Mallikarjun Kharge asks Centre to release Rs 18,171 crore for Karnataka drought relief
New Delhi, Dec 6: Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge Wednesday asked the Central government to release Rs 18,171 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for Karnataka reeling under the impact of severe drought.
Raising the matter in the House during the Zero Hour, the Congress president said Karnataka is grappling with the most severe drought in 123 years and the damage to crops is estimated at over Rs 35,162 crore.
According to him, the damage to crops ranges from 40-90 per cent.
Kharge said the state government has sought Rs 18,171 crore from the NDRF to help the affected people.
"This financial support is crucial for providing input subsidies, gratuitous relief and implementing other immediate growth measures due to low rainfall (in Karnataka)," the senior Congress leader said.
He further highlighted that water levels in various reservoirs have reached an alarmingly low mark and there may also be a shortage of drinking water in the coming days.
Kharge also spoke about the flood situations in certain parts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai. He also accused the BJP of not paying heed to the problems being faced by people as they have "won elections".
Meanwhile, Amee Yajnik of the Congress said raised the issue of women's safety and demanded that all laws concerned should be implemented strictly. She said violence against women in public spaces has a big detrimental effect on the development of a nation and its economy.
Rajya Sabha BJP member Ashok Bajpai highlighted the issues related to the safety and security of on-duty doctors. He said there are about 25 lakh doctors in the country who do a phenomenal job and cited their work during the Covid pandemic.
He suggested that while health is a state subject, the Centre could bring a model law and set up medical tribunals to help doctors facing cases.
Congress MP Rajeev Shukla raised the issue of the plight of undertrials lodged in jails of the country and demanded judicial reforms to deal with the matter. His party colleague Imran Pratapgarhi said the government should focus on improving facilities in trains.
My intervention in the Parliament regarding the drought relief funds for Karnataka.
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) December 6, 2023
The state has sought financial assistance of ₹18,171 crore from the Centre for immediate drought relief measures.
I urge the BJP Govt to please respond to these points and release the… pic.twitter.com/xHSPnghBFU
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
