News Analysis India

Tag: Uttar Pradesh

  • Uttar Pradesh to get 9 new medical colleges in July: State govt

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday said nine new medical colleges will come up in the state this month and these will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    According to an official spokesperson of the medical education department, the new colleges in Deoria, Etah, Fatehpur, Ghazipur, Hardoi, Jaunpur, Mirzapur, Pratapgarh and Siddharthnagar districts will add a new dimension to the state’s existing health system.

    Out of a total of over 450 faculty members, about 70 per cent has been recruited with full transparency, it said.

    “Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the new medical colleges simultaneously. It is for the first time in the history of UP that such a large number of medical colleges will be inaugurated simultaneously,” the state government said in the statement.

    Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced that there should be a medical college in each district to prevent patients from travelling to other districts for treatment, the statement said.

  • Counting of votes for zila panchayat chairman posts underway in Uttar Pradesh

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW: Counting of votes for the zila panchayat chairman posts in 53 districts of Uttar Pradesh is underway, the State Election Commission said.

    The polling began at 11 am on Saturday and continued till 3 pm and the counting of votes began right after that, it said.

    Meanwhile, a video has gone viral on social media where former Samajwadi Party MP from Chandauli Ramkishun Yadav can be seen falling at the feet of voters (elected members of zila panchayat) to allegedly seek votes for his nephew, prompting the UP BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi to take a jibe at his party.

    In a tweet in Hindi, Tripathi said, “Those (SP) who fled in the last elections (2017 and 2019) were seen falling at the feet of voters and begging for votes. This took place on Friday night.”

    He also shared the video.

    SP MLC Ashutosh Sinha said Yadav only touched the feet of independent voters.

    “Tej Narayan Yadav is the nephew of Ramkishun Yadav. Tej Narayan is supported by the SP for the post of zila panchayat chairperson,” he told PTI.

    Chairpersons of 22 zila panchayats in 22 districts of the state were declared elected unopposed on Tuesday.

    Of these, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 21 seats, while the Samajwadi Party grabbed one seat in Etawah.

    The poll panel did not announce the party affiliation of the winning candidates but the BJP later claimed victory over 21 seats and the SP over one seat of the Etawah district.

    The panchayat polls or those for district panchayat chiefs are not held on a party basis but candidates enjoy the tacit support of various parties.

    The districts where zila panchayat chairpersons won unopposed are Saharanpur, Bahraich, Etawah, Chitrakoot, Agra, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Moradabad, Lalitpur, Jhansi, Banda, Shravasti, Balrampur, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Mau, Varanasi, Pilibhit and Shahjahanpur.

    Zila panchayat chairpersons are elected from among the elected members of zila panchayats of various districts.

    The four-phase panchayat polls concluded in the state last month.

    On Monday, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati had said her party has decided not to contest the zila panchayat chairman elections as it wants to channelise its energy on strengthening the organisation before the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls next year.

    The BSP president asserted that the people of the state want her party to form the next government and said she will go to polls with the slogan ‘Uttar Pradesh ko bachana hai, bachana hai, sarvjan ko bachana hai, bachana hai, BSP ko satta mein lana hai, zaroor lana hai’ (We need to save Uttar Pradesh and save everyone and bring back BSP to power).

    Instead of contesting the zila parishad chairman elections, the party has decided to concentrate on strengthening the party organisation and expand the base, Mayawati had told newspersons.

    Once the BSP forms its government in the state, the majority of the zila panchayat chairman themselves will join the BSP as they cannot function without power.

    We have kept this fact in mind and so decided not to contest the election, she had said.

  • If Asaduddin Owaisi becomes voter of Uttar Pradesh, he can become CM: SBSP chief

    By PTI
    BALLIA/BAREILLY: Making a pitch for AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party president Om Prakash Rajbhar has said if Owaisi becomes a voter of Uttar Pradesh, then he too can become the chief minister of the state.

    The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AMIM) is a part of an alliance formed by Rajbhar’s SBSP for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.

