Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], March 7 (ANI): Mentioning the diverse alliances the Congress has formed with different parties in various parts of the country, Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday asked the party what is its ideology.
Speaking at the valedictory function of BJP’s Kerala Vijay Yatra in Shangumugham, the Union Minister said, “In Bengal, Congress is fighting with Left. Here in Kerala, they’re fighting against the Left. In Bengal, they have joined hands with the Indian Secular Front (ISF), and here, they have joined hands with Muslim League. In Maharashtra, they have Shiv Sena as partners. What is their ideology?”
Comparing the previous Congress government in Centre with and current BJP government in power, the Shah said, “After 10 years, the Congress government had left India’s economy at the eleventh position in the world. In just six years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has taken it to fifth in the world!”
He said under PM Modi’s leadership, the entire country is walking the road towards development.
“The borders, too, are more secure now. He has also brought a lot of financial discipline to the country. The Modi government has brought a lot of transformation for the poor who were deprived for 70 years. After 70 years, 13 crore women received gas cylinders. Over 2.5 crore poor have got homes and every house now has electricity.” the Minister said.
He added that from rural to urban India, and from agro to industry, the BJP government in the Centre has displayed a ‘new model of development’ to the entire world.
Taking about Kerala, the Union Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken several initiatives for the development of the state. “A 2,000 MW High voltage direct current (HVDC) power system has been completed and it will connect Kerala to the National Grid. For the development of National Highways in Kerala, the Modi government has allotted Rs 65,000 crore. For the development of the Kochi metro, the Modi government has provided Rs 1,957 crore,” he said.
The Minister added that popular alliances (LDF) and United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala cannot take the state ahead. “Only the BJP can form an Aatmanirbhar Kerala under the leadership of PM Modi!” he said.
The election for 140-member Kerala Assembly in 14 districts will be held in a single phase on April 6. The counting of votes will be held on May 2.
The tenure of the 14th Kerala legislative assembly will come to an end on June 1, 2021. A total of 2,67,88,268 electors will elect the candidates in Kerala for the 15th legislative assembly. For Assembly poll 2021, the number of polling booths in Kerala has been extended from 21,498 to 40,771.
According to the commission, of the 140 Assembly seats, 14 seats are reserved for the SC category and two are reserved for ST category candidates. (ANI)

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], March 7 (ANI): The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Ship ‘Varaha’ has seized three Sri Lankan fishing boats for carrying narcotics onboard.
According to a statement issued by the Defence spokesperson, the boats were sighted by the ICGS in the Indian Territory water at around 9 am on March 5, while patrolling near Lakshadweep islands.
“On preliminary investigation has revealed that the boats were using unauthorised communication equipment and were carrying narcotics onboard,” the statement read.
“The boats have been identified as Akarsha Duwa, Chathu Rani 3 and Chathu Rani 8. Akarsha Duwa and Chathu Rani 3 had six crew members each onboard while Chathu Rani 8 had seven crew members onboard,” it said.
The boats were brought to Vizhinjam harbour for rummaging and detailed joint interrogation by all security agencies concerned.
The crew of Akarsha Duwa confessed that they had received around 200 kg heroin and 60 kg hashish from a Pakistani boat, 400 NM west of Lakshadweep islands.
All the drugs were thrown overboard after sighting the ICG ship, the crew confirmed.
The investigation into the matter is underway. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 7 (ANI): A Delhi Court will pronounce its judgment in a matter related to the 2008 Batla House encounter on Monday.
The court will pass judgment in the case of Ariz Khan, who was arrested in February 2018. Khan was arrested by the Special Cell of Delhi Police after a decade of allegedly being on the run.
According to Delhi Police, Ariz Khan was at the spot during the Batla encounter but managed to escape.
Saket Court’s additional session judge Sandeep Yadav is scheduled to pass judgment on Monday. On the last date of hearing, the judge had issued a production warrant against Ariz Khan alias Junaid for his presence during the passing of judgment.
Additional public prosecutor AT Ansari represented the Delhi Police and advocate MS Khan represented the accused Ariz Khan during trial proceedings. Ariz is allegedly associated with the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen.
Police had earlier claimed that Ariz Khan was present at Batla House, along with four others, and had managed to give police the slip during the encounter on September 19, 2008, in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar, in which two Indian Mujahideen terrorists were killed and as many arrested.
Two suspected terrorists, Atif Ameen and Mohammad Sajid, were killed while two other suspects– Mohammad Saif and Zeeshan were arrested earlier.
The incident took place a week after five serial blasts occurred in Delhi on 13 September 2008 in which at least 30 people were killed and over 100 injured.
Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma of Special Cell was killed during the 2008 Batla House encounter.
A trial court in July 2013 had sentenced Indian Mujahideen terrorist Shahzad Ahmed to life imprisonment in connection with the Batla House encounter case. His appeal against the trial court’s verdict has been pending in the high court. (ANI)

