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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Trump pauses Project Freedom, claims great progress for final agreement with Iran
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump has suspended “Project Freedom,” to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, claiming progress in negotiations with Iran toward an agreement to end the war.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump said, “Great progress has been made toward a complete and final agreement with representatives of Iran.”
“Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed," Trump said.
Project Freedom was launched on Monday to escort ships, stranded due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, out to safety. Trump had announced the operation on Sunday and the US Central Command began implementing it the next day.
However, the Project led to friction in the vicinity of the narrow seaway, a key route for transporting one-fifth of the global oil supplies, with the UAE claiming that its ships were attacked by Iran. The US also claimed to have destroyed several Iranian small boats.
Trump’s statement on Truth Social came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Operation Epic Fury, launched on February 28, had concluded as its objectives have been achieved.
"Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation. We're not cheering for an additional situation to occur. We would prefer the path of peace. What @POTUS would prefer is a deal... that is, so far, not the route that Iran has chosen," Rubio told a press conference at the White House on Tuesday.
On Project Freedom, Rubio said the goal was to rescue almost 23,000 civilians from 87 different countries who were trapped inside the Persian Gulf and left for dead by the Iranian regime.
"This is not an offensive operation. This is a defensive operation, and what that means is very simple: there’s no shooting unless we're shot at first. We’re not attacking them, but if they're attacking us or they’re attacking a ship, you need to respond to that," Rubio said.
