Jai Ram Thakur takes oath as Himachal CM (Lead)
Shimla, Jai Ram Thakur on Wednesday was sworn in as the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister at a ceremony here attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah, among others.
Governor Acharya Devvrat administered the oath of office and secrecy to Thakur, who will turn 53 on January 6. This will be his maiden term as Chief Minister.
The swearing-in ceremony at the historic Ridge saw the presence of Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, J.P. Nadda and Nitin Gadkari, besides the Chief Ministers of various BJP-ruled states in attendance, along with more than 30,000 party supporters from across the state, mostly dressed in traditional attire.
BJP veteran L.K. Advani was also present. Five-time legislator Thakur, who rose through the ranks and is known for his humble, clean and low-profile nature, took the oath in Hindi.
During the oath taking ceremony he did not wear the trademark maroon flap cap of the BJP, which the former two-time Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal usually wore. Dhumal was defeated in this election.
Thakur's family members, including his 80-year-old widowed mother, who belongs to a remote village in Mandi district, attended the ceremony.
"This is the victory of the common man," Thakur's wife Sadhna Thakur, who is doctor by profession, said before the oath taking ceremony.
The 12-member cabinet, comprising Thakur, has six former ministers and equal number of first-time ministers, a blend of experienced and new faces.
The others who took oath were former Cabinet Ministers Mohinder Singh, Kishan Kapoor, Sarveen Chaudhary and Anil Sharma, former Minister Ram Lal Markanday and new faces Suresh Bhardwaj, Vipin Singh Parmar, Virender Kanwar, Vikram Thakur, Gobind Thakur and Rajeev Sahjal.
Sarveen Chaudhary is the lone woman minister in the cabinet.
All the Ministers took the oath in Hindi, except Bhardwaj and Gobind Thakur, who took the oath in Sanskrit.
Senior legislators and former Cabinet Minister Rajeev Bindal, Narender Bragta and Ramesh Dhawala did not find place in the cabinet.
The BJP last week won a majority with 44 seats in the 68-member state assembly.
Outgoing Congress Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his erstwhile cabinet colleagues were conspicuously absent from the ceremony.
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Telangana teen dies by suicide after losing Rs 1 lakh in online betting
Hyderabad: An 18-year-old youth from Telangana’s Sangareddy district died by suicide after allegedly losing Rs 1 lakh on an online betting application, police said.
According to report published by NDTV on Friday, the deceased, identified as Vikram, was a resident of the Kandukur area. According to police, he consumed insecticide after suffering heavy financial losses through online betting. Vikram's family saw him taking the extreme step and rushed him to a hospital, where he died while undergoing treatment. The police have registered a case.
This is not an isolated case. Just a few weeks ago, a taxi driver in Hyderabad died by suicide after accumulating massive debts due to online betting apps.
The victim, Paladugu Sai (24) from Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district, had reportedly been addicted to betting for nearly two years. He borrowed money from friends, relatives and banks, and was facing debts of around Rs 15 lakh at the time of his death. He too consumed pesticide and died during treatment.
Meanwhile, another similar case was reported from Madhya Pradesh recently. A 32-year-old civil contractor allegedly died by suicide in his house in Bhopal last week after losing nearly Rs 30 lakh in an online game. Police recovered a note from his house stating that he had taken loans to play an online game called Aviator. A case has been registered in that matter as well.
Police and experts have repeatedly warned about the rising menace of online betting and gaming platforms, urging people especially youth to stay away from such activities and seek help in case of addiction or financial distress.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the state’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416.)
