NEW DELHI
The EC on Friday fixed a Rajya Sabha byelection on August 9 from West Bengal to fill the vacancy caused from the resignation of Trinamool member Dinesh Trivedi, 71, a former union minister, from the House on February 12. He joined BJP a month later. His term was till 02.04.2026 and as such one elected against his vacancy will have the tenure of nearly 5 years. Trivedi, a Gujarati who trained as a pilot, did his MBA from Texas and tried to be a Bollywood actor, is a master defector who has been a member of both the Houses of Parliament. He entered politics from Gujarat through Congress in 1980s, became a Janata Dal member of the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat in 1990 and then defected to the Trinamool to be elected first to the Lok Sabha from West Bengal in 2009 and then became its RS member before defecting third time to BJP. —Our Bureau
Himanta govt’s first budget proposes 1L jobs, no new tax
Guwahati: The Himanta Biswa Sarma govt of Assam on Friday presented a Rs566 crore deficit budget for 2021-22 in the state assembly, proposing one lakh government jobs and no new taxes. The maiden budget of the Sarma government was tabled by Ajanta Neog, the state’s first-ever woman finance minister. The govt proposed to provide smartphones to Classes 9-10 students of govt schools, create 50 new border outposts, set up an agriculture commission and start artificial insemination in cattle to increase milk production.
Hindu dominance must remain intact in India: VHP
New Delhi: The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Friday said any population control measure should be considered keeping in mind the dominance of Hindus remains intact in the country. Addressing the media, VHP general secretary Milind Parande said if there is just one child in a family, “the population of Hindus will be reduced by the Hindus themselves. When we talk about population control, the dominance of the Hindu society must remain intact in the country. All the principles of politics, secularism and tolerance are being followed in the country because of the dominance of the Hindu population,” he said.
Farmers’ protest: AAP rejects Delhi Police’s panel of lawyers
New Delhi: The AAP government on Friday rejected the Delhi Police’s proposal to set up a panel of public prosecutors to argue cases related to violence during a tractor rally by farmers on January 26, setting the stage for a fresh round of confrontation with the Centre and the L-G office. Sources said LG Anil Baijal is likely to invoke special powers granted to him in the Constitution and approve a panel of lawyers chosen by the Delhi Police.
‘81k paramilitary men took VRS, 16k resigned between 2011-20’
New Delhi: More than 81,000 personnel of the paramilitary forces such as the CRPF and the BSF have taken voluntary retirement in the last decade, the maximum of over 11,000 in 2017 alone. According to the Union Home Ministry data, 15,904 personnel also resigned from their respective organisations between 2011 and 2020 — the highest 2,332 in 2013.
MP well collapse: 11 dead, 19 rescued; search ends
Vidisha: Eleven bodies were recovered and 19 persons were brought out alive from a well in which several people had fallen while trying to rescue a boy in Madhya Pradesh’s Vidisha district, a minister said on late Friday night as the rescue operations ended.
Indian Bison, on the ‘Red’ list of endangered animals find herds increasing in Tripura's Trishna sanctuary
Threatened by poachers, climate change and shrinking habitats the wild Indian Bison or ‘Gaurs, the largest among wild cattle around the world, has been on the ‘Red’ list of endangered animals for long. However, recent births of at least 5 calves in Tripuras Trishna sanctuary in Rajbari have given new hope to herds found in the state.
