News Analysis India

Tag: Rajasthan

  • Rajasthan stops Covid vaccination due to ‘shortfall’, Centre junks claim

    Express News Service
    JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government on Tuesday accused the Centre of not giving Covid vaccine to Rajasthan on time saying that the state has less supply of vaccine and as a result, the pace of vaccination is slowing down.

    Health Minister Raghu Sharma said Covid vaccination has been stopped in Rajasthan since Tuesday. The first round of doses has been discontinued due to the non-availability of the vaccine. 

    The Centre has rejected the state’s allegations. In a press briefing, the Union Government said that Rajasthan has not had any shortage of corona vaccines so far. The briefing further said that since January 16, when vaccination was started, 37.61 lakh doses have been made available to Rajasthan which has used only 24.28 lakh doses till March 8.

    Sharma retorted saying, “We received 29.9 lakh vaccines, out of which we have given 2.15 lakh doses to the Army jawans. About 21-22 lakh people have been vaccinated so far. One lakh vaccines were wasted. We do not have any vaccine left now. I told Dr. Pal, a member of the NITI Aayog, that we have the vaccine only till Tuesday.”

    ALSO READ | Mumbai senior citizen dies after COVID-19 vaccination

    He further added, “I also spoke to the Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan. Our Chief Secretary wrote a letter to the Cabinet Secretary. Yesterday, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot himself spoke to Dr. Pal. Today, we have the vaccines for the second round of doses to the people in our state. “He also said that for Rajasthan, the Central Government has identified about 67 lakh beneficiaries for the second phase. This requires a total of 1.50 crore doses.

    Dr. Sharma also accused the Central Government of slowing down the pace of vaccination. He said that when Rajasthan asked for more vaccine doses from the central government saying otherwise it would slow down the pace of vaccination. He told the reporters, “We have demanded that 60 lakh doses be made available to us by May so that our campaign does not slow down and all the beneficiaries can be vaccinated on time.”

    Before Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Punjab, and West Bengal had also raised questions about the modalities of Covid vaccination by the Central government. According to the Union Health Ministry, every state is being supplied the vaccine according to the quota and the system will continue in the future too.

  • 2.5 lakh youths got unemployment allowance so far: Rajasthan government

    By PTI
    JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government said on Monday it is fulfilling its election promise of giving allowance to the educated unemployed and so far about 2.5 lakh youths have benefited from it, Skill, Employment and Entrepreneurship Minister Ashok Chandna said.

    During the Question Hour, the minister informed the Assembly that under the Chief Minister Yuva Sambal Yojana, started in February 2019, unemployment allowance has been given to 2,49,433, till date.

    He added that till date over 4.56 applications were received for the allowance.

    “Earlier, there was a cap of 1.60 lakh on the maximum number of beneficiaries, which now has been increased to 2 lakh,” he said.

    In reply to the supplementary question of MLA Rajendra Rathore, Chandna also said 50,202 beneficiaries have opted out of the scheme.

    He informed that this scheme is being operated on first come first serve basis.

    The Minister of State for Entrepreneurship said the Rajasthan government is very sensitive towards the unemployed in the current economic situation.

    In view of the state of unemployment, the government has increased the maximum limit of the candidates for granting unemployment allowance from one lakh to 1.60 lakhs earlier and currently this limit has been increased to 2 lakhs.

    He said that unemployment allowance of Rs 3,000 per month is being given to male candidates and Rs 3,500 per month to transgender, female and special qualified candidates.

    He informed that as on January 31, 2021, a total of 15,03,834 educated unemployed candidates are registered in employment offices on the departmental portal.

    Of these, the number of undergraduate and graduate unemployed is 12,24,008, he said.

  • 15-year-old raped by nine people over eight days in Rajasthan’s Jhalawar

    By PTI
    KOTA: A 15-year-old girl was allegedly raped at separate places by at least nine people over eight days in Rajasthan’s Jhalawar, police said on Monday.

    Two of the accused are minors.

    The girl somehow managed to reach her home on Friday after which a complaint was lodged.

    Four of the accused, including the two minors, have been held, police said.

    Suket DSP Manjeet Singh said the girl alleged that her friend Bulbul and another youth, Chothmal, on February 25 took her to Jhalawar City on the pretext of buying a schoolbag for her.

