News Analysis India

Tag: Rajasthan

  • Symbolic reduction in excise duty on petrol, diesel will not bring down inflation: Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Saying that a “symbolic” reduction of Rs 5 and Rs 10 per litre in the excise duty on petrol and diesel will not bring down inflation, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday said the Centre should promise to the country that the fuel prices will not be increased in this way in the future.

    He also claimed that people know that after the Assembly polls in five states, the prices will start increasing again.

    The Centre recently reduced the central excise duty by Rs 5 and Rs 10 per litre on the prices of petrol and diesel respectively.

    Subsequently, several states cut the Value-Added Tax (VAT) on fuel rates.

    The Congress government in Rajasthan is yet to announce a VAT reduction in the prices of petrol and diesel and is facing flak from the opposition BJP over the issue.

    Gehlot said he will hold discussions about reducing the VAT on petrol and diesel in the state at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday and an appropriate decision will be taken.

    “We will decide whatever is possible,” he said.

    The senior Congress leader said it is for the first time after independence that the country is facing such high inflation.

    Blaming the policies of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre for this, he said the prices of petrol, diesel and LPG cylinders kept on increasing continuously and then Rs 5 and Rs 10 per litre were reduced on the petrol and diesel rates, which is insufficient to curb the inflation.

    “Our demand is that you (Centre) make a promise to the country that the rates will not be increased in this way in the future, only then the inflation will start coming down,” Gehlot told reporters here.

    He said inflation is a big issue in the country and every household is affected.

    “Be it the middle class or the poor, living has become difficult. It has become difficult for women to run the kitchen,” the chief minister said, adding that the top priority of the NDA government should be to curb the inflation.

    Gehlot was at the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) office to pay tributes to former prime minister Jawahar Lal Nehru on his birth anniversary.

    He also launched the “Jan Jagran Saptah” (public awareness week), under which various activities including foot marches will be conducted across the state on the issue of inflation, on a call given by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi.

  • Rajasthan: 12 killed, 32 injured in Barmer Bus-Truck collision

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: A truck collided head-on with a bus in Rajasthan’s Barmer district on Wednesday, leaving 12 people dead and 32 others injured, a government official said.

    The accident occurred near Bhandiyawas village on the Barmer-Jodhpur National Highway and both vehicles caught fire following the collision.

    “Twelve persons have died and 32 others were injured. Some of the injured were referred to Jodhpur for treatment and some were discharged,” Barmer district collector Lok Bandhu said.

    There was chaos at the accident site and hospital where the victims were taken.

    Fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the fire which had engulfed the two vehicles.

    “The bus was full of passengers,” Shahrukh, one of the passengers on the bus, told reporters in Jodhpur.

    Another survivor told reporters that he was sitting in the rear side and jumped out of the window.

    He said that those who were sitting at the back managed to jump through windows and saved their lives.

    Those towards the front were trapped.

    As soon as the news spread, passengers’ family members rushed to hospital.

    “I have never seen such a heart wrenching scene,” said one of the eye-witnesses.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief and announced a relief package for the dead and those who got injured in the incident.

    “It is saddening that people have lost their lives due to a bus-tanker collision at the Barmer-Jodhpur Highway in Rajasthan. In this hour of grief, my condolences to the bereaved families. I pray that the injured have a quick recovery,” Modi tweeted.

    He said: “An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives due to the accident at the Barmer-Jodhpur Highway in Rajasthan. The injured would be given Rs 50,000 each.”

    Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot spoke to the Barmer district collector and asked him to ensure proper treatment for the injured.

    Best possible treatment will be ensured for those injured in the accident, Gehlot said in a tweet.

    Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal also expressed his anguish over the accident and prayed for those who lost their lives.

  • Unknown attackers fire at BJP MP Ranjeeta Koli’s residence in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Unidentified persons allegedly fired at BJP MP from Bharatpur Ranjeeta Koli’s residence and left the place after pasting a crossed picture of her and a threat letter, police said Wednesday.

    An empty bullet shell was recovered from the spot, they said.

    DGP ML Lather has constituted a special investigation team to investigate the incident happened on Tuesday night.

    The team will investigate the matter under Special Operations Group (SOG) SP Manish Tripathi.

    A case has been registered at Bayana Police Station against unknown people under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections of Arms Act, police said.

    Koli was taken to a hospital for check-up as she panicked after the incident, they said.

    After the alleged attack, the assailants left behind a crossed photograph of the parliamentarian with bullets stuck on it, they said.

    Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot asked the MP about her well being over the phone.

