On Thursday (January 27), the Kerala government has made it clear that the Student Police Cadets (SPC) cannot wear hijab, scarf or full sleeves over their uniform. SPC Project is an initiative by the Kerala police in collaboration with the government to make children conscious about laws, discipline and civic sense.
The development comes days after an 8th Std student of GHSS Kuttiady named Riza Nahan moved the Kerala High Court, alleging that she wasn’t allowed to take part in the parade for wearing a full sleeve uniform with a hijab. In her petition, she claimed that it was her ‘fundamental right’ to wear hijab and full sleeves. Riza had claimed that she was stopped from participating in the parade due to modifications in her uniform.
The Kerala High Court had sought the response of the State on the matter. The Joint Secretary of the Kerala Home Department informed that the addition of religious symbols to the uniform of SPC would be inappropriate. The official added that religious exemptions in one case would send across a wrong message and encourage similar demands by other groups.
He emphasised, “Combining religious matters with uniforms in the present situation would raise the same demands in other similarly functioning forces, which would question the discipline and secular survival of the forces…Therefore, it is not appropriate to give any indication such that the religious symbols are highlighted in the uniform under the Student Police Cadet project.” It was also pointed out that no such demands were made about such modifications to the SPC uniform in the past 10 years.
As per reports, the Home Department also stated that it was not compulsory for the students to join the police cadets. It highlighted that allowing exemptions in uniform will interfere with the secular nature of the institution. One of the objectives behind the creation of the Student Police Cadets Project was to nurture a generation that placed nation over the religious background.
The Karnataka police have arrested a 27-year-old Bangladeshi Muslim woman who was living in India for 15 years pretending to be a Hindu. The woman has been identified as one Roni Begum, who was living in the outskirts of Bengaluru. The woman was arrested on the inputs given by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO). She is reportedly from Bangladesh’s Narail district and was arrested on January 25 from her rented house in T Nethaji Nagar, T Dasarahalli, Northwest Bengaluru, according to Byadarahalli police.
According to reports, Roni Begum was living for 15 years pretending to be a Hindu woman called Payal Ghosh. She was married to a delivery executive called Nithin Kumar from Mangaluru. After the arrest of the woman, her husband has been absconding and a manhunt is on to locate him.
Roni Begum had snuck into India from Bangladesh when she was 12-years-old and had stayed on in the country. Once in India, she had also worked as a bar dancer in Mumbai to make ends meet.
It was reportedly during her stint as a bar-dancer that she had claimed she was a Bengali woman whose name was Payal Ghosh.
Roni Begum had fallen in love with Nitish Kumar and got married to him. The couple settled in Anjananagar, Bengaluru, in 2019 after their marriage. The woman worked as a tailor. During their stay in Mumbai, the couple were able to obtain a PAN card, and Nithin acquired an Aadhaar card with the assistance of a friend in Bengaluru.
It was when the woman’s father passed away that this 15-year-old charade started to unravel. For the funeral of her father, Begum had to travel to Bangladesh. She had planned to travel to Bengal and from there, travel to Dhaka. During her travel, immigration officers had gotten suspicious and confiscated her passport. During this incident in 2020, they had launched an investigation and recorded her statement but had not arrested her. It was during the ensuing investigation that it was discovered she was an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant.
While the investigation was on, however, Roni Begum had already travelled back to Bengaluru. The FRRO had informed the Bengaluru Police Commissioner that she was an illegal immigrant and a case was registered against her by the Byadarahalli police. It took the police 3 months to track her after questioning the places where the couple had worked and lived.
Sanjeev Patil, the DCP West, said an investigation is underway to track down the people who helped her get a PAN card, an Aadhar card, and a voter identification card.
A clutch of student protesters organising ‘Bihar Bandh’ today across the state have blocked roads in Patna and set public properties, tyres on fire.
As per reports, popular private instructor ‘Khan Sir’ went underground after the Bihar Police has registered an FIR against him for inciting violence in the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) examinations case. Khan has locked his coaching centre ‘Khan GS Research Centre’, turned off his mobile phone and has disappeared since last 24 hours.
The Bihar Police had on Wednesday arrested 4 students involved in the vandalization of trains in Arrah and Patna while protesting against alleged irregularities in the RRB-NTPC exams. According to the Police, the 4 arrested students further mentioned 12 protesters and names of teachers who allegedly motivated them to create violence.
The Bihar Police then is said to have registered an FIR against 16 student protesters and teachers named Khan Sir, SK Jha Sir, Naveen Sir, Amarnath Sir, Gagan Pratap Sir and Gopal Varma Sir. These teachers operate private coaching centres and prepare students for competitive exams.
Khan had yesterday posted a video for all his students and warned them that no one would support them if they continue to protest against the irregularities in RRB-NTPC exams. In a 7-minute long video, Khan said that the students will be labelled as ‘terrorists’ if they create violence in the society and then no one will support or help them.
He also held Railway Board responsible for the violence and assured the students that the government will definitely fulfil the demands and Prime Minister’s Office has taken cognisance of the matter. “The mistake was committed by RRB and hence it has been sidelined now”, he stated reiterating his request to cease the violence in Bihar.
