News Analysis India

Tag: Uttar Pradesh

  • Income tax department serves notice to UP rickshaw puller asking him to pay over Rs 3 crore

    By PTI

    MATHURA: A rickshaw puller approached the police in this Uttar Pradesh district on Sunday after he was served a notice by the Income Tax (IT) department, asking him to pay over Rs 3 crore.

    Pratap Singh, a resident of Amar Colony in the Bakalpur area here, submitted a complaint at the Highway police station, claiming fraud after he received the notice from the IT department.

    Station House Office (SHO) Anuj Kumar said no case was registered on the basis of Singh’s complaint but the police will look into the matter.

    Meanwhile, Singh uploaded a video clip on social media in which he narrated the sequence of events.

    He said on March 15, he applied for a PAN card at the Jan Suvidha Kendra in Bakalpur, owned by Tej Prakash Upadhyay, as his bank had asked him to submit it.

    Subsequently, he got a coloured photocopy of the PAN card from one Sanjai Singh of Bakalpur. Since he is illiterate, he could not differentiate between an original PAN card and a coloured photocopy of the same, the rickshaw puller said in the clip.

    He had to run from pillar to post for about three months to get his PAN card. Singh said he got a call from IT officials on October 19 and was served a notice, asking him to pay Rs 3,47,54,896.

    He said the officials told him that someone had impersonated him and obtained a GST number on his name for running a business and the turnover of the trader for 2018-19 was Rs 43,44,36,201.

    Singh said he was advised by the IT officials to get an FIR lodged as somebody had committed fraud impersonating him.

  • Congress finalises some candidates for Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, names yet to be announced

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Central Election Committee of the Congress chaired by party chief Sonia Gandhi on Saturday discussed and finalised a few candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, sources said, but their names were not announced.

    They said top party leaders including AICC general secretary and in-charge for Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and state party chief Ajay Kumar Lallu took part in the discussions.

    The meeting which was held virtually is learnt to have to finalised around 50 candidates for the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.

    The party will announce its candidates soon, taking a head start, much ahead of even the declaration of the schedule of the polls.

    The UP assembly polls are likely to be held early next year.

    The Congress has already announced that it will reserve 40 per cent seats for women candidates in the assembly polls.

  • Uttar Pradesh government to start distributing tablets, smartphones among youth by November-end: CM Yogi Adityanath

    Yogi Adityanath said his government will begin the distribution of tablets and smartphones among the youth by November-end.

  • No rationale for farmers’ protest as SC already stayed farm laws: Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Minister

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi on Thursday said that there is no rationale for the farmers’ protest as the Supreme Court has already stayed the farm laws.

    “Those who have faith in the Constitution of India and the Hon’ble Supreme Court should follow their orders. There is no justification for protest since the court has stayed the farm laws for a year, there is no rationale in that ” Shahi told ANI.

    “A reformist step was taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji with a view to resolving the difficulties of the farmers which have been there for 40-50 years,” he added.

    “Efforts have been made in it with a view to getting better prices passed to the farmers. When the Supreme Court had suspended this law, it said that indefinitely blocking the road is not a solution to any problem. It is true. There is no solution, only dialogue can solve the problem,” he stated.

    Speaking about whether the farmers’ movement will have an impact on the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Shahi said, “The farmers of Uttar Pradesh are not with this movement. Yogi ji’s government has made efforts with a view to solving all the difficulties of the farmers. We have increased the irrigation resources and are paying farmers the prices of the products by purchasing them on a large scale at minimum support price.”

    “Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ji has instructed that if it is fully paid, then we have got the arrears paid. Within the last 4 years, more than one lakh 45 thousand crore rupees have been paid to the farmers in the form of sugarcane price. Similarly, in the case of the purchase of paddy and wheat, in Uttar Pradesh, an amount of about 80 lakh crore rupees has been paid. Wheat, pulses and oilseeds have been procured in the last four years,” he stated.

    Earlier on Thursday, the Supreme Court said that farmers have the right to protest but roads cannot be blocked indefinitely. This came while hearing a plea against the blockade of roads between Delhi to Noida due to farmers’ protests against the three agriculture laws.

    Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections are scheduled to take place early next year.

  • Uttar Pradesh floods: Common man in Pilibhit left to fend for himself, says BJP MP Varun Gandhi

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: BJP MP Varun Gandhi, whose Pilibhit constituency has been hit by heavy rains, on Thursday attacked the Uttar Pradesh government, saying if the common man is left to fend for himself, what does governance mean.

    Three people were killed and hundreds were marooned as torrential rains lashed Bareilly and Pilibhit districts over two days, officials had said on Wednesday.

