Plight of Lakshadweep students, patients raised in Lok Sabha
New Delhi(PTI): Lok Sabha member from Lakshadweep Faisal P P Mohammed on Tuesday highlighted the plight of students and patients from the archipelago due to the non-availability of adequate passenger ships.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Faisal claimed that at least five passenger ships, run by the Lakshadweep Development Corporation Ltd, were non-operational for want of repairs.
He claimed that the Lakshadweep Administrator had not given funds for the repair of the ships, causing hardships to patients and students who had to travel to the mainland for medical treatment and professional exams respectively.
Faisal expressed concern over the possibility of handing over shipping operations from Lakshadweep to the mainland to the Shipping Corporation of India.
Shiv Sena member Arvind Sawant demanded the renaming of Mumbai Central railway station after Nana Shankarshet, the pioneer of railways in the country.
Sawant said Nana Shankarshet was instrumental in the formation of the Great Indian Peninsular Railway in 1845 which eventually started the first railway in the country on April 16, 1853.
NCP member Supriya Sule demanded that the government assist people provided with cochlear implants in case of wear and tear.
She appreciated the government initiative to help persons with special needs through the assistance to disabled persons for purchase, fitting of aids and appliances, which include cochlear implants and hearing aids.
Cochlear implant is a very expensive machine. But after the cochlear implant, there is a lot of wear and tear and the cost of repairing regularly is Rs 85,000, Sule said.
She urged the government to provide one cochlear implant along with support to children until the age of 18/21 to account for the wear and tear of the device.
DMK member DNV Senthilkumar demanded that the government reduce the prices of petrol and diesel, and increase the margins for retail outlet dealers.
Shiv Sena member Pratap Jadhav said farmers of Maharashtra were getting a better price for their soybean crop this year and decried the demand by poultry farm owners for importing the farm commodity.
Jadhav wanted the government to put on hold any plans to import soybean till the crops of domestic farmers are procured.
BJP member C P Joshi demanded that the government issue a postal stamp on Lord Parshuram.
BJP member Rajiv Pratap Rudy highlighted the backward status of Bihar and wanted the government to spell out policies to increase investments in sectors ranging from education, sports and infrastructure.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
