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ECI permits live telecast of Bhadrachalam Kalyanotsavam

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On April 4, the ECI had rejected the Endowments department’s Screening Committee appeal to permit a live telecast as well.

Published Date – 16 April 2024, 09:03 PM


ECI permits live telecast of Bhadrachalam Kalyanotsavam


Hyderabad: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has permitted the live telecast of Sita Ramachandra Swamy Kalyanotsavam at Bhadrachalam on Wednesday, subject to the provisions of Model Code of Conduct, Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj said.

The ECI had earlier not permitted presentation of Pattu Vastralu and Muthyala Talambralu by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy or Endowment Minister Konda Surekha on the occasion of the Kalyanotsavam.

On April 4, the ECI had rejected the Endowments department’s Screening Committee appeal to permit a live telecast as well.

Following this, the Endowments Minister wrote to Vikas Raj to reconsider the appeal for permitting a live telecast of the Lord Sita Ramachandra Swamy Kalyanotsavam at Bhadrachalam on Wednesday.

Hyderabad

KCR extends Sri Rama Navami greetings

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He said Lord Rama was an ideal ruler for ruling his kingdom in accordance with the aspirations of his people.

Published Date – 16 April 2024, 09:36 PM


KCR extends Sri Rama Navami greetings


Hyderabad: Leader of Opposition and BRS president K Chandrashekhar Rao extended greetings to people in the State on the eve of Sri Rama Navami festival.

He said Lord Rama was an ideal ruler for ruling his kingdom in accordance with the aspirations of his people.

He said that the couple of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita was a virtuous couple to the people of all generations.

He prayed to Lord Rama and Goddess Sita to bless the people of Telangana with happiness and prosperity, on the occasion.

Middle East

UN demands end to Israel’s support for settler attacks on Palestinians

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The United Nations has voiced grave concern over escalating violence in the occupied West Bank.

The UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said in Geneva on Tuesday that the Israeli regime forces “must immediately end their active participation in and support for settler attacks on Palestinians.”

“Israeli authorities must instead prevent further attacks, including by bringing those responsible to account.”

“Those reasonably suspected of criminal acts, including murder or other unlawful killings, must be brought to justice through a judicial process that complies with international human rights standards, following a prompt, impartial, independent, effective and transparent investigation.”

The statement from the UN’s human rights office was issued after a number of Palestinians were killed by Israeli settlers in a village south of Nablus.

Shamdasani said following the killing of a 14-year-old Israeli boy from a settler family at the weekend, “four Palestinians, including a child, were killed and Palestinian property was destroyed in revenge attacks.”

The UN rights office, she said, had received information that armed settlers and Israeli forces had entered a number of towns and villages.

“Dozens of Palestinians were reportedly injured, including through the use of firearms, by settlers and Israeli forces, and hundreds of homes and other buildings, as well as cars, were torched,” she said.

At least eight Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or armed settlers since April 12.

Palestinian authorities have reported an increasing number of attacks by settlers across the West Bank.

Salah Bani Jaber, the mayor of Aqraba, a town near the northern city of Nablus, said, “There were Israeli soldiers at the scene who stood idly by watching the settlers.”

The UN also highlighted reports that settlers had established at least two new outposts in recent days in the Jordan Valley and South al-Khalil Hills.

The outposts, she said, were “near Palestinian communities which have been repeatedly attacked by settlers in the past months and are at imminent risk of being forcibly transferred from their homes and land.”

“Israel, as the occupying power, must take all measures in its power to restore, and ensure, as far as possible, public order and safety in the occupied West Bank.”

“This obligation includes protecting Palestinians from settler attacks, and ending unlawful use of force against Palestinians by Israeli forces.”

The West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has seen a surge in violence particularly since the regime launched its savage campaign in the besieged Gaza Strip in early October.

Nearly 470 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers across the West Bank since October 7.

Hyderabad

Singareni solar plants to be completed by August

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The project has missed a few deadlines set by the company in the past and it is learnt that the first phase would be completed by August this year.

Published Date – 16 April 2024, 09:35 PM


Singareni solar plants to be completed by August


Hyderabad: The Singareni Collieries Company (SCCL), which is preparing to take up 232 MW solar plants in the second phase, is facing a tough task in completing the pending 55.5 MW of the proposed capacity of 300 MW of the first phase of the project, which has been delayed due to various reasons.

