Bharat Jodo Yatra was massive booster dose for Cong: Jairam Ramesh
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday said the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir was a "massive booster dose" for the party and heralded a change in the country's politics.
"Today is the 2nd anniversary of the start of the truly transformational Kanyakumari to Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra. Over 200 Bharat Yatris led by Rahul Gandhi completed the 4000 km long yatra, overwhelmingly on foot, over a period of 145 days and covering 12 states and 2 UTs," Ramesh said.
"This yatra led to unprecedented connectivity and collectivity and was a massive booster dose for the Indian National Congress. It heralded a change in the politics of our country as well," he said.
It provided the impetus for the Manipur to Mumbai Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra during Jan-March 2024, Ramesh added.
Rahul Gandhi launched the yatra from Kanyakumari on September 7, 2022. It culminated on January 30, 2023 as Gandhi capped his ambitious 145-day journey in Srinagar.
During the course of the yatra, he addressed 12 public meetings, more than 100 street corner meetings and 13 press conferences. He had over 275 planned walking interactions and more than 100 sitting interactions.
With over 4,000 kilometres under his belt, Gandhi had managed to catch the attention of his supporters as well as detractors. The march saw participation from a cross-section of society, including film and TV celebrities such as Kamal Haasan, Pooja Bhatt, Riya Sen, Swara Bhasker, Rashami Desai, Akanksha Puri and Amol Palekar.
Besides, writers and military veterans, including former Army chief Gen (Retd) Deepak Kapoor and ex-Navy chief Admiral (Retd) L Ramdas, and noted people such as former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan and ex-finance secretary Arvind Mayaram had also participated in the yatra.
Opposition leaders such as National Conference's Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, PDP's Mehbooba Mufti, Shiv Sena's Aaditya Thackeray, Priyanka Chaturvedi and Sanjay Raut and the NCP's Supriya Sule, had also walked alongside Gandhi at various points in time during the march.
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BESCOM to organise EV expo for Secretariat employees in Jan 2025
Bengaluru (PTI): To encourage the adoption of electric vehicles (EV), Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) announced on Friday that a special EV fair will be organised for the Secretariat employees in January 2025.
During a meeting at the BESCOM office, Managing Director Mahantesh Bilagi said, "The fair is being organised following a directive of Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh and will be conducted under the supervision of Energy Minister K J George and Additional Chief Secretary of the Energy Department Gaurav Gupta."
According to him, the event aims to educate attendees about the benefits of environmentally friendly EVs and to encourage the adoption of two-wheeled EVs.
"During the fair, dealer discounts to government employees, particularly those in the Secretariat will also be offered. There will also be opportunities for practical demonstrations of the vehicles at the exhibition site," added Bilagi.
He said the Secretariat employees will also benefit from no down payment and low-interest loans to purchase the EV vehicles.
"EV companies are eager to participate and the sales will extend beyond the exhibition, continuing in the future," the Managing Director said.
The state, particularly Bengaluru, has the highest electric vehicle (EV) users, said Bilagi, adding that to support this, the Energy Department has provided essential infrastructure.
"BESCOM's efforts in promoting EV usage have been recognised with the 'Charge India 2024 Excellence' award. This award is a testament to our commitment to establishing excellent charging facilities. Karnataka has the country's most public electric vehicle charging stations, with a total of 5,765 stations, of which 4,462 are located in the Bengaluru Urban district," said Bilagi.
The Secretariat Employees' Association president Ramesh Sanga and other office-bearers, BESCOM Technical Director H J Ramesh as well as senior officials attended the meeting.
