Will request CM to make provision for recruitment of 'Agniveer' as forest guards: Bihar minister
Patna, Jul 6: Senior BJP leader and Bihar minister Neeraj Kumar Singh on Wednesday said he will write to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, seeking reservation for Agniveers' as forest guards' in the state on their retirement, notwithstanding the JD(U)'s opposition to the short-service appointment scheme for armed forces.
Singh, the state's environment minister, said that states such as Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh have already announced supportive measures for the Agniveers' post-retirement from services, and suggested that the NDA government in Bihar should follow suit.
I will soon send a letter to the CM seeking reservation for Agniveers in the recruitment of forest guards' and foresters'. I have asked officials of the environment department to prepare a detailed note on this. Several state governments have already announced that Agniveers, after serving a limited period in armed forces, will be given preference in police forces and other departments, the minister told PTI on Wednesday.
Violent protests over the scheme had broken out in the state last month, with Army job aspirants blocking roads and setting fire to trains and buses seeking its immediate rollback.
The CM has maintained silence over the whole issue thus far, but his party's national chief Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh had urged the Centre to reconsider the Agnipath scheme.
There should not be any confusion over this scheme. Our central leadership has already made it clear that this scheme is good for the youth of the country. Several states like Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Karnataka have already announced supportive measures for the Agniveers, he said.
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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.
