Terming the caste-based headcount that began in Bihar as a ‘historic’ step, Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav said the exercise will provide scientific data for carrying out welfare schemes for weaker sections of the society.
Noting that all the parties of the ruling ‘Mahagathbandhan’ were in favour of the exercise, the RJD leader claimed that the BJP was “critical” about the survey.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had said that the caste-based enumeration exercise could be beneficial to all.
The exercise will be conducted in two phases across Bihar, an official said. In the first phase, which will continue till January 21, all households would be covered. The second phase, which will start in March, data on people, belonging to all castes, sub-castes and religions, would be collected, according to the official.
“Enumerators will gather information about the financial status of all people,” Patna District Magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh said.
Air India urinating incident | Delhi court sends accused to 14-day judicial custody
The Delhi court has sent Shankar Mishra, accused of urinating on a woman co-passenger on an Air India flight mid-air, to a 14-day judicial remand. The court denied the police his custody. Delhi Police arrested him from Bengaluru.
Meanwhile, the airline’s CEO has said that four cabin crew and a pilot have been issued show cause notices.
Three Air India crew members joined the investigation at the Indira Gandhi International Airport police station in connection with thr case.
A senior police officer said nine crew members were called, out of whom three recorded their statements on Saturday morning. Their statements will help police to establish the sequence of the alleged event that took place on the flight last November, officials said.
A special team of Delhi Police, who were camping in Bengaluru from January 5, arrested Mishra earlier in the day. He was on the run since there was an FIR against him in Delhi.
With the assistance of sleuths from the Central Crime Branch of Bengaluru City Police, he was tracked down to a service apartment in Sanjay Nagar, North Bengaluru, and was arrested from there, police sources said.
The special team from Delhi had visited his office in Marathahalli and his sister’s house in the Bengaluru on Friday but could not find him. They had questioned his sister and co-workers. His employer Wells Fargo terminated his service on Friday.
Delhi Police registered an FIR against Mishra on January 4 on a complaint by the woman to Air India.
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Dhami visits Joshimath
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the sinking Joshimath to assess the situation on the ground. He met the affected people and assured them of all help, officials said. The CM also met the team of officials and experts who have been camping in the town since Thursday and took their feedback on the evacuation exercise, they said.
He walked through the narrow streets in the affected areas and went inside houses in which huge cracks have appeared on the walls and ceilings.
“Evacuating affected families in the danger zone to safe locations is the government’s priority for now,” Dhami said. “We are also working on a long-term rehabilitation strategy,” he added.
He said that suitable places for relocation of residents near Pipalkoti and Gauchar are also being identified.
Officials have been asked not to get entangled in long procedural complexities and take direct clearance from him for projects related to treatment of drainage and sewage systems in Joshimath, he said.
On Friday, the Uttarakhand government announced the plan to evacuate all the families living in the “danger zone” in Joshimath, also known as the gateway to the Badrinath temple, with immediate effect. Apart from creating a temporary rehabilitation centre for residents displaced by damage to their homes, the State will also pay them ₹4,000 per month towards rent for the next six months.
Cannot put clock back: Supreme Court refuses to stop operations of Noida Metro
Noting that the entire metro rail project is complete and running, the Supreme Court has refused to stop the Noida Metro’s operations for want of an environmental clearance.
The court was hearing an appeal filed against a May 31, 2016 order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), directing that all metro rail projects need an environmental clearance after conducting a proper environment impact assessment.
Keeping the question of law open, a Bench of Justices M.R. Shah and C.T. Ravikumar said the metro services in Delhi and Noida are being used by the public at large.
“In that view of the matter, when the entire metro rail project is complete and the metro rail is running, the clock cannot be put back and the same shall not be even in the larger public interest. Under the circumstances, we propose to dispose of the present appeals, keeping the questions of law open,” it said.
The apex court said the NGT order cannot be acted upon in the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case.
The NGT had held that all metro rail projects need an environmental clearance after conducting a proper environment impact assessment. It had said the Noida Metro, the construction of which was challenged before it, fell under Schedule 8(b) of the Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006, relating to buildings, construction and development projects that are mandated to get a prior environmental clearance.
The green panel had also directed the upcoming Noida-Greater Noida Metro project to obtain an environmental clearance from the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority.
The order was passed on a plea filed by environmentalist Vikrant Tongad, seeking directions to the Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) to obtain an environmental clearance for its project from Noida to Greater Noida after conducting a proper environment impact assessment.
House will address ‘rise of the Chinese Communist party,’ says McCarthy in inaugural speech as Speaker
Newly-elected Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy said he will look into the issue of public debt and pledged that the House will address the “rise of the Chinese Communist party.” McCarthy, 57, was elected the House Speaker in a historic post-midnight 15th ballot late on Friday. He replaced Nancy Pelosi, 82, of the Democratic Party.
McCarthy defeated 52-year-old Hakeem Sekou Jeffries by 216 to 212 votes, in the 15th round of votes that went past midnight.
New U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is sworn into office after being elected the next Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in a late night 15th round of voting on the fourth day of the 118th Congress on January 7. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
In his first speech as Speaker, McCarthy said he wanted the U.S. to win the economic competition with China.
“We will address America’s long-term challenges: the debt and the rise of the Chinese Communist Party. The Congress must speak in one voice on these issues,” McCarthy said.
The Republican was able to muster a majority from the lawmakers present on the floor only after six of his party rebels voted present, which brought down the magic number from 218 to 215 votes.
“As for the Chinese Communist Party, we will create a bipartisan Select Committee on China to investigate how to bring back the hundreds of thousands of jobs that went to China. Then we will win this economic competition,” he said, evoking applause from the lawmakers.
He also said that the moment calls for restoring trust within the country, with each other.
“In that spirit, I will work with anyone, everyone who shares our passion to deliver a better future for the nation. I hope you’ll join me as a Congress can only operate if we cooperate,” he said.
McCarthy becomes the 55th House Speaker after the fifth-longest contest in history.
In Brief:
India, Japan to hold maiden bilateral air exercise
India and Japan will hold their first bilateral air exercise from January 12 to 26, in reflection of the growing defence ties amid increasing concerns over China’s military muscle flexing in the Indo-Pacific region. The exercise ‘Veer Guardian-2023’ involving the Indian Air Force and Japan Air Self Defence Force will be held at Japan’s Hyakuri air base.
Chetan Sharma retained as chairman of selectors
Chetan Sharma was reappointed as the chairman of the senior selection committee, exactly two months after his entire panel was disbanded by the BCCI for the Indian team’s semifinal exit in the T20 World Cup. Chetan’s new team, though, would have entirely new faces with junior chairman of selectors S Sharath of South Zone being promoted. The others in the panel are former seamer Subroto Banerjee from East Zone, Salil Ankola from West Zone and Test opener Shiv Sunder Das from the Central zone.
Evening Wrap will return tomorrow.