What has happened?
Thousands of RRB-NTPC aspirants in Bihar initiated the protest on January 24 against the alleged confusing schedules of Railway exams. During the protests, they created a disturbance in the passenger train schedules in Patna, Arrah, Gaya and many other cities of Bihar.
On January 25, ‘student protesters’ set a train on fire in Arrah and pelted stones at the train. The very next day, citing the occasion of 73rd Republic Day, they gathered at the Gaya Railway station and repeated the drill. This time they torched an empty, stationary compartment of Shramjeevi Express and pelted stones at another moving train.
The videos of the episode went viral on social media. The protesters had also sat down on the railway tracks threatening to kill themselves and complained about the RRB exam mess.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had also extended his support to the protesters and had said that these students are the ‘hope’ of the country. “I am against the policies of the BJP government and will be with you in favour of truth but violence is not our way. If you can take freedom from non-violent protest then why not your right?”, he had tweeted.
Following the heavy violent protests by the aspirants, the RRB on January 26 formed a high power committee and decided to suspend the NCPT Level 1 exams. Railways also issued a public notice against the students involved in vandalism and unlawful activities and noted that they might face lifetime debarment.
The high power committee has, however, opened a window to listen to the grievances and concerns of the students. In an official notice, the Board has invited suggestions and complaints from the aspirants by February 16 and has assured to resolve the problem.
Who is Khan Sir?
Khan Sir is a private coaching teacher who is quite popular for his instruction videos on YouTube. In the video that he posted on January 18, he had highlighted the irregularities in the RRB exams. Khan alleged that RRB had ruined the lives of around 3,80,000 students.
He added that exams were held in 2019, but no results were declared since then. “We had to protest in 2020, 2021 and finally when results were out in the year 2022, the board failed 3,80,000 students. What kind of drama is this?”, he said.
He had questioned the Railway Recruitment Board saying that the government had assured 20% result but had settled at only 11%. Addressing his 14.5 million viewers he said that ‘farmers in Delhi were heard after they protested for one long year, students must protest at least for a week to raise voice against the RRB’. He specifically mentioned taking the help of the teachers and playing no politics in the matter.
According to the reports, before an FIR was filed against him, Khan had said that he should be arrested if he was wrong and had a ‘role to play in the violence’. The real name of Khan is however not revealed yet. Reports mention that his full name is Faisal Khan but some know him also as Amit Singh who belongs to Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.
Khan had earlier said that the coaching institute in which he teaches had asked him to keep his name a secret.
Former Bihar Chief Minister, Jan Adhikar Party supporting Khan Sir and the protests-
It is pertinent to note that Khan is being supported by the Jan Adhikar Party’s leader Pappu Yadav. He had said in a tweet that the oppression of students and teachers must stop. Yesterday, posting another tweet, he alleged that politics was being played in this case in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
“The investigation committee of rigging in the restoration of railway, NTPC is only an attempt to postpone the issue till the UP elections. Why not investigate within 15 days?”, he asked raising the slogan of ‘Bihar Bandh’ on Janary 28.
फिर धोखा दिया सरकार! इसलिए कल हम करेंगे बिहार बंद!
रेलवे NTPC की बहाली में धांधली की जांच कमेटी सिर्फ यूपी चुनाव तक मुद्दे को टालने की कोशिश है। 15 दिन में जांच क्यों नहीं?
वहीं शिक्षकों छात्रों पर फर्जी मुकदमा कर फंसाया जा रहा है।यह BJP सरकार के ताबूत में आखिरी कील साबित होगी।
In support of Khan, Former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi also said that the time had come for the government to talk about employment. “The situation can become worse than this. The cases against teachers, including Khan Sir, can further incite violence in the protest”, he tweeted yesterday.
संविधान में हिंसा और तोडफोड़ का अधिकार किसी को नहीं। वैसे अब वक्त आ गया है जब सरकार रोजगार के विषय में बात करे,नहीं तो हालात इससे भी भयानक उत्पन्न हो सकतें हैं। RRB-NTPC उपद्रव के नाम पर खान सर सहित शिक्षकों पर किए गए मुकदमें इस अघोषित युवा आंदोलन को और भी ज्यादा भड़का सकता है।
It is further worth noting that the Rashtriya Janata Dal has also asked its leaders to support students’ unions call for Bihar Bandh today over alleged discrepancies in RRB NTPC results.
Bihar | Rashtriya Janata Dal asks its leaders to support students’ unions call for Bihar Bandh on January 28 over alleged discrepancies in RRB NTPC results
The Railway Job aspirants are to hold protests today across Bihar as Mahagathbandhan parties including RJD and Congress has announced their support for a ‘Bihar Bandh’.
In July 2021, 12 BJP MLAs were arbitrarily suspended from the Maharashtra Assembly by speaker Bhaskar Jadhav. The Supreme Court today set aside the suspension calling it arbitrary and unconstitutional in nature. The suspension period of one year had begun from the 5th of July 2021 and therefore, would have lasted until the Monsoon session had the Supreme Court not quashed it.
The apex court held the suspension beyond the remaining period of the session of the Assembly as ‘non-est’ in law, substantially unconstitutional and irrational. Calling the resolution illegal, the top court said it was “beyond the powers of the assembly”.
