New Delhi, June 16 (IANS) The government’s focus is on creating a robust framework that supports the empowerment and inclusion of all sections of society, Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Virendra Kumar has said.

The Minister convened a pivotal meeting with Ministers of State, Ramdas Athawale and B.L Verma, reviewed the progress of schemes, and strategised on key departmental initiatives for the next 100 days.

During the meeting, the Secretary of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Rajesh Aggarwal gave a comprehensive presentation on the department’s initiatives followed by modernisation efforts of the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO).

“The modernisation of ALIMCO and the achievements of our various bodies are testaments to our dedication towards this goal,” the Minister said.

The participants also engaged in detailed deliberations on the strategic direction and action plans to enhance the department’s outreach and efficiency.

The modernisation of ALIMCO is set to revolutionise the aids and assistive devices for persons with disabilities, while the achievements of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Rehabilitation Council of India, National Institutes, and the National Divyangjan Finance and Development Corporation stress the department’s commitment to inclusive growth and empowerment, the Ministry noted.

–IANS

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Amaravati, June 16 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh held Praja Darbar in his constituency Mangalagiri on Sunday to address the problems that the people were facing.

On the second day, the IT, Electronics, and Education Minister met people and heard their grievances.

Lokesh, who is the son of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, assured people that he will always stand by them.

People from various parts of the constituency gathered in large numbers for the programme and narrated their problems to Lokesh.

Representatives of the Andhra Pradesh Velugu Teachers Association appealed to Lokesh that the services of the 2,193 employees who are now on a contract basis, be regularised.

A student, Jagadeesh, appealed to the Minister to initiate steps to clear the fee reimbursement dues to the Nuzvid College so that he will get back his polytechnic certificate from the college.

The non-teaching staff members of Acharya Nagarjuna University wanted their retirement age to be extended to 62 years while Sheik Nazina of Mangalagiri wanted financial assistance for her five-month-old nephew who is suffering from a rare disease.

K. Kiran Babu of Tadepalli wanted employment for him and his sister, Mounika, who had completed their MBA.

A differently-abled student B. Srinivasa Rao of Tadepalli told Lokesh that though he is now 40-year-old he did not get any kind of employment till now and wanted some kind of livelihood to be provided to him.

–IANS

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Hyderabad, June 16 (IANS) Police tightened security and deployed additional forces in Telangana’s Medak town after a clash broke out between two groups on Saturday night over the alleged illegal transportation of cows for slaughter.

Police intensified patrolling and posted pickets in communally sensitive areas. Police said on Sunday that the situation is peaceful.

Additional forces were rushed to the town from neighbouring districts.

Inspector General of Police A. V. Ranganath was monitoring the situation in the town. He appealed to people to cooperate with the police in maintaining peace. He warned that the miscreants disturbing peace and harmony will not be spared.

Trouble started when a group tried to seize cattle kept at a madrasa for slaughter on Eid-ul-Azha. Two groups clashed resulting in injuries to a few persons.

Later, a mob armed with sticks roamed on streets, attacking shops and business establishments. Police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the mob.

Seven people were injured in the clash and attack by a mob. Four of them were later shifted to Hyderabad and admitted to Esra Hospital, run by All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).

AIMIM President and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi spoke to Director General of Police Ravi Gupta and IG Ranganath.

AIMIM MLA from Karwan constituency in Hyderabad, Kausar Mohiuddin, who called on the injured at Esra Hospital, said the party would ensure peace in Medak as well as quality treatment for all the injured irrespective of their religion.

Meanwhile, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K. T. Rama said on Sunday that Telangana was peaceful sans any communal violence for the last 9.5 years.

“Now in the Congress government, neither there is any law nor any order. Truly shameful that even a peaceful town Medak which never had any communal activity in the past has now become a mess,” he posted on ‘X’ while reacting to Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) leader Amjed Ullah Khan’s post alleging that Medak police were mute spectators to attacks by RSS and BJP workers on Muslims and their property.

Khan alleged that ever since A. Revanth Reddy took charge as Chief Minister, communal elements were given a free hand to attack Muslims and damage their property with police being mute spectators.

–IANS

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Kolkata, June 16 (IANS) A total of six persons have been named as prime accused persons in the chargesheet filed by Kolkata Police in the case related to the collapse of a five-storey under-construction building at Garden Reach area in the southern outskirts of Kolkata on March 17, which claimed 13 lives.

One of the six persons named in the chargesheet filed at a lower court in Kolkata on Saturday includes Md Wasim, the promoter of the said building.

Insiders in the state police said that in the 730-page chargesheet, a number of sections of cognizable offences under the Indian Penal Code including murder, attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy, and others have been included.

The mishap in March exposed illegal constructions in the Garden Reach area involving some real estate promoters and high officials in the building section of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).

After the Calcutta High Court directed the state government to submit a report on the mishap, KMC authorities started an investigation into the matter. On the basis of the preliminary report submitted by KMC’s probe committee, three civil engineers attached to the building department of the corporation were suspended.

A total 170 witnesses have been named in the chargesheet.

–IANS

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New Delhi, June 16 (IANS) Alleging foul play in the leakage of water pipelines, Delhi’s water minister Atishi on Sunday wrote a letter to the city’s Commissioner of Police (CP) Sanjay Arora, urging him to deploy police personnel to patrol and protect major pipelines in the national capital for the next 15 days.

In the letter, she said Delhi is reeling under a severe heat wave and a water crisis.

There is a huge shortage of water in many areas of Delhi. The supply of drinking water has become a major problem here. The situation is such that people have to wait on the roads for tankers in the scorching heat. Long queues of people can be seen to fill water when tankers arrive.

To overcome this shortage, emergency borewells have been done at many places and the help of tankers is also being taken. Dozens of areas in Delhi are currently facing water shortages. Water has almost run out in ‘Wazirabad Pond’, a major centre supplying drinking water in Delhi. Atishi herself gave information about this acute shortage of water in the national capital on Saturday.

Sharing a copy of her letter addressed to the Police Commissioner, Atishi said that the Delhi Jal Board ground patrolling team reported a major leakage in South Delhi Rising Mains — the main water pipeline that carries water from Sonia Vihar WTP to South Delhi — since several large 375 mm bolts and one 12 inch bolt had been cut from the pipeline causing the leakage.

“The fact that several large bolts had been cut seems to indicate foul play and sabotage. Our maintenance team worked for 6 hours continuously and repaired the leakage, but this meant that we had to stop pumping water for 6 hours and 20 MGD of water was not pumped during this time. As a consequence a further 25 per cent of water shortage will be experienced in South Delhi,” she added.

The water minister said that deploying police personnel would be very important for putting a stop to miscreants or people with ulterior motives for tampering with water pipelines which have now become Delhi’s lifelines.

She further said that due to the shortage of water being received in the Yamuna, water production has fallen by around 70 MGD and many parts of Delhi are experiencing water shortage.

–IANS

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