News Analysis India

Tag: Uttar Pradesh

  • UP backed out from water exchange plan with Delhi despite LG’s request to CM Yogi

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh backed out from a plan to provide 140 million gallons per day (MGD) of raw water to Delhi in lieu of an equivalent quantity of treated effluent for irrigation despite the Lieutenant Governor making a request to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, according to an RTI reply.

    The plan involved the supply of 270 cusecs (1 cusec is equal to 1 cubic feet per second) of fresh water from the Murad Nagar Regulator to the Sonia Vihar water treatment plant in Delhi and the release of an equivalent quantity of treated effluent from the Okhla sewage treatment plant in the Agra Canal.

    Documents accessed under the Right to Information Act showed that the two states held multiple meetings on the water exchange plan starting May 3, 2018, and the then LG Anil Baijal and the then chief secretary Vijay Kumar Dev had also requested the UP government to finalise the agreement.

    A feasibility report the UP Jal Nigam sent to the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) on July 1, 2020, said the project was workable.

    The DJB had paid Rs 70 lakh for the preparation of the feasibility report and the Delhi government had also agreed to bear the cost of laying pipelines and construction and repair work needed for the supply of raw water from UP and the release of treated effluent into the Agra Canal.

    Baijal discussed the issue with the UP chief minister on the phone on June 14 last year and wrote to him on June 23, requesting him to issue directions to the department concerned to provide 270 cusecs (140 million gallons a day) of raw water to Delhi from Murad Nagar, the documents showed.

    “Delhi does not have enough water resources of its own and depends on neighbouring states to meet its drinking water needs. Amid the increasing population, Delhi needs 265 MGD of additional raw water to fulfil the requirement. The feasibility report dated July 1, 2020, says it is possible for UP to provide 270 cusecs of raw water to Delhi. Therefore, I request you to please issue necessary directions to the department concerned in this regard,” the LG’s letter read.

    On February 2 last year, Vijay Kumar Dev wrote to the UP chief secretary, requesting him to finalise the pact.

    “I would like to thank you for the positive steps taken towards processing the request of Delhi…The offices of both states have held various meetings, joint inspections and deliberations to take the matter forward. May I propose that the general understanding and consensus achieved by both the states till date may be formalised by way of a memorandum for understanding,” Dev wrote to UP Chief Secretary R K Tiwari.

    However, the executive engineer of the UP government in a letter dated July 9, 2021, informed the DJB that the “competent authority” did not approve the feasibility report and “it may be treated null and void.”

    The UP government also returned Rs 70 lakh that the DJB gave for the preparation of the report without citing any reason for backing out from the plan, the RTI reply showed.

    The documents showed the DJB later asked the Delhi government that “intervention and persuasion at the highest political level be done for seeking consent of the UP government” but the request did not elicit a response.

    Delhi requires around 1,200 MGD of water, while the DJB supplies around 950 MGD.

    Haryana supplies a total of 610 MGD of water to Delhi through two canals — CLC (368 MGD) and DSB (177) — and the Yamuna (65 MGD).

    CLC and the DSB are supplied water from Hathni Kund via the Munak canal and the Bhakra Beas Management Board.

    Besides, Delhi receives 253 MGD from Uttar Pradesh through the Upper Ganga Canal, and 90 MGD is drawn from Ranney wells and tube wells installed across the city.

    NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh backed out from a plan to provide 140 million gallons per day (MGD) of raw water to Delhi in lieu of an equivalent quantity of treated effluent for irrigation despite the Lieutenant Governor making a request to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, according to an RTI reply.

    The plan involved the supply of 270 cusecs (1 cusec is equal to 1 cubic feet per second) of fresh water from the Murad Nagar Regulator to the Sonia Vihar water treatment plant in Delhi and the release of an equivalent quantity of treated effluent from the Okhla sewage treatment plant in the Agra Canal.

    Documents accessed under the Right to Information Act showed that the two states held multiple meetings on the water exchange plan starting May 3, 2018, and the then LG Anil Baijal and the then chief secretary Vijay Kumar Dev had also requested the UP government to finalise the agreement.

    A feasibility report the UP Jal Nigam sent to the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) on July 1, 2020, said the project was workable.

    The DJB had paid Rs 70 lakh for the preparation of the feasibility report and the Delhi government had also agreed to bear the cost of laying pipelines and construction and repair work needed for the supply of raw water from UP and the release of treated effluent into the Agra Canal.

    Baijal discussed the issue with the UP chief minister on the phone on June 14 last year and wrote to him on June 23, requesting him to issue directions to the department concerned to provide 270 cusecs (140 million gallons a day) of raw water to Delhi from Murad Nagar, the documents showed.

    “Delhi does not have enough water resources of its own and depends on neighbouring states to meet its drinking water needs. Amid the increasing population, Delhi needs 265 MGD of additional raw water to fulfil the requirement. The feasibility report dated July 1, 2020, says it is possible for UP to provide 270 cusecs of raw water to Delhi. Therefore, I request you to please issue necessary directions to the department concerned in this regard,” the LG’s letter read.

    On February 2 last year, Vijay Kumar Dev wrote to the UP chief secretary, requesting him to finalise the pact.

    “I would like to thank you for the positive steps taken towards processing the request of Delhi…The offices of both states have held various meetings, joint inspections and deliberations to take the matter forward. May I propose that the general understanding and consensus achieved by both the states till date may be formalised by way of a memorandum for understanding,” Dev wrote to UP Chief Secretary R K Tiwari.

    However, the executive engineer of the UP government in a letter dated July 9, 2021, informed the DJB that the “competent authority” did not approve the feasibility report and “it may be treated null and void.”

    The UP government also returned Rs 70 lakh that the DJB gave for the preparation of the report without citing any reason for backing out from the plan, the RTI reply showed.

    The documents showed the DJB later asked the Delhi government that “intervention and persuasion at the highest political level be done for seeking consent of the UP government” but the request did not elicit a response.

    Delhi requires around 1,200 MGD of water, while the DJB supplies around 950 MGD.

    Haryana supplies a total of 610 MGD of water to Delhi through two canals — CLC (368 MGD) and DSB (177) — and the Yamuna (65 MGD).

    CLC and the DSB are supplied water from Hathni Kund via the Munak canal and the Bhakra Beas Management Board.

    Besides, Delhi receives 253 MGD from Uttar Pradesh through the Upper Ganga Canal, and 90 MGD is drawn from Ranney wells and tube wells installed across the city.

  • Bypolls: Voting underway in Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat and 6 assembly constituencies in 5 states

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Voting began on Monday in the by-election to six assembly constituencies in five states and the Mainpuri parliamentary seat in Uttar Pradesh.

    Rampur Sadar and Khatauli in Uttar Pradesh, Padampur in Odisha, Sardarshahar in Rajasthan, Kurhani in Bihar and Bhanupratappur in Chhattisgarh are the assembly seats where the bypolls are being held.

    Election authorities have made elaborate arrangements for the by-elections. The polling was being held amid tight security arrangements.

