Belagavi City Corporation meeting adjourned over language row: Report
Belagavi: A meeting of the Belagavi City Corporation turned chaotic on Thursday as a clash broke out over the language of proceedings, with corporators from the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) demanding that the session be conducted in Marathi.
Independent corporators Ravi Salunke, Shivaji Mandolkar, and Vaishali Bhatkande, who are backed by MES and part of the opposition group, raised the issue, insisting that all civic body proceedings and documents be presented in Marathi. They argued that this was in accordance with the Linguistic Minority Act, as reported by Deccan Herald.
As the house witnessed acrimonious scenes with members from opposition group itself opposing their demands, Mayor Mangesh Pawar adjourned the house for five minutes.
As the house proceedings began, Salunke reportedly demanded that all documents and proceedings of the civic body to be conducted in Marathi. He was supported by Mandolkar and Bhatkande, who echoed the same demand.
Opposition member Ramesh Sontakki, however, disagreed, stressing that all civic body documents should be issued in Kannada.
Ruling group leader Hanumant Kongali and Girish Dhongadi said that the house should function as per agenda and Salunke should speak only when opportunity is given, DH added.
Later, Salunke, Mandolkar and Bhatkande boycotted the house. As chaos continued, Mayor Pawar adjourned the house for five minutes.
Later, MLA Abhay Patil called on MLA Asif Sait to intervene, urging him to rein in the opposition members, whom he accused of creating unnecessary drama to attract media attention.
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TN seeks duty-free cotton imports to support textile sector: CM Vijay writes to PM
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove the import duty on cotton.
In his first letter to Modi after taking over as chief minister of the state, he said Tamil Nadu is the country’s largest textile and apparel exporting state.
Lakhs of people are dependent on this sector for both direct and indirect employment, especially women from rural and semi-urban backgrounds, Vijay pointed out.
Stating that the industry is facing a severe crisis due to an increase in cotton prices and consequently yarn prices, he said, “I understand this is caused primarily due to a shortage in cotton production and increased trading activity in the country.”
Pointing out that the price of cotton has increased from Rs 54,700 to Rs 67,700 per candy—an increase of 25 per cent over the last two months—while yarn prices have increased from Rs 301 to Rs 330 per kg, he said, “In this situation, the continued supply of raw material can be ensured only through imports.”
However, there is an import duty of 11 per cent on cotton, he said, adding that in such a situation, permitting duty-free cotton imports will help the industry meet increasing export commitments and remain globally competitive.
Vijay said that after agriculture, the textile and apparel sector is one of the largest employment-generating sectors.
“There is a significant responsibility on the government to safeguard the employment of lakhs of people and ensure the sustainability of the textile value chain," he said.
“Hence, I request your intervention to remove the import duty on cotton from the existing 11 per cent to 0 per cent to ensure the availability of raw material. This measure will enable the textile and apparel industry to remain globally competitive, enhance exports, and protect jobs,” he added.