The project has missed a few deadlines set by the company in the past and it is learnt that the first phase would be completed by August this year. The company had taken up the construction of solar plants with a combined capacity of 300 MW in the first phase, out of which 224 MW including 5 MW floating solar plants have been completed last year and the remaining 76 MW was supposed to be completed by December 2023, but due to various reasons it could not be completed.

In February, the company managed to complete a 10.5 MW solar plant at Ramavaram in Kothagudem town and the remaining 55.5 MW was under various stages. According to SCCL chief (E&M) Power Projects NVK Viswanadha Raju, the pending plants would be completed by August.

The 76 MW projects comprise a 22 MW plant on an overburden dump in the Ramagundam-3 area, a 22.5 MW plant and a 10.5 MW solar plant in the Kothagudem area, an 11 MW plant in Chennur, and a 22 MW plant on an open cast-1 site.

Meanwhile, the company has handed over the 67.5 MW solar power project in the Mandamarri area to Bondada Engineering, an infrastructure engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) company. According to Singareni officials, the scope of the contract includes the design, engineering, supply, construction, erection, testing, and commissioning of the project, along with setting up the 220 KV transmission system. Bondada will also be responsible for the project’s operation and maintenance for ten years.

As part of the 232 MW second phase solar project, the company has proposed to set up a 67.5 MW plant in 240 acres in Mandamarri, 37 MW plant on 166 acres overburden dump in Ramagundam area and a 27.5 MW plant in 96 acres in Srirampur area.

* 55.5 MW solar plant to be completed by August

* 10.5 MW solar plant at Ramavaram in Kothagudem town completed in Feb

* 224 MW, including 5 megawatt floating solar plants, were completed last year
* 67.5 MW solar power project in the Mandamarri area handed over to Bondada Engineering
* In second phase, Singareni plans to set up a 232 MW solar plant.

India

Rahul Gandhi calls electoral bonds “biggest haftebaazi” scheme

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The remarks of the Wayanad MP came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the electoral bond scheme was aimed at curbing black money

Published Date – 16 April 2024, 05:43 PM


Rahul Gandhi calls electoral bonds “biggest haftebaazi” scheme

Wayanad: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi speaks during an election campaign road show for the Lok Sabha polls, in Wayanad, Kerala, Monday, April 15, 2024

Kozhikode: Calling the electoral bonds the “biggest haftebaazi” scheme, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday questioned as to why the names of donors were kept hidden by the ruling BJP government if the scheme was meant to ensure transparency in the election process.

“This (electoral bonds) is Narendra Modi’s master scheme. The whole idea was his. He said the electoral bonds were launched to bring transparency in politics. Then, why were the names kept hidden? Who was stopping the release of data after the Supreme Court asked? This is extortion. On street level, it is known as ‘haftebazi’. This is the country’s biggest ‘haftebaazi’ scheme conceptualised by the Prime Minister,” Rahul Gandhi told reporters in Kozhikode.

The remarks of the Wayanad MP came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an interview with ANI, said that the electoral bond scheme was aimed at curbing black money in elections and said the opposition wants to run away after making allegations. PM Modi said that “everyone will regret it when there is an honest reflection.” “This is the success story of electoral bonds, there were electoral bonds, so you are getting a trail which company gave, how it gave, and where it gave. Whether what happened in the process was good or bad can be an issue of debate….I never say that there is no shortcoming in decision-making. We learn after discussing and improving. There is a lot of scope for improvement in this as well. But today we have completely pushed the country towards black money, hence, I say everyone will regret it. When they think honestly, everyone will regret it,” PM Modi said.

Earlier today, Rahul Gandhi also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a roadshow in Kozhikode over the electoral bond scheme and said that he is trying to defend the biggest corruption scandal.

Addressing the public at a roadshow in Kozhikode, Rahul Gandhi said, “I don’t know if you saw his interview with ANI yesterday. I don’t know if you saw his face, his eyes, he was trying to defend the biggest corruption scandal on the planet through which BJP has got thousands of crores of rupees by extorting them from India’s businessmen.” The Supreme Court in February this year struck down the electoral bond scheme and said it was unconstitutional.

During his roadshow in Mallapuram, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi also appealed people to read his party’s manifesto. “We have a strategy for employment, for farmers, for labourers, for women, and for young men. The BJP has also promised a few things- they have two main ideas. One is to bring the Olympic Games to India, and the second is to send someone to the moon. Of course, they will use a rocket that ISRO made, which was founded, supported, and developed by the Congress party,” he said. Kerala’s 20 constituencies go to the polls on April 26 in the second phase of the Lok Sabha election.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, while the Congress party had won 15 seats, its allies, the Indian Union Muslim League, won two seats, the Revolutionary Socialist Party won one, and the Kerala Congress (M) won one seat. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) won one seat in Alappuzha.

