"Shocked By What Has Happened": Prince William, Kate On Kaziranga Flood Devastation
Guwahati: Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton expressed concern and distress over the devastation in Assam's Kaziranga National Park caused by heavy rain and flood which has killed many animals and affected the livelihood of several people.
The Park has been hit by three waves of flood so far this year with 92 per cent of its area being submerged in waters that has killed 123 animals, including 12 rhinos.
In a letter to the Park's Director P Sivakumar, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge said they were heartbroken to hear about the appalling devastation to the Kaziranga National Park and its wildlife caused by very heavy monsoon flooding.
"We have the happiest memories of our visit to Kaziranga in April 2016 and are shocked by what has happened," Prince William wrote in the letter, which was made available to the press by the Park authorities on Friday.
The deaths of so many animals, including the one-horned rhino, is deeply upsetting, he said.
"We know from our visit how dedicated all the staff in Kaziranga are in caring for the Park's wildlife, and can only begin to imagine what a difficult time this must be," he said.
Expressing their appreciation for the Park's rangers, the Duke said, "Catherine and I greatly admire all the work that you and the rangers at Kaziranga are doing to risk your own safety, rescue animals and contain the damage."
The loss of life and livelihoods in Assam as a result of the flooding, coming on the heels of the coronavirus pandemic, is deeply distressing, he said.
"We offer our deepest condolences to all those affected," the Duke said.
The Park director said that they are deeply moved by the letter, which is full of compassion and concern for the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.
"In difficult times like this, a message from the Duke is surely a morale booster for all," he said.
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Uttarakhand Assembly passes censure motion against opposition over women's reservation bill
Dehradun (PTI): The Uttarakhand Assembly passed a censure motion against the Congress and other opposition parties on Tuesday for allegedly blocking the passage of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, in Parliament.
The motion, which expressed the House's formal disapproval of the opposition's conduct, triggered a massive uproar by Congress members, leading to the adjournment of the House sine die.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Subodh Uniyal moved the censure motion, citing the "uncooperative attitude" of opposition parties toward the bill seeking 33 per cent reservation for women in legislative bodies.
Addressing a special daylong session convened specifically to discuss "Nari Samman -- Rights in Democracy", Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the bill's passage would have benefitted every political party.
Dhami noted that after delimitation, the number of Assembly seats in the hill state would have gone up to 105, with 35 reserved for women. He added that the number of Lok Sabha seats from Uttarakhand would have risen from five to seven or eight.
"The opposition fears that if women from ordinary households enter politics, the shops of dynastic politics run by certain parties will shut down," the chief minister claimed.
He compared the opposition's conduct in Parliament to the assembly in Mahabharat where Draupadi was insulted. Dhami further likened the opposition's behaviour to the "arrogance of Ravan".
The chief minister highlighted his government's initiatives, asserting that Uttarakhand was the first state to implement a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) to protect women's rights. He said the UCC freed Muslim women from practices like "halala", "iddat", polygamy and child marriage.
Leader of Opposition Yashpal Arya questioned the technical feasibility of the bill, calling the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) claims of providing reservation by 2029 "misleading".
He argued that the bill is linked to census and delimitation processes. The Congress leader said the 2026 census would conclude by 2027 and the final data publication would take two more years.
"The delimitation process will take another six years. The actual implementation of this bill is not possible before 2034," Arya said, describing the move as a strategy to protect the BJP's "political ground".
The session also saw high drama outside the Assembly gates, where Congress MLA Virendra Jati staged a protest, demanding the payment of "outstanding" dues to farmers by sugar mills.
Jati arrived at the Assembly's main gate with a tractor-trolley loaded with sugarcane and dumped it on the road. The move brought the traffic to a halt, prompting traffic and security personnel to intervene and clear the area.
Women Congress workers also staged a demonstration against the "anti-people policies" of the state government.
