Tirupati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to the state governments of the country to fully utilize the funds released for construction workers.

Similarly, he also conveyed the message of utilization of ESIC and Ayushman Bharat schemes. Addressing the inaugural function of the two-day National Conference of Labour Ministers and Secretaries through video link here, Modi said construction workers are an important part of the country.

“It has come to my notice that the state governments have not fully utilised Rs 38,000 crore for the welfare of these construction workers. He said that tax is also levied for the welfare of construction workers and governments should ensure that maximum number of construction workers are given the benefit of the amount recovered from this tax.

He said that tax is also levied for the welfare of construction workers and governments should ensure that maximum number of construction workers are given the benefit of the amount recovered from this tax. He also emphasised that the state governments should focus on implementing the state insurance scheme of the employees and the Ayushman Bharat (health) scheme. In conclusion, the Prime Minister said that joint efforts to highlight the true strength of the country can play an important role.

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Chandigarh:  Accusing the BJP government of financial mismanagement and failure to combat  inflation, senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Rajya Sabha Member Raghav Chadha on Monday said that prices of petrol have been hiked 78 times and 76 times of diesel across the country in the past one year by the Union government, even as revenue from petroleum was a whopping Rs 4.92 lakh crore in 2021-22.

Citing these figures from a reply to his question tabled in Rajya Sabha, by the government, MP Chadha, said that this is clear evidence of the government’s financial management. He said that the government’s reply stated that the  prices of petrol were hiked by 78 times and that of diesel  76 times in the last one year.  Quite surprisingly, as against the steady increase in fuel prices, the number of times that prices were  reduced was only 7  and 10 times for Petrol and diesel respectively in the same period (2021-2022).

Tweeting these figures Chadha, said, “In the Parliament, I had asked the central government how many times the price of petrol has been increased in the last one year. You will be surprised to know that in the last one year, the price of petrol has been increased 78 times and the price of diesel has been increased 76 times. This is a blow on the common man.”

Chadha said that the BJP-led Union government had collected a colossal Rs 4,92,303 crore revenue in 2021-22. The BJP government had witnessed Rs 1.5 lakh crore rise in revenue as compared to 2019-20. Despite these staggering collections,  the government is relentlessly putting a burden on the poor and common people by increasing fuel prices instead of giving financial relief to people reeling under inflation, he said.

Lashing out at BJP led Union government, MP Chadha said that the BJP government’s continuity, consistency, and coherence is restricted to achieving phenomenal and extraordinary heights of inflation only.

He said that the union government miserably failed to control inflation as fuel, milk, and eggs prices up at the fastest rate in 40 years.

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Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Tuesday appealed the Centre to immediately repeal the three black farm laws otherwise his government would convene a special session of Vidhan Sabha to reject these anti-farm laws outrightly to safeguard the interest of the farmers and farm labourers, who are already passing through acute economic crisis.
Addressing the media persons here at Chief Minister’s Office, Channi said he had already asked the then Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh to reject these laws but the Cabinet at that time authorized him to take any decision, as he deems fit. He, however, chose to bring the amended bills instead of rejecting these draconian farm legislations.
Urging the Centre to give due recognition to the border state of Punjab for its unprecedented sacrifices to uphold the country’s integrity and sovereignty, Channi said that the Centre should not try to foment trouble in the state like J&K rather it should sincerely resolve the ongoing farm crisis at the earliest in the larger interest of the country.
Reiterating his firm commitment to stand by the farmers and the Samyukt Kisan Morcha in this hour of crisis, the Chief Minister said that he would even lead a mammoth march towards Delhi either by foot or on bi-cycle to support their cause in case the Centre doesn’t concede their demand to repeal these laws forthwith.
Expressing solidarity with the farmers and the farm labourers in their ongoing agitation against these farm laws, the Chief Minister categorically said that he would support their concerns. He bemoaned that these laws would ultimately perish the state’s peasantry as our beleaguered farmers are already reeling under whopping debt to the tune of Rs.1 lac crore and thus the Centre should now come forward to bail them out from this financial crisis.
Channi said it is ironical that ‘Anndaata’ has been virtually forced to become ‘Bhikhari’ due to the Centre’s apathy and stubborn attitude. “If Centre can afford to waive the huge loans of big corporate houses what stops it from waiving the loans of poor and needy farmers?” quipped Channi.
He, however, said that the state government had already provided relief to the small and marginal farmers upto Rs.2 lac and now farm labourers are also being extended relief to the extent of Rs.25,000, with whatever little resources it had.
Extending a healing touch to the victim families of the deceased farmers, who lost their lives during the stir against these farm laws, the Chief Minister said his government has provided government jobs to their family members besides giving financial assistance of Rs.5 lac per family.
Touching an emotional chord, the Chief Minister shared an incident where he personally handed over an appointment letter recently to such family who were living in extremely deplorable conditions in a house even without a roof. He said the victim of that family in Bathinda district was constructing the house with the financial aid of Rs. 5 lac received from the government.
Listing his government’s priority to provide houses to houseless, the Chief Minister said that the process of allotment of 5-marla plots is being simplified and has now empowered the BDPOs to decide the cases after the resolution passed by the concerned village panchayats. The entire process to identify and finalize the allotment of plots to the eligible beneficiaries would be completed within a month, added Mr. Channi.