With this, the BJP MLAs, who had been suspended earlier, would be eligible for all the relevant benefits that they were entitled to as MLAs.
During the hearing of the case earlier, the court had come down heavily on the MVA government for the arbitrary suspension. “If for a period of 60 days a member of a House of the Legislature of a State is without permission of the House absent from all meetings thereof, the House may declare his seat vacant,” the SC bench had noted adding that had the Speaker then resolved the dispute, this crisis could have been avoided.
The SC bench further reminded the state that 12 constituencies could not be kept unrepresented for such a long time and that the constituents had a right to representation. Judges Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and Ravikumar rebuked the Maharashtra state government by adding that allowing such a precedent would put democracy in jeopardy.
“Today it is 12, tomorrow it can be 120,” Justice Khanwilkar had exclaimed earlier in January during a hearing.
Why were the 12 BJP MLAs suspended in June 2021
Speaker in-chair Bhaskar Jadhav had claimed that the opposition created an uproar during the session and tried to pull mics when they were not happy with the response given by the ruling government. He also said that some opposition leaders came on the stage like ‘goons.’
This forced the Speaker to adjourn the proceeding, however, accusing the opposition of using abusive language against him, Jadhav further alleged, “When the House was adjourned, opposition leaders came to my cabin and abused me in front of LoP Devendra Fadnavis and senior BJP leader Chandrakant Patil.”
At that time, BJP had hit back strongly at the MVA government claiming a conspiracy to reduce numbers.
Maharashtra BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis in an address to the media claimed that they had suspected his move by the MVA to reduce the numbers in the House. Denying all the accusations, “The government has created a story out of the incident and suspended 12 of our MLAs. Our MLAs didn’t abuse the Speaker. There were some heated arguments but our senior member Ashish Shelar on behalf of all MLAs apologised to the Speaker in-Chair Bhaskar Jadhav. Later, the government came up with this plan to suspend our MLAs. We will continue our fight,” informed Fadnavis to the media.
Ahead of the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections in the State of Uttar Pradesh, the Congress candidate from Shekhpur Assembly in Badaun, Farah Naeem, has accused district party President Omkar Singh of misogynist behaviour, and discrimination against Muslims.
“Women are not safe in the Badaun unit of the party. The way I had to fight to get a ticket… Omkar Singh tried to stop me by slinging mud on my character and that of other women…He is of the view that Muslim women should not be given tickets although Congress wants the vote of every community,” Naeem told ANI.
She added, “Omkar Singh did not leave any stone unturned to create hurdles for me… He tried to threaten and intimidate me. If people like Omkar Singh will remain a part of this party, then, I will not contest elections. At the same time, I also resign as a member of Congress.”
#WATCH UP: Farah Naeem, Congress candidate from Shekhupur Assembly seat in Badaun, says she will not fight the polls
“Party district president Onkar Singh said Muslim women should not get ticket & that I’m a characterless woman. Women are not safe in the district unit,” she says pic.twitter.com/10o5siBNiy
She has also accused the district party President of trying to malign her image by labelling her ‘too poor to contest elections’ and ‘characterless.’ Naeem said, “I am extremely hurt. But, I have decided to fight it out since I am a woman. I will continue to do my service in spheres where women continue to feel unsafe and isolated.”
She emphasised, “I regret that I served under the Congress party. Omkar Singh used derogatory words against me..” She, however, thanked Priyanka Gandhi for giving her the inner strength to speak out about her ordeal. “As long as people like Omkar Singh is part of the Congress, I cannot remain there. So, I take back my election candidature as well as party membership. I am hurt,” Farah Naeem concluded.
On Thursday (January 27), the Central Election Committee of the Congress issued a press release, highlighting the removal of Farah Naeem as the party’s official candidate from Shekhpur constituency in Badaun. The party has replaced her with another candidate named Mamta Devi Prajapati.
The Central Election Committee has approved the candidature of Smt. Mamta Devi Prajapati(In place of Smt. Farah Naeem) as Congress candidate for the ensuing general election to the Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh from 116-Shekhupur constituency. pic.twitter.com/2EWiT5uyz4
On January 8, 2022, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the dates for the Vidhan Sabha elections in 5 States including Uttar Pradesh. The polls will be conducted in 7 phases, starting from February 10 to March 7. The votes will be counted on March 10, 2022.
With the political atmosphere highly charged up ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in states, political parties are making a number of promises to secure a win at any cost. Accordingly, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal too has been making a ton of promises to lure voters towards his party.
Recently, Kejriwal promised 300 units of free power to every home in Punjab if his party wins in 2022. As per Kejriwal, the AAP government in Delhi is providing 200 units of free electricity to each family, while the concession in Punjab would be 300 units. Kejriwal also promised ‘free money‘ to all Punjabi women, regardless of their financial situation or needs.
The Aam Aadmi Party’s proposals for freebies have accelerated since they were elected to the Delhi government, with the party declaring free power and free bus travel for women. Incentives centred on elections are never a sensible move. These policies demonstrate a lack of long-term vision. Interestingly, because regular schemes have failed to deliver, AAP will have to rely on such freebies to secure public loyalty and obedience before the election. They would not have had to resort to it if they had provided legitimate services to the people.
