No migrant worker should walk or cycle in Uttar Pradesh: CM Yogi
As sea of migrant workers continues to move on foot from across India towards their home state Uttar Pradesh with some even dying on the way due to hunger or accidents, CM Yogi Adityanath has finally directed state officials to set up police station-level teams to ensure no migrant worker travels on foot or bike or in any unsafe mode. The CM gave this direction on Friday amid rising cases of road accidents while workers marching back home. “No worker should walk or cycle now. The district magistrates and police officials of all districts have been directed to arrange buses, autos and other vehicles for migrant workers to ferry them back home with respect,” says Awanish Awasthi, the UP Govt spokesperson in his regular press briefing. —Our Correspondent
STATES TO HIRE SPECIAL BUSES TO TRANSPORT TRAIN PASSENGERS
The Centre has allowed hiring of special buses by states and UTs to ferry passengers arriving at railway stations, in view of restrictions of public and private transport during the lockdown. The Home Ministry said, under the Standard Operating Procedure, to and fro movement of passengers from railway station to home has been allowed based on confirmed e-tickets. Some states have requested to allow special buses to ferry the passengers arriving by train to their homes. Thus, states and UT can engage special buses from railway stations. —Our Bureau
Rajnath okays `400 crore scheme to boost defence manufacturing
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved a Rs400 crore defence testing infrastructure scheme on Friday. The defence ministry has stated to give a boost to domestic defence and aerospace manufacturing, Singh has approved the launch of Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS) with an outlay of Rs400 crore to create state of the art testing infrastructure for this sector.
Nepal protesting India’s roadwork at someone else’s behest: Naravane
Army Chief Gen MM Naravane on Friday said there were reasons to believe that Nepal objected to India's newly-inaugurated road linking Lipulekh Pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand at the behest of "someone else", in an apparent reference to a possible role by China on the matter. In an interaction at a defence think-tank, Gen Naravane said there was no dispute whatsoever between India and Nepal in the area and road laid was very much within the Indian side. “The Nepalese Ambassador mentioned that the area east of the Kali river belongs to them. There is no dispute in that. The road that we built is on the west of the river,” the Army Chief said. —Agencies