CM Siddaramaiah accuses BJP of lies and injustice in Karnataka
Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah launched a scathing attack on the BJP, accusing the party of perpetuating falsehoods and lacking a commitment to truth in politics.
He criticized Union Home Minister Amit Shah for spreading falsehoods during his visit, followed by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman repeating these lies. "The people of Karnataka are wise and see through these lies. The injustices inflicted on Karnataka by the Central Government are deeply troubling," Siddaramaiah stated.
Addressing Sitharaman, Siddaramaiah urged her to rectify the wrongs and provide the fair compensation and tax share due to Karnataka. He called for an end to justifying failures through repeated falsehoods.
Siddaramaiah highlighted Sitharaman's claim of providing Rs. 697 crore for drought relief, pointing out that she concealed crucial details. He explained the process of compensation for natural calamities and stressed that Karnataka has suffered significant losses due to drought, requiring a compensation of Rs. 18,171 crore from the NDRF, which Sitharaman allegedly ignored.
Regarding tax distribution and GST relief, Siddaramaiah accused Sitharaman of rejecting the Central Finance Commission's recommendation of a special grant of ₹5,495 crore for Karnataka, instead allocating only Rs. 11,495 crore, which he deemed unjust.
Siddaramaiah challenged Sitharaman to a face-to-face debate, urging her to stop lying and participate in an open discussion in the presence of Karnataka's population to let the people decide the truth.
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13 lakh litres of 'Rail Neer' supplied to train passengers daily: Government
New Delhi (PTI): Approximately 13 lakh litres of packaged drinking water -- 'Rail Neer' -- are being supplied to train passengers across the railway network daily, the government informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Wednesday.
Apprising the Lower House about the Indian Railways' endeavour to provide safe and potable drinking water facilities at all stations, the government also provided zone-wise details of the water vending machines (WVMs) installed there.
"To ensure the quality of drinking water being made available at the railway stations, instructions exist for periodical checking and required corrective action to be taken.
"Regular inspection and maintenance of drinking water facilities is carried out and complaints are attended to promptly," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while responding to a question raised by BJP MP Anup Sanjay Dhotre seeking to know the supply of drinking water at railway stations across the country
"Complaints regarding deficiency in services, including water supply, are received through various channels such as public complaints, web portals, social media, etc. These complaints are received at various levels, including the Railway Board, zonal railways, division office, etc.," Vaishnaw said.
"The complaints so received are forwarded to the concerned wings of Railways and necessary action is taken to check and address them. As receipt of such complaints and action taken thereon is a continuous and dynamic process, a centralised compendium of these is not maintained," he added.
Providing zone-wise details of water vending machines, the minister said 954 such machines have been installed across railway stations.
"The Indian Railways also provides safe and affordable packaged drinking water bottles -- Rail Neer -- approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in trains and at stations," Vaishnaw said.
"Approximately, 13 lakh litres of Rail Neer are being supplied per day to the travelling passengers in trains and at stations across the Indian Railways network," he added.
