National
'Ladki Bahin' dole: Maha MLA threatens to take back money if people don’t vote for MahaYuti govt
Amravati/Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Aug 12 (IANS) In a shocking statement, an independent MLA supporting the MahaYuti government on Monday virtually threatened to take back the Rs 1,500 per month dole in the ‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme if the beneficiaries don’t vote it (MahaYuti) back to power.
The ostensible menace by three-time Badnera legislator Ravi G. Rana sparked strong protests from the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leaders, who demanded an apology from the government.
Rana’s utterances came at a function to distribute the scheme registration certificates, saris-blouses to around 15,800 women, organised at the Cultural Bhavan in the presence of his wife and ex-MP Navneet Rana, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Rajya Sabha MP Anil Bonde and top officials of the district collectorate.
Speaking on the occasion, Rana said that when the MahaYuti government returns to power (after the October Assembly elections), it will double the ‘Ladki Bahin’ dole from Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000 per month, at the event organised in his constituency.
“However, if you do not bless us in the polls, then we shall take back even Rs 1,500. If the government gives you all this, then it should also get your support,” Rana said.
Taking a strong note of this, Congress’ Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar slammed Rana and the MahaYuti regime for trying to cheat the women of the state and buying out their votes for Rs 1,500 dole in the upcoming elections.
“The ‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme is funded by government money. It’s not from your pockets. What MLA Rana has spoken is the mind of the CM (Eknath Shinde) and Deputy CMs (Devendra Fadnavis & Ajit Pawar). Do they think that our sisters will sell their votes for a paltry Rs 1,500?” questioned an irate Wadettiwar.
SS-UBT’s National Spokesperson Kishore Tiwari said Rana’s statement shows the sheer desperation of Rana, who somehow wants to ensure his victory after his wife (Navneet Rana) was outright rejected in the Lok Sabha elections by the Amravati electorate.
“Such a declaration is an open threat to the poor people… we shall protest against the Ranas. We will file a complaint against them for intimidating the masses and seeking to buy their votes through government funds,” said Tiwari.
Taking a swipe, NCP-SP National Spokesperson Clyde Crasto said Rana “must be thanked for speaking the truth and exposing the MahaYuti on the ‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme and their motives behind it”.
“Rana has openly expressed the hidden agenda of the MahaYuti government. They are showing a lollipop for the peoples’ votes and later the ‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme will be yanked off. They are treating government funds as their party fund and blatantly misusing it. All this must be probed,” demanded Crasto.
Wadettiwar wondered how can Rana speak like this when it’s the government’s money, which ‘does not belong to his father’, nor is he the CM or a Deputy CM of the state.
“Rana has laid bare the plans in the minds of Shinde-Fadnavis-Pawar to deceive the women through ‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme, to get their votes for Rs 1,500. This is an insult to all the women of the state and the government must apologise to them,” demanded Wadettiwar.
Tiwari recalled how, just before the Lok Sabha elections, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar had issued similar threats to the people of Baramati, that he would starve them of developmental funds if they did not vote for his wife Sunetra A. Pawar (now, a Rajya Sabha MP), “but the people of Maharashtra taught them a lesson”.
“Whatever Rana or the MahaYuti leaders claim or dole out, they have lost the confidence of the people and the MVA government will return to power in a couple of months,” predicted Tiwari.
(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)
–IANS
qn/pgh
National
Defence Ministry: Year 2025 will be year of reforms
On Wednesday, the Defence Ministry announced that 2025 will be designated as the “Year of Reforms,” with a primary focus on establishing integrated theatre commands to enhance collaboration among the three branches of the military.
These reforms are aimed at transforming the armed forces into a technologically advanced, combat-ready force capable of executing multi-domain integrated operations, the ministry stated.
The initiative will emphasize emerging domains such as cyber and space, alongside cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, hypersonics, and robotics.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the “Year of Reforms” as a pivotal milestone in the modernization of the armed forces.
“It will set the stage for significant advancements in the nation’s defense capabilities, ensuring the security and sovereignty of India in the face of 21st-century challenges,” he said.
National
A 3.2 magnitude tremor struck Gujarat’s Kutch district on Wednesday morning
A 3.2 magnitude tremor struck Gujarat’s Kutch district on Wednesday morning, according to the Institute of Seismological Research (ISR).
The district administration reported no casualties or property damage following the quake.
The tremor occurred at 10:24 am, with its epicenter located 23 kilometers north-northeast (NNE) of Bhachau, as per the Gandhinagar-based ISR.