The post Punjab CM urges centre to repeal farm laws immediately appeared first on TV Punjab | English News Channel.

Chandigarh: As the nation marked one year of the black Farm Laws, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday demanded immediate scrapping of the legislations by the Centre, calling for detailed discussions with the farmers to find a way forward.

Pointing out that many farmers had died in these protests, the Chief Minister said it was high time the Central Government realised its blunder and withdrew the legislations in the interest of the farmers and the nation.

The Chief Minister, wearing a #nofarmers_nofood bade, was inaugurating the 3rd state level virtual Kisan Mela organised by Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. The 2-day mela is centered on the theme: ‘KARIE PARALI DI SAMBHAL, DHARTI MAA HOVE KHUSHHAL”, in line with the state government’s focus on eliminating stubble burning.

“Till date, the Indian Constitution has been amended as many as 127 times, so why can it not be amended once again to scrap the Farm Laws and resolve the imbroglio resulting from them,” asked the Chief Minister. “What is the problem in doing it a 128th time,” he demanded to know from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre, which was out to ruin the farmers.

What was happening with the farmers today was extremely sad, given the immense contribution made by them to India’s development and progress, said Captain Amarinder, calling for immediate revocation of the laws, which he said were detrimental to the interest not just of the agricultural community but the entire country.

Recalling that he had been asked by the Centre to stop Punjab’s farmers from going to Delhi last November, the Chief Minister said he had refused point blank to do so, as protest is the democratic right of farmers. “Why should they not protest? How can I stop them,” he asked, making it clear that he continues to stand with the farmers in their fight against the draconian legislations, with his government continuing to give compensation and jobs to the families of the deceased farmers.

Noting the contribution of Punjab and its farmers to the country’s growth, the Chief Minister said the state, with only 1.53 % of total geographical area of India, produces about 18% of the country’s wheat, 11% paddy, 4.4% cotton and 10% milk. For the past many decades, Punjab has been contributing about 35-40% of wheat and 25-30% of rice to the central pool, he said, expressing pride in the achievements of the state’s farmers.

The post Scrap farm laws, talk to farmers, Punjab CM tells Centre  appeared first on TV Punjab | English News Channel.

Uttar Pradesh: The Kisan Mahapanchayat in Muzaffarnagar on Sunday has given a call for complete Bharat Bandh on September 27 in protest against the three contentious farm laws.
Farmers said that the BJP led union government claim that only a handful of farmers are protesting. “Let them see what a handful this is today. Let us raise our voices so it reaches the ears of those sitting in Parliament,” the speakers said while stating that farmer unions anonymously decided to shut down the centre on September 27.
Intensifying their protest against contentious three-farm bills that Parliament passed last year, Samyukta Kisan Morcha, a joint front of 13 farmers’ unions, have organised a mahapanchayat in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar.
This mahapanchayat has been organised by farmers at the Government Inter College ground in Muzaffarnagar, ahead of the crucial UP assembly polls next year.
Farmers belonging to over 300 organizations from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka among others, have gathered for the event to mark their protest against BJP-led union government, said Bharatiya Kisan Union media in-charge Dharmendra Malik.

The post Kisan Mahapanchayat: farmers unions call for Bharat bandh on September 27 appeared first on TV Punjab | English News Channel.

Uttar Pradesh: Intensifying their protest against contentious three-farm bills that Parliament passed last year, Samyukta Kisan Morcha, a joint front of 13 farmers’ unions, have organised a mahapanchayat in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar on Sunday.

This mahapanchayat has been organised by farmers at the Government Inter College ground in Muzaffarnagar, ahead of the crucial UP assembly polls next year.

Farmers belonging to over 300 organizations from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka among others, have gathered for the event to mark their protest against BJP-led union government, said Bharatiya Kisan Union media in-charge Dharmendra Malik.

He said that over 5000 langars including some mobile stalls have been set up by supporters near the protest site.

The farmers including women carrying flags of different unions arrived at the protest site in buses, cars and tractors.

The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chaudhry said that he had requested the Muzaffarnagar district for

sprinkling of flowers from a helicopter on the farmers but authorities denied their request.

City magistrate Abhishek Singh said that this cannot be allowed due to security reasons.

A heavy security forces have been deployed at the protest venue and at the residences of Union minister Sanjiv Balyan as well as BJP MLA Umesh Malik here, as a precautionary measure.

Meanwhile, the Muzaffarnagar district authorities have directed all wine shops to keep their unit shut in view of the mahapanchayat.

The roads, flyovers in Muzaffarnagar jam-packed as thousands attend farmers’ mahapanchayat.

The post Thousands of farmers attend mahapanchayat in Muzaffarnagar against three-farm bills appeared first on TV Punjab | English News Channel.