While AAP is campaigning on excellent governance and stressing to uphold its promise of free power, we’ll look at some of their policies and how they are detrimental to the country’s progress. Along with the normative implications of these schemes, we’ll also consider the statistical ramifications.
Power Distribution Companies facing serious issues
Power Discoms in India are suffering badly. Their problems are mostly caused by two factors: first, their failure to minimize transmission and distribution (T&D) losses, and second, price increases to keep up with rising expenditures. Both have the potential to affect households across the country, and because state governments have authority, raising tariffs is a political nightmare. As their total standalone revenue shortfall in 2019-20 was around 3000 crore, power discoms in Delhi requested to regulator DERC that a cost-reflective, gradual rate rationalization be implemented.
Arvind Kejriwal has defended these free schemes by arguing that as a state citizen, one is entitled to free services from the government, which one must get. He deceives people on how the full weight of these schemes is clandestinely shifted to the general public, and that the gain provided by these schemes is only ephemeral. Instead, why not provide them job opportunities, self-help groups, and better public institutions to help them become self-sufficient, which is a long-term solution to all problems? What could be better than the opportunity to grow wealth and enhance work prospects instead of ‘freebies’?
Funding of subsidies
Subsidies are important because they are targeted towards specific goals. They must be tapered away after these goals have been met. Waiving the total consumption cost of electricity does not qualify as a subsidy because electricity is a core utility. It’s merely a political ploy to increase the number of votes in the elections and stay in power. People are readily swayed by such policies and fail to recognize that the true cost is borne by them in another way. In the case of Delhi, it is worth noting that power subsidies impose a significant financial strain on the public exchequer.
The Deputy CM of Delhi proposed Rs 3,227 crore for the energy sector in Budget Estimates 2021-22, of which Rs 3,090 crore is only for power subsidies, accounting for 96 per cent of the total allocation for the sector and 4.4 per cent of the whole budget. This is a tremendous chunk of money. If consumers paid for the power they use, the entire sum might have been used for a more sensible cause.
Implications of such schemes in a border state like Punjab
The constraints and growth opportunities in the border areas take on specific importance in the planning and development process. The international boundary between Punjab and Pakistan is approximately 553 kilometres. Long being plagued by the drug mafia, Punjab necessitates a lot of effort to maintain security. Punjab’s entire budget is more than 6 lakh crores, which is around 9 times that of Delhi. Calculating the cost of power subsidies in Punjab, we can estimate that it will cost roughly 27000 crores (nine times the expenditure on power subsidies in Delhi).
The Punjab government already has a history of overcommitting to subsidies while underpaying the discoms. This has a significant impact on the already precarious financial status of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited. It’s important mentioning that since assuming power in 2017, the Congress government has failed to pay subsidy dues every year. It has already accumulated a Rs 10,000 crore electrical bill, which is to be paid to PSPCL, as per a report in the Times of India. With the announcement of further enticements by chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, the subsidy bill for the current fiscal year has grown to Rs 20,016 crore, of which the government has paid just Rs 7,800 crore so far.
So, If AAP implements such a policy, it may cause enormous problems in the state because, if the incumbent government is already unable to pay for previous commitments, how will the incoming government pay a bill that is 1.5 times the existing outstanding? As a result, something on the other side will have to be sacrificed, whether it’s the security budget, transportation, or rural development spending. And they’re all really important sectors.
How these free schemes affect environment
Punjab is an agricultural state that is already dealing with water shortages. From 1998 to 2018, a Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) research indicated that the groundwater level in 18 of the 22 districts fell by nearly a meter every year. The state has failed to diversify its crops and continues to rely on water-intensive crops. These crops need a tremendous amount of water, and hence power. Free electricity would not only squander energy, but it would also degrade the status of groundwater level.
Despite the fact that Delhi is not an agricultural state, its groundwater level is steadily dropping. According to a study, Ground displacement threatens a 100-square-kilometre area in the national capital region. The alarming rate of groundwater depletion in the capital might lead to portions of the city’s surface collapsing. Due to the mismanagement of Delhi’s water supply, a significant amount of unfulfilled demands is met via groundwater extraction using submersible motors, which is more convenient to use than paying for a water truck because there is no energy expense involved.
AAP has failed to deliver in Delhi
In Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal failed to deliver on his promises. The city of Delhi is in a miserable state. Even while he boasts about his initiatives, none of them has resulted in an improvement of the situation. The MCDs are still suffering as a result of the lack of finances from the Delhi government. The school system, which the AAP claims to be the best in the country, is misleading. More than half of the promises made by the AAP during the election campaigns are not kept. For example, Kejriwal vowed to deploy more than 1000 electric buses by 2019, but just one vehicle has been put into operation so far and that too this year!
The AAP’s promises to make Delhi London and the Yamuna the world’s cleanest river are the finest instances of demagoguery. Thanks to Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi has been the world’s most polluted capital city for the past three years. Kejriwal has shown to be a master at deflecting attention away from significant concerns like women’s empowerment and pollution and onto topics such as the installation of thousands of cameras on roadways that even lack street lights.
