Nitish govt announces series of schemes ahead of polls; opp claims them ‘copy’
Patna (PTI): Ahead of the assembly polls, the NDA government in Bihar has announced a series of schemes, prompting the opposition to claim that after remaining in power for 20 years, all that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar could offer was a copy of promises made by the INDIA bloc.
Among several promises of the opposition was 200 units of free electricity, which the longest serving CM has sought to neutralise by announcing, notwithstanding his earlier anti-freebies stands, that consumers will not have to pay for 125 units in a month.
Kumar on Sunday announced that over 10,000 'Vikas Mitras', who work in villages to make SC and ST people aware of government schemes and convert them to beneficiaries, would be given a one-time allowance of Rs 25,000 each for purchasing tablets so that they can do their work effectively.
Their transportation allowance will also be increased from Rs 1,900 to Rs 2,500 per month, and their stationery allowance will be hiked from Rs 900 to Rs 1,500 per month.
The government has also decided to provide Rs 10,000 each to more than 30,000 Shiksha Sevaks and Talimi Markaz, who connect children belonging to Mahadalit, minorities and extremely backward communities to formal school education, for purchasing smartphones.
Earlier, the government increased pensions to senior citizens, widows and people with disability by Rs 700 per month in June. The CM on July 11 transferred an increased pension amount of Rs 1100 directly into the bank accounts of 1.11 crore beneficiaries entitled to get pension under six social security schemes.
Another populist decision of the government was the announcement of an unemployment allowance for the youth: Rs 1,000 per month for two years for graduates and those who have completed class 12 but remain unemployed.
In the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana for women entrepreneurs, the government will provide Rs 10,000 each in the first instalment, and later Rs 2 lakh to each entrepreneur after assessing their business initiatives.
Besides, the administration announced a Rs 5,000 clothing allowance each to 16 lakh construction workers and raised honorariums to Jeevika, Anganwadi and ASHA workers.
Responding to the recent decisions of the government, RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwary said, “They (NDA leaders) are simply copying our welfare agendas. The youth of Bihar want to get rid of this copycat and useless government. We have a vision for Bihar.”
The youth of Bihar have resolved that they will remove the “old rickety government”, and make RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav the CM after the assembly polls, Tiwary claimed.
Commenting on recently announced schemes, JD(U) national spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad told PTI: “Nitish Kumar jee is a visionary leader and he has been tirelessly working for the overall development of the people of the state, including women, youth, socially weaker sections of the society.”
Bihar has witnessed tremendous infrastructural growth in the last 20 years and the CM has provided a corruption free government and the rule of law prevails now, he claimed.
“Recent decisions taken by the Cabinet, including providing one crore jobs and employment opportunities to the youth in the next five years, are set to make Bihar the growth engine of the East,” Prasad said.
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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