    He, however, said the girl is a school dropout.

    She alleged that two to three other people joined them at a park where she was drugged and raped by them.

    She alleged that at least nine people at different times and separate places in Jhalawar raped her over eight days.

    The DSP said a medical examination of the girl was conducted immediately and four of the accused were held.

    Two of them are minor and attempts are under way to arrest the rest, he said.

  • Rs 515 crore collected in Rajasthan for building Ayodhya Ram temple: VHP vice president

    By PTI
    JAIPUR: Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) vice president Champat Rai on Sunday said Rajasthan has contributed the highest Rs 515 crore for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

    A nationwide campaign was run for 42 days from January 15 to collect funds for the building of the temple and Rs 2,500 had been collected till March 4, he said at a press conference.

    The idea of using Mirzapur stones for the plinth of the temple and stones from Jodhpur for its rampart is being considered, he said, adding, stones from Banshi Paharpur in Bharatpur district will also be used in the temple.

    The grand Ram temple will be 161 feet high from the ground floor, 361 feet long and 235 feet wide.

    Three floors will be built, each 20 feet high, the VHP vice president said, adding the temple will have 160 pillars.

  • Over Rs 1,500 crore spent on cow protection in three years: Rajasthan minister

    By PTI
    JAIPUR: Rajasthan Urban Development Minister Shanti Dhariwal on Friday said the state government has spent Rs 1,511.31 crore for the protection of cows in the past over three years.

    The funds collected from stamp duty and VAT payable on liquor sale has been spent on the protection of cows, he said.

    Replying to a supplementary question of BJP legislator Dharam Narayan Joshi during the question hour in the state Assembly, Dhariwal said as per the rules, funds are sanctioned whenever a demand is raised.

    He said during the previous government from 2015-2018, actual expenses against the funds collected were quite less.

    Dhariwal in his written reply to the legislator’s question told the House that the state government received Rs 1,242.56 crore from 2015-16 to 2020-21 through surcharge on stamp duty.

    The government received Rs 1,017.08 crore during 2018-19 to 2020-21 from VAT payable on the sale of liquor.

    This way, a total of Rs 2,259.64 crore was collected, he said.

    From the revenue collected through surcharge, Rs 1,500.46 crore was spent as assistance to cow shelters, Rs 3.44 crore for cow shelter development work, Rs 20 lakh for cow shelter biogas scheme, Rs 7.20 crore for the Nandishala scheme.

    This way, a total of Rs 1,511.31 was spent, he said.

  • Rajasthan man taken into police custody for killing 19-year-old daughter, 8 others sent to judicial custody

    By PTI
    JAIPUR: The father of a 19-year-old girl, who allegedly strangled her to death in February for eloping with a man in Rajasthan’s Dausa district, was taken into police custody on Friday and eight others, including her mother and sister-in-law, were sent to judicial custody for kidnapping, police said.

    Pinki was married to a man against her wishes on February 16 but she returned to her parents’ home three days later and eloped with her lover Roshan on February 21.

    The 19-year-old girl and her lover had moved a petition before the high court seeking police protection, fearing a threat to their lives.

    On February 26, the Rajasthan High Court had directed the local police to give protection to the petitioners and take them to a safe place as per their wish and listed the matter for hearing on March 9.

    Dausa SP Anil Kumar said the local police took the couple to Triveni Nagar in Jaipur where they wanted to go.

    ALSO READ | Rajasthan man strangles daughter to death over her ‘live-in relationship’ with Dalit lover

    He said there was no intimation or communication to the Dausa Police for providing protection to the couple.

    Following Pinki’s elopement on February 21, her father Shankar Lal Saini, 50, had also lodged a police complaint, alleging abduction of his daughter.

    Pinki’s family members eventually traced her and brought her home where his father strangled her to death.

    Saini had surrendered to the police soon after killing his daughter Pinki and confessed to his crime.

    A case of murder was registered against him at Kotwali police station.

    He has been taken into police custody whereas eight others, including the girl’s mother and sister-in-law, have been sent to judicial custody in a kidnapping case, Circle Officer Deepak Kumar said.

