Certain misunderstandings, actions of vested interests led deaths in Manipur: CM Biren Singh
Imphal (PTI): Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday said certain misunderstandings, actions of vested interests and foreign plot to destabilise the country has led to loss of precious lives and properties in the state.
Singh said this after hoisting the national flag at the 1st Manipur Rifles parade ground here on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day function. The Independence Day celebration was held in all hill and valley districts of the state.
He urged all to stop the violence and bring back the rapid progress the state had witnessed earlier.
"Certain misunderstandings, actions of vested interests and foreign plot to de-stabilise the country has led to loss of precious lives and properties and many are living in relief camps," the CM said.
The government is working consistently to bring back normalcy and the affected people will be resettled soon, Singh said, adding that those who cannot be shifted to the original places immediately will be shifted temporarily to pre-fabricated houses which are under construction.
"To err is human so we must learn to forgive and forget", he said.
The CM said a committee has been constituted to provide a project of "one family one livelihood" and rehabilitate the people.
"The government has never done anything against the provisions of the Constitution and will never ever do such as act," he said.
Singh said the war on drugs is not targeted at any particular community or persons but was an effort by the government to save the nation and the future generation from the menace of drug abuse.
"The war on drugs was initiated during the last part of 2018 as drugs were having a huge impact on the state with over 1 lakh drug users among the population", he said.
"Since 2017, the BJP government has been working consistently for the welfare of the state by understanding the pulse of the people and there was no form of conflict, bandh and blockade for the last six years," the CM said, adding "more funds were added to the budgets to bring development at far off villages in the state,"
Singh said the government could not remain a mute spectator to the widespread deforestation for poppy cultivation and resolved to annihilate drugs in the state.
"Manipur is the gatekeeper of the country against the illicit trafficking of drugs and narcotics from Golden Triangle and the state is guarding the country's youth population from drugs," he said.
The CM said deforestation has affected climatic conditions in the state and the distribution of salt and fertilizers for poppy cultivation has affected the water resources of the state.
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Private bus operators in Karnataka to hike fares by 20-30 pc after fuel price rise
Bengaluru (PTI): In the wake of the hike in fuel prices, private bus operators have decided to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, effective from Friday midnight.
They have also called for government subsidies, a reduction in cess, and lower road taxes to improve the situation.
"The situation for bus owners in the state is already distressing due to high road tax and the impact of the Shakti scheme (free bus travel for women in government buses). On top of this, fuel prices have increased," Karnataka State Bus Owners’ Association President S Nataraj Sharma said.
"This will impose a burden of Rs 15,000 per vehicle per month on bus owners. If an owner has three buses, the burden will be Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,000 per month," he added.
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Speaking to reporters, he said the situation has made it inevitable for owners to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, under current conditions.
The increase may be roughly Rs 200 per seat, he added.
"For example, the current bus fare from Bengaluru to Belagavi is around Rs 1,000–Rs 1,200, which is likely to rise to Rs 1,350–Rs 1,400. Similarly, fares from Bengaluru to Mangaluru or Udupi currently range from Rs 900–Rs 1,000 and are expected to go up to Rs 1,100–Rs 1,200," he said.
Petrol and diesel prices were each hiked by Rs 3 per litre on Friday, the first rate increase in more than four years, amid mounting losses for fuel retailers due to surging global crude prices in the wake of the West Asia conflict.
The increase comes a couple of weeks after the Assembly elections concluded in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry.
