News Analysis India

Tag: Rajasthan

  • Rajasthan’s Pali district may have to get drinking water by train by September-end

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government is contemplating running ‘water trains’ to Pali district by September-end as the water level in Jawai Dam is just at 10 feet due to deficit rainfall in the area this year.

    Considered the lifeline of the area, Jawai Dam supplies water to Pali district, including Pali city, Sumerpur, Rani, Falna, Bali, Jaitaran, Sojat, Takhatgarh, Marwar Junction.

    Also, hundreds of villages are dependent on the dam for irrigation and drinking water.

    Officials said the Water Resources and Public Health Engineering Department will send a report to the government after September 15 seeking budgetary approval to supply drinking water by train.

    If the rainfall situation doesn’t improve by September 15 a plan to operate ‘water trains’ from September 21 is in consideration.

    The train will supply about 10 million litres of water per day from Jodhpur to Pali in four rounds, PHED Superintendent Engineer Jagdish Prasad Sharma said.

    In 2019, water had to be supplied by train in Pali when monsoon activity in the area was below average.

    About a dozen districts in Rajasthan are parched due to deficit rainfall as the southwest monsoon is about to enter its weak phase.

    This year, the average rainfall in Rajasthan is still 8.8 per cent less than what it was till September 2, 2020.

    According to the meteorological department, about a dozen districts of the state are still in the rainfall-deficit category.

    These include Banswara, Barmer, Bhilwara, Bikaner, Dungarpur, Sriganganagar, Jalore, Jhunjhunu, Jodhpur, Pali, Rajsamand and Udaipur.

    District collectors have been told to make a contingency plan for a drought or drought-like situation.

    As the monsoon is in the last spell it is very difficult to expect it is going to cover this deficit, a weather department official said.

    In 2020, the average rainfall till September 2 was 449.50 mm.

    But this year, it has been 409.83 mm so far.

    Sriganganagar district has received a rainfall of 74 mm so far in this season which is very low while Baran received rainfall of 1074.90 mm which is the highest in the state.

  • Poor facing religious persecution in MP, UP, such atrocities cannot be tolerated in Rajasthan: Gehlot

    Expressing concerns over the alleged incidents, Gehlot asserted that such atrocities cannot be tolerated in Rajasthan.

  • Repeal farm laws, apologise to farmers: Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot to Centre 

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday asked the Centre to repeal its three farm laws and apologise to farmers for the violence against them in Haryana’s Karnal.

    “The manner in which farmers were attacked in Karnal of Haryana is condemnable.

    With such brutal actions, an atmosphere is being created to instigate farmers across the country,” Gehlot tweeted.

    Around 10 people were injured on Saturday as police allegedly lathi-charged a group of farmers disrupting traffic movement on a national highway while heading towards Karnal to protest against a BJP meeting.

    Gehlot said Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar and Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala are giving statements that do not make any sense.

    ALSO READ | Haryana CM Khattar lashes out at Amarinder Singh over farmers’ issues

    He said the Haryana government officials are giving instructions for violent actions against farmers and the entire country is condemning the police lathi-charge at farmers but the Haryana government is taking no action against such officers.

    “The Modi government should not test the farmers’ patience and immediately repeal the agricultural laws and apologise to the farmers,” Gehlot said.

    Enacted in September last year, the three farm laws have been projected by the Centre as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell their products anywhere in the country.

    The protesting farmers, however, have expressed fears that the legislation would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of Minimum Support Price and do away with the mandi system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.

  • 16-year-old raped by five, including a minor in Rajasthan: Police

    The victim #39;s father lodged an FIR in Nagaur on Sunday night following which the police arrested a 20-year-old man and detained the minor boy on Monday.

  • Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot expresses serious concern over rising COVID-19 cases in country

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Expressing concern over the increasing rising of corona infection cases in the country, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday appealed to the people to be careful.

    “There has been a steady increase in active cases of corona in India for the last one week. The number of active cases has increased by more than 55,000 in the last seven days. The weekly positivity rate has also increased to 2.41 per cent. The increase in active cases and positivity rate is a matter of concern,” Gehlot said in a tweet.