Freebies are the problem, not the solution
Free schemes for the whole population are never considered to be feasible policies. Those who stand to gain from “free” government money have a strong motive to gather and advocate for a piece of the pie. Conferring favours on specific groups in exchange for votes and campaign funds comes at little or no cost to legislators, but it comes at a cost to the public exchequer, which bears the brunt of all politically motivated decisions.
In connection to political parties tempting voters with promises of freebies ahead of this year’s assembly elections in five states, the Supreme Court has sent a notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Centre. The Supreme Court stated that it had previously recommended that the Election Commission formulate guidelines to avoid such conduct, the polling body had only had one meeting with political parties to solicit their opinion.
If the AAP truly wants to work for the public welfare, they should concentrate on altering their dishonest mindset and committing themselves to meet the true needs of the general population, not ‘freebies.’
Amid the violence in Bihar over recruitment into Railways, the Ministry of Railways has issued responses to the frequently asked questions by candidates regarding the recruitment process. The ministry has issued a press release which is published by the press information bureau on 27th January 2022 in the evening. This response has come after the railway recruitment board’s exams (RRB exams) were canceled as the aspirants had torched the trains in Arrah and Gaya in Bihar on 25th and 26th January 2022.
The press information bureau has published the response by the ministry of railways which addresses every question in detail and clarity. Among others, the ministry clarified that the recruitment process was delayed due to COVID 19 pandemic since March 2020, and subsequent restrictions and lockdowns imposed by the central govt and various state govts. The FAQs published by the ministry are reproduced below:
What is RRB? What is its role and function?
Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) functions under the Ministry of Railways, Government of India. It is primarily responsible for recruiting the group ‘C’ staff. There are 21 RRBs in the country. Each RRB has a Chairman, a Member Secretary, and an Assistant Secretary, and supporting non-gazetted staff.
Recruitments done earlier by RRBs
RRBs have notified 2,83,747 vacancies since 2018 and have given appointments to more than 1.32 lakh candidates. Recruitment of remaining vacancies is under process. RRRs have conducted CBTs for about 4 crore candidates in the last three and half years despite COVID-19 pandemic.
Why recruitment is conducted with two stages Computer Based Test (CBT)?
In case the number of candidates who have applied against the notification are large in number and are more than one crore, then, it is advisable to conduct CBT in two stages with 1st Stage being used to screen the candidates for 2nd Stage and 2nd Stage CBT conducted with limited candidates so that extensive normalization is not involved and the final merit is more just and fair.
What is the basis of shortlisting candidates for 2nd Stage CBT?
As per the Railway Recruitment Board manual of 2015, candidates 10 times the notified vacancies are to be called for 2nd Stage CBT for Non-Technical Popular Categories (NTPC). This is to ensure that the number is limited to the extent that the same can be managed in one or limited shifts to avoid extensive normalization as well as to ensure that adequate candidates are available for deciding the merit after initial screening is done through 1st Stage CBT. This same was followed in earlier Centralized Employment Notification (CEN) 02/2010 (for Graduates) and CEN 04/2010 (for 10+2) where candidates 10 times the vacancies were called for 2nd Stage CBT before increasing the same to 15 times for CEN 03/2015 (Graduates).
How many candidates are shortlisted for 2nd Stage CBT for NTPC Exam?
For CEN 01/2019, the 1st stage CBT has been made common for Graduates and 10+2 pass candidates, it has been prescribed in the CEN that candidates20 times the notified vacancies will be called for 2nd Stage CBT so that adequate candidates are given the opportunity to appear in 2nd Stage CBT after screening through 1st Stage CBT.
Short listing should be done for 7 lakh candidates not 7 lakh roll numbers?
Nowhere was it mentioned that 7 lakh distinct candidates will get shortlisted for 2nd stage CBT. Since a 2nd Stage consists of CBT of five different levels and a candidate can be shortlisted for more than one level as per eligibility, merit, and option, the lists of 7 lakh roll numbers will have some names appearing in more than one list.
RRBs have shortlisted candidates only 4-5 times of notified vacancies.
The shortlisting has been done level/post-wise at the rate of 20 times notified vacancies as elaborated in para 13 of notification. The lists contain 7,05,446 roll numbers which are 20 times notified vacancies of 35281.
Ten candidates used to fight for one post now one candidate will fight for 10 posts.
Finally, 35281 distinct candidates will be selected and one candidate will be appointed against only one post depending upon merit and preference. Hence no post will remain vacant.
About different notifications for graduate level candidates and 10+2 level candidates
It was asked that “Graduate candidates are getting the undue benefit of becoming eligible for both Graduate and 10+2 level posts. Had there been different notifications for Graduate and 10+2 level posts as used to be done earlier, they would have to succeed in two different exams.” The ministry has answered as follows.
The integration of recruitments for Graduate and 10+2 level posts have been done to save time, energy, and effort which has been proved useful during COVID 19 pandemic. Also, standards of CBT 1 have been kept of 10+2 level so as to not to put disadvantage to 10+2 level students and it is only in CBT 2 that standards will be different across levels.
What has Railways done for protesting candidates against NTPC Results?
