Rahul urges PM to announce special relief package for flood-affected J-K, HP, Punjab, Uttarakhad
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New Delhi (PTI): In the wake of devastation due to floods, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately announce a special relief package for Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, as well as accelerate relief and rescue operations.
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said, "Modiji, floods have caused massive destruction in Punjab. The situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand is also extremely worrying."
"In such difficult times, your attention and the active help of the central government is extremely necessary. Thousands of families are struggling to save their homes, lives and loved ones," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
"I urge that a special relief package be announced immediately for these states, especially for farmers - and relief and rescue operations be accelerated," the former Congress chief said.
He also issued a video statement reiterating his demand of a special package for the flood-affected states.
"It is saddening to see people struggle to save their families. Modi Ji it is the responsibility of the government to protect people. Immediately prepare a special relief package for the protection of these people," Gandhi said in his video message.
Unrelenting rains piled misery on north India, reeling under serial cloudbursts and floods for the past few weeks, as swollen rivers inundated the plains, crippled rails and road traffic, and forced school closures.
The situation in Punjab, battling its worst floods since 1988, remained precarious as the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers and seasonal rivulets remained swollen due to heavy rains in their upstream. Twelve districts have been hit by the floods that have already claimed 29 lives, besides impacting more than 2.56 lakh people.
Among the Himalayan states, Uttarakhand faced another rainy day on Tuesday with various regions lashed by heavy showers.
Two women died in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday as heavy rains continued to trigger landslides and flash floods, closing over 1,000 roads. An orange alert, warning of heavy rains, has been issued for Kangra, Mandi, Sirmaur and Kinnaur districts.
In Shimla, all government and private educational institutes, including coaching centres and nursing institutes, have been ordered to remain shut. The state capital has been experiencing continuous rainfall for the last few days, and there was a high possibility of landslides at several locations.
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41 lakh illicit liquor seized, 1.84 lakh arrested in major drive: K'taka Minister tells Assembly
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Karnataka Excise Department has conducted a statewide crackdown on illegal liquor trade over the last two years, resulting in arrests and seizures of alcohol, Karnataka Excise Minister R B Timmapur said on Tuesday.
As many as 1,09,017 people were arrested, and seizures included 13.66 lakh litres of liquor and 27.19 lakh litres of beer, he said in a written reply to a starred question by Harihar BJP MLA B P Harish in the Karnataka Assembly.
The Minister said the enforcement drive covered the financial year 2023–24, 2024–25 up to June, and 2025–26 from July to October, targeting unauthorised liquor manufacture, storage, sale and transportation across the State.
"During this period, statewide enforcement drives resulted in a total of 1,84,570 raids against illegal liquor sales,” Timmapur said.
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He noted that 9,179 non-bailable cases and 91,968 bailable and compoundable cases under Section 15(A) of the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, were registered during the same period.
According to him, there have been no reports indicating that students have become addicted to alcohol due to illegal liquor sales.
The sale of alcohol to minors is strictly prohibited under the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, and the department has issued periodic instructions to initiate legal action against violators, with strict enforcement and investigation measures in place, the Minister said.
Excise officials are carrying out regular road and night patrols, collecting intelligence, monitoring habitual offenders and conducting raids to identify illicit distillation units, unauthorised liquor outlets and spurious liquor manufacturing centres, he said, adding the department is also enforcing the law to prevent the production, storage, sale and transport of spurious, non-duty-paid and unauthorised liquor.
Regular patrols are being conducted on national and state highways, with suspicious vehicles being subjected to checks.
At the district level, standing committee meetings are held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioners, and joint operations are carried out with the police and forest departments to curb excise-related offences.
The department is also conducting awareness programmes through Gram Sabhas and in schools and colleges to educate the public and students about the physical, mental and social health hazards associated with alcohol addiction and substance abuse, Timmapur added.
