Alliance in the Lok Sabha polls too: Ivan D’souza
Mangaluru, July 21: MLC Ivan D'Souza has said that the Congress and the JD (S) will face elections through the alliance in the next Lok Sabha polls as well.
Speaking at a press conference held at the City Municipal office on Saturday, he said preparations for the Lok Sabha elections are going on in the state. Discussions are being held with activists across the state.
While the government is taking the Lok Sabha polls seriously, it has set the target to win 20 of the 28 seats in the state. The election preparations will be held under the leadership of the new president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Dinesh Gundu Rao.
It has been proposed in the Legislative Council to issue free bus pass to all students. There is a delay in implementing the scheme due to lack of grants. In the next few days, the government will move forward to distribute free bus pass.
Chief Minister Kumaraswamy has approved to establish a Christian Development Council. It should be implemented immediately, He demanded.
Rs 200 crore have been granted for Christian Development Corporation in 2018-19. The fund must be increased to Rs 300 crore in future, he added.
“5,980 students of the district have been given Rs 20.46 crore at zero percent interest in four years. The government had promised to give two crore jobs. But it was not possible. Loans given to students must be waived off immediately,” Ivan D'Souza urged
850 applications submitted under the home-shop scheme
The government has introduced a new scheme called 'Home-Shop Scheme' to rehabilitate the minorities who have been acquitted in the communal riots / communal violence cases.
Those who lost their homes and business places, and those who were released as innocents must utilise this scheme, he added.
For this scheme, already 850 applications have been submitted in the district. August 31st is the last date for the submission of such application. The government is committed to protecting minorities, he said.
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Ensure paid holiday for postal staff on polling day in Kerala: John Brittas writes to Scindia
New Delhi (PTI): CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas on Sunday wrote to Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia, seeking his urgent intervention to ensure that postal employees in Kerala are granted a statutory paid holiday on April 9 for the Assembly elections in the southern state.
In his letter, Brittas expressed serious concern over the Kerala Postal Circle’s instructions to treat all postal employees as “absentee voters in essential services (AVES)”, directing them to opt for a postal ballot within an “extremely limited” timeframe.
The Department of Posts operates under the Ministry of Communications. Along with the Department of Telecommunications, it is one of the two main sections within the ministry headed by Scindia.
In his letter, Brittas pointed out that the circular dated March 19 required the collection of Form 12D by March 20 (Eid al-Fitr), and submission of the compiled details at the respective collectorates by March 22 (Sunday), both holidays in Kerala, making meaningful compliance difficult and raising apprehensions about the “arbitrary” nature of the directions.
The CPI(M) leader also pointed out that the Election Commission, in a communication dated March 16, reiterated the requirement under Section 135B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, that every person employed in any establishment and entitled to vote shall be granted a paid holiday on the polling day, without any deduction or abatement of wages.
He said even where certain services are treated as essential, the long-standing administrative practice has been to maintain only minimal required operations on polling day, without denying employees the opportunity to vote in person.
Brittas argued that in some other states going to polls this month, including Assam, most postal employees have been granted a holiday on polling day, in accordance with the statutory provisions.
During the 2021 Kerala polls, postal establishments had observed a holiday on polling day, subject only to limited essential arrangements, he claimed.
The present deviation, Brittas said, raises concerns about inconsistency in the application of law and the avoidable curtailment of the democratic rights of employees.
Stating that the right to vote lies at the core of India's democratic framework, Brittas urged Scindia to examine the matter urgently.
“Given the proximity of the polling date, I earnestly seek your kind indulgence to have the matter examined on priority, and to issue urgent directions to the postal authorities in Kerala to ensure that the statutory entitlement of postal employees in Kerala to a paid holiday on the day of polling is duly ensured,” Brittas said in the letter.
The 140 seats in the Kerala Assembly will go to polls on April 9, and the results will be out on May 4.
