Veteran actor Manoj Mitra dies at 86
Kolkata (PTI): Famous Bengali theatre personality Manoj Mitra, known for writing and directing farces and fantasies to highlight social and political issues, died on Tuesday in a hospital here due to old-age related ailments, family sources said.
Mitra was 86.
According to a doctor, Mitra breathed his last at around 8.50 am on Tuesday.
"He was admitted to the hospital on November 3 with several illnesses. His condition kept on deteriorating and today at around 8.50 am he left us," the doctor told PTI.
The octogenarian was earlier admitted to hospital on September 20 with breathing issues, imbalance of sodium and potassium among other health-related issues, doctors said. He was discharged from the hospital on September end.
Famous for his stellar performance in Tapan Sinha's film 'Banchharamer Bagan', Mitra has also acted in the legendary director Satyajit Ray's classics such as 'Ghare Baire' and 'Ganashatru'. Bancharamer Bagan was based on Mitra's play 'Sajano Bagaan'.
Known for his comedy and antagonist roles, Mitra has also acted in films of Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Basu Chatterjee, Tarun Majumdar, Shakti Samanta and Goutam Ghose.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Siddaramaiah defends BPL ration card cancellation, says only ineligible beneficiaries affected
New Delhi, Nov 21: In a strong defence of the Karnataka government's move to cancel ration cards, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday clarified that only government employees and income tax payers are being weeded out from the Below Poverty Line (BPL) list, not eligible poor beneficiaries.
Talking to reporters, Siddaramaiah asserted that the cancellation is in line with the National Food Security Act, which explicitly bars government employees and income tax payers from receiving BPL ration cards.
He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of raising a politically motivated issue despite originally opposing the food security legislation.
"The rights of eligible ration card holders will be fully protected," the chief minister emphasised, dismissing opposition claims that the move was linked to fund constraints for implementing poll promises.
ALSO READ: Karnataka to reissue BPL cards for eligible families: Deputy CM DK Shivakumar
The controversy stems from the Karnataka government's recent survey identifying 22.63 lakh BPL card-holders as ineligible. This move has triggered a political slugfest between the ruling Congress and the BJP.
Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi claimed the central government had directed the state to clean the beneficiary lists. He alleged that the card cancellation was a strategy to avoid implementing the state's Gruha Lakshmi Yojana scheme.
Siddaramaiah hit back, reminding that the food security law was introduced during the Manmohan Singh government in 2013 to protect poor citizens' interests. He criticised the BJP for previously reducing food grain allocation from seven kg to five kg per beneficiary during B S Yediyurappa's tenure.
The chief minister categorically stated that there would be no compromise on the five poll guarantees and that sufficient funds were available for their implementation.
Siddaramaiah was in the national capital for the launch of Karnataka Cooperative Milk Producers' Federation Ltd's Nandini brands in Delhi. He also met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on the issue of farm loan.
