Mamata paints 'SIR' and 'Vanish' at dharna stage, turns to art to protest voter roll revision
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday turned to 'art' as a symbolic form of protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, painting the words "SIR" and "Vanish" on the fifth day of her sit-in demonstration, alleging deletion of genuine voters.
At the dharna stage at Metro Channel in central Kolkata, Banerjee was seen drawing with pastel colours on a canvas with a green background placed on a stand. On top of the canvas, she wrote "SIR", while she inscribed the word "Vanish" in white in the middle.
The canvas had several small irregular circles and a larger outline resembling some kind of a map, gradually whitewashing portions of the green canvas, apparently symbolising voters being erased from the electoral rolls.
The chief minister was engaged in the drawing while Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was addressing a press conference in the city.
Banerjee has been staging the sit-in since March 6 to protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) carried out by the Election Commission of India, alleging that the exercise has led to large-scale deletion of genuine voters in the state ahead of the Assembly polls likely to be held in April.
The ruling All India Trinamool Congress said that the chief minister used 'art' at the protest site to express resistance against what it described as "anti-Bengal forces" and to highlight opposition to the “flawed” revision exercise.
Several supporters also used art in front of the dharna stage to express their protest.
In the past, Banerjee has also referred to the CEC as "Vanish Kumar" while criticising the poll panel's actions. However, she did not make any direct comment about the poll body chief during Tuesday's protest.
Over the past few days, the Trinamool Congress supremo has repeatedly accused the Election Commission of India of "dancing to the tunes of the BJP" and attempting to disenfranchise legitimate voters in the state, an allegation rejected by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.
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Rajnath Singh chairs IGoM meet, urges constant vigil over West Asia crisis
New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday emphasised the need for round-the-clock monitoring of the West Asia conflict and called for a calibrated response to deal with any eventuality to ensure that national interests remain protected.
Singh made the comments while chairing a high-level meeting of the Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM) set-up to monitor the situation in West Asia.
The meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Power Minister Manohar Lal, Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister J P Nadda, Consumer Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi and Minister of Railways, Information and Broadcasting, Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw.
In view of the "uncertain situation", the defence minister underlined the importance of round-the-clock monitoring of the situation and the need to respond in a calibrated manner to deal with any eventuality, an official readout said.
He stressed on the need to leave no stone unturned to ensure that the people of the country face the minimum effect of the conflict, it said.
It was the second meeting of the IGoM after it was set up last month.
The IGoM was apprised of the measures being taken by the government in the wake of the ongoing West Asia conflict, Singh said on social media.
"We also deliberated upon the next steps to be taken by the government to mitigate any adverse impact arising due to the ongoing conflict," he said.
The defence ministry said in the readout said, "In the meeting, the seven empowered groups of secretaries briefed the IGoM on the steps being taken to tackle the situation."
"The IGoM was apprised about measures undertaken by the Ministry of Finance to address concerns arising due to global trade disruptions and provide relief and support to the industry, especially manufacturing, and bolster investor confidence," it said.
It listed measures including notification issued on Wednesday on full customs duty exemption on 40 critical petrochemical products till June 30.
The ministry also mentioned announcement of a special one-time relief measure for eligible units in SEZs to sell manufactured goods in Domestic Tariff Area (DTA) at concessional customs duty rates to be effective from April 1 to March 31.
It also noted another notification issued by the Department of Revenue clarifying that the provisions of GAAR (General Anti Avoidance Rules) will not be invoked in respect of investments made prior to April 1, 2017.
"These measures will reduce cost pressures on downstream sectors including textiles, packaging and pharmaceuticals, facilitate supply stability in the country and provide requisite clarity for investors contemplating investments in India," the readout said.
Defence Minister Singh appreciated the government's decision to impose a 25 per cent cap on the monthly increase in aviation turbine fuel prices for domestic operations, with effect from April 1.
This step will help protect the people from sudden increase in fares, he said.
The government has accorded highest priority to domestic LPG supply, with refinery production enhanced to fully meet consumption requirements, according to the readout.
"The IGoM was informed that there have been no reports of dry-out at LPG distributorships, and delivery of domestic LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) cylinders continues as per the normal schedule. The temporary supply concerns arose due to instances of hoarding and black marketing, which triggered panic buying in certain areas," it said.
The ministers were informed that strict enforcement action is being undertaken, with raids being carried out across multiple states and Union territories to curb hoarding and black marketing of LPG, the ministry said in the readout.
Action has also been taken against some LPG distributors who engaged in malpractices, it said.
"To support migrant labour and low-consumption households, the government is ensuring adequate availability of 5 kg free trade LPG cylinders, and since March 23, over 4.3 lakh such cylinders have been sold. Special focus is being given to states where demand is higher," it said.
The IGoM was apprised that industrial requirements dependent on commercial LPG are being met, with over 80 per cent of pre-crisis supply levels being maintained to ensure continuity of operations.
"Special meetings have been held with ministries and stakeholders of different industries to understand their demand and meet their needs. Oil PSUs are ensuring continued supply of Auto LPG across the country," the readout noted.
"However, some supply constraints are being faced by private operators due to their procurement challenges, which is why lines are being observed at PSU auto LPG pumps. Wherever the autos are dual feed and can use petrol, they are being encouraged to use petrol," it said.