RRBs have postponed the 2nd Stage CBT of NTPC and 1st Stage CBT of Level one. A high power committee comprising senior officials has been formed to look into the concerns and doubts raised by candidates in regard to the results of the 1st Stage Computer Based Test (CBT) of NTPC exam without affecting existing shortlisted candidates and Introduction of 2nd Stage CBT in CEN RRC 01/2019.
How can Students lodge their grievances to the committee?
The candidates can lodge their concerns and suggestions to the committee at the following email id: [email protected]
All Chairpersons of RRBs have also been directed to receive the grievances of candidates. Outreach Camps are being organized at various Zonal and Divisional HQs all over the country to facilitate lodging of concerns.
What is the last date for registering grievance to the committee?
Candidates are given three weeks’ time up to 16.02.2022 to submit their concerns.
What is the timeline for the committee to address the grievances?
The committee after examining these concerns will submit their recommendations by 04th March 2022.
Why has there been delay in recruitment process?
The recruitment process has got delayed due to COVID 19 pandemic since March 2020 and various restrictions imposed on that account by various states. The capacity that can be utilized for CBT has also got impacted because of social distancing norms leading to an increase in the number of shifts. 1st Stage CBT of CEN 01/2019 involved 133 shifts.
The election commission of India had declared the schedule of the upcoming assembly elections in the five states earlier this month. As the number of COVID-19 cases in India surged in January 2022, the election commission has also laid down the guidelines for campaigning. According to the guidelines, all rallies, public meetings, etc are banned. Even door-to-door campaigning is allowed with a limited number of party workers in a group that too only after keeping social distance and abiding by all other COVID-19 norms like masking and sanitization.
UP election campaign songs
Naturally, the political parties are bound to go digital for campaigning due to restrictions on physical campaigning activities, thereby making this election to be the first of its kind in the history of the Indian republic. Along with graphical designs, content on the images, and short viral audio and video clips, it is the songs from various parties and their supporters and workers which have prepossessed the poll-bound states, especially Uttar Pradesh.
Election songs have been a part of the campaign for many years but as the campaign for the current election is a digital-only kind, at least until any further notification by the election commission of India, the importance of the election songs has suddenly doubled, and thanks to the social media platforms, these songs are now not limited only to Uttar Pradesh.
Folk tunes, experiments in music arrangements, star singers, popular issues addressed in lyrics, glorification of leaders, and local accent – more than just another campaigning tool, the election songs have become a perfect entertaining recipe for a common Indian election enthusiast. Let’s see from the examples of a few songs, how these tunes are setting the mood and tone of the election, if not the entire discourse and vote swing.
Bahujan Samaj Party
Most of the election songs of the Bahujan Samaj Party revolve around the party icon Bahan Mayawatiji only. But in one of the recent songs, the one made by BSP supporter Shashi Bhushan, the party seems to be promising things like putting a check on mafia dons, ensuring law and order, making expressways, etc. which the Yogi Adityanath government is already delivering continuously for last five years. Making “Maya bahanji ke sapno ka UP” is the theme addressed in most of the songs made for BSP.
The party has hired singing services from eminent Bollywood singers like Kailash Kher, Shaan, and this year’s Padma Award winner Sonu Nigam. Most of the songs still rely on the sentiments revolving around Mayawati’s personal charisma and the schemes implemented in her first full tenure as the chief minister of the state from 2007 to 2012. No song is complete without visuals of BSP founder Kanshiram, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, and Gautam Buddha. The iconic elephant statues built by the BSP supremo in her tenure are also seen.
Another BSP song is sung by Udit Narayan. The song expressing hope from Mayawati is made in July 2021 but still trending for BSP. But barring the sweet and smiling voice of Udit Narayan, nothing in the song actually assures hope.
The party has made songs on both folk tunes as well as popular tunes. Some of them are original too. But it is very naive to think that people will vote for this party listening to the songs based on the tunes of Hindu Bhajans, when they already have Yogi Adityanath as the CM of the state. For example Sonu Nigam’s song for BSP with lyrics “Ab karo vijay ki taiyari, nishchit hai jeet hamari” is based on the tune of “Badi der bhayi Nandlala, teri raah take brijbala”. Though the song is trending currently for BSP, it was made three years ago.
Yogi Adityanath has already said that flowers will be showered on Karsevaks when they will reach for Karseva next time, implying the work to be done at Mathura’s Shri Krishna Janm Bhoomi. On this backdrop, making an election song on the tunes of a Bhajan of Lord Krishna is certainly not a clever move. However, it will become only after the election results that what chunk of the voters is allured towards BSP by such efforts.
Samajwadi Party
Known for its appeasement policy specially focussed towards Muslims in the state, Samajwadi Party has launched multiple songs for the upcoming election and SP songs are certainly better than BSP songs at least in appearance. Kailash Kher has also sung a song for SP. Of all the songs released by the party so far ‘Janata pukarati hai Akhilesh aaiye’ is leading the charts for the party. The song is written by Bilal Saharanpuri. Bollywood singer Altamash Faridi has sung it in his voice resembling that of the Pakistani singer Atif Aslam.