    भारत में पिछले एक सप्ताह से कोरोना के एक्टिव केसों में लगातार बढ़ोत्तरी हो रही है। पिछले सात दिनों में एक्टिव केसों की संख्या में 55000 से अधिक की वृद्धि हुई है। साप्ताहिक पॉजिटिविटी रेट भी बढ़कर 2.41% हो गई है। एक्टिव केसों एवं पॉजिटिविटी रेट में बढ़ोत्तरी चिंता का विषय है। pic.twitter.com/4fFsZfoHVd
    — Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) August 30, 2021
    The chief minister said that the continuous surfacing of a large number of corona cases in Kerala is a serious matter and a night curfew has been imposed in Kerala. “Corona cases have increased rapidly in many countries of the world including America, Israel, Britain, Iran, Malaysia, Philippine and Japan. A complete lockdown has been imposed in New Zealand,” he added.

    “We all need to be careful so that the situation in the state and the country does not deteriorate further and the third wave can be avoided,” Gehlot added. He said the corona infection is a serious disease and many problems occur even after the recovery from it.

    People should not become negligent and strictly follow the health protocol, he added.

  • 65.88 per cent voter turnout in second phase of zila parishad, panchayat polls in Rajasthan

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: A voter turnout of 65.88 per cent was recorded in the second phase of zila parishad and panchayat samiti elections in six districts of Rajasthan on Sunday, according to the State Election Commission (SEC).

    Polling was held in Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bharatpur, Sawai Madhopur, Dausa and Sirohi districts.

    The highest voter turnout was recorded in Jodhpur, where 77.02 per cent of voters exercised their franchise in Aau panchayat samiti, the SEC said.

    State Election Commissioner P S Mehra said polling was held to elect 536 members of 28 panchayat samitis and their respective zila parishad members.

    In the second phase of elections, 10 panchayat samiti members were elected unopposed.

    Mehra said of the more than 25.60 lakh voters in the second phase, over 16.86 lakh exercised their franchise at 3,459 polling stations.

    He said the third and final phase of the elections will be held on September 1. Votes for all three phases will be counted at district headquarters on September 4.

  • Cardiac trouble due to post-Covid complications: Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: A day after undergoing angioplasty, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said he was unable to go among the people during the past several days as he was suffering from post-Covid health issues.

    The 70-year-old Congress leader had tested positive for the viral infection in April and after recovery in May, he faced post-Covid issues.

    Gehlot issued a statement here, saying he was working day and night after recovering from the disease and did not get proper rest.

    “I could not take proper rest as advised by doctors. Due to this, I am having post-Covid problems for so long. This is the reason why in the last several days, I was unable to go among the people of the state,” he said in the statement.

    Gehlot had been targeted by the Opposition for some time for apparently not leaving his residence to meet people.

    The chief minister further said that he did not have cardiac issues before, and as per doctors, it is a post-Covid effect. He also thanked everybody for wishing him good health. Doctors say Covid has varied effects on people.

    It affects organs like the heart, brain, kidney, liver etc. Even after recovering from it, problems like headache, exhaustion and breathlessness persist, and so both Covid and post-Covid should be taken seriously, the chief minister added in the statement.

    He underwent angioplasty, a procedure to open clogged arteries, at a government hospital in Lucknow on Friday.

    Gehlot said he would be under supervision of doctors at the Sawai Mansingh Hospital (SMS) for the time being.

    He asked people to follow COVID-19 protocols, including mask, social distancing and hand washing, seriously, and get themselves vaccinated on time.

    The chief minister also urged people to consult a doctor if they have any symptoms after recovering from Covid as even the slightest negligence can be serious.

  • Rajasthan relieved as 30 districts report zero new Covid-19 cases

    Express News Service

    JAIPUR: Amid the fears of a possible third wave, Rajasthan is currently going through a remarkable Covid-free phase. The state registered just 3 cases on Thursday which is the lowest it has ever seen in a single day since the start of the pandemic. 

    In addition, it’s now nearly a month since the state saw a single Covid-related death. Also, the state has registered major success administering 4 crore doses whereby over one crore people in the state have now got both doses. As a result, over 20% of the state’s eligible population is now fully vaccinated. Rajasthan is the only state to achieve such a milestone. 

    Rajasthan is now moving towards a Corona-free phase. As many as 30 out of 33 districts in Rajasthan registered no new Covid cases in the past 24 hours. The state saw just 3 new cases on Thursday — the lowest in the 542 days of the coronavirus era. Only Jaipur, Alwar, and Baran districts saw one new case each and the state now has just 107 active cases – easily the lowest figure among the large states of the country. 

