1. ‘20,000 More Farmers to Join’; Maharashtra CM Fadnavis Ready For Talks
Nearly 35,000 farmers from the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) from across Maharashtra entered Mumbai on the afternoon of Sunday, 11 March. The farmers, who are demanding proper implementation of the Maharashtra government’s loan waiver scheme, planned an overnight march in the city.
They are all set to gherao the state Assembly in protests on Monday. The agitating farmers claim that 20,000 more farmers will join the protests on Monday.
"We will gherao (lay siege to) the Vidhan Bhavan tomorrow (Monday) to demand a complete loan waiver, fair price for farm produce, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, compensation for hailstorm-affected farmers among other things," Kisan Gujar, president of the state council of AIKS, said.
"Today, our number is over 35,000. Over 20,000 farmers from other parts of the state will join tomorrow," he said, adding the farmers were also protesting against land acquisition for projects such as high-speed railway and super-highways.
(Source: PTI)
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2. PM Modi Calls for Concessional, Less-Risky Financing for Solar Projects
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called for concessional and less-risky finances for raising the share of solar electricity in the energy mix and pledged to generate 175 gigawatts (GW) of electricity in India from renewable energy sources by 2022.
Speaking at the founding conference of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), Modi presented a 10-point action plan that includes making affordable solar technology available to all nations, raising the share of electricity generated from photovoltaic cells in the energy mix, framing regulations and standards, consultancy support for bankable solar projects and creating a network of centres for excellence.
For achieving the ISA target of over 1,000 GW of solar generation capacity and mobilisation of investment of over USD 1 trillion by 2030, Modi called for concessional financing and less-risky funds being made available for such projects.
Read full story here.
3. Poor Voter Turnout in UP Bypolls as BJP, SP Claim Victory
Poor polling percentage was recorded in the bypolls for the Lok Sabha seats of Gorakhpur and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, officials said.
In the Lok Sabha seat in Gorakhpur, voter turnout stood at 47 percent at the time of closing. In Phulpur, only 38 percent of the electorate came out to vote, according to PTI.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath claimed victory for the BJP candidates, irrespective of the voter turnout in the two seats. Meanwhile, SP chief and former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav took to microblogging site Twitter and claimed that the byelection outcome would be "historic and a game changer".
Voter turnout In Bihar’s Araria Lok Sabha constituency was recorded to be 57 percent as the voting closed, while the two Assembly seats in Jehanabad and Bhabua saw 50.06 percent and 54.03 percent voting, respectively, according to PTI.
For detailed report on UP, Bihar bypolls click here.
4. Forest Fire Traps Over 30 People in Tamil Nadu, 15 Rescued
A massive forest fire broke out in a hill in Tamil Nadu on Sunday night trapping 36 trekkers, most of them women, with 15 being rescued till late night.
Rescue operations were being taken up by the fire and forest department officials with the Indian Airforce sending two helicopters on the directives of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after she was approached for help by Chief Minister K Palaniswami.
The helicopters undertook a survey of the area and returned to neighbouring Madurai. They were expected to join the rescue operation later, Theni District Collector Mariam Pallavi Baldev said.
State Health Minister C Vijayabaskar, in a tweet, said 15 of those trapped in the Kurangani hills had been rescued and were being treated for injuries at the government hospital in Bodinayakanur in the district in southern Tamil Nadu.
Baldev said, "I have got calls from people that some are in unconscious state due to fire. So far there is no confirmation about casualties (death)," she said to a question from reporters on whether anyone had died in the incident.
(Source: PTI)
5. ‘It Felt Like a War Zone’: Assam Journo on Duty Attacked by Cops
A journalist, yet again, was subjected to disrespect and gut-wrenching violence at the hands of police.
Emmy C Lawbei, an Assam-North East journalist with News18, was out on Saturday, 10 March, to cover a students’ protest on the Assam-Mizoram border, when she got brutally thrashed by the Assam police, reported News18.
I was travelling from Aizawl at 6 am along with other reporters. All the journalists were ahead of the students. There was some verbal exchange followed by lathicharge. Police started chasing us, beating everyone on the way.Emmy C Lawbei
Lawbei sustained serious injuries on her shoulder and back, and was immediately rushed to Bairabi Hospital for primary care.
Read full story here.
6. India, Pakistan Trade Charges on Harassment of Diplomats, Their Families
India and Pakistan have accused each other of ill-treating diplomats and their families, by ways of “intimidation” and “harassment”, people familiar with the developments said on Sunday.
Pakistani newspaper Dawn, quoting unnamed sources, reported on Saturday that a demarche was made to the Indian high commission in Islamabad and the external affairs ministry in Delhi in which Pakistan threatened to pull out the families of diplomats from India.
“It is becoming difficult for the Pakistani diplomats posted in India to keep their families with them due to increase in harassment incidents,” the newspaper quoted a source as saying.
Two Indian officials, who asked not to be named, pointed to a series of incidents allegedly indicating harassment of Indian diplomats in Islamabad – forcibly stopping high commission vehicles, hampering the work of a residential project, threatening a contractor who maintains the Indian chancery building.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
7. Rajya Sabha Nominations: BJP Has New Faces, Inductees; Congress Lists Mostly New
After renominating its Union ministers to Rajya Sabha last week, the BJP announced a list of 18 candidates Sunday that included fresh faces and newly inducted veterans, and sought to balance caste representation.
It includes former Congress leader and former Maharashtra CM Narayan Rane, Rajasthan’s Kirodi Lal Meena who rejoined the BJP Sunday, and Rajeev Chandrashekhar who has been an independent MP in Rajya Sabha. These nominations could potentially cause heartburn among BJP loyalists and hopefuls.
PM Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah, who took the final decision from a long list of aspirants, appear to have rewarded a young lot considered close to the top leadership. While BJP national media cell head Anil Baluni will contest from his home state of Uttarakhand, party spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao has been fielded from Uttar Pradesh.
(Source: The Indian Express)
8. Shami Would’ve Divorced Me If I Didn’t Have His Phone: Hasin Jahan
After an FIR was registered against cricketer Mohammed Shami under sections of the Indian Penal Code, in an attempt to murder and torture his wife. Hasin Jahan told the media on Sunday, 11 March, that Shami would have divorced her by now if she did not get the mobile phone.
I tried to convince him that he should accept his mistake. I have been trying for a very long time. He would have run away to UP by now if I did not catch hold of that mobile phone. He would have divorced me by now if I did not have the mobile phone.Hasin Jahan, Mohammad Shami’s wife
Claiming that Shami is “making up all sorts of things to save himself from allegations”, Jahan further questioned the media for not investigating, even after she gave them all the details.
Read full story here.
9. Post Young IAS Officers in ‘Poor’ Areas: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes younger bureaucrats should be posted as heads of the 115 districts that rank low in development parameters as they would be better suited to address the governance challenges compared with “promotee” officers, mostly in their forties.
Advocating the need to post young IAS officers as district collectors for transformational change in these 115 “aspirational” districts, the PM called for deploying such officers for the next five years to see change. The 115 districts have been identified on the basis of 48 parameters.
Speaking at the National Legislators Conference in the Capital, Modi said during a recent review of the 115 districts, he found that more than 80 percent of DMs were in the 40-45 age group. “Usually, the average age of a district collector is around 27, 28 or 30. Young IAS officers with three-four years’ experience take up such assignments. But I found that in these 115 districts, more than 80 percent of district collectors were 40 plus and some were 45,” Modi said.
(Source: The Times of India)