    “Talked to MP Ranjeeta Koli to know about her well being. Also, directed the principal Secretary (home) and DGP to investigate the matter and take strict action. A team of SOG from Jaipur will investigate the matter in Bharatpur,” Gehlot tweeted.

  • Former Rajasthan Minister Jai Narayan Poonia dies of cardiac arrest

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Former cabinet minister and veteran BJP leader Jai Narayan Poonia died due to cardiac arrest on Sunday.

    He was 88.

    Poonia, who belonged to Churu district, complained of high blood pressure recently and was admitted to a hospital in Haryana’s Hisar, where he died on Sunday morning.

    The last rites were performed in Lakhan Choti village in Churu district of Rajasthan.

    Jai Narayan Poonia was elected as Janata Dal MLA from Sadulpur constituency in Churu in 1977 for the first time and became PWD minister.

    He was elected as Tara Nagar MLA on a Janata Party ticket in 1985 and in 2013, he won the Tara Nagar assembly seat as a BJP candidate.

    Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, BJP state president Satish Poonia, former chief minister Vasundhara Raje and other leaders condoled the death of Jai Narayan Poonia.

  • Five cops booked for assaulting colleague in Rajasthan’s Udaipur

    By PTI

    UDAIPUR: Four constables and a head constable were shunted to police lines for allegedly beating up and stripping a colleague in Udaipur, police said on Sunday.

    Head constable Manoj Meena filed a case against the five policemen — head constable Jagdish Menaria and constables Nandkishore, Harikishan, Achlaram and Kailash Bishnoi — alleging that they thrashed and stripped him at his residence on Wednesday night, police said.

    He also alleged that he was forced to dance by the accused policemen.

    He further said when he tried to go to the police station, they threatened him and did not allow him to go.

    He somehow reached the police station and gave a written complaint following which the case was registered.

    All of them were posted in the Pratap Nagar Police Station.

    Meena alleged that the accused policemen were under the influence of alcohol when they barged into his house.

    The reason for their act is not revealed.

    They have been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, police said.

    Additional Superintendent of Police Gopal Swaroop ordered an investigation and sent the accused to police lines on Thursday.

    Meanwhile, a senior police official said all the six policemen were sitting together in the residential quarters of Meena where a verbal spat broke out between them after which the FIR was registered.

    “The matter is being probed to ascertain more facts,” the officer said.

  • With Centre slashing excise duty on petrol, diesel, VAT to get cut automatically: Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: With the Centre slashing excise duty on petrol and diesel, the value-added tax imposed by the state will get reduced automatically in a proportionate manner, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on Thursday.

    He demanded a further reduction in the excise duty on petrol and diesel to give people relief from the rising inflation and asserted the Congress government in Rajasthan is “ready to bear revenue loss for public welfare”.

    With the Centre cutting excise duty on petrol by Rs 5 per litre and on diesel by Rs 10 per litre, the VAT rate on petrol will get reduced by Rs 1.8 per litre and Rs 2.6 per litre on diesel automatically, the Rajasthan chief minister said.

    This way, petrol will be cheaper by Rs 6.8 per litre and diesel by 12.6 per litre in Rajasthan.

    The state will lose Rs 1,800 crore VAT revenue, he underlined.

    “I would once again urge prime minister (Narendra Modi) to reduce excise duty so that people can get the relief from rising inflation. Our government is ready to bear the revenue loss for public welfare,” Gehlot said.

    He said that it will be ensured with the help of district administration, oil companies and petrol pump dealers that the people get direct benefit of reduced fuel price.

    Gehlot said the state had reduced VAT by 2 per cent in January 2021, which led to a loss of Rs 1,000 crore revenue.

    Now, with a loss of 1,800 crore VAT revenue following the Centre’s decision, Rajasthan is staring at a total loss of Rs 2,800 crore revenue earned from VAT on fuel, he added.

    The excise duty on petrol and diesel was cut by a record Rs 5 and Rs 10 per litre respectively to help bring down rates down from their highest-ever levels.

    The reduction follows an unrelenting hike in international oil prices pushing pump rates across the country to their highest-ever levels.

    While petrol is above Rs 100-a-litre-mark in all major cities, diesel has crossed that level in more than one-and-a-half dozen states.

    Several BJP-ruled states and Bihar, where the BJP is part of the ruling coalition, also reduced VAT rates.

    It comes on the eve of Diwali which will help bring down the skyrocketing prices of fuel and provide some relief to the common man battling inflation.

