Republic Day: Drone cameras, dog squads help boost security along Nepal border in Maharajganj
Maharajganj (PTI): Ahead of the Republic Day, the Sashastra Seema Bal and police have stepped up vigil along the India-Nepal border in the Maharajganj district with several measures, including deployment of dog squads, a police official said Saturday.
Maharajganj SP Somendra Meena said Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has installed closed-circuit and drone cameras on all routes leading to Nepal.
"To prevent the possible movement of terrorists in the area, security agencies have been asked to ascertain the identity of people before allowing them to cross over through the border. In an effort to strengthen the security arrangements at the porous India-Nepal border and stop infiltration of anti-national elements, the SSB has installed closed-circuit cameras and drone cameras on each and every route leading to Nepal," Meena told PTI.
These cameras have been put at SSB posts, as well as on the main roads, he said.
He added that metal detectors have been installed at Sonauli and Thuthibari outposts on the India-Nepal border.
The SP said that dog squads trained in detecting narcotics and arms have been deployed to check smuggling across the border. "After the deployment of the dog squad, there would be a lot of relief in checking the suspected people in the bordering area," he said.
According to Meena, assistance from Nepalese security agencies is also being taken so that no anti-national element can infiltrate.
"SSB and police are investigating suspicious people in congested areas and at dhabas alongside the border. Along with this, a strict vigil is being kept on the people and the vehicles passing through Sonauli on the India-Nepal border with the help of the dog squad," he said.
UP's Maharajganj district shares an 84-km open border with Nepal.
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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses EC of ‘bias’, defends state guarantee schemes ahead of bypolls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the EC of "double standards" and "bias" after it sought details on the state’s guarantee schemes in Davanagere and Bagalkot districts, where bypolls are scheduled for Thursday.
In a post on 'X' on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said the Election Commission of India had asked the Karnataka government for information on fund releases under five ongoing guarantee schemes in the constituencies going to polls.
The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively.
The schemes are Gruha Jyothi, which provides 200 units of free electricity to every household; Gruha Lakshmi, offering Rs 2,000 to women heading families; and Anna Bhagya, supplying 10 kg of rice per month to each member of BPL families.
In addition, Yuva Nidhi grants Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders aged 18–25 for two years, while Shakti enables women to travel free of charge within Karnataka on government non-luxury buses.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the ECI had remained silent when similar cash transfer schemes were announced in Maharashtra and Bihar ahead of elections, calling the scrutiny of Karnataka’s schemes a "clear case of bias".
"In states like Maharashtra and Bihar, cash transfer schemes were announced or fast-tracked just before elections, directly benefiting voters. Yet the ECI remained silent. This is not neutrality—it is complicity," he said.
The CM accused the BJP and NDA governments of "a double standard", noting that when they act, the ECI "looks the other way", but when Karnataka fulfils its promises, it faces "intense scrutiny".
He added that targeting the state’s guarantee schemes is "not just political but anti-poor, anti-women, and anti-Karnataka."
Siddaramaiah clarified that these schemes were not launched in connection with the bypolls but are ongoing programmes implemented as part of the Congress government’s commitments from the 2023 Assembly elections.
Funds are transferred regularly to beneficiaries in a transparent and structured manner, he added.
"The guarantees are part of governance—a direct investment in human dignity, household stability, and economic participation, not inducement," he said.
He also accused the BJP of "hypocrisy", saying that while it criticises Karnataka’s schemes as "freebies", it rolls out similar programmes in states it governs.
"The Karnataka model has set a benchmark for the country. What is deeply concerning, however, is the ECI’s selective approach," Siddaramaiah added.
