Former President Jiang Zemin, who guided China's rise, dies at 96
Beijing (AP): Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who led his country out of isolation after the crushing of pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square and supported economic reforms that led to a decade of explosive growth, has died, state TV said. He was 96.
A surprise choice to lead a divided Communist Party after the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, Jiang saw China through history-making changes including a revival of market-oriented reforms, the return of Hong Kong from British rule in 1997 and Beijing's entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001.
Even as China opened to the outside, Jiang's government stamped out dissent at home. It jailed human rights, labour and pro-democracy activists and banned the Falun Gong spiritual movement, which it viewed as a threat to the Communist Party's monopoly on power.
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Over 3.22 lakh BPL ration card applications still pending in Karnataka
Shivamogga: Over 3,22,468 applications for Below Poverty Line (BPL) ration cards are still pending across Karnataka, with the largest backlogs reported from north Karnataka districts as well as Bengaluru.
The backlog has been recorded in Belagavi, Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, Raichur and Koppal districts. Food and Civil Supplies Minister K H Muniyappa shared district-wise data in the Legislative Council while replying to an unstarred question raised by MLC Balkhees Banu, as reported by The New India Express on Wednesday.
According to the report, the numbers show that Belagavi has the highest pendency with 39,019 applications, followed by Kalaburagi (36,037), Vijayapura (24,293), Raichur (18,111), Bengaluru (18,035), Bidar (17,671), Bagalkot (13,658), Dharwad (12,337), Koppal (11,446) and Ballari (10,709) applications.
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“No BPL card has been converted into a Non-Priority Household (NPHH) card,” TNIE quoted Muniyappa told the House.
Raising the issue, Banu allegedly said poor families, daily-wage workers, auto-rickshaw drivers and street vendors were facing serious hardship due to the alleged conversion of BPL cards into NPHH cards. She also highlighted the difficulties faced by patients battling cancer, heart disease and kidney ailments, who depend on subsidised food and medical support.
Responding to this, Muniyappa reportedly said if any BPL card had been temporarily shifted to NPHH, eligible beneficiaries can reaply with documents to the local tahsildar within 45 days, and after verification, their original BPL status would be restored.
As per the report, he said that people facing medical emergencies can also apply a BPL card online to get faster access to welfare benefits.