    “Much of Terai is badly flooded. Donating dry rations by hand so that no family is hungry till this calamity ends. It’s painful that when the common man needs the system the most, he’s left to fend for himself. If every response is individual-led then what does ‘governance’ mean,” Gandhi said in a tweet.

    The Sharda and Deoha rivers are in spate due to heavy rainfall and many villages situated on their banks have been flooded.

    Around 500 villagers in Pilibhit are inundated by waters from the Sharda river.

    On Tuesday night, the Pilibhit district administration sought the help of the Army for rescue operations and 26 people have been airlifted to safer places since Wednesday morning.

    Local BJP MP Varun Gandhi had written to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath demanding compensation for farmers whose crops have been damaged due to floods.

    Gandhi’s spokesperson MR Malik had said the MP has demanded that farmers who lost their crops be provided compensation.

  • Uttar Pradesh Minister Upendra Tiwari says fuel prices don’t matter, ’95 per cent people don’t need petrol’

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Dismissing criticism over the rising fuel prices, Uttar Pradesh minister Upendra Tiwari on Thursday said 95 per cent people have no use for petrol.

    Tiwari also argued that fuel prices had not really risen in real terms when the per capita income now is compared with that in 2014, referring to the year when a BJP-led government first came to power at the Centre.

    “Today, there are just a handful of people who travel in four-wheel vehicles and use petrol. At present, 95 per cent people don’t need petrol,” Tiwari told reporters in Jalaun.

    Higher fuel costs, however, impact virtually every citizen.

    For example, they lead to an increase in the price of all commodities — including foodgrain, fruit and vegetables — that are transported from one part of the country to another.

    The minister’s remark comes when petrol prices have crossed Rs 100 per litre in most parts of the country, and diesel hovers close to that mark.

    He claimed that the opposition doesn’t have any real issue to attack the government.

    “You see the data before 2014. What is the per capita income after the formation of the Modi and the Yogi governments?” he said, referring to the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh.

    “Today, the per capita income is double,” he claimed.

    He also referred to free schooling and the coronavirus vaccination offered by the government.

  • Uttar Pradesh is just the beginning: Rahul Gandhi on 40 per cent tickets to women candidates announcement

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Days after the Congress said it will give 40 per cent of its tickets to women candidates in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, former party chief Rahul Gandhi on Thursday hailed the hardwork of women and said “UP is just the beginning”.

    Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra announced on Tuesday that the party will give 40 per cent of its tickets to women candidates in the nest year Uttar Pradesh polls.

    In a tweet in Hindi, Rahul Gandhi said, “The daughter of the country says that with her hardwork, with the strength of education and with proper reservation, she can move forward.”

    He used the hashtag ‘Ladki hoon Lad sakti hoon’ with his tweet.

    “UP is just the beginning,” Gandhi added.

  • Smartphone for inter pass girls, scooty for graduate girls if Congress forms government in UP: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra

    The Congress national general secretary and in charge of party affairs in UP also attached with her tweet a video of a group of school/college girls interacting with mediapersons.

  • Death toll due to rainfall rises to 52 in Uttarakhand; rain fury in Uttar Pradesh, Bengal and Sikkim

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Six more bodies were recovered on Wednesday in rain-battered Uttarakhand, taking the death toll to 52 in the Himalayan state, while Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, and areas of north Bengal were also pounded by torrential rainfall that caused landslides and led to closure of National Highway 10, the main road linking Gangtok with the rest of the country.

    Three people were killed and hundreds marooned as heavy rains lashed Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly and Pilibhit districts over the last two days.

    In Uttarakhand, 17 people were injured and five went missing in rain-related incidents.

    The official count of missing people does not include a trekking team of 11, who left Uttarkashi but did not reach their destination Chitkul in Himachal Pradesh, and three porters who went missing while accompanying an ITBP patrol near the India-China border.

    ALSO READ: Situation still serious in flood-hit Uttarakhand, says Rahul Gandhi

    The Kumaon region of the state, which has been worst affected by the rainfall, also reported cases of 46 houses being damaged.

    With 28 deaths, Nainital alone has accounted for the highest number of fatalities.

    Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami extended his tour of the affected areas of Udham Singh Nagar and Champawat districts in Kumaon to take stock of the situation.

    He travelled by road as his helicopter could not take off from Haldwani due to technical reasons.

    Accompanied by Union Minister of State for Defence and Nainital MP Ajay Bhatt and State Disaster Management Minister Dhan Singh Rawat, Dhami, on board a tractor, crossed vast stretches of marooned fields in Udham Singh Nagar district and assessed the damage to crops.

    ALSO READ: Rain-hit Uttarakhand stares at damages beyond repair

    He also trudged through the streets of Champawat to get a first-hand assessment of the damage inflicted by nearly three days of incessant rains.