The SP songs majorly focus on building hope through the image of ‘Akhilesh Yadav the saviour’, whom according to the party, people are calling to lead the state. But the song contains two contradictory lines in two different stanzas of the song ‘Janata pukarati hai Akhilesh aaiye’. The first line says ‘Netaji ke karya ko aage badhaaiye’ meaning that ‘please take ahead the legacy of Mulayam Singh Yadav’. The second one is ‘Samman betiyon ko ab wapas dilaaiye’ meaning that ‘restore the respect of the girls’. It is notable that while reacting to a rape incident, Mulayam Singh Yadav had once said ‘Ladkon see galti ho jati hai’ which means, ‘boys keep committing such mistakes’. Besides, the SP songs overall promise for employment, welfare schemes, etc.
In visuals, it focuses on the old footage like distributing laptops to students and cycles to girls. Tracks like ‘Khadeda hoi be’ and ‘Dhadak dhadak’ bring folk flavor to the well-arranged songs but it will still be a challenge for SP to make people forget the irregular power supplies and bad law and order situations in UP during SP’s regime.
Bharatiya Janata Party
The incumbent giant in the state is leading the digital campaign through both official songs and fan-made songs. Through various songs, BJP is leading to set the direction of the discourse as well as the party is effectively answering the allegations and questions from the opponents and critics through the songs which are creatively written and designed. The official campaign song was launched by CM Yogi Adityanath at a press conference.
The song does not name the CM candidate Yogi Adityanath in any line of this song. It just reiterates ‘UP bhar me shankhnaad se sunai padti hai yahi pukar, UP fir mange bhajpa sarkar’. The party goes on to count various development works done in the last five years of the double engine government as it is popularly called. Even visually, the faces of popular party leaders like PM Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are seen for the minimum possible time. Contradictorily, the songs of SP and BSP contain the images of their supreme leaders almost in every frame of the song.
BJP is often accused by its opponents to be the party that relies on communal polarization and being inclined towards Hindus and against the minorities especially the Muslims, but the campaign song of BJP is underlining a different story. The party is emphasizing more on the close-ups of happy faces of common men and women rather than focussing on the theatrical gimmicks that the party could have portrayed with its iconic works at Kashi and Ayodhya. The song covers them as well, but the center of BJP’s narrative still remains on what the people are thinking this time, according to the party.
Despite this prime campaign song BJP also has some other songs for the upcoming elections. The one based on the tune of the famous Sinhala song ‘Manike Mage Hithe’ is most popular among the others as it contains lines like ‘Yahi Yogi, Yahi Modi, Upyogi, Sahyogi’ which are directly drawn from the popular punches from Modi’s speeches given in the public rallies held in December 2021. Interestingly, even this song does not focus on images of leaders but revolves around the happy faces of common people.
The game changers
Apart from the official songs of the political parties, there are a few other songs that are either made and posted by fans and followers or made by critics and opponents and posted by everyone else willfully joining their bandwagon. While the Congress party is still lingering around ‘Mera job mujhe milega’ song, the fan-made songs are showing the reality of the aspirations and demands of the voters.
One such popular independent song is that by Kanhaiyya Mittal. The lyrics of the song have gone so viral that even BJP is using those lines on their campaign material like sarees. It is ‘Jo Ram ko laaye hain, hum unko layenge, UP me fir se hum bhagwa lahrayenge’ which means ‘we will bring back to them who have brought Ram back (of course into the grand temple), we will wave the saffron flag once again in UP’. Kanhaiyya Mittal has shared an exclusive disclaimer before starting the track. He says, if you agree with me, share this song the maximum and if you disagree with me, then kindly ignore this stuff. The song has gained astronomically high popularity in and even out of the state. So much so that even wedding planners are inviting Kanhaiyya Mittal to perform this song in the wedding functions.
Another such example is a question and answers series that has appeared through the medium of songs ‘UP me ka ba?’ and ‘UP me sab ba’. The Bhojpuri dialect in the songs intentionally used to connect with the rural masses of UP especially the Purvanchal area seems to have played its role very well. The ‘UP me ka ba’ song was made and posted by Neha Singh Rathore. In this song, she has attempted to ask so-called tough questions and speak the so-called truth to the power.
In response to this, actor and singer Ravi Kishan has come up with a song ‘UP me sab ba’ in which he has very well explained in detail the works done by the Yogi Adityanath government and what it plans to do in the future if given an opportunity again in the upcoming elections.
Overall, the upcoming assembly elections, at least in UP, have already made the campaign a bit musical as opposed to the gruff and grating speeches of the local and regional leaders in the public meetings.
In the latest development regarding the Kishan Bharwad murder case of Ahmedabad, police have arrested two suspects on 27th January 2022. Gujrat’s home minister Harsh Sanghavi has assured justice to the family of the deceased boy. On the other hand, Hindu organizations have called for a bandh tomorrow protesting against the murder.
Reactions of the Kishan Bharwad murder case in Dhandhuka town of Ahmedabad have appeared in other cities as well. In Ranpur city of Botad, Hindu organizations have called for a bandh protesting the murder. A case is registered against five accused suspects. The police have arrested two out of the five suspects and searching operations to catch the remaining suspects is going on.