    In Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, the polling began at 7 am, while in Rajasthan it started at 8 am.

    Mainpuri, Rampur Sadar, Khatauli assembly seats in UP

    In Uttar Pradesh, a direct contest between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) alliance is on the cards in bypolls to the Rampur Sadar and Khatauli assembly seats and the Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency.

    The BSP and the Congress are not contesting the bypolls.

    The by-election to the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat is taking place due to the death of Samajwadi Party (SP) founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, while the bypolls in Rampur Sadar and Khatauli were necessitated after SP MLA Azam Khan and BJP MLA Vikram Singh Saini were disqualified following their conviction in separate cases.

    While Khan was disqualified after a court awarded him three-year imprisonment in a 2019 hate speech case, Saini lost his membership of the assembly after his conviction in a 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots case.

    The outcomes of the bypolls will not have any impact on the central or the state governments as the BJP enjoys a comfortable majority at both levels.

    However, a win would provide a psychological advantage ahead of the 2024 general elections.

    There are six candidates in the fray in Mainpuri, 14 candidates in Khatauli and 10 in Rampur Sadar, according to the Election Commission.

    In Mainpuri, Mulayam Singh Yadav’s elder daughter-in-law and SP president Akhilesh Yadav’s wife Dimple Yadav is pitted against BJP’s Raghuraj Singh Shakya.

    The BJP candidate, who was once a close associate of Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party chief and Akhilesh Yadav’s uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav, joined the saffron party ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls held earlier this year.

    The BJP has fielded Akash Saxena, who is the son of former party MLA Shiv Bahadur Saxena, in Rampur Sadar against senior SP leader Azam Khan’s protege Asim Raja.

    In Khatauli, the fight is between Vikram Singh Saini’s wife Rajkumari Saini and Madan Bhaiya from the RLD.

    Rajasthan’s Sardarshahar

    The Sardarshahar seat in Rajasthan was held by Congress MLA Bhanwar Lal Sharma (77) who passed away on October 9 after a prolonged illness.

    The Congress has fielded the late Sharma’s son Anil Kumar while former MLA Ashok Kumar is the BJP candidate.

    Eight other candidates are in the fray.

    “The polling has begun amid tight security arrangements,” a poll official said.

    Odisha’s Padampur

    The by-election to the Padampur seat in Odisha was necessitated by the death of BJD legislator Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha.

    Officials said elaborate security arrangements have been made for a free and fair voting.

    As many as 10 candidates are in the fray for the by-election.

    The bypoll assumes significance in the wake of the BJD’s loss in Dhamnagar, its first such defeat since 2009, with many in political circles claiming that the result would also indicate if electoral scales were tilting against the Naveen Patnaik-led party ahead of 2024 state elections.

    The BJD has nominated from the seat the deceased MLA’s daughter, Barsha, who is set to take on BJP’s Pradip Purohit, a former MLA, and Congress candidate and three-time legislator Satya Bhusan Sahu, among others.

    Chhattisgarh’s Bhanupratappur

    The bypoll to Bhanupratappur seat, reserved for Scheduled Tribes, in the Maoist-hit Kanker was necessitated due to the death of Congress MLA and deputy speaker of the Assembly Manoj Singh Mandavi last month.

    As many as seven candidates are in the fray, though it is largely a direct contest between the ruling Congress and the BJP.

    The Congress has fielded Savitri Mandavi, the wife of the deceased MLA, while the BJP nominee is former MLA Brahmanand Netam.

    Sarva Adivasi Samaj, an umbrella body of tribal communities in Bastar, has also fielded former Indian Police Service Officer Akbar Ram Korram, who is contesting as an Independent. Korram retired as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police in 2020.

    Bihar’s Kurhani

    In the Kurhani assembly segment in Bihar, a total of 13 candidates are in the fray.

    The JD(U) is contesting the seat where the by-election has been necessitated by the disqualification of RJD MLA Anil Kumar Sahani.

    The success of JD(U) candidate Manoj Singh Kushwaha, a former MLA, will cement Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s position, while a loss may embolden his detractors.

    The counting of votes for the single parliamentary and six assembly seats will be held on December 8, coinciding with the ballot count for Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly elections.

    NEW DELHI: Voting began on Monday in the by-election to six assembly constituencies in five states and the Mainpuri parliamentary seat in Uttar Pradesh.

    Rampur Sadar and Khatauli in Uttar Pradesh, Padampur in Odisha, Sardarshahar in Rajasthan, Kurhani in Bihar and Bhanupratappur in Chhattisgarh are the assembly seats where the bypolls are being held.

    Election authorities have made elaborate arrangements for the by-elections. The polling was being held amid tight security arrangements.

    In Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, the polling began at 7 am, while in Rajasthan it started at 8 am.

    Mainpuri, Rampur Sadar, Khatauli assembly seats in UP

    In Uttar Pradesh, a direct contest between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) alliance is on the cards in bypolls to the Rampur Sadar and Khatauli assembly seats and the Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency.

    The BSP and the Congress are not contesting the bypolls.

    The by-election to the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat is taking place due to the death of Samajwadi Party (SP) founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, while the bypolls in Rampur Sadar and Khatauli were necessitated after SP MLA Azam Khan and BJP MLA Vikram Singh Saini were disqualified following their conviction in separate cases.

    While Khan was disqualified after a court awarded him three-year imprisonment in a 2019 hate speech case, Saini lost his membership of the assembly after his conviction in a 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots case.

    The outcomes of the bypolls will not have any impact on the central or the state governments as the BJP enjoys a comfortable majority at both levels.

    However, a win would provide a psychological advantage ahead of the 2024 general elections.

    There are six candidates in the fray in Mainpuri, 14 candidates in Khatauli and 10 in Rampur Sadar, according to the Election Commission.

    In Mainpuri, Mulayam Singh Yadav’s elder daughter-in-law and SP president Akhilesh Yadav’s wife Dimple Yadav is pitted against BJP’s Raghuraj Singh Shakya.

    The BJP candidate, who was once a close associate of Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party chief and Akhilesh Yadav’s uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav, joined the saffron party ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls held earlier this year.

    The BJP has fielded Akash Saxena, who is the son of former party MLA Shiv Bahadur Saxena, in Rampur Sadar against senior SP leader Azam Khan’s protege Asim Raja.

    In Khatauli, the fight is between Vikram Singh Saini’s wife Rajkumari Saini and Madan Bhaiya from the RLD.

    Rajasthan’s Sardarshahar

    The Sardarshahar seat in Rajasthan was held by Congress MLA Bhanwar Lal Sharma (77) who passed away on October 9 after a prolonged illness.

    The Congress has fielded the late Sharma’s son Anil Kumar while former MLA Ashok Kumar is the BJP candidate.

    Eight other candidates are in the fray.

    “The polling has begun amid tight security arrangements,” a poll official said.

    Odisha’s Padampur

    The by-election to the Padampur seat in Odisha was necessitated by the death of BJD legislator Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha.