    Home Minister Amit Shah is also likely to arrive in the state late on Wednesday night to review the situation.

    He may also undertake an aerial survey of the affected areas on Thursday morning, officials said.

    The weather cleared across Uttarakhand on Wednesday, giving momentum to rescue operations and leading to the partial resumption of the Chardham Yatra, with pilgrims allowed to proceed to Kedarnath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri.

    However, the yatra to Badrinath could not be resumed as the national highway leading to the temple was blocked by landslide at several points.

    ALSO READ: Experts explain what is causing heavy rains that killed dozens in Uttarakhand, Kerala over few days

    Water has receded completely from the streets of Nainital, which was cut off from the rest of the state on Monday, with the Naini lake flooding the roads and landslides choking them at various points.

    Life returned to normal in Nainital on Wednesday morning as tourists were found shopping and taxis plying through the town.

    Electricity and telephone connectivity which had been badly hit in Nainital by incessant rains has been restored.

    Villages on the outskirts of the town are still going without electricity and telephone connectivity.

    Haldwani and Kaladhungi roads have been opened partially to traffic restoring connectivity to Nainital.

    ALSO READ: Uttarakhand government to give Rs 4 lakh to kin of those killed in rain-related incidents

    The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said it has rescued over 1,300 people from flood-affected areas of Uttarakhand.

    The federal force has deployed 17 rescue teams in the state.

    Torrential rains pounded the tiny Himalayan state of Sikkim and the tea growing region of North Bengal, causing landslides which cut off National Highway-10.

    Normal life in parts of north Bengal was affected due to heavy showers in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Jalpaiguri districts that triggered landslides, causing damages to roads and bridges, halting or constricting traffic in various places.

    As the downpour continued, 3,800 cusec water was released from Bengal’s Gajaoldoba Teesta Barrage, causing inundation in several parts of the low lying town of Jalpaiguri.

    ALSO READ: Over 300 people rescued from flood-affected Uttarakhand – NDRF

    Water from the overflowing Teesta also submerged National Highway 10 that connects Siliguri with Sikkim’s capital Gangtok at Teesta Bazar area, restricting traffic.

    The Meteorological Department issued a ‘red’ alert for Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Alipurduar, forecasting “extremely heavy rain at one or two places” in these districts till Thursday morning.

    Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rain during the period, it said.

    Several low-lying areas in Jalpaiguri district have been flooded owing to a rise in the water level of Teesta and Jaldhaka rivers.

    People from these areas were being moved to safe places for shelter.

    WATCH VIDEO: River washes away under-construction bridge as rains cause havoc in Uttarakhand

    Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Wednesday visited the flood-affected areas in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur and distributed relief material among the people.

    Instead of an aerial survey, Naqvi undertook a ground survey and even got on a boat to reach far-flung areas inundated due to the massive rains that have wreaked havoc in adjoining Uttarakhand.

    In Uttar Pradesh, around 500 villagers in Pilibhit are trapped in the flood water of the Sharda river.

    A couple in Bareilly’s Faridpur township and a nine-year-old boy in Ram Nagar area were killed after their houses collapsed because of heavy rains.

    The IMD, which had sounded an orange alert (heavy to very heavy rain) for 11 districts of Kerela on Wednesday withdrew it and changed it to yellow predicting ‘moderate rain’ in these areas.

  • Work on 11 new airports progressing in UP: Yogi Adityanath

    By PTI

    Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said work on 11 new airports, including two international aerodromes, is progressing in the state.

    Speaking at the event for the inauguration of Kushinagar International airport, the chief minister said this will be the ninth airport in Uttar Pradesh.

    The inaugural SriLankan Airlines flight landed at Kushinagar international airport on Wednesday.

    The airport was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Adityanath said work is also progressing for Ayodhya airport and that air connectivity in the state is getting strengthened, which will provide an impetus for development.

    From 1947 to 2014, he said that only two airports were functional in Uttar Pradesh, including Lucknow and Varanasi, and air connectivity of the state was confined to around 16 cities.

    “Kushinagar airport has become operational as the 9th airport of the state whereas there is direct air service from the airports of Uttar Pradesh to 75 major cities,” he said.

    Later, Adityanath along with Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and other Union ministers addressed the media at the airport.

    With the Kushinagar airport, it will be easier for people to visit from places like Japan, Korea and Cambodia, he said at the briefing.

    Scindia said the number of UDAN air service routes will be increased in the state, adding that the target is to have 1,000 routes across the country.

    Kushinagar airport, built at a cost of Rs 260 crore, has a runway length of 3,200 metres and a width of 45 metres.

    Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Union ministers Kiren Rijiju, G Kishan Reddy, Arjun Ram Meghwal, V K Singh and Meenakshi Lekhi, among others, were present at the event.