Last month, the region experienced four seismic events exceeding a magnitude of 3, including a 3.2 magnitude tremor just three days ago, with its epicenter also near Bhachau.
Earlier tremors in the area included a 3.7 magnitude earthquake on December 23 and a 3.2 magnitude event on December 7, according to ISR reports.
Kutch was also jolted by a 4.0 magnitude earthquake on November 18, 2024. On November 15, a 4.2 magnitude quake hit Patan in north Gujarat, based on ISR data.
Gujarat is considered a high-risk earthquake zone, having experienced nine major earthquakes over the past 200 years, according to the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA). The 2001 earthquake in Kutch, which occurred on January 26, was the third-largest and second-most destructive in India in the last two centuries, according to the GSDMA.
National
Diljit Dosanjh faces legal action over concert songs
Singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh’s much-anticipated New Year’s Eve concert in Ludhiana faced legal hurdles after a complaint was filed by Punditrao Dharenavar, an assistant professor from Chandigarh.
Following the complaint, the Deputy Director of the Women and Child Department, Government of Punjab, issued a formal notice to Ludhiana’s District Commissioner, urging them to prohibit Dosanjh from performing specific songs during his live show on December 31, 2024.
The notice specifically targets songs accused of promoting alcohol, including Patiala Peg, 5 Tara Theke, and Case (Jeeb Vicho Feem Labbiya), even if the lyrics are slightly modified. The complaint points to previous warnings issued to Dosanjh by various commissions advising against performing these controversial tracks.
Despite these warnings, the singer allegedly continues to perform the songs with minor alterations. Dharenavar raised serious concerns about the influence of such music on young audiences, especially when minors are present at live events.
Adding to the controversy, Dharenavar referenced a 2019 Punjab and Haryana High Court ruling, which directed law enforcement to ensure that songs promoting alcohol, drugs, or violence are not played at public events, including concerts. This ruling underscores the legal basis for the complaint and has further intensified the scrutiny surrounding the event.
National
UP Minister’s convoy overturns, 5 person injured
Five people sustained injuries when a vehicle in the convoy of Uttar Pradesh Minister and Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad overturned into a ditch near Januan village in the Khejuri Police Station area of Ballia district late last night.
Sanjay Nishad shared details of the incident, stating that the accident injured five party workers, including four women.
“I was traveling with the convoy to participate in the Constitutional Rights Yatra organized by the party on Tuesday night. Near Januan village in the Khejuri area, one of the vehicles following the convoy lost control while trying to avoid an animal and overturned into a ditch,” Nishad explained.
The injured individuals have been identified as Rakesh Nishad, Ramrati, Usha, Geeta, and Iravati Nishad.
Senior police and administrative officials quickly arrived at the scene following the incident to oversee the situation.
National
Suchir Balaji’s mother alleges Murder
The mother of Suchir Balaji, a 26-year-old former OpenAI researcher found dead after accusing the company of copyright violations, has alleged that her son was “murdered” and called for a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) probe.
Poornima Rao, Suchir’s mother, claimed her son’s death was a “cold-blooded murder” that authorities wrongly ruled as suicide. She further disclosed that a private autopsy report conflicted with the findings of the initial police investigation.
Rao alleged that her son’s apartment had been “ransacked” and cited evidence of a struggle in the bathroom, including bloodstains that suggested he had been assaulted.
“We hired a private investigator and conducted a second autopsy to uncover the truth. The private autopsy does not confirm the cause of death stated by the police. Suchir’s apartment was ransacked, there were signs of a struggle in the bathroom, and it appears he was hit based on blood spots. This is a cold-blooded murder being misclassified as a suicide. Lobbying in San Francisco won’t deter us from seeking justice. We demand an FBI investigation,” Rao wrote on X.
Elon Musk reacted to Rao’s post, commenting, “This doesn’t seem like a suicide.”
Balaji was discovered dead in his San Francisco apartment months after accusing OpenAI of violating copyright laws during the development of ChatGPT, as reported by Fox News. Despite these claims, the San Francisco Police Department found no evidence of foul play and ruled the death a suicide.
On October 24, shortly before his death, Balaji voiced doubts about the “fair use” defense in generative artificial intelligence. “I recently participated in a NYT story about fair use and generative AI, and why I’m skeptical ‘fair use’ would be a plausible defense for a lot of generative AI products,” he wrote on X.
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