Meanwhile, Harsh Sanghavi, Home Minister of Gujarat, has tweeted “Police have nabbed two suspects in the case of Kishan Bharwad at Dhandhuka in Ahmedabad. I assure his family that he will get justice quickly, for which Gujarat Police is constantly working.”
અમદાવાદના ધંધુકા ખાતેના કિશન ભરવાડના કેસ અંતર્ગત બે શંકાસ્પદ આરોપીઓને પોલીસે ઝડપી પાડ્યા છે.
હું તેમના પરિવારને ખાતરી આપું છું કે, તેમને ઝડપથી ન્યાય મળશે, જેના માટે ગુજરાત પોલીસ સતત કાર્યરત છે.
News18Gujarati has reported that Hindu organizations have called for a bandh at various places in Gujrat. According to the report, VHP had called for a bandh in Dhandhuka which received a willful positive response from the local people. RSS, Bajrang Dal, and VHP had called for a bandh through social media appealing to the traders and shopkeepers to keep their establishments closed for the day. Local people participated in the protest in large numbers. An application was also given to the collector’s office seeking fast-track investigations in this case.
A bandh is also called in Ranpur city of Botad where a silent march will start at 11 AM and it will conclude in the local market yard. After that, the participants of the silent march will hand over an application to the collectorate and respective government offices.
Virendra Singh Yadav, SP (Ahmedabad Rural) has said “Police have formed various teams to search for the accused suspects. Police have rounded up two of them. They are being interrogated. We are taking all the necessary legal steps regarding this matter.”
Kishor Bharwad was murdered in Ahmedabad district’s Dhandhuka taluka when Kishan was on his way home. Two bikers came and shot at him. He died on the spot. It is alleged that Kishan had shared a post on social media platforms that Muslims find offensive.
On the occasion of India’s 73rd Republic Day, colourful festivities were held at the India Pavillion at Expo 2020 that has been underway in Dubai’s Al Forsan district since October 1. A day after the splendid event, a Congress spokesperson took to Twitter to spread fake news about India’s massive initiative to showcase the country’s talent, trade, tradition, tourismand technology on an international platform.
In her chronic hate for Modi, the Congress spokesperson, Dr Shama Mohamad, latched on to the opportunity to spread blatant lies about PM Narendra Modi and India’s state-of-the-art pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.
I asked my husband about Dubai Expo, especially about the Indian Pavilion. His answer- “Shama, Dubai Expo is very good, almost all pavilions are done well. The Indian Pavilion is huge but its the only Pavilion with the PM’s Face all over! Is India being showcased or just PM Modi!
Dr Shama Mohamad Tweeted on January 27: “I asked my husband about Dubai Expo, especially about the Indian Pavilion. His answer- “Shama, Dubai Expo is very good, almost all pavilions are done well. The Indian Pavilion is huge but its the only Pavilion with the PM’s Face all over! Is India being showcased or just PM Modi!”
Basically, the Congress spokesperson claimed that the Modi government has utilised the India Pavilion as a platform to showcase PM Modi rather than highlighting India’s rich culture in order to attract tourists and the growing industrial prospects it presents in order to attract investors.
Her deceit was, however, quickly busted by another Twitter user who shared a video of India’s state-of-the-art 8,750 square metre pavilion at the Dubai Expo 2020. The 7.20-minute video covers the entire pavilion that spans across four floors. To the Congress spokesperson’s dismay, no trace of PM Modi’s poster or face could be found in the entire film, despite her claims.
Watch this video. Your husband sees modi ji in his dreams then what can he do??https://t.co/h8ZmjMY8no
There are several other videos that people have uploaded after visiting the India pavilion, and none of them shows that the venue is filled with Modi’s posters. These videos prove that the Congress leader is lying.
The Indian pavilion at the Dubai Expo 2020 that Congress has lied blatently about
Expo 2020 is currently taking place in Dubai, and India’s pavilion is one of the most impressive. It was inaugurated by Union Minister Piyush Goyal and highlights the sectors in which India is a global leader or is on the verge of becoming one.
The Indian pavilion spans across four floors and each floor (except the top one) has two wings. People enter through the A-wing and exit via the B wing.
Visitors are welcomed by a tunnel that displays India’s space programmes after passing through the entryway. The country’s health-care developments, as well as yoga, Ayurveda, and alternative medicine, are all mentioned. The upper three floors are dedicated to Indian culture, the country’s bilateral connection with the United Arab Emirates, and corporate India’s goals.
A logo has been created specifically for Expo 2020 to rebrand India’s image. The chakra (wheel) is used in the logo, which represents strength and progress. Its colours are inspired by Indian tricolour. The India Pavilion cost 490 crore rupees and was viewed as a long-term strategic investment.
Dikshu Kukreja of CP Kukreja Architects said, “We conceived of the pavilion as an asset beyond the expo. The design of the entire pavilion is so flexible that each floor can be used for offices and then can be turned back into a space for trade or a cultural event.”
Festivals such as Holi and Diwali will also be celebrated at the India Pavilion, according to the authorities. India’s presence at the newly constructed expo site will give it a head start because it will be transformed into a future city.