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], March 7 (ANI): The Himachal Pradesh committee of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) will hold a statewide strike on March 9 for the appointment of Anganwadi workers in the pre-primary classes.
The state committee of CITU concerned to All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers (AIFAWH) has sent a strike notice to the Director of Women and Child Development Department, regarding the protest in front of the state Assembly, according to the statement.
Union President Neelam Jaswal, General Secretary Veena Devi, and other members have warned the central and state government that if the government will not issue orders to appoint Anganwadi workers for the pre-primary classes, then the Anganwadi workers will stage a strike on March 9 and close all the Anganwadi centres in the state.
CITU’s Himachal committee called for the withdrawal of the new education policy as it is not only anti-student but also anti-ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services). “The new education policy has a hidden agenda of privatization of the ICDS. Due to this, Anganwadi workers will have to lose their jobs in future,” said the union.
The union has demanded regularization of Anganwadi workers as per the recommendation of the 15th Indian Labor Conference held in 2013. They have also demanded that Anganwadi workers should be given salaries and other facilities on the lines of Haryana.
As per the statement, the demands include the implementation of a pension of three thousand rupees, a gratuity of Rs 2 lakh, medical and holiday facilities for Anganwadi workers along with the demand to increase the retirement age of personnel to 65 years.
The committee also demanded to immediately pay the dues of the work done under the National Rural Health Mission for the year 2013 to Anganwadi workers.
They further demanded that under the pre-primary classes and the new education policy, the responsibility of teaching young children should be given only to the Anganwadi workers as they are highly trained workers and hence their regular appointment should be made and their salary also should be increased. (ANI)

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 7 (ANI): Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) Abhai Kumar Rai on Sunday conducted a statutory inspection and speed trial of the newly electrified railway line between Periyanaganthunai and Rayakottai railway stations of the Bengaluru Division in South Western Railway.
The distance between Periyanaganthunai and Rayakottai railway stations is 47 Route kilometers (Rkms).
“This will facilitate faster running of trains including suburban trains in the section of Bengaluru division,” read a statement by South Western Railway.
There will be 14 power line crossings and 8 level crossings (Four interlocked and four non-interlocked) between Periyanaganthunai – Rayakottai.
Ashok Kumar Verma, Divisional Railway Manager, Bengaluru Division was also present during the inspection and trial run. Manoj Mahajan, Principal Chief Electrical Engineer, South Western Railway, Dinesh Jain, General Manager (Electrical) Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), and other senior officers were present on the occasion. (ANI)

Gadchiroli (Maharashtra) [India], March 7 (ANI): A 21-year-old woman sarpanch is strengthening the voice of democracy in Maharashtra’s Naxal stronghold Gadchiroli by working day and night to bring about change in the tribal villages.
She drives through the kutcha roads along the forests on a bike to reach out to the villagers and communicate with them.
21-year-old Bhagyashree Lekami is the sarpanch of Koti village located in Bhamragad Tehsil of Gadchiroli in Maharashtra. The Koti village is situated on the border of Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, very near to the densely forested and mountainous Naxal dominated area of Abujmarh, at a distance of 2,000 km from Maharashtra’s capital city Mumbai.
Speaking to ANI, Bhagyashree said, “Our village is at a distance of 2,000 km from Mumbai. Even the government cannot reach here. This is why the government cannot understand the problems of our village. To change the situation of the village, people of the village will have to come forward. Therefore, I decided to become a sarpanch.”
For two years, no sarpanch was elected to the Koti Grampanchayat comprising nine villages. Due to the fear of the Naxals, people neither file nominations nor cast votes.
But in 2019, the people of the village exercised their democratic right and voted to elect 21-year-old educated Bhagyashree Lekami as the sarpanch.
Lekami was just like every other student in the village who dreamt of moving to a big city to make a career but as soon as she was elected as the sarpanch she decided to stay back in the village and work for resolving the problems of the villagers.
As of now, Bhagyashree has completed two years of her tenure as the sarpanch. In these two years the village has witnessed significant changes including construction of pucca roads and water supply.
Bhagyashree wants to make her village number one.
“But I do not want to hurt the traditional identity of the village while developing. Whatever work I will do, it will definitely change the picture of the village, but the village will retain its importance”, said the young sarpanch of the Koti Grampanchayat.
The biggest problem the village is facing is unemployment and lack of medical facilities, for which the sarpanch is working day and night.
Meanwhile, women’s health and menstruation related diseases have been placed on top priority on Bhagyashree’s agenda. The sarpanch has already started working in this direction by making sanitary pads available to the women of the village from government funds.
To travel to the nine villages falling under the Koti Gramanchayat, one needs to cover the distance through kutcha roads. Some villages can only be reached through the river, either by walking in the water or through a boat.
All these villages have in the past witnessed Naxal violence including encounters, IED blasts, attacks on the police. Despite all these factors, Bhagyashree makes sure that she travels to all the nine villages on a bike and communicate with the villagers.
“I was born and brought up in this village. All the people have seen me since childhood. This is the reason why people give me love and respect and tell me their problems without any hesitation. They also hear what I say and never consider me weak as a woman. I also work neck and neck with my male comrades, added the sarpanch. (ANI)