  • Rajasthan man strangles daughter to death over her ‘live-in relationship’ with Dalit lover

    Express News Service
    JAIPUR: Cases of honour killing continue to surge in Rajasthan. In the latest shocker, a father strangled his daughter to death over her ‘live-in relationship’ with a Dalit lover in Dausa district on Thursday. After killing the daughter, the father confessed to his crime and surrendered in the police station.

    The case has also put the police in the dock as the young couple had sought protection from the Rajasthan High Court which in turn directed the police to protect the young lovers but the cops failed to provide adequate security and the girl lost her life.

    According to the Dausa police, the deceased Pinky Saini lived with her family in Ramkund area. She was in love with a Dalit boy named Roshan Mahawar who lived in the same locality. Pinky’s father, Shankar Lal Saini, was against her marrying Roshan and he got her forcibly married on 16 February in a village in Lalsot area.

    After marriage, Pinky escaped from her home on February 21 with Roshan and later took refuge in the Rajasthan High Court. Pinky expressed her desire to have a live in relationship with Roshan. She also accused her family members of forcing her into a marriage against her wishes. She filed a petition in the High Court demanding protection.

    After this, the Rajasthan High Court directed the Ashok Nagar police station of Jaipur and cops in Dausa to provide security to Pinky Saini and her lover Roshan Mahawar. On 1st March, the young lovers reached Roshan’s home in Dausa district. When Pinky’s family came to know about it, they kidnapped her from her lover’s home. 

    The Dalit lover, Roshan, then lodged a case of kidnapping at the Women’s Police Station. However, the police did not take any strong action though the cops claim that they tried to find Pinky but couldn’t succeed. The Police suspects that Pinky’s family wanted her to return to her husband’s house but she was not ready to leave Roshan. 

    Finally, on Thursday morning, the father strangled the daughter to death and reached the police station after killing Pinky.  He told the police of his crime and added that the dead body is lying at home. At the moment, it is not known who else was in the house at the time of the murder.

    Having failed to provide protection to the couple after the High Court order, the police is now trying to defend itself.

    Talking to the New Indian Express, Anil Beniwal, SP , Dausa, said, “ the father has confessed that he killed his daughter. He has told us that he had got his daughter married but she ran away with her lover. The father says his daughter has ruined the family’s izzat (honour) and says that if she wanted to elope why did she not do so before her marriage.”  

    The police SP also claimed that there was no dereliction of duty on the part of the police.

    “In the High Court order of 26th February, the local authorities were asked to provide police protection wherever the young couple asked for the same. In compliance with that, the Jaipur police gave them protection till they wanted. When they left Jaipur and reached Dausa, the young couple never informed the police and we had no idea about their where-abouts. It is only when the young man came and complained that Pinky had been kidnapped by her family that we got to know about them. When we searched the girl’s home, we did not find her there.”

    To prevent such atrocities, the Rajasthan Assembly had passed a bill in August last year  to make the law more stringent on ‘honour killings.’ The bill had  included a provision of death penalty or life imprisonment for killings in the name of ‘family honour’ .

    Celebrating the completion of two years of his government in office in December last year CM  Ashok Gehlot had  targeted the Central Government for not clearing the bills and had said “we passed bills on honour killing and mob lynching nearly six months ago but these bills are yet to get clearance  simply because the Government of India is not interested.”

    However, given the horror in Dausa, its clear that its not just making laws but rigorous implementation that could bring about some effective check on honour killings.

  • In Congress-ruled Rajasthan, BJP chief asks officials to strengthen party cadre, do self-analysis

    By ANI
    JAIPUR: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Jagat Prakash Nadda on Tuesday advised party officials to strengthen the cadre and do self-analysis.

    Addressing the ‘State Executive Meeting’ at Birla Auditorium, Jaipur, Nadda asked the officials to complete the formation of booth committees by September 24.

    “A lot of people among us have stopped self-analysis. This reduces our productivity. You all need to start doing self-analysis. You need to analyse –what you are giving to the party, how much contribution are you making to the party, at what level are you accepted in the party,” he said.

    “The formation of our booth committees should be completed by 25th September i.e. Deendayal Upadhyay ji’s birth anniversary. There should not be any booth where our booth committee is not formed and every booth should have women, youth, Dalit brothers, people from backward caste in our committees,” he added.