    Officials said elaborate security arrangements have been made for a free and fair voting.

    As many as 10 candidates are in the fray for the by-election.

    The bypoll assumes significance in the wake of the BJD’s loss in Dhamnagar, its first such defeat since 2009, with many in political circles claiming that the result would also indicate if electoral scales were tilting against the Naveen Patnaik-led party ahead of 2024 state elections.

    The BJD has nominated from the seat the deceased MLA’s daughter, Barsha, who is set to take on BJP’s Pradip Purohit, a former MLA, and Congress candidate and three-time legislator Satya Bhusan Sahu, among others.

    Chhattisgarh’s Bhanupratappur

    The bypoll to Bhanupratappur seat, reserved for Scheduled Tribes, in the Maoist-hit Kanker was necessitated due to the death of Congress MLA and deputy speaker of the Assembly Manoj Singh Mandavi last month.

    As many as seven candidates are in the fray, though it is largely a direct contest between the ruling Congress and the BJP.

    The Congress has fielded Savitri Mandavi, the wife of the deceased MLA, while the BJP nominee is former MLA Brahmanand Netam.

    Sarva Adivasi Samaj, an umbrella body of tribal communities in Bastar, has also fielded former Indian Police Service Officer Akbar Ram Korram, who is contesting as an Independent. Korram retired as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police in 2020.

    Bihar’s Kurhani

    In the Kurhani assembly segment in Bihar, a total of 13 candidates are in the fray.

    The JD(U) is contesting the seat where the by-election has been necessitated by the disqualification of RJD MLA Anil Kumar Sahani.

    The success of JD(U) candidate Manoj Singh Kushwaha, a former MLA, will cement Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s position, while a loss may embolden his detractors.

    The counting of votes for the single parliamentary and six assembly seats will be held on December 8, coinciding with the ballot count for Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly elections.

  • UP: Azam Khan booked for ‘unborn kids’ remarks at Rampur bypoll campaign

    By Online Desk

    RAMPUR: The Uttar Pradesh police on Friday booked Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan over an alleged offensive remark made while campaigning for the bypoll election for the Rampur seat in Uttar Pradesh. A probe has been launched too.

    A woman named Shehnaaz Begum submitted to the police an audio file of the public meeting at Shuta Khana.

    According to the complainant, Azam Khan had in the meeting said, “I was a minister in the last four terms of the SP government and if I would have used the power like this then unborn kids would ask their mothers if they had my permission to take birth.”

    Based on the woman’s complaint, the Ganj police have booked Khan under Section 394(b), 354 A, 353 (A), 504, 505 (2), 509 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act.

    Azam Khan allegedly made the statement while campaigning in support of the SP candidate Asim Raja in the upcoming bypolls of the Rampur Assembly Seat.

    Several women offended by Khan’s statement had lodged a complaint against him with the recorded audio, police said.

    ALSO READ | You will neither become CM, nor be able to make anyone CM: Keshav Maurya to Akhilesh Yadav

    SP chief Akhilesh Yadav who was campaigning along with Azam Khan said, “You get us this seat and you will see that in 2024, the BJP will not be able to save its government.

    ” “This election is not of Rampur alone.

    It is the election to bring the (SP) back in power (in future).

    This is the election for the injustices meted out to Azam Khan.

    “There is SP on one side and on the other side there are those who do injustice, humiliate and lodge fake cases,” he said.

    Rampur will go to polls on December 5 along with Mainpuri, a seat which fell vacant after SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav died on October 10.

    The Rampur Assembly seat had fell vacant after the Rampur District Court sentenced Azam Khan to three years in prison in a 2019 hate speech case over his comments against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He was later granted bail and given a week’s time to appeal against the sentence.

    He eventually lost his Assembly membership since his prison term was longer than two years.

    Azam Khan began his political career by winning the 1980 assembly election on Janata Party (Secular) ticket from Rampur. He has served as a minister in both Akhilesh Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav governments.

    (With ANI inputs)

    RAMPUR: The Uttar Pradesh police on Friday booked Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan over an alleged offensive remark made while campaigning for the bypoll election for the Rampur seat in Uttar Pradesh. A probe has been launched too.

    A woman named Shehnaaz Begum submitted to the police an audio file of the public meeting at Shuta Khana.

    According to the complainant, Azam Khan had in the meeting said, “I was a minister in the last four terms of the SP government and if I would have used the power like this then unborn kids would ask their mothers if they had my permission to take birth.”

    Based on the woman’s complaint, the Ganj police have booked Khan under Section 394(b), 354 A, 353 (A), 504, 505 (2), 509 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act.

    Azam Khan allegedly made the statement while campaigning in support of the SP candidate Asim Raja in the upcoming bypolls of the Rampur Assembly Seat.

    Several women offended by Khan’s statement had lodged a complaint against him with the recorded audio, police said.

    ALSO READ | You will neither become CM, nor be able to make anyone CM: Keshav Maurya to Akhilesh Yadav

    SP chief Akhilesh Yadav who was campaigning along with Azam Khan said, “You get us this seat and you will see that in 2024, the BJP will not be able to save its government.

    ” “This election is not of Rampur alone.

    It is the election to bring the (SP) back in power (in future).

    This is the election for the injustices meted out to Azam Khan.

    “There is SP on one side and on the other side there are those who do injustice, humiliate and lodge fake cases,” he said.

    Rampur will go to polls on December 5 along with Mainpuri, a seat which fell vacant after SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav died on October 10.

    The Rampur Assembly seat had fell vacant after the Rampur District Court sentenced Azam Khan to three years in prison in a 2019 hate speech case over his comments against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He was later granted bail and given a week’s time to appeal against the sentence.

    He eventually lost his Assembly membership since his prison term was longer than two years.

    Azam Khan began his political career by winning the 1980 assembly election on Janata Party (Secular) ticket from Rampur. He has served as a minister in both Akhilesh Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav governments.

    (With ANI inputs)

  • At least six members of family killed in a fire in UP’s Firozabad

    By PTI

    FIROZABAD (UP): At least six members of a family were killed and three injured on Tuesday after a fire broke out in their electronics-cum-furniture shop on the ground floor of the building they lived in, police said.

    Prima facie, it appears that a short circuit led to the fire, gutting not only the shop but also the owners’ house on the first floor, they said.

    Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the loss of lives and directed officials to provide a relief of Rs 2 lakh to the kin of the deceased, the government said.

    Of the six dead, three were children, Senior Superintendent of Police Ashish Tiwari said.

    He said 18 fire brigade vehicles from Agra, Mainpuri, Etah and Firozabad, and personnel from 12 police stations were involved in the rescue operation, which lasted for almost two-and-half hours.

    “Since the area is congested, the rescuers had to put in extra efforts,” the SSP said.

    “We are still trying to ascertain that no one is trapped inside. The rescue operations are on,” he added.