    ALSO READ | 100 days of Pinarayi govt: No respite from Covid, ministers a letdown

    In terms of Covid deaths, not one person succumbed to the infection in the past 24 hours. In fact, all through the month of August, Rajasthan has not seen a single Covid death and the total death toll in the state stands at 8954. 

    Significantly, of the 30,905 samples, only 3 patients tested positive on Thursday. As a result, the positivity rate came to just 0.009% which is the lowest ever recorded in the state.

    While the second wave has almost vanished, the health department is now focusing on vaccination. The number of beneficiaries who have got the second dose has crossed the figure of 1 crore. Of the total number of 5.14 crore people eligible for vaccination in the state, 1,00,89,107 have now received both the doses. Another 3.14 crore have received their first doses. In effect, over 60% of the people in the state have now been given at least one dose from the 3177 vaccination sites functional in the state. 

    Ironically, despite all these successes, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who has been suffering from post-Covid complications, was rushed to hospital on Friday morning after he complained of severe chest pain. The angioplasty was successfully done on him in a few hours at Jaipur’s SMS Hospital. 

    According to the Health Bulletin, Dr. Sudhir Bhandari, Superintendent of SMS Hospital, the Chief Minister’s health is improving now. Dr. Bhandari said, “CM’s angioplasty has been successful and now his tests are normal. After angioplasty, he will be kept under observation for 24 hours. The CM has been advised to stay in the hospital for 2-3 days. He is feeling better now.” 

  • Rajasthan: 57 booked over Jaisalmer khap diktat to boycott 45 families

    By PTI

    JAISALMER: Fifty-seven people have been booked as 45 families socially boycotted by a khap (community) panchayat here lodged a complaint against the diktat, police said on Friday.

    The families are connected to an accused in a murder case and were boycotted in November last year, SHO, Sankra, Hanumana Ram said.

    Initially, the families tolerated the social boycott but they recently approached police, and an FIR was registered against 57 people, he said.

    The official said the families are connected to a man who was involved in a murder that took place in October 2020, and the members of the community panchayat issued a diktat to boycott the families socially in November.

    “For the last several months, they faced the social boycott but some members came and registered a case on August 22.

    The FIR has been registered under sections 384 and 385 of the IPC,” the SHO said, adding that the matter was being investigated.

  • VHP member among five arrested for thrashing Muslim man in Ajmer

    Express News Service

    JAIPUR: Five men have been arrested for assaulting a Muslim beggar who was seeking alms along with his family in the Ramganj area of Rajasthan’s Ajmer district. The video depicting the man being assaulted and told to ‘Go to Pakistan’ went viral on social media.

    After the video of the incident went viral, the police registered a case against the accused at Ramganj Police station on 24 August. 

    In the video, which sparked public outrage, the accused are seen hitting the man accompanied by two children. While beating him, the accused are also seen shouting at him. “Why have you come from Uttar Pradesh? Do you see any shrine here?… I have seen their clip. They steal gold jewellery,” one of the men is heard saying as he accuses the victim and his family of theft. Later, one of the men tells him to “Go to Pakistan. You will get alms there. You won’t get anything here.” 

    The footage also shows the assailants slapping the victim several times and attempts to kick him. A little later in the clip, the accused force the victim to hand over all the money he has and are seen frisking him. 

    Initially, the accused were arrested under Section 151 CrPC (arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable offences) which enables easy bail. After public anger intensified, they were booked under stringent sections of the Indian Penal Code which include Section 153 – A (promoting enmity on grounds of religion), 295 A (deliberate, malicious intention of outraging religious beliefs), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 341 (wrongful restraint). 

    “A video shared on social media shot on August 20 (Friday) shows a beggar being thrashed by some men. While no FIR (first information report) was filed in this case, we took note of the incident ourselves. A probe was ordered,” a police officer said. 

    “During the probe, we got to know that one man – Lalit Sharma – assaulted the beggar along with four others. While he was arrested on August 20, four others were arrested the following day. They were produced in court. The accused said they assaulted the man because they were involved in some criminal activity, and they were seeking alms only to not get identified,” he further said. 

    The key accused – Lalit Sharma – has been identified as a member of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Ajmer SP Jagdish Sharma said, “Lalit and his four accomplices have been arrested under Section 151 and we will take tougher action after our probe is completed. Section 151 is a preventive act to ensure that culprits do not repeat their acts. Once our investigation is completed, we will take stronger action.” 

    The four others arrested are Surendra alias Sonu, Rohit Sharma, Tejvir, and Shailendra Tak.