Kovind, Naidu, Modi urge people to beat plastic pollution
New Delhi, June 5: President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged people to reaffirm the commitment to a cleaner and sustainable planet and pledge to beat the plastic pollution.
Plastic pollution is also the theme of the World Environment day, being hosted by India on Tuesday.
"On the World Environment Day, we reaffirm our commitment to a cleaner and sustainable planet. India is hosting the global celebrations this year. And we are obligated to bequeathing a greener and eco-friendly legacy to our children," Kovind said in a tweet.
The Vice President pushed for the plastic ban, saying: "Let us take a pledge to 'Beat Plastic Pollution', the theme of the World Environment Day today. Time has come for every individual to join the campaign to end single-use plastic and protect the environment."
Modi also took to Twitter to greet the people. "Together, let us ensure that our future generations live in a clean and green planet, in harmony with nature," he said in a tweet.
Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar urged people to vow not to use low-grade plastic.
"Fifteen thousand tonnes of plastic waste is generated every day, 9,000 tonnes is collected and recycled, but 6,000 tonnes of plastic waste is not collected and remain littered," Javadekar said.
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad emphasised on raising awareness for "a cleaner and greener environment that can lead us to sustainable development".
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also urged people to pledge to "beat plastic pollution".
The Congress also took to Twitter, pledging to protect and preserve the Environment, saying, "the Earth doesn't belong to us but, we belong to the Earth".
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