    FIROZABAD (UP): At least six members of a family were killed and three injured on Tuesday after a fire broke out in their electronics-cum-furniture shop on the ground floor of the building they lived in, police said.

    Prima facie, it appears that a short circuit led to the fire, gutting not only the shop but also the owners’ house on the first floor, they said.

    Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the loss of lives and directed officials to provide a relief of Rs 2 lakh to the kin of the deceased, the government said.

    Of the six dead, three were children, Senior Superintendent of Police Ashish Tiwari said.

    He said 18 fire brigade vehicles from Agra, Mainpuri, Etah and Firozabad, and personnel from 12 police stations were involved in the rescue operation, which lasted for almost two-and-half hours.

    “Since the area is congested, the rescuers had to put in extra efforts,” the SSP said.

    “We are still trying to ascertain that no one is trapped inside. The rescue operations are on,” he added.

  • UP CM Yogi, cabinet colleagues to embark upon overseas tours from Nov 18

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: UP CM Yogi Adityanath is all set to embark on an overseas tour along with his cabinet colleagues, including both the deputy CMs, to hold roadshows in 26 cities across 20 countries in the run-up to the ‘UP Global Investors Summit’ proposed to take place on February 10-12, 2023.The state government has set a target of attracting an investment of around Rs 10 lakh crore during the global summit. As per the sources, CM Yogi, Deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak and other ministers will commence their tours abroad on November 18 which will continue till the third week of December.In the US, all the 10 delegations of ministers would visit New York, Dallas, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. In the United Kingdom, they would visit London, Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United ArabEmirates, Eindhoven in the Netherlands and Paris in France.The delegations further their tour to Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver in Canada, Rio De Janeiro in Brazil, Mexico City in Mexico, Buenos Aires in Argentina, Munich in Germany and Brussels in Belgium. Moreover, Sweden (Stockholm), Japan (Tokyo), South Korea (Seoul), Singapore, Thailand (Bangkok), Australia (Sydney), Mauritius (Port Louis), South Africa (Johannesburg) and Israel (Tel Aviv) are also on the list.Sources claimed that CM Yogi would visit London, New York, Dallas, Chicago and San Francisco, to hold road shows. However, his dates are being finalised keeping in mind his proposed campaign trail in Gujarat.About 16 ministers will either lead or accompany the various delegations. Finance minister Suresh Khanna is likely to be accompanied by the ministers. MSME Rakesh Sachan will leave for Dubai and Abu Dhabi and will remain there from December 1 to 5.Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya will lead delegations for Eindhoven (Netherlands) and Paris (France) from November 29 to December 5. Minister for information technology Yogesh Upadhyay is likely to accompany Maurya’s delegation.Uttar Pradesh assembly speaker Satish Mahana will lead a delegation to Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver (Canada) and Los Angeles (USA) from November 28 to December 5. Minister for animal husbandry Dharampal Singh will accompany this delegation. It will focus on investment in food processing, defence and aerospace, pharmaceutical and medical equipment, energy, venture capital, retail and automobile sectors.The delegation led by Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak is likely to be in Mexico City (Mexico), Rio De Janeiro (Brazil) and Buenos Aires (Argentina) and focus on food processing, chemicals, logistics, retail, paper, construction and infrastructure. Minister for fisheries Sanjay Nishad will be part of this delegation.Minister for industrial development Nand Gopal Nandi, to be accompanied by PWD minister Jitin Prasada, would lead a delegation to Munich (Germany), Brussels (Belgium) and Stockholm (Sweden) from December 7 to 15. Technical education minister Ashish Patel, accompanied by tourism minister  Jaiveer Singh, will lead a delegation to Tokyo and Seoul from November 18 to 23.Jal Shakti minister Swatantra Dev Singh, likely to be accompanied by the minister for urban development Arvind Kumar Sharma, will leave on a tour to Singapore, Bangkok (Thailand) and Sydney (Australia) on December 16 till December 22 with a focus on investment in IT and electronics, infrastructure, agriculture and food processing, logistics, dairy, healthcare, education and tourism etc.Minister for industry Nand Gopal Nandi is likely to lead a delegation to be accompanied by the minister for labour Anil Rajbhar to Port Louis (Mauritius) and Johannesburg (South Africa) from December 15 to 20.Agriculture minister Surya Pratap Shahi, accompanied by the minister for child welfare and nutrition Baby Rani Maurya, will lead a delegation to Tel Aviv (Israel) from November 23.

    Moreover, officers of the chief minister’s secretariat and senior officers of additional chief secretary, principal secretary and secretary rank working in different departments will also accompany the delegations.

    LUCKNOW: UP CM Yogi Adityanath is all set to embark on an overseas tour along with his cabinet colleagues, including both the deputy CMs, to hold roadshows in 26 cities across 20 countries in the run-up to the ‘UP Global Investors Summit’ proposed to take place on February 10-12, 2023.
    The state government has set a target of attracting an investment of around Rs 10 lakh crore during the global summit. As per the sources, CM Yogi, Deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak and other ministers will commence their tours abroad on November 18 which will continue till the third week of December.
    In the US, all the 10 delegations of ministers would visit New York, Dallas, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. In the United Kingdom, they would visit London, Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab
    Emirates, Eindhoven in the Netherlands and Paris in France.
    The delegations further their tour to Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver in Canada, Rio De Janeiro in Brazil, Mexico City in Mexico, Buenos Aires in Argentina, Munich in Germany and Brussels in Belgium. Moreover, Sweden (Stockholm), Japan (Tokyo), South Korea (Seoul), Singapore, Thailand (Bangkok), Australia (Sydney), Mauritius (Port Louis), South Africa (Johannesburg) and Israel (Tel Aviv) are also on the list.
    Sources claimed that CM Yogi would visit London, New York, Dallas, Chicago and San Francisco, to hold road shows. However, his dates are being finalised keeping in mind his proposed campaign trail in Gujarat.
    About 16 ministers will either lead or accompany the various delegations. Finance minister Suresh Khanna is likely to be accompanied by the ministers. MSME Rakesh Sachan will leave for Dubai and Abu Dhabi and will remain there from December 1 to 5.
    Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya will lead delegations for Eindhoven (Netherlands) and Paris (France) from November 29 to December 5. Minister for information technology Yogesh Upadhyay is likely to accompany Maurya’s delegation.
    Uttar Pradesh assembly speaker Satish Mahana will lead a delegation to Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver (Canada) and Los Angeles (USA) from November 28 to December 5. Minister for animal husbandry Dharampal Singh will accompany this delegation. It will focus on investment in food processing, defence and aerospace, pharmaceutical and medical equipment, energy, venture capital, retail and automobile sectors.
    The delegation led by Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak is likely to be in Mexico City (Mexico), Rio De Janeiro (Brazil) and Buenos Aires (Argentina) and focus on food processing, chemicals, logistics, retail, paper, construction and infrastructure. Minister for fisheries Sanjay Nishad will be part of this delegation.
    Minister for industrial development Nand Gopal Nandi, to be accompanied by PWD minister Jitin Prasada, would lead a delegation to Munich (Germany), Brussels (Belgium) and Stockholm (Sweden) from December 7 to 15. Technical education minister Ashish Patel, accompanied by tourism minister  Jaiveer Singh, will lead a delegation to Tokyo and Seoul from November 18 to 23.
    Jal Shakti minister Swatantra Dev Singh, likely to be accompanied by the minister for urban development Arvind Kumar Sharma, will leave on a tour to Singapore, Bangkok (Thailand) and Sydney (Australia) on December 16 till December 22 with a focus on investment in IT and electronics, infrastructure, agriculture and food processing, logistics, dairy, healthcare, education and tourism etc.
    Minister for industry Nand Gopal Nandi is likely to lead a delegation to be accompanied by the minister for labour Anil Rajbhar to Port Louis (Mauritius) and Johannesburg (South Africa) from December 15 to 20.
    Agriculture minister Surya Pratap Shahi, accompanied by the minister for child welfare and nutrition Baby Rani Maurya, will lead a delegation to Tel Aviv (Israel) from November 23.

