No truth in Congress charge Rafale deal snatched HAL jobs: Nirmala
Bengaluru, Oct 1: Terming the Congress charges false and based on half-truths, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has denied that the Rafale deal had snatched jobs from the Indian aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).
"There is no truth in the Congress allegations on the Rafale deal as they are based on falsehood and half-truths. The question of taking away jobs from HAL does not arise as the UPA government had no deal with its maker Dassault Aviation," Sitharaman told reporters here on Sunday.
Accusing the previous Congress-led UPA government of ignoring the needs of the Indian Air Force (IAF) whose squadron strength has depleted to 33 from 42, Sitharaman said the inter-government agreement on Rafale was much better than what was proposed in the non-deal of the previous regime.
"The intent of the agreement was very well stated in the joint statement that it shall be a better deal in every way," asserted Sitharaman.
The statement was given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then French President Francois Hollande on April 10, 2015 when the deal was signed for the sale of 36 Rafale jets by its French maker Dassault Aviation.
Blaming the then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for not finalising the deal with Dassault during its tenure, the Defence Minister said the Congress campaign on Rafale was irresponsible and baseless, as its government failed to seal the deal with HAL.
"There were only statements but no action during the UPA period. If we have taken away the jobs, let the Congress show the agreement its then government had with the HAL on Rafale," reiterated Sitharaman.
Noting that the government was proud of the city-based defence behemoth (HAL), the Minister said though the IAF ordered 40 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas between 2006-10, only six were delivered by 2014.
"After our government came into being, we doubled HAL's production capacity to 16 Tejas a year. What did the Congress government do during its tenure that it is shedding crocodile tears for HAL now?" she pointed out.
As the IAF has ordered 83 more Tejas, the government has given HAL Rs 20,000 crore to enhance its production capacity to make more LCAs, added Sitharaman.
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Bihar: Over 150 children fall ill after consuming 'mid-day meal' in Saharsa
Saharsa (PTI): More than 150 children were taken ill after allegedly consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal in a school in Bihar’s Saharsa district, a senior official said on Thursday.
The incident occurred at a middle school in Baluaha village of the district.
The official said that 115 children were undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, while around 50 students were admitted to Mahishi Public Health Centre.
“We received information that several children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal in Baluaha. The children were initially treated at the primary health centre, but later, many were referred to the Sadar Hospital,” Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar told reporters.
“According to doctors, the health condition of the children has improved, but they will be kept under observation for some time. There is no need to panic. Some kids are having mild fever. They are being treated accordingly,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, family members of some children claimed that a snake was found in the container in which cooked pulses was stored at the school.
Of the 545 students present in the school, 200 had already eaten their meals by the time the snake was spotted, and later complained of stomach ache and vomiting, they said.
Regarding the claims, the DM said food samples have been collected from the school.
“We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive,” he said.