    Without naming Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Rajbhar said that “a person proved to be clever, and he came from Uttarakhand to the state, became a voter of Uttar Pradesh and then became chief minister”.

    “If AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi becomes a voter of Uttar Pradesh, then he can become the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh,” he said while speaking to reporters on Friday in Rasra in Ballia.

    Claiming that Muslims constitute 20 per cent of the state’s population, the SBSP president said their representation should be there in the government as per their population.

    This is their right, he said.

    “Why cannot a son of a Muslim become chief minister or a deputy chief minister? Is being a Muslim a crime? The BJP had entered into an agreement with Mehbooba Mufti, who always spoke of separatism and Pakistan, to form government in Jammu and Kashmir,” Rajbhar said.

    On Saturday, Union Minister for Animal Husbandry Giriraj Singh in Bareilly said that in the 2022 assembly elections, Adityanath will be forming the government in the state.

    “AIMIM chief Asaduudin Owaisi and SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar are dreaming (day-dreaming) like ‘Mungerilal’.

    Owaisi wants to end the social harmony of the country, and is spreading misunderstanding.

    Yogi Adityanath will be forming the government in the state,” Singh told reporters at Bareilly’s Indian Veterinary Research Institute.

    Singh is on a two-day visit to Bareilly.

    On Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s statement that vaccines are not available in July, the minister said, “If he (Rahul Gandhi) has to get vaccinated, he should tell the Centre where he wants to get vaccinated.

    Posters have been put up at various vaccination centres telling people to come and get vaccination done. Those who want to say only negative things, will do.”

  • SP, Cong, BJP govts failed to establish rule of law in Uttar Pradesh, says BSP chief Mayawati

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW: BSP chief Mayawati on Saturday accused the erstwhile Samajwadi Party and Congress governments and the current BJP regime in Uttar Pradesh of misusing official machinery and failing to establish the rule of law in the state.

    In a series of tweets in Hindi, Mayawati said, “As it is known that in UP, whether it was the government of the Congress party, Samajwadi Party or the current BJP, the police and official machinery was grossly misused and they were not allowed to work impartially.

    As a result, all these governments have been extremely unsuccessful in giving a rule of law to the public.

    ” She claimed under the Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP) rule, the government machinery was allowed to function in an impartial manner, and one of her party MP was even jailed for breaking the law.

    “The BJP should allow the newly-appointed DGP and other government machinery to function in an impartial manner,” she said in another tweet.

    Mukul Goel was appointed the new Director General of Police (DGP) of Uttar Pradesh on June 30.

    In another tweet, Mayawati highlighted the electricity crisis in Punjab and claimed that the ruling Congress in the state is riddled with infighting and factionalism because of which issues related to people’s welfare are being neglected.

    “Owing to serious electricity crisis in Punjab, normal life, industries and farming is seriously affected.

    The Congress is reeling under factionalism and infighting and neglecting issues of public interest and welfare.

    The people should take cognizance of this,” she said.

    She urged the people of Punjab to get rid of the Congress government in the state and vote for the BSP-SAD alliance in the upcoming Assembly elections.

    The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BSP have formed an alliance for the 2022 Punjab Assembly election.

    As part of the tie-up, the BSP would fight 20 of the 117 Assembly seats in Punjab, while the rest would be contested by the SAD.

  • Covid unlock: Uttar Pradesh govt allows opening of gyms, cinema halls with 50 per cent capacity from July 5

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW: Further easing the coronavirus curbs, the Uttar Pradesh government has allowed the opening of gymnasiums, cinema halls, multiplexes and sports stadiums at 50 per cent of their capacity from Monday.

    A government spokesperson said on Friday that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced the relaxations in view of improving Covid situation in the state.

    Under the new guidelines, which will come into effect from 7 am on July 5, all gymnasiums, cinema halls, multiplexes and sports stadiums will be allowed to open between 7 am and 9 pm five days a week with strict compliance of Covid-19-appropriate behaviour, the spokesman said.