    Moreover, officers of the chief minister’s secretariat and senior officers of additional chief secretary, principal secretary and secretary rank working in different departments will also accompany the delegations.

  • Court orders to proceed with framing charges against cops who handled rape case against Sengar

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: A special court has ordered to proceed with the matter of framing charges against three Uttar Pradesh policemen who initially handled the rape case against ex-BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in 2017 for failing to record allegations of the minor victim against the leader, officials said.

    The court recently rejected the petition of Kunwar Bahadur Singh, then posted as Circle Officer of Safipur in Unnao, seeking discharge from the case filed by the CBI.

    The case was lodged under Section 166A of the Indian Penal Code, for not recording the victim’s complaint that she was raped by Sengar on June 4, 2017, they said.

    Facing inaction even after her complaint to the Chief Minister’s Office remained unaddressed, the victim attempted to self-immolate in front of the chief minister’s residence in Lucknow on April 8, 2018, which snowballed into a major political issue in the state.

    Besides Singh, the court has also ordered to proceed with the case of framing of charges against D P Shukla, former SHO of Makhi Police Station and Digvijay Singh, sub-inspector, who were also charge-sheeted, they said.

    It is alleged that the victim in her application to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on August 17, 2017, had alleged that she was raped by Sengar on June 4 that year and later gang-raped by three other men on June 11, but the police did not take any action on her complaint.

    Her complaint was registered in Chief Minister’s grievance portal and forwarded to Kunwar Bahadur Singh for inquiry.

    The victim had appeared before Singh and admitted that she had made the complaint, the CBI inquiry showed.

    Singh had forwarded the complaint to DP Shukla who handed it over to Digvijay Singh who had conducted the inquiry.

    In the inquiry report submitted on August 24, 2017, Digvijay Singh said a case was already registered, referring to the incident on June 11, 2017, at Makhi Police Station in which a charge sheet has already been filed but it did not say anything about rape by Sengar June 4, 2017.

    “He further mentioned in the report that other allegations of the complainant are baseless and false and she is habitual of giving the applications,” the CBI has alleged.

    Sengar has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a special CBI court for raping the minor who had come to his house seeking employment on June 4, 2017.

    Based on the inquiry report submitted by Digvijay Singh, Kunwar Bahadur Singh also submitted his report on November 25, 2017, in which he mentioned details of the action by police in the incident of June 11, 2017, but nothing was mentioned of the June 4 incident, the court has noted.

    The CBI has alleged these officers being the public servants had neither properly enquired nor ensured proper enquiry of the allegations, particularly related to the complaint of rape against Sengar.

    Without giving specific findings in his report to senior officers, Kunwar Bahadur Singh termed the minor’s complaint against the then MLA “false and baseless”.

    This recommendation was not only made in reference to the case sent from the Chief Minister’s Office but also in previous complaints filed by the victim, mentioning both incidents of rape, before different authorities which were also marked to Kunwar Bahadur Singh, the CBI has alleged.

    The agency has alleged that the three officers did not perform their duties as per the statutory mandate in respect of the rape complaint against Sengar even after receipt of the “first information of cognizable offence and had failed to record the information being public servants” hence committed offence under IPC section 166A.

    Kunwar Bahadur Singh had filed an application before a special court here to discharge him from the proceedings as he was not responsible for the actions of his junior officers — D P Shukla and Digvijay Singh.

    “In the considered opinion of this court, there is ample material on record which prima facie discloses the commission of offence punishable u/s 166A IPC by the accused persons. Consequently, the plea on behalf of accused no. 1 (Kunwar Bahadur Singh) seeking discharge is declined,” the court held.

    The court also directed to proceed with the matter of framing of charge for the offence against all three.

    NEW DELHI: A special court has ordered to proceed with the matter of framing charges against three Uttar Pradesh policemen who initially handled the rape case against ex-BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in 2017 for failing to record allegations of the minor victim against the leader, officials said.

    The court recently rejected the petition of Kunwar Bahadur Singh, then posted as Circle Officer of Safipur in Unnao, seeking discharge from the case filed by the CBI.

    The case was lodged under Section 166A of the Indian Penal Code, for not recording the victim’s complaint that she was raped by Sengar on June 4, 2017, they said.

    Facing inaction even after her complaint to the Chief Minister’s Office remained unaddressed, the victim attempted to self-immolate in front of the chief minister’s residence in Lucknow on April 8, 2018, which snowballed into a major political issue in the state.

    Besides Singh, the court has also ordered to proceed with the case of framing of charges against D P Shukla, former SHO of Makhi Police Station and Digvijay Singh, sub-inspector, who were also charge-sheeted, they said.

    It is alleged that the victim in her application to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on August 17, 2017, had alleged that she was raped by Sengar on June 4 that year and later gang-raped by three other men on June 11, but the police did not take any action on her complaint.

    Her complaint was registered in Chief Minister’s grievance portal and forwarded to Kunwar Bahadur Singh for inquiry.

    The victim had appeared before Singh and admitted that she had made the complaint, the CBI inquiry showed.

    Singh had forwarded the complaint to DP Shukla who handed it over to Digvijay Singh who had conducted the inquiry.

    In the inquiry report submitted on August 24, 2017, Digvijay Singh said a case was already registered, referring to the incident on June 11, 2017, at Makhi Police Station in which a charge sheet has already been filed but it did not say anything about rape by Sengar June 4, 2017.

    “He further mentioned in the report that other allegations of the complainant are baseless and false and she is habitual of giving the applications,” the CBI has alleged.

    Sengar has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a special CBI court for raping the minor who had come to his house seeking employment on June 4, 2017.

    Based on the inquiry report submitted by Digvijay Singh, Kunwar Bahadur Singh also submitted his report on November 25, 2017, in which he mentioned details of the action by police in the incident of June 11, 2017, but nothing was mentioned of the June 4 incident, the court has noted.