  • Gehlot gets a lift, BJP loss is victory for Vasundhara

    Express News Service

    JAIPUR:  The Congress and Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot got a big Diwali gift by winning both the Assembly bypoll in Vallabhgarh and Dhariyawad. Though Vallabhnagar was with the Congress, the win was impressive in Dhariyavad as the BJP had won it by 23,000-plus votes earlier.  For the BJP, it was a humbling experience as it came third and fourth in the two seats.

    The Congress victory is all set to strengthen the leadership of Gehlot who faces constant challenges from Sachin Pilot. In contrast, the big defeats are likely to further intensify the rift in the BJP state unit with former CM Vasundhara Raje again getting a breather.  

    Gehlot’s credibility and BJP’s new experiment with the Sangh leadership were both at stake in these bypolls. Experts believe that Gehlot is miles ahead of Pilot in the war of supremacy in Rajasthan Congress. Although Pilot had initially held meetings with Gehlot for both the seats, the electoral reins remained in the hands of Gehlot and state unit president Govind Singh Dotasra.

    While Gehlot can send a message to the high command that his popularity remains intact, the hands of Dotasra are also strengthened. The calls for handing over the PCC command to Pilot will also become faint. “BJP has come third and fourth in both the by-elections and I think it is all due to the hard work of the Congress party workers. This is a victory of Rajasthan and the good governance that is being done under the leadership of our CM,” Dotasra said. 

    In the BJP, many leaders from the RSS camp including the likes of state president Satish Poonia and LoP Gulabchand Kataria are likely to face serious questions over their choices and leadership.   For Vasundhara Raje, the results can be a case to recast her as the undisputed leader of the BJP. In Vallabhnagar, the BJP was hoping that it would at least save credibility. Instead, it got far less votes than Janta Sena candidate who is known to be close to Raje. 

  • Rajasthan health minister asks officials to take steps to prevent dengue, other seasonal diseases

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma on Saturday instructed officials to ramp up sampling and testing for the prevention of dengue and other seasonal diseases.

    He also directed them to ensure the availability of testing kits and medicines, carry out door-to-door survey in the affected areas, effective implementation of anti-larva drive and raise awareness.

    In a virtual meeting with officials to review the progress of departmental preparations for seasonal diseases, Sharma said if the number of patients is high then beds should be made available in medical institutions of the respective areas.

    He directed officials to increasing testing, saying the more testing is done, the sooner patients can be identified and their treatment started.

    The minister directed the officers to coordinate with the local bodies in the affected districts for fogging, spray and mosquito net distribution. He also directed for effective monitoring of control rooms and rapid response teams set up in all districts.

    According to an official release, Sharma also said that both the doses of coronavirus vaccines have been administered to more than 2 crore people in the state.

  • Pegasus row: CM Gehlot hails SC decision, says will ‘expose’ Modi government

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision of appointing a three-member panel of cyber experts to probe the Pegasus snooping row, saying it will expose “undemocratic activities” of PM Narendra Modi-led Union government.

    The SC order came on pleas seeking independent probe into reports of alleged snooping by government agencies on eminent citizens, politicians and scribes by using Israeli firm NSO’s spyware Pegasus.

    Earlier, an international media consortium had reported that over 300 verified Indian mobile phone numbers were on the list of potential targets for surveillance.

    “This is not only a case of breach of privacy but also of playing with national security. The truth will come out from the investigation of the Supreme Court and undemocratic activities of the Modi government will be exposed in front of the country,” Gehlot tweeted.

    He said in the SC, the Centre could not even give a clear answer regarding the use of the spyware due to which the apex court had to form a committee of cyber experts under the chairmanship of a retired judge.

  • Issue SOPs to contain spread of new Delta Plus AY.4.2: Rajasthan CM Gehlot to Centre

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Expressing concern over cases of a sublineage of SARS CoV2’s delta variant, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot asked the central government on Monday to prepare and issue standard operating procedures (SOPs) for its prevention.

    In a tweet, he said many cases of Delta Plus AY.4.2, a new mutated form of coronavirus that has killed thousands of people in several countries like Russia and the UK, have been found in India.

    “The central government should prepare and issue SOPs for its prevention on the basis of the experience of other countries,” Gehlot tweeted in Hindi.

    ALSO READ: India on alert over new highly mobile COVID-19 variant ‘AY. 4.2’

    “Initially, there were only a few cases of the delta variant but it did not take time to spread across the country,” he said.

    The chief minister added that the government should learn from previous experiences and make full preparations to deal with the new variant.