facts of this case, we deem it appropriate to accept the unconditional apologies tendered by respondents 2 to 29 and purge the contempt committed by them based on the undertaking that they shall offer their services to the District Legal Services Authority, Kottayam, for free to the poor and needy for a period of six months,” the court said, adding that these lawyers can go forward with their regular law career.

The incident occurred in November last year when a group of advocates entered the courtroom of Kottayam CJM Viveeja Sethumohan and raised slogans against her over her alleged conduct with the lawyers and to protest against the registration of a forgery case against one of them.

After receiving a report on the incident, the Kerala High Court issued contempt notices to the erring lawyers.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 27 (IANS) The presidential residence will provide a free bus service to tourists to the President’s summer retreat in Shimla.

The Shimla to Mashobra service was started to celebrate President Draupadi Murmu’s two years in office on July 25.

The Rashtrapati Niwas at Mashobra in Himachal’s Shimla District opened its doors to the public in April 2023.

The complimentary bus service of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation operates from the lift parking at Mall Road, Shimla on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Ajay Bhardwaj, a guide at the presidential residence said that visitors can explore the 174-year-old Rashtrapati Niwas, nature trails and other parts of the building including its lawns and parks.

Shimla is a city that is rich in historic buildings from the British colonial era.

Constructed in 1850 by the King of Koti in European architectural style, the Rashtrapati Niwas, previously known as the Retreat Building, is one of four existing presidential residences in India.

The other three are, Rashtrapati Ashiana a Presidential retreat in Dehradun, Rashtrapati Nilayam in Telangana and Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the President, in New Delhi.

–IANS

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Srinagar, July 27 (IANS) One Pakistani terrorist and an Indian army soldier were killed on Saturday in the exchange of fire on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu & Kashmir’s Kupwara district.

The Defence Ministry said in a statement: “Taking advantage of bad weather and poor visibility along the LoC in Machhal Sector, a group of two to three armed personnel crossed the LoC and fired on a forward Army post from close proximity.”

“Alert troops responded vigorously and in the ensuing exchange of fire. One Pakistani intruder was killed,” as per the statement, adding that weapons, ammunition and war-like supplies were also recovered.

“Identification and affiliation of this Pakistani national is being ascertained. During this intense fire exchange, two of our brave soldiers also suffered some grave injuries and were immediately evacuated to Base Hospital at Srinagar,” according to the Ministry’s statement.

“Unfortunately, one of these bravehearts has succumbed to his injuries. The other brave is responding well to treatment and care and is presently stable,” it added.

Similar attempts have been made by infiltrators in the past, actively aided and abetted by Pakistan Army.

“Indian Army is firm in its resolve and commitment to maintain the sanctity of the Line of Control and defeat the nefarious and inimical designs of Pakistan,” the statement said.

–IANS

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