Rajya Sabha adjourned amid disruption by Opposition

Was accompanied by sloganeering by Treasury bench in support of PM

First India Bureau

OPPN PANS BUDGETS, SAYS IT FAILS ON MANY FRONTS, CRITICISM REJECTED

New Delhi: The Union Budget has failed to address issues of unemployment, poverty and inflation, even as allocation for welfare schemes stands slashed, Opposition said during a debate on the Budget in LS. Some MPs also raised the Adani issue. “Words such as unemployment, poverty and inflation are absent from the Budget. The new tax regime is riddled with conditions, but the richest, with over Rs5 crore annual income, have been given tax relief,” Congress’s Amar Singh said.

Almost six weeks after introducing pre-boarding RTPCR tests for passengers from six countries

The government had made it mandatory for travellers from China, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand and Japan to upload a negative RT-PCR test, done not more than 72 hours before the journey, on the Air Suvidha portal.

“As has been witnessed in the last 4 weeks, these countries are witnessing a sustained and significant decline in the trajectory of Covid-19 cases… In view of the above, this ministry is …dropping the existing requirements of pre-departure Covid-19 testing and uploading of self-health declaration on Ministry of Civil Aviation’s ‘Air Suvidha’ portal applicable for international travellers coming from/ via China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Republic of Korea, Thailand and Japan,” a letter from Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan to Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Bansal said.

Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off two Vande Bharat trains from Mumbai to Shirdi and Solapur.

At an event at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in south Mumbai, Modi first flagged off the the CSMT-Solapur Vande Bharat Express and later another semi highspeed train linking the financial capital to Sainagar Shirdi temple town in Ahmednagar district.

The Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat Express will cover the 455 km distance between Mumbai and the textile city in 6 hours and 30 minutes, a saving of nearly one hour in current timings.

‘OUR GOVT CAME DUE TO YOUR BLESSINGS’

Mumbai: Maha CM Shinde Friday lauded PM Modi for topping ‘International leaders index’ and thanked him for huge allocation to Maharashtra Railway in Budget 2023. “It is for the first time that Maharashtra Railway was allocated 13,000 crore in budget.” Shinde said. “In India’s history, for first time so many highways were never constructed ever before. It is for the first time in last 5-6 years these many highways are being taken up including in Maharashtra,” he added. Eknath Shinde told Modi, “Our government of six-seven months has been formed in the state only with your blessings. Because of you, the government came to power.”

RAILWAY MINISTER THANKS PM MODI

Mumbai: Ashwini Vaishnaw, the minister of Indian Railways, praised Prime Minister Modi for launching two Vande Bharat trains. “Thanks to PM Modi for giving a gift to the residents of Mumbai, Pune, Nashik & devotees of Shirdi Sai Baba & Trimbakeshwar,” said the Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on PM Modi to flag off 2 Vande Bharat trains in Mumbai on Friday.

Govt Nod To Ordinance

To bring India’s strictest anti-cheating law: Dhami

First India Bureau

Dehradun: Uttarakhand

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday said his government has given its nod to an ordinance to bring the country’s “strictest anticheating law” to make recruitment exams transparent and fair for all candidates in the state.

The announcement was made hours after Uttarakhand Police resorted to lathicharge on the youth protesting against recruitment scams and paper leak cases in the state. They were protest- ing outside the busy Gandhi Park in Dehradun in the afternoon.

He appealed to the protesting youth to not be misled by anyone, as his government is fully aware of their welfare, and “unlike previous government, it has not tried to hide any of the recruitment scams,” he said.

Pushkar Singh Dhami @pushkardhami

As per the promise made to the youth, our government has decided to bring the country’s strictest anti-cheating law. After giving my permission to the ordinance concerned, I have sent it for further action. We will not let cheating mafia play with the future of students.

‘BUDGET HAS STRENGTHENED MIDDLE

CLASS’

Mumbai: PM Narendra Modi said this year’s Union Budget has strengthened the middle class and given more relief than was given by the UPA regime.For income on which the UPA government imposed as much as 20% tax, this budget has zero tax, Modi said, after flagging off two Vande Bharat trains. “Be it the salaried class or the middle class earning from trade and commerce, this Budget has made them happy,” the PM said.

ADANI-HINDENBURG ROW

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha was adjourned on Thursday, soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered his reply to the motion of thanks to the President’s speech. Sloganeering by Opposition members for joint parliamentary committee to look into the Adani group, which began as Modi began his address to the House, continued through his speech and the budget debate.

It was accompanied by sloganeering by members of the Treasury bench in support of the Prime Minister as the budget discussion began.

Chairman Rajya Sabha Jagdeep Dhankhar took stern note of the matter saying: “Disorder in the House can never be wholesome. The disorder which we had when