    The CBI has alleged these officers being the public servants had neither properly enquired nor ensured proper enquiry of the allegations, particularly related to the complaint of rape against Sengar.

    Without giving specific findings in his report to senior officers, Kunwar Bahadur Singh termed the minor’s complaint against the then MLA “false and baseless”.

    This recommendation was not only made in reference to the case sent from the Chief Minister’s Office but also in previous complaints filed by the victim, mentioning both incidents of rape, before different authorities which were also marked to Kunwar Bahadur Singh, the CBI has alleged.

    The agency has alleged that the three officers did not perform their duties as per the statutory mandate in respect of the rape complaint against Sengar even after receipt of the “first information of cognizable offence and had failed to record the information being public servants” hence committed offence under IPC section 166A.

    Kunwar Bahadur Singh had filed an application before a special court here to discharge him from the proceedings as he was not responsible for the actions of his junior officers — D P Shukla and Digvijay Singh.

    “In the considered opinion of this court, there is ample material on record which prima facie discloses the commission of offence punishable u/s 166A IPC by the accused persons. Consequently, the plea on behalf of accused no. 1 (Kunwar Bahadur Singh) seeking discharge is declined,” the court held.

    The court also directed to proceed with the matter of framing of charge for the offence against all three.

  • Uttar Pradesh: Police notice to Yati Narsinghanand against holding ‘dharma sansad’ in Ghaziabad 

    By PTI

    Ghaziabad (UP) The Uttar Pradesh Police on Thursday issued a notice to Yati Narsinghanand, the priest of Ghaziabad’s Dasna Devi temple, instructing him not to organise a “dharma sansad” and a preparatory meeting for which permission has not been obtained from the district administration, a senior officer said.

    Narsinghanand, who often triggers controversy with his provocative remarks, has called the three-day “dharma sansad” beginning December 17, the birth anniversary of former BJP MP Baikunth Lal Sharma.

    A preparatory meeting has been called on December 6 to chalk out plans for the three-day event.

    Ghaziabad Superintendent of Police (Rural) Iraj Raja said, “Without permission, the police will not permit the three-day-long ‘dharma sansad’ which hundreds of seers are expected to attend. Also, providing security to them would be a tough task.”

    Furthermore, prohibitory orders under CrPC Section 144 have been enforced in the district in view of civic body elections, the police officer said.

    The police served notice on Narsinghanand on Thursday instructing him not to organise the “dharma sansad” and the preparatory meeting.

    In a press statement, the priest said, “Dharma Sansad will be held in the temple premises that is why no permission is required for it. And, it is not being held for the first time. We will organise it at any cost. If police and administration create hindrance, seers will lodge their protest.” 

    Ghaziabad (UP) The Uttar Pradesh Police on Thursday issued a notice to Yati Narsinghanand, the priest of Ghaziabad’s Dasna Devi temple, instructing him not to organise a “dharma sansad” and a preparatory meeting for which permission has not been obtained from the district administration, a senior officer said.

    Narsinghanand, who often triggers controversy with his provocative remarks, has called the three-day “dharma sansad” beginning December 17, the birth anniversary of former BJP MP Baikunth Lal Sharma.

    A preparatory meeting has been called on December 6 to chalk out plans for the three-day event.

    Ghaziabad Superintendent of Police (Rural) Iraj Raja said, “Without permission, the police will not permit the three-day-long ‘dharma sansad’ which hundreds of seers are expected to attend. Also, providing security to them would be a tough task.”

    Furthermore, prohibitory orders under CrPC Section 144 have been enforced in the district in view of civic body elections, the police officer said.

    The police served notice on Narsinghanand on Thursday instructing him not to organise the “dharma sansad” and the preparatory meeting.

    In a press statement, the priest said, “Dharma Sansad will be held in the temple premises that is why no permission is required for it. And, it is not being held for the first time. We will organise it at any cost. If police and administration create hindrance, seers will lodge their protest.” 

  • UP hospital video showing patient lying on floor with dog licking his blood goes viral

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: The claims of the UP government that there has been an improvement in the healthcare scenario fell flat when a video showing a man lying on the floor grievously injured with blood oozing out of his wounds and a dog licking the blood in the emergency ward of the Kushinagar district hospital went viral on social media platforms on Thursday.

    The man is shown lying on the floor of the emergency ward of the district hospital in an unconscious state with no one to tend to him.

    After the video clip went viral, the district authorities sacked six health workers, including two ward boys and two safai karmcharis, deployed at the hospital for failing to attend the patient.

    Kushinagar District Magistrate S Rajalingam said that the health workers held responsible for laxity were sacked and a further probe was on into the incident.

    Meanwhile, the patient was referred to the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur for treatment.

    ALSO READ | Dengue patient dies after being transfused with ‘fake plasma’ in UP’s Prayagraj; probe ordered

    The District Magistrate added that the incident had tarnished the image of the health department and in this case a report against the emergency medical officer (EMO) was sent to Lucknow.

    “Moreover, the accountability of the Chief Medical Superintendent of the hospital will also be fixed as the deputy CM Brajesh Pathak has taken the cognizance of the issue,” said the DM.

    Kushinagar CMO Satendra Kumar Verma claimed action will also be initiated against the doctors who failed to be with the patient.

    As per hospital records, the injured person was identified as Bittu, 24, of Jathan Bazar of Kushinagar district. He got injured in a road accident and was ferried to the district hospital in ambulance.

    Those who were sacked by the District Magistrate in connection with the failure to provide immediate treatment to the accident victim, included Staff Nurse Service Provider Sunil Kushwaha, adhoc NHM Ramashish Yadav, Ward Boy service provider Vijay Bahadur Kushwaha and Manharan Shukla, sweepers Arjun Kushwaha and Mukesh Kumar.

    The District Magistrate claimed that he had sent adverse report against Emergency Medical Officer along with two other doctors to the health department in Lucknow.

    LUCKNOW: The claims of the UP government that there has been an improvement in the healthcare scenario fell flat when a video showing a man lying on the floor grievously injured with blood oozing out of his wounds and a dog licking the blood in the emergency ward of the Kushinagar district hospital went viral on social media platforms on Thursday.

    The man is shown lying on the floor of the emergency ward of the district hospital in an unconscious state with no one to tend to him.

    After the video clip went viral, the district authorities sacked six health workers, including two ward boys and two safai karmcharis, deployed at the hospital for failing to attend the patient.

    Kushinagar District Magistrate S Rajalingam said that the health workers held responsible for laxity were sacked and a further probe was on into the incident.

    Meanwhile, the patient was referred to the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur for treatment.

    ALSO READ | Dengue patient dies after being transfused with ‘fake plasma’ in UP’s Prayagraj; probe ordered

    The District Magistrate added that the incident had tarnished the image of the health department and in this case a report against the emergency medical officer (EMO) was sent to Lucknow.

    “Moreover, the accountability of the Chief Medical Superintendent of the hospital will also be fixed as the deputy CM Brajesh Pathak has taken the cognizance of the issue,” said the DM.