Top News

SRK Meets Jhulan Goswami During KKR vs RR IPL 2024 Game. Photo Goes Viral

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The match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals some some scintillating batting from Sunil Narine. The West Indies star slammed a 49-ball century. Earlier, Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson won the toss and elected to bowl first against Kolkata Knight Riders in Match 31 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday. Rajasthan Royals brought back Ravichandran Ashwin in playing XI while Jos Buttler was among the substitutes. Both of them had missed their last match due to injuries. Kolkata Knight Riders went in unchanged in the top-of-the-table clash between two teams that are placed No.1 and 2 in the points table.

The match also saw Shah Rukh Khan meeting Indian cricket great Jhulan Goswami.

Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson said he opted to bowl first because it could be better batting in the second innings. “It might be better to bat here, but it’s ok, we’ll bowl first. To be back at Eden is special, it has a special vibe. Jos and Ash bhai are available for this game,” said Samson.

KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer too wanted to bowl first if he had won the toss. “Yeah, we wanted to bowl first because of the way it was seaming the other day. We are going with the same team,” he said at the toss.

There is not much to differentiate between the two teams with Kolkata Knight Riders winning 14 and Rajasthan Royals 13 in 27 matches between them.

Playing XIs:

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rovman Powell, Sanju Samson (c/wk), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, R. Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Sen, Yuzvi Chahal

Impact Substitutes: Jos Buttler, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Shubham Dubey, Navdeep Saini, Nandre Burger

Kolkata Knight Riders: Phil Salt, Sunil Narine, Shreyas Iyer (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana

Impact Substitutes: Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Manish Pandey, Vaibhav Arora, Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

With IANS inputs

Topics mentioned in this article

Hyderabad

Police names former Bodhan MLA’s son as accused in road accident at Jubilee Hills

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In that accident, a two months old toddler, Ranveer died after falling from the arms of a woman Kajal, when the car, which was allegedly being driven by Raheel hit her while she was crossing the road.

Published Date – 16 April 2024, 09:24 PM


Police names former Bodhan MLA’s son as accused in road accident at Jubilee Hills


Hyderabad: The Jubilee Hills police named Raheel Shakeel, son of former BRS MLA from Bodhan, Aamir Shakeel as an accused in a road accident at Jubilee Hills, which was reported in March 2022.

In that accident, a two months old toddler, Ranveer died after falling from the arms of a woman Kajal, when the car, which was allegedly being driven by Raheel hit her while she was crossing the road.

In that case, the police had arrested a person Ahmed, after he surrendered before the police and confessed that he was driving the car.

However, after the recent case where Raheel was arrested for allegedly ramming his luxury car into the traffic barricade near Praja Bhavan, the police reopened the earlier case and took up investigation.

After freshly probing the case, the police concluded that Raheel was driving the car that hit the woman, which resulted in the infant’s death.

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Who Is Margo Martin? Trump's ''Loyal'' Aide Who Is Often Spotted With Him

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Meet Margo Martin, Trump's ''Loyal And Stylist'' Aide Who Is Often Spotted With Him

Before this, she served as a White House press assistant during Trump’s presidency.

Margo Martin, the deputy director of communications for Donald Trump, was one of the few people accompanying the former President to Manhattan criminal court on Monday as the first criminal trial against him began. Ms Martin was photographed wearing a black pantsuit with gold buttons inside the courthouse. As pictures of her went viral online, many were curious to know who she was. 

According to the New York Post, Ms Martin who hails from Oklahoma, is known as one of Donald Trump’s ”loyal and stylish confidantes.” She is often photographed by his side at campaign events, press meets and parties, and even court appearances. 

Currently, her role as Deputy Director of Communications for his Save America PAC includes sending emails and reports to supporters and organizing his continued rallies across the country.

Before this, she served as a White House press assistant during Trump’s presidency. After Trump lost in the last presidential election, she was one of the few to remain with him and his since become a key part of his team. She has also stood by the former President through his scandals and controversies.

She was first propelled into the spotlight last year after a reporter mistook her for Melania Trump as she entered the United States Courthouse in Miami for Trump’s arraignment in a separate case. Many say that she shares a striking resemblance to the former First Lady.

