Raje seeks national status for Rajasthan canal project
Jaipur, June 17: Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on Sunday asked the Central government to consider special additional budgetary support challenge to the state to meet the challenge of safe drinking water availability, while seeking national project status for the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP).
In her address at the 4th NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting in New Delhi, she said that the Central Water Commission has already given in-principle approval to the feasibility report of the ERCP, intended to make drinking and irrigation water available in 13 districts of the state and with national project status, its implementation would speed up.
Raje added that along with water scarcity, the quality of available water comes up as a big challenge for Rajasthan, according to an official statement released in Jaipur.
Noting that of all fluoride-affected habitations in the country, 53 per cent are in Rajasthan, she said that in view of the state's financial constraints, the Central government should share the cost of surface drinking water projects in fluoride-affected areas on 50-50 basis.
She also requested that land-holding limit of 2 hectares for agriculture input subsidy under the SDRF norms should be relaxed for Rajasthan because in several districts, crop production was low, even if the land holdings were big and also large tracts of agricultural lands were infertile.
She therefore sought that the SDRF norms should be suitably amended to raise the limit of land-holding to 5 hectares for agriculture input subsidy, considering these special geographical conditions.
Raje also said that 8 to 10 districts in Rajasthan were perpetually facing drought conditions, and the Central government-decided amount of agriculture input subsidy on the basis of the number of farmers, as per was 2010 records, was not adequate and amount should be given on the basis of actual number of farmers in the affected areas.
On addressing issues in implementation of the GST regime, she proposed to form a sub-group of states in the GST Council and also sought removal of certain difficulties being faced by the traders in getting GST refunds.
Raje said that despite challenging geographical circumstances in Rajasthan, the state government launched several reforms in agriculture sector, which led to NITI Aayog ranking the state as number 3 in the Agriculture Reforms category.
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UCC only targets Muslims while other personal laws remain unaffected: Tushar Gandhi
Mangalore: Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and a prominent social activist, expressed strong concerns over the current political environment in India, stating that it deviates from the vision of the nation's founders. Speaking at a seminar in Mangalore on Monday, Gandhi emphasized that the unity that earned India its liberty has been overshadowed by divisive politics focused on caste and religion.
He was addressing a gathering at a one-day seminar and book release event organized by the Karnataka Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi, Bangalore, in collaboration with Mangalore University, Mangala Gangotri, National Service Scheme (NSS), and the Kumbra Jathappa Rai Prasthistana, Puttur. The seminar was aimed at discussing the relevance of Gandhi’s ideology for today’s youth.
In his special address on the topic “Relevance of Gandhi’s Ideology to Today’s Youth,” Gandhi lamented how today’s political leaders have realized that dividing and ruling the electorate is the way forward. He expressed frustration that the electorate is often left to choose between poor political options, with no ideal candidates in sight. "We are in a zone where we have to elect from all the bad options. No ideal options are left when it comes to politics. We elect people who should be nowhere in public life," he said, underscoring the decline in political integrity.
Gandhi also criticized the ongoing discussions surrounding the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). He argued that the code disproportionately targets Muslims, while other personal laws remain unaffected. He pointed out that the current political regime’s push for UCC reflects an attempt to alter the Constitution through indirect means, calling it “changing the Constitution through the backdoor.”
In a pointed remark about the current atmosphere for minorities, Gandhi questioned whether a person from a minority community would feel comfortable or confident seeing an individual in an RSS uniform working at a government office. He asserted that this discomfort is exactly what the present regime seeks to instill in minorities, furthering their marginalization.
Gandhi’s remarks resonated with the audience, drawing attention to the stark contrast between the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi and the prevailing political discourse. He warned that the political and social divisions seen today were far from what the nation's founders had envisioned, calling for a return to the principles of unity and secularism.
The seminar also featured notable speakers and dignitaries. Nadoja Dr. Wooday P. Krishna, President of the Karnataka Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi, delivered the keynote address. Dr. Shantaram Shetty, Pro Vice Chancellor of Nitte University, Mangalore, was the guest of honor, releasing two books authored by Pramod Kumar Rai, founder of Kumbra Jathappa Rai Pratistana, Puttur. The books titled "On the Trail of Gandhi’s Footsteps" and "Before I Return to the Soil" reflect on Gandhi’s ideology and its impact on society.
Presiding over the event was Prof. P.L. Dharma, Vice Chancellor of Mangalore University, who praised the significance of such discussions in today’s context. Dr. Sheshappa K, NSS Coordinator of Mangalore University, and Prof. Ganapati Gowda, Principal of University College, Mangalore, were also present during the seminar.
