Over 5 lakh villages declared ODF, says Modi
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that more than 5.5 lakh villages and 600 districts have been declared open defecation free (ODF) and 98 per cent of rural India is now under the sanitation coverage with nine crore households being provided with latrines. “On October 2, 2014, we embarked on a memorable journey together to clean our country and to get rid of open defecation. Due to the unequivocal support from the people of India, today India is moving towards liberation from open defecation much prior to the target of October 2, 2019, so that we may pay our homage to Bapu on his 150th birth anniversary,” Modi said in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ monthly radio address. In December 2018, more than 50 lakh toilets participated in the ‘Clean Beautiful Toilet’ or ‘Shining Toilet’ contests, he said. In the contests, people are making their toilets clean and colourful by having them painted. One can find lots of photos of such toilets from Kanyakumari to Kutchh to Kamrup, Assam on the social media, Modi said. The Prime Minister urged all the sarpanchs and village heads to take a lead in this campaign from their respective panchayats by “sharing their beautiful toilet photos” with him by using #MylzzatGhar on social media. (IANS)
MDMK cadres detained for staging protest against PM
Madurai: Led by party chief Vaiko, MDMK cadres on Sunday staged a black flag demonstration against Prime Minister Narendra Modi shortly before he arrived, accusing him of betraying the interests of Tamil Nadu. Police said more than 100 protesters were detained and later let off. Earlier, a scuffle broke out between the Police and the MDMK cadres as the police asked them to diperse. Releasing black baloons, the protesting party cadres raised slogans against Modi alleging that he betrayed the interests of Tamil Nadu on Cauvery and other issues. In a counter move, BJP youth wing supporters put up posters sarcastically “welcoming Vaiko”. “We are here to welcome you and give a send off to you,” the posters read. The MDMK cadres claimed that the centre had accorded “permission to projects like neutrino and hydrocarbon extraction” which, according to them, would have an adverse impact on the livelihood of the farmers and also affect the common people. On the Cauvery issue, they alleged that the Centre was supportive of Karnataka’s bid to build a dam at Mekedatu across the river by giving permission for preparing a detailed project report. The MDMK cadres, however, said the protest was not against the AIIMS. (PTI)
Former Punjab police officer arrested over 2015 firing case
Chandigarh: A former Punjab Police officer was arrested on Sunday in connection with the 2015 Behbal Kalan police firing in Faridkot which claimed the lives of two people. Charanjit Singh Sharma was arrested by a special investigation team (SIT) of the Punjab Police from his residence in Hoshiarpur. SIT sources said that Sharma resisted the arrest briefly but the team managed to take him to Amritsar where he is being questioned. “I can confirm the arrest. He was arrested early today from his residence in Hoshiarpur. We are questioning him. We cannot share more details at this stage,” Inspector General (IG) Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, in-charge of the SIT, said. “We had reports that Sharma was planning to flee from the country,” the IG added. The arrest comes after the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday dismissed a plea by Sharma and three other police officers seeking protection from prosecution in the case. Sharma was Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Moga district when the firing incident took place during a protest by Sikh activists against repeated incidents of sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib. He and the other police officers – Bikramjit Singh (then SSP Fazilka), Inspector Pardip Singh and sub-inspector Amarjit Singh – were booked for murder and attempt to murder following recommendations by the Justice Ranjit Singh (retd) Commission of Inquiry. Sharma was suspended and later compulsorily retired. (IANS)
Train 18 named Vande Bharat Express: Piyush Goyal
New Delhi: Acknowledging its made-in-India status, the Indian Railways has named the indigenously manufactured Train 18 as Vande Bharat Express, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said on Sunday. The train is set to run between Delhi and Varanasi at a maximum speed of 160kmph. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to flag off the train soon. The 16-coach train, built in 18 months at a cost of Rs 97 crore by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, is regarded as a successor to the 30-year-old Shatabdi Express. It’s also the first locomotive-less train in the country. “Train 18 will now be known as Vande Bharat Express. It’s a train built completely in India by Indian engineers, in a span of 18 months. It’ll ply from Delhi to Varanasi. It is an example that it’s possible to make world-class trains under Make in India,” Goyal said. The fully air-conditioned train will stop at Kanpur and Allahabad and will have two executive chair cars. “It is completely made in India and various names were suggested by the general public but we have decided to name it Vande Bharat Express. A gift on the occasion of Republic Day to people. Will request the prime minister to flag it off,” he said. (PTI)
Woman dies after eating temple food in Karnataka
Bengaluru: One more woman devotee died after consuming suspected poisoned temple food at Chintamani town in Karnataka’s Chikkaballapur district, police said on Sunday. “The victim, Saraswathamma, 56, died at a state-run hospital at Kolar after she was admitted on Saturday night for consuming the suspected temple prasad or food offering made to the presiding deity,” Chikkaballapur Deputy Superintendent of Police B.S. Srinvas told IANS on phone. Saraswathamma is the second victim of the foul temple food which claimed the life of 28-year-old Kavita on Saturday after she ate the same food (a sweet dish) made as an offering to the goddess. “Nine other devotees, including two children and three women who were admitted to the same hospital for suspected food poisoning are out of danger but under treatment,” said Srinivas. Meanwhile, the town police registered an FIR against three persons, including two women who were involved in making the food under Sections 304 and 313 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). In December 2018, 16 devotees died while 60 others feel ill after consuming suspected food served in the Maramma temple at Sulvadi village in Chamarajanagar district, about 180km southwest of Bengaluru. (IANS)