    Kushinagar CMO Satendra Kumar Verma claimed action will also be initiated against the doctors who failed to be with the patient.

    As per hospital records, the injured person was identified as Bittu, 24, of Jathan Bazar of Kushinagar district. He got injured in a road accident and was ferried to the district hospital in ambulance.

    Those who were sacked by the District Magistrate in connection with the failure to provide immediate treatment to the accident victim, included Staff Nurse Service Provider Sunil Kushwaha, adhoc NHM Ramashish Yadav, Ward Boy service provider Vijay Bahadur Kushwaha and Manharan Shukla, sweepers Arjun Kushwaha and Mukesh Kumar.

    The District Magistrate claimed that he had sent adverse report against Emergency Medical Officer along with two other doctors to the health department in Lucknow.

  • Uttar Pradesh: With eye on Lok Sabha polls, BJP reaches out to Pasmanda Muslims 

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Aiming to win all 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP is sharpening its outreach among numerically strong Pasmanda Muslims, which have benefitted from government schemes like free ration and housing.

    The BJP, which following a state-level Pasmanda Muslim meet is planning to hold similar functions in all civic body areas, claims after social and economic empowerment of this section, it’s working for their political uplift.

    In Pasmanda Muslim meets, the BJP leaders are highlighting that the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress always used Muslims as a “vote bank” and did not give them their due.

    The BJP’s game plan to attract Pasmanda Muslims is visible since the start of the party’s second consecutive term in UP as it inducted Danish Azad Ansari, hailing from the community, as the sole Muslim minister in the state cabinet.

    Ansari told PTI, “Central and state governments have done economic and social empowerment of Muslims so far. The BJP now wants political empowerment of Muslims by ensuring their participation.”

    The common Muslims are getting benefits of government schemes like free ration and housing without discrimination and it is their moral responsibility to stand with them, he said.

    The president of the Uttar Pradesh BJP’s minority wing, Kunwar Basit Ali, said, “This time strong and trusted Muslim BJP workers will be given tickets in the urban local bodies from places where we have never won elections and where the BJP has never contested.”

    “We have planned that people from different fraternities of Pasmanda Muslim will hold conferences in their societies and BJP leaders will participate in these to convey to them party’s ideology and government’s plans,” Ali said.

    “The BJP government has done as much as it could for the Pasmanda Muslims. Now, it has to take it from them,” he said.

    “The government has given benefits of its schemes to 4. 5 crore Muslims in UP, they have been made a minister, head of minority commission, president of Urdu Academy, 80 per cent share to Pasmanda Muslims in various commissions and morchas of the government,” he said.

    Asked about the change of attitude towards Muslims, Ali said, “Most benefits of the government’s schemes have also been given to Muslims.”

    In Uttar Pradesh, 85 per cent of the Muslim population belongs to the Pasmanda community. The Pasmanda community has 41 castes, including Ansari, Qureshi, Mansoori, Salmani and Siddiqui.

    This class is considered to be the most backward in social, economic and political terms. Muslim voters hold influence in 72 assembly and 14 Lok Sabha constituencies of Uttar Pradesh.

    Given the number of Pasmanda Muslims, if a party gets the support of this section, it can make a difference in the results.

    According to the CSDS-Lokniti survey, eight per cent Muslim voters had voted for the BJP in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections held earlier this year, which was one per cent more than the 2017 figure.

    The BJP snatched SP bastions of Azamgarh and Rampur, having strong presence of Muslim voters, in the byelections recently, giving it a new confidence to make inroads among the minority community members.

    Meanwhile, the BJP’s attempt to bring the Pasmanda Muslims into its fold has been termed as futile by the opposition.

    SP MP from Sambhal, Shafiqur Rahman Barq, questioned why the BJP, which is spreading communal hatred in the country, has suddenly started liking the Muslims. The whole matter is about the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he said.

    “No matter how hard BJP tries, no true Muslim will vote for it,” he said.

    Uttar Pradesh Congress leader Shahnawaz Alam took a jibe at the BJP’s efforts, saying “After BJP governments’ stand on hijab and other traditions associated with Muslims, they are not going to get their votes.”

    He said the BJP is claiming that it has provided benefits of government schemes to the Pasmanda Muslims but the ground reality is different.

    The BJP government snatched the livelihood of the Qureshi community coming from the Pasmanda section. Apart from this, the plight of weavers is not hidden from anyone, the Congress leader said.

    However, the state president of the All-India Pasmanda Muslim Mahaj, Wasim Raini, accused the SP, BSP and the Congress of always betraying the Pasmanda Muslims.

    “If Pasmandas are getting some relief from somewhere, then shouldn’t they go there,” Raini asked.

    LUCKNOW: Aiming to win all 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP is sharpening its outreach among numerically strong Pasmanda Muslims, which have benefitted from government schemes like free ration and housing.

    The BJP, which following a state-level Pasmanda Muslim meet is planning to hold similar functions in all civic body areas, claims after social and economic empowerment of this section, it’s working for their political uplift.

    In Pasmanda Muslim meets, the BJP leaders are highlighting that the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress always used Muslims as a “vote bank” and did not give them their due.

    The BJP’s game plan to attract Pasmanda Muslims is visible since the start of the party’s second consecutive term in UP as it inducted Danish Azad Ansari, hailing from the community, as the sole Muslim minister in the state cabinet.

    Ansari told PTI, “Central and state governments have done economic and social empowerment of Muslims so far. The BJP now wants political empowerment of Muslims by ensuring their participation.”

    The common Muslims are getting benefits of government schemes like free ration and housing without discrimination and it is their moral responsibility to stand with them, he said.

    The president of the Uttar Pradesh BJP’s minority wing, Kunwar Basit Ali, said, “This time strong and trusted Muslim BJP workers will be given tickets in the urban local bodies from places where we have never won elections and where the BJP has never contested.”

    “We have planned that people from different fraternities of Pasmanda Muslim will hold conferences in their societies and BJP leaders will participate in these to convey to them party’s ideology and government’s plans,” Ali said.

    “The BJP government has done as much as it could for the Pasmanda Muslims. Now, it has to take it from them,” he said.

    “The government has given benefits of its schemes to 4. 5 crore Muslims in UP, they have been made a minister, head of minority commission, president of Urdu Academy, 80 per cent share to Pasmanda Muslims in various commissions and morchas of the government,” he said.

    Asked about the change of attitude towards Muslims, Ali said, “Most benefits of the government’s schemes have also been given to Muslims.”

    In Uttar Pradesh, 85 per cent of the Muslim population belongs to the Pasmanda community. The Pasmanda community has 41 castes, including Ansari, Qureshi, Mansoori, Salmani and Siddiqui.

    This class is considered to be the most backward in social, economic and political terms. Muslim voters hold influence in 72 assembly and 14 Lok Sabha constituencies of Uttar Pradesh.

    Given the number of Pasmanda Muslims, if a party gets the support of this section, it can make a difference in the results.