    However, these will be allowed to operate at 50 per cent of their capacity, the CM said at a Covid review meeting, according to the spokesperson.

    The gyms in containment zones will remain closed.

    The CM directed the installation of posters or banners telling about preventive measures at all public places, the spokesman said.

    The chief minister said the government’s focus is on restoring normalcy in the state with an aim to save both lives and livelihood while staying they are ready the possible third wave of the pandemic.

    The CM also instructed to set up helpdesks close to public places to ensure the compliance of the coronavirus protocol, the spokesman added.

    Till Thursday, the state has reported 22,601 infection deaths and 17,06,252 cases.

  • Being taken to Punjab for work, 12 children rescued in Lucknow: Police

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW/MORADABAD: Twelve children being taken to Punjab from Bihar allegedly to work as labourers were rescued and five people arrested in this connection here, police said on Thursday.

    In another case, around 40 children were taken off a Punjab-bound train at Moradabad on Thursday, with police saying that they are investigating if they are the victims too.

    In Lucknow, police said the 12 rescued children aged 12 to 15.

    They were taken off a bus in the Chinhat area on Wednesday evening.

    When questioned, the children could not tell anything out of fear but the interrogation of people accompanying them revealed that they belonged to villages around Purnia district of Bihar and were being taken to Punjab to work as labourers, police said.

    Those arrested told police that the children are made to work in hotels, homes and also in the fields, and are given food and clothes as wages.

    Efforts are on to gather information about other members of their gang, police added.

    The children taken off the Karambhoomi Express in Moradabad were below 15 years of age.

    The train starts from Jalpaiguri in West Bengal.

    However, railway police Inspector Sudheer Kumar said the children were travelling with relatives and they are investigating if the allegations of human trafficking are correct.

  • 40 children taken off train, cops probe human trafficking charge in Uttar Pradesh

    By PTI

    MORADABAD: About 40 children were taken off a Punjab-bound train at Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad on Thursday after local police was tipped off a suspected case of human trafficking, according to an official.

    All children were below 15 years of age and were taken off the Karambhoomi Express, which starts from Jalpaiguri in West Bengal.

    However, railway police Inspector Sudheer Kumar said the children were travelling with relatives but they are investigating if the allegations of human trafficking are correct.

  • Uttar Pradesh will witness democratic revolution in 2022: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday asserted that there were will be a democratic revolution in Uttar Pradesh in 2022 against the current “disruptive” and “negative” politics. Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh are scheduled in 2022.

    आज की विघटनकारी-रूढ़िवादी नकारात्मक राजनीति सत्ता के विरुद्ध एकजुट शोषित, उपेक्षित, उत्पीड़ित, अपमानित दलित, दमित, वंचित, ग़रीब, किसान, मज़दूर, महिला व युवाओं की ‘नयी राजनीति’ जन्म ले रही है।2022 में उप्र में चुनाव नहीं लोकतांत्रिक क्रांति होगी। pic.twitter.com/44j5ajuQK2
    — Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) June 30, 2021

    In a tweet in Hindi, Yadav said, “United against today’s disruptive, conservative, negative politics, new politics of exploited, neglected, oppressed, humiliated, dalit, oppressed, deprived, poor, farmers, workers, women and youth is taking birth. In 2022, there will be no election in UP, there will be a democratic revolution.”

    The SP chief has exuded confidence that his party would win 350 seats out of the total 403 seats in the assembly, claiming people are against the BJP government.

  • Uttar Pradesh will witnessed democratic revolution in 2022: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday asserted that there were will be a democratic revolution in Uttar Pradesh in 2022 against the current “disruptive” and “negative” politics. Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh are scheduled in 2022.

