Bihar's free electricity promise is 'Karnataka model': DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru Jul 17 (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said on Thursday that Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's promise of free electricity up to 125 units is a "Karnataka model".
Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar claimed that in the entire country, only the Congress party has stood for the welfare of the people.
"After independence till today, whenever Congress party is in power, either in the Centre or in the state, it has given various schemes," he said.
He said it was Karnataka that started the trend with five guarantees. Congress does this for the development of the people.
"But to come to power again, they (BJP) have also used this in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi and other parts of the country," he said.
The Deputy CM said whatever Congress party has given in Karnataka, the entire country is following. "So, it is a Karnataka model to the country."
The Congress government's five guarantee schemes are —200 units of free power to all households (Gruha Jyoti), Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family (Gruha Lakshmi), the additional 5 kg of rice to every member of a BPL household (Anna Bhagya), Rs 3,000 every month for unemployed graduate youth and Rs 1,500 for diploma holders for two years (Yuva Nidhi), and free travel for women in public transport buses (Shakti).
In a major populist move ahead of the upcoming assembly polls, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Thursday announced free power up to 125 units to all domestic consumers in the state.
Kumar came up with the announcement on social media, stating that the benefit will reach 1.67 crore households.
He also said the free power benefit will be effective from August 1.
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Bangladesh court sentences Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in corruption cases
Dhaka (PTI): A Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in two separate corruption cases related to alleged irregularities in allocations of land in a government housing project.
Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-4 Judge Rabiul Alam handed down the verdicts, sentencing Hasina to a total of 10 years’ imprisonment — five years in each case, state-run BSS news agency reported.
The court sentenced 78-year-old Hasina, her nephew Radwan Mujib Siddiq, and her nieces, Tulip Rizwana Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq, and others in the cases over alleged irregularities in the allocation of plots under the Rajuk New Town Project in Purbachol.
The judgment was pronounced at around 12.30 pm.
Tulip Siddiq was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment — two years in each case — while Radwan Mujib Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq were each sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment in both cases.
Rajuk member Mohammad Khurshid Alam, the only accused to surrender before the court, was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment in each case, totalling two years.
The court also fined all convicted persons Tk1 lakh each and ordered them to serve an additional six months in prison in default of payment.
Hasina has been living in India since she fled Bangladesh on August 5 last year in the face of the massive protests. She was earlier declared a fugitive by the court.
The cases were filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over alleged abuse of power in the allocation of two 10-katha plots.
According to the prosecution, the accused manipulated the allocation process and violated existing rules and regulations of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk).