Ms Martin also enjoys a lavish lifestyle, courtesy of her high-profile job. She is often seen travelling the world attending political rallies and sporting events alongside Trump. She has also been seen attending UFC fights, NBA games, and NCAA wrestling matches alongside her boss.

She has more than 32,000 followers on Instagram, where she shares glimpses of her personal life, including pics of her vacations, concerts, and visits with her sister who is a morning anchor at NewsNation.

She’s also been sharing dispatches from the campaign trail on Instagram. 

Ms Martin credited her time in the White House as an experience that “gave my life immeasurable purpose and happiness” in an Instagram pic of her and Trump walking on the grounds.

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Hyderabad

KCR says Congress government won’t last long

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Leader of Opposition and BRS president K Chandrashekhar Rao drew attention to the Congress’s failure to fulfill key promises made to farmers, including the Rythu Bandhu scheme and Rs.500 bonus per quintal for paddy.

Published Date – 16 April 2024, 09:10 PM


KCR says Congress government won’t last long


Hyderabad: Predicting that the Congress government in Telangana had its days numbered, Leader of Opposition and BRS president K Chandrashekhar Rao said on Tuesday that surveys by the Congress itself had indicated that the ruling party would not manage more than two MP seats in the forthcoming elections.

The survey reports and the escalating discontentment towards the Congress government and the surge in defections to the BJP had made Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy jittery, which was evident from his statements.

“While we wish the Congress government to complete its five-year term, recent developments and the Chief Minister’s remarks cast doubts on its survival. While there is an uncertainty over the number of people defecting from the Congress to the BJP, we need not wonder if the Chief Minister himself shifts loyalties considering his subtle gestures towards the BJP in recent times,” Chandrashekhar Rao said.

Addressing a well-attended Praja Ashirvada Sabha at Sulthanpur in Medak on Tuesday, Chandrashekhar Rao drew attention to the Congress’s failure to fulfill key promises made to farmers, including the Rythu Bandhu scheme and Rs.500 bonus per quintal for paddy. Calling upon the farmers to voice their demands through the postcard movement launched in Siddipet constituency recently, he asked them to write to the Chief Minister, demanding the promised crop loan waiver, compensation of Rs.25,000 per acre for crop losses and immediate procurement of paddy along with the Rs.500 bonus.

“Considering the plight of farmers, the State government must provide the Rs.500 bonus to paddy farmers. I assure the Chief Minister that the BRS will not object or complain to the Election Commission of India in this regard. If the election code is an issue, I urge the State government to issue bills now and release the bonus after the elections. We will not spare the Congress government unless the bonus is given to paddy farmers,” he said.

Pointing out that the Congress which promised to implement crop loan waiver upto Rs 2 lakh by December 9 had now shifted the date to August 15 in an attempt to deceive farmers once again. In a call to action, Chandrashekhar Rao urged voters to deliver a resounding failure to the Congress in the upcoming parliamentary elections and hold the government accountable for its unfulfilled commitments. Emphasising the importance of voting for the BRS in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, he stressed the need for a strong voice representing Telangana’s interests in the parliament. He criticised the Congress’s inconsistent approach towards implementing welfare measures and vowed to hold the government accountable.

Referring to the Congress government as “Lilliputs”, the BRS president said the narrow-minded government disrespected Dr BR Ambedkar on his birth anniversary without offering him floral tributes at the 125 feet statue installed during the BRS rule in Telangana. “We constructed the largest statue of Dr Ambedkar to honour him as Telangana State could be realised due to his provisions under Article 3 of the Constitution. But this Lilliput government dishonoured him on his birth anniversary without even decorating the premises and denying entry for people who came to pay their respects,” he said.

He asked if the Congress leaders deliberately neglected the statue, why were they enjoying other constructions like the State Secretariat, the newly constructed MLA quarters and renovated Yadadri temple, taken up under the BRS government.

Expressing his displeasure over the police restricting people’s movement to the public meeting and removal of flex banners en route, the former Chief Minister urged them to perform their duties impartially and refrain from partisan actions. He warned against harassment of innocent citizens, urging the DGP to take corrective measures to address such issues. He also reminded the fair treatment of employees and teachers under the BRS regime by giving them the highest ever salaries compared to any State in the country.

In a scathing attack on the BJP, Chandrashekhar Rao likened it to “useless relatives” who made no contribution for Telangana and its people. He urged the youth to make informed choices for the State’s progress. He urged people not to fall for rhetoric that yields no benefit for the State.