    Nadda asked the party officials to ensure BJP’s victory in Rajasthan in the next Assembly polls.

    “Ashok Gehlot government’s priority is to not have a well-governed state. Seeing this, it is our responsibility, to say ‘namaskar to this sarkar’ and make sure that the lotus blooms here,” he said.

    Commenting upon the goal of the party in 2021, Nadda said, “We have a good image in public, but we are a cadre-based party. Therefore, it is our responsibility to strengthen the cadre. Strong mandals, active booths and active panna pramkukhs, these are the three goals we have to complete in 2021.”

    Lauding the Prime Minister’s role in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, the BJP chief said, “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the second phase of COVID-19 vaccination has begun. We have sent the Made-in-India vaccines to over 20 countries.”

    “Prime Minister Narendra Modi by taking the COVID-19 vaccine yesterday has given a clear message that we must take the vaccination drive ahead,” he added.

    Nadda also slammed Opposition parties over the protest against the three farm laws saying that farmers are our ‘annadata’ and “we need to bring them in the mainstream. But, many parties are exploiting the protest for their own gain.” 

  • Recruitment drive by Rajasthan power companies rakes up a row

    Express News Service
    RJAIPUR: Recruitment drives are usually good news for the youth but this one by power companies of Rajasthan has provoked strong opposition. 

    The Department of Energy had recently released an advertisement for the recruitment of 2370 posts for Engineering and Ministerial Cadre in the five power companies of the state. But as two-thirds of the examination centres for this direct recruitment are located outside Rajasthan, most aspirants are angry and plan to hit the streets of Jaipur on March 1 to oppose this decision. 

    Applications have been sought for the five power companies of the state government under the Jaipur, Ajmer and Jodhpur Discom (DISCOM). The application process will start from 24 February and will run till 16 March. The online application process started from 24 February and will run till 16 March. The date of examination will be announced soon after the application process is completed. 

    However, out of the 30 centres for this examination, 20 are in cities outside the state and only 10 centres will be in cities of Rajasthan. The power companies claim that this decision has been taken to avoid leakage of exam papers and prevent the system from hanging as often happens.

    But most aspirants suspect some foul-play behind this decision and argue that this will force candidates to travel long distances and incur huge expenses as they will also be forced to spend on staying in hotels in cities outside Rajasthan.

    Last year, two exams for recruitment of Junior engineers and Librarians in Rajasthan had to be cancelled due to leakage of papers. According to Energy Minister B D Kalla the decision to hold exams in centres outside the state has been inspired by the idea of protecting the confidentiality of the exam and to prevent any controversy over leakage of papers.

    Officials of the power companies say they have decided centres on the basis of technical audit and depending on how many candidates apply for the 2370 posts, it will be decided as to how many will have to appear from centres outside Rajasthan.

    These official claims, however, do not convince most youngsters looking for employment opportunities in the power companies of Rajasthan. They strongly suspect that some foul-play and mischief may be the reason for holding the exams in most centres outside Rajasthan. Also, they argue that forcing the unemployed to travel hundreds of kilometers and stay in hotels will be a huge burden on them.

    In addition, the angry aspirants assert that when other prestigious exams that have as many as 15 lakh candidates can be organised within the state, the decision of the power companies to hold exams mostly in centres outside Rajasthan is patently unfair and illogical.

    Under the banner of Rajasthan Unemployed Integrated Federation, the young aspirants have decided to protest outside Rajasthan Assembly in Jaipur on Monday.

    They have demanded that for candidates who have to travel over 500 kms and stay in hotels, the  power companies must bear all the expenses. The angry aspirants will hit the streets of Jaipur and take out a rally to press the government to ask the power companies to reverse their decision of holding exams in centres outside the state.

  • Newborn boy stolen from Rajasthan district hospital

    By PTI
    JAIPUR: A newborn boy was allegedly stolen by a woman from Rajasthan’s Dungarpur district hospital on Sunday.

    The six-day-old child went missing from the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit within moments when the ward was being cleaned and no attendant was present near the child, police said.

    After scanning the CCTV footage, police have identified a woman as suspect and are trying to nab her.