    आज की विघटनकारी-रूढ़िवादी नकारात्मक राजनीति सत्ता के विरुद्ध एकजुट शोषित, उपेक्षित, उत्पीड़ित, अपमानित दलित, दमित, वंचित, ग़रीब, किसान, मज़दूर, महिला व युवाओं की ‘नयी राजनीति’ जन्म ले रही है।2022 में उप्र में चुनाव नहीं लोकतांत्रिक क्रांति होगी। pic.twitter.com/44j5ajuQK2
    — Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) June 30, 2021

    In a tweet in Hindi, Yadav said, “United against today’s disruptive, conservative, negative politics, new politics of exploited, neglected, oppressed, humiliated, dalit, oppressed, deprived, poor, farmers, workers, women and youth is taking birth. In 2022, there will be no election in UP, there will be a democratic revolution.”

    The SP chief has exuded confidence that his party would win 350 seats out of the total 403 seats in the assembly, claiming people are against the BJP government.

  • Cases registered against Twitter India MD, others in UP and MP over incorrect India map

    By Express News Service
    LUCKNOW/BHOPAL: Cases have been lodged against senior officials of Twitter India in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh for putting up an incorrect map of India on the social media major’s website.

    While the first case was registered late on Monday night against Twitter India Managing Director Manish Maheshwari and its news partnership head Amrita Tripathi at Khurja Kotwali in West UP’s Bulandshahr district, the second case was registered against Maheshwari and aides at the MP State Police’s Cyber Cell headquarters in Bhopal on Tuesday evening.

    In UP, the case was registered against Twitter India MD Manish Maheshwari and its news partnership head Amrita Tripathi on the complaint of a local Bajrang Dal leader Praveen Bhati.

    The two Twitter India senior officials were booked under Section 505(2) IPC (statements conducing to public mischief) and Section 74 of the Information Technology (Amendments) Act 2008 which deals with publication for fraudulent purpose, a senior Bulandshahr district police officer confirmed to The New Indian Express on Tuesday.

    ALSO READ: Parliamentary panel seeks Twitter’s reply within two days on locking of accounts of Prasad, Tharoor

    There was an uproar after a world map showing J&K and Ladakh detached from India emerged on the Career section of the social media major’s website on Monday. Twitter had later removed the concerned map from its website following the controversy.

    “The map doesn’t show J&K and Ladakh as part of India, which isn’t coincidental, but has been deliberately done to hurt the sentiments of all Indians, including me,” the complainant Bajrang Dal West UP convener Praveen Bhati alleged in the complaint.

    This the second case registered by the UP Police against the Twitter India top brass within a month in West UP.

    Earlier, on June 15, an FIR was registered by the Ghaziabad Police against micro-blogging site Twitter and seven others, including three journalists Muhmad Zubair, Rana Ayyub and Saba Naqvi and a leading news portal, for posting over social media “unverified facts” about the recent thrashing of an elderly man in the West UP district’s Loni Road area.  

    Around 20 hours after an FIR was lodged against the two senior officials of Twitter India in the West UP district, the MP State Police Cyber Cell headquarters in Bhopal too lodged an FIR against Maheshwari and his aides under Section 505(2) of the IPC on the complaint of social activist and BJP leader Durgesh Keswani.

    However, the MP State Police Cyber Cell didn’t invoke Section 74 of the IT Act against Maheshwari. “Right now the IT Act sections don’t apply in the matter, but if during the course of investigations it’s found that the alleged crime invites IT Act sections also, its provisions will be suitably added,” a state Police Cyber Cell cop said.

    The action by the MP police came just a few hours after the state’s home minister Narottam Mishra said that the state government has decided to initiate legal action against Twitter for putting up a distorted map of India and other such activities.

    “Something or other has been going on continuously against the country for a long time. Sometimes unrestrained words are spoken against Bharat Mata and sometimes a wrong map of the country is displayed on Twitter. These issues cannot be taken lightly. The governments at the Centre and the state have taken it seriously,” Mishra said in a statement posted on Twitter.

    In another tweet, Mishra said he has directed the state’s Director General of Police (DGP) Vivek Johri to investigate the matter and take legal action in this direction.