    According to the CSDS-Lokniti survey, eight per cent Muslim voters had voted for the BJP in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections held earlier this year, which was one per cent more than the 2017 figure.

    The BJP snatched SP bastions of Azamgarh and Rampur, having strong presence of Muslim voters, in the byelections recently, giving it a new confidence to make inroads among the minority community members.

    Meanwhile, the BJP’s attempt to bring the Pasmanda Muslims into its fold has been termed as futile by the opposition.

    SP MP from Sambhal, Shafiqur Rahman Barq, questioned why the BJP, which is spreading communal hatred in the country, has suddenly started liking the Muslims. The whole matter is about the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he said.

    “No matter how hard BJP tries, no true Muslim will vote for it,” he said.

    Uttar Pradesh Congress leader Shahnawaz Alam took a jibe at the BJP’s efforts, saying “After BJP governments’ stand on hijab and other traditions associated with Muslims, they are not going to get their votes.”

    He said the BJP is claiming that it has provided benefits of government schemes to the Pasmanda Muslims but the ground reality is different.

    The BJP government snatched the livelihood of the Qureshi community coming from the Pasmanda section. Apart from this, the plight of weavers is not hidden from anyone, the Congress leader said.

    However, the state president of the All-India Pasmanda Muslim Mahaj, Wasim Raini, accused the SP, BSP and the Congress of always betraying the Pasmanda Muslims.

    “If Pasmandas are getting some relief from somewhere, then shouldn’t they go there,” Raini asked.

  • Dengue patient dies after being transfused with ‘fake plasma’ in UP’s Prayagraj; probe ordered

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: Leaving the state’s healthcare authorities red-faced, an incident of death of a dengue patient came to the fore at a private hospital on Prayagraj wherein the patient died after he was allegedly transfused with fake plasma following the rapid decline in his platelet count on Wednesday. 

    The incident, that would put humanity to shame, was reported at a private hospital in Bamrauli locality of Sangam city where sand contractor Pradeep Pandey died after he was transfused with a ‘plasma-like’ substance but much ‘watery’ as compared to plasma.

    The local sources, however, claimed that the doctors allegedly transfused the patient with ‘Musami (orange) juice’ which led to the patient’s blood clotting in the veins and his subsequent death.

    UP Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who is also the minister for healthcare and medical education, said that a team under the Prayagraj CMO was set up to probe into the issue and a test report was expected soon.

    “Strict action will be taken against those found guilty in the case and no one will be spared,” he said.

    On the other, Saurabh Tripathi, the brother-in-law of the deceased, claimed that when he reported the matter at George Town police station, his complaint was not registered.

    The local sources said that the victim’s family had procured platelets at the rate of Rs 5000 per unit and the pouches were having the logo of Swaroop Rani Nehru (SRN) Medical College.

    After the transfusion of three units, the condition of the patient further deteriorated following which the relatives took him to another hospital in the George Town area. The doctors, after conducting the tests, claimed that the veins of the patient had ruptured and the blood had clotted. Ultimately, Pradeep Pandey lost the battle in George Town hospital.

    Saurabh Tripathi claimed that he still had a unit of plasma that was given to Pandey and that it was very dilute as compared to the usual density of the plasma.

    “I will get it tested,” said Saurabh. 

    After the issue came to the fore, the district police detained two persons for questioning and Allahabad Nursing Home Association (ANHA) issued an advisory asking the patients to approach only registered doctors. 

    “In the wake of the rising number of dengue patients, it is advisable that the platelets should not be bought from any place but blood banks personally instead of depending on middle men as such irregularities can’t happen in blood banks,” said Dr Sushil Sinha, president ANHA.

    However, Dr Vatsala Mishra, head, pathology department of SRN Medial College, said that the ‘fake platelets’ were not issued by the medical college. “Anyone can use medical college’s logo to make the substance look authentic. We are ready to cooperate in the probe. Someone took the victim’s family for a ride by providing it fake plasma,” said Dr Mishra. 

    Meanwhile, IG Prayagraj Range, Rakesh Singh said that investigation team was set up to look into reports of fake plasma being supplied to dengue patients. 

    Some suspects detained. Few days ago, a fake blood bank was also busted. “It is yet to be clear whether it was ‘mausami’ juice which was supplied to the victim’s family,” said the IG.

    LUCKNOW: Leaving the state’s healthcare authorities red-faced, an incident of death of a dengue patient came to the fore at a private hospital on Prayagraj wherein the patient died after he was allegedly transfused with fake plasma following the rapid decline in his platelet count on Wednesday. 

    The incident, that would put humanity to shame, was reported at a private hospital in Bamrauli locality of Sangam city where sand contractor Pradeep Pandey died after he was transfused with a ‘plasma-like’ substance but much ‘watery’ as compared to plasma.

    The local sources, however, claimed that the doctors allegedly transfused the patient with ‘Musami (orange) juice’ which led to the patient’s blood clotting in the veins and his subsequent death.

    UP Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who is also the minister for healthcare and medical education, said that a team under the Prayagraj CMO was set up to probe into the issue and a test report was expected soon.

    “Strict action will be taken against those found guilty in the case and no one will be spared,” he said.

    On the other, Saurabh Tripathi, the brother-in-law of the deceased, claimed that when he reported the matter at George Town police station, his complaint was not registered.

    The local sources said that the victim’s family had procured platelets at the rate of Rs 5000 per unit and the pouches were having the logo of Swaroop Rani Nehru (SRN) Medical College.

    After the transfusion of three units, the condition of the patient further deteriorated following which the relatives took him to another hospital in the George Town area. The doctors, after conducting the tests, claimed that the veins of the patient had ruptured and the blood had clotted. Ultimately, Pradeep Pandey lost the battle in George Town hospital.

    Saurabh Tripathi claimed that he still had a unit of plasma that was given to Pandey and that it was very dilute as compared to the usual density of the plasma.

    “I will get it tested,” said Saurabh. 

    After the issue came to the fore, the district police detained two persons for questioning and Allahabad Nursing Home Association (ANHA) issued an advisory asking the patients to approach only registered doctors. 

    “In the wake of the rising number of dengue patients, it is advisable that the platelets should not be bought from any place but blood banks personally instead of depending on middle men as such irregularities can’t happen in blood banks,” said Dr Sushil Sinha, president ANHA.

    However, Dr Vatsala Mishra, head, pathology department of SRN Medial College, said that the ‘fake platelets’ were not issued by the medical college. “Anyone can use medical college’s logo to make the substance look authentic. We are ready to cooperate in the probe. Someone took the victim’s family for a ride by providing it fake plasma,” said Dr Mishra. 

    Meanwhile, IG Prayagraj Range, Rakesh Singh said that investigation team was set up to look into reports of fake plasma being supplied to dengue patients. 

    Some suspects detained. Few days ago, a fake blood bank was also busted. “It is yet to be clear whether it was ‘mausami’ juice which was supplied to the victim’s family,” said the IG.