Former Karnataka Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary extends support to Congress' Shakti Scheme
Udupi: MLC and former minister Kota Srinivas Poojary has said that the BJP was in support of the Shakti scheme, giving free travel for women in government buses, as the party was always in favour of projects for the welfare of the economically backward classes.
Addressing reporters in Udupi on Tuesday, Poojary admitted that the BJP expressed doubt about the implementation of the guarantees promised by the Congress government, explaining that the party took the stand as finance experts and retired officials had said that it would be a very difficult task.
“The power tariff is hiked in January every year, based on the proposal submitted by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC), yet, our government had not approved of a hike in tariff this year. The hike might have been approved after the declaration of elections,” said Poojary, adding, “I request Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Power Minister KJ George to cancel the order to hike the power tariff in the interest of the people.”
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Referring to the cow slaughter ban, the former minister said, “The Congress government has declared that it will cancel the bans on cow slaughter and religious conversion. The government can similarly cancel its order to hike power tariff, since it is merely a matter of withdrawal of its circular and not an amendment of an act.”
He called it an act of injustice towards the people that the power rate is hiked in order to give 200 units of electricity for free and demanded that the tariff be revised to the earlier rate.
“The people of the state have supported the Congress in the elections conducted as per the rules of democracy. Implementation of the promised guarantees is the responsibility of the government. The BJP will, therefore, fight for the people as long as the promises of the Congress remain unfulfilled.
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India & Israel elevate ties to special strategic partnership, vow to soon conclude free trade deal
Jerusalem (PTI): India and Israel on Thursday elevated their "time-tested" relationship to a special strategic partnership and agreed to soon firm up a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed the Gaza peace initiative, asserting that humanity must never become a victim of conflict.
Following talks between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the two sides inked a plethora of agreements to expand cooperation in areas of trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payment.
India and Israel also vowed to expand their already close defence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of military hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies.
In his media statement, Modi said India's security interest is linked to peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that New Delhi fully supports the Gaza Peace Initiative.
"India's stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts," he said.
"In the future as well, we will continue dialogue and cooperation with all countries," he said.
PM Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday on a two-day visit. It is his second visit to Israel in nine years.
In his remarks, the prime minister said India and Israel have a united view that there is no place for terrorism in the world and both sides stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering terrorism and its supporters.
"Our relationship is founded on the strong bedrock of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human sensitivities. Our bond has stood the test of every trial of time," he said.
"Today, we have taken the historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to the status of a 'Special Strategic Partnership'," he said.
The prime minister also announced the establishment of an India-Israel critical and emerging technologies partnership to impart a new momentum for cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, quantum, and critical minerals. "I am pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel," he said.
The prime minister, referring to the threat of terrorism, said India and Israel will continue to confront the menace unitedly.
"India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world. In any form, in any expression, terrorism cannot be accepted," he said.
"We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in opposing terrorism and its supporters, and we will continue to do so," he added.
India and Israel also discussed the implementation of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and cooperation under the framework of I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA).
