CM office in Congress-run states promoting corruption: Anurag Thakur
Hamirpur (HP)(PTI): Corruption has been "promoted" in the office of the chief ministers of Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, Union Minister Anurag Thakur alleged on Saturday, rejecting the opposition's criticism of the ED action in the two states.
He also hit out at TMC MP Mahua Moitra, facing allegations of 'cash for query' levelled by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, and said she should appear before the parliamentary committee that has summoned her and record her statement.
Thakur targeted the Congress governments in poll-bound Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan on the issue of corruption.
Over the last few months, the Enforcement Directorate has claimed to have unearthed coal levy, liquor duty and illegal online betting app "scams" in Chhattisgarh which has a Congress government led by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
Also, the ED this week raided the premises of Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra in Jaipur and Sikar as part of a money laundering probe into the alleged exam paper leak case and summoned Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's son in a foreign exchange violation case.
The Congress has alleged political vendetta and that the ED action was linked to the elections in the two states.
"Corruption is being promoted by the governments in Congress-ruled states and if action is taken, the Union government is blamed for it," Thakur told reporters.
Congress party has "miserably failed to deliver and all the guarantees promised by the Congress leaders on the eve of the last assembly polls in 2022 in Himachal were false," the Information and Broadcasting minister said.
Referring to TMC MP Mahua Moitra, the Union minister that when someone is summoned by the parliamentary committee, that person should go to record their statement.
He said that if Mahua has made a mistake then the people of the country have the right to know "why the MPs are being sold".
"Will the country's Parliament now be run by corporate houses," he said while targeting Moitra who has been accused of taking bribes from a businessman to ask questions in Lok Sabha. The TMC MP had denied any wrongdoing.
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Vaishnaw flags off Jammu-Srinagar Vande Bharat, services from May 2
Srinagar (PTI): Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday flagged off the 20-coach Vande Bharat Express train between Jammu and Srinagar, the first direct train between the twin capitals of Jammu and Kashmir.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Jitendra Singh, were among the dignitaries present at the flagging off ceremony.
The direct train services between Srinagar and Jammu will reduce travel time between the twin capitals of Jammu and Kashmir, and boost tourism, besides providing an all-weather surface transport link.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first direct train service between Katra and Srinagar on June 6, 2025. This service is now being extended up to the Jammu Tawi Railway Station.
The work on the Rs 43,780-crore rail project, linking Kashmir to the rest of the country, began in the late 1990s, with the first train operating in the Kashmir Valley in October 2008.
While train services had reached Udhampur by 2005, the treacherous terrain through the mountainous Pir Panjal range made it tough to link the valley with the rest of the country until 2025.
"The modern 20-coach Vande Bharat train will commence its maiden journey from Jammu Tawi, traversing the route up to Srinagar while connecting the challenging geographical terrains of the Valley," an official said, adding that a train from Srinagar has also started moving towards Jammu simultaneously.
Before the commencement of the Jammu-Srinagar service, a trial run of the Vande Bharat was conducted on Tuesday from Jammu to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra railway stations, officials said.
The inaugural Vande Bharat train, equipped with state-of-the-art amenities and comprising 20 coaches, will cover a total distance of 267 kilometres.
The Jammu-Srinagar train service -- scheduled to start on May 2 -- will operate six days a week. There will be no train service on this route on Tuesdays.
"Constructed using indigenous technology, this Vande Bharat Express will offer passengers a world-class travel experience," Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Uchit Singhal said.
"It features amenities such as the 'Kavach' safety system for passenger security, a GPS-based information system, and comfortable rotating seats. This service will not only reduce travel time but also provide a massive boost to the local economy and tourism," he added.
The extension of the Vande Bharat to Jammu Tawi is the latest milestone in a decade-long effort to transform railway connectivity in Jammu & Kashmir.
The Udhampur-Katra section was commissioned in 2014. The Kashmir Valley saw its first electric train in February 2024, while a dedicated Jammu Railway Division was created in January 2025.
Stations at Jammu Tawi, Katra, Udhampur, and Budgam are being redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.
The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link, built at a total cost of Rs 43,780 crore with 36 tunnels spanning 119 km and 943 bridges, is the connective tissue that makes all of this possible, an official said.
