NEW DELHI, July 26:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched a website MyGov that aims to help citizens contribute in governance by giving their opinions and views on important issues like clean Ganga or skill development.
The inauguration of the people-centric platform also marks the completion of 60 days of the new Government.
The Prime Minister said in the past 60 days, the experience of his government was that there were many people who wanted to contribute towards nation-building and devote their time and energy, an official statement said.
Modi said MyGov (mygov.Nic.In) is a technology-driven medium that will provide citizens an opportunity to contribute towards good governance, the statement added.
“The platform would bridge gap gulf between people and government. Democracy cannot succeed without people’s participation in government and this participation should not be limited only during elections,” the Prime Minister said.
Besides Modi, Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth, DEITY Secretary R S Sharma were also present at the launch of the portal.
National Informatics Centre (NIC) of the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) will implement and manage the platform.
There are multiple theme-based discussions on MyGov where a wide range of people can share their thoughts and ideas with the government, Sharma told reporters after the launch.
“It is also an initiative to build a digital knowledge library. We will guide the people on the topics of national importance on which the Government would like to know their views and ideas,” he added.
The platform presents an opportunity for the citizens to both ‘Discuss’ and ‘Do’, Sharma said, adding, any idea shared by a contributor will also be discussed on the discussion forums, allowing constructive feedback and interaction.
At present, there are six groups on the platform — Clean Ganga, Girl Child Education, Clean India, Skilled India, Digital India and Job Creation.
“Citizens can also volunteer for various tasks and submit their entries. These tasks would be reviewed by other members and experts. Once approved, these tasks can be shared by those who complete the task and by other members on MyGov,” Sharma said. Each group consists of online and on-ground tasks that can be taken up by the contributors. The objective of each group is to bring about a qualitative change in that sphere through people’s participation, he said.
“We will review the working on MyGov in three months and over time the number of groups, tasks and discussions will increase. The platform will also be used as a comprehensive knowledge repository,” Sharma added. (PTI)
PM launches portal for citizens to contribute in governance
By-polls for 2 Punjab seats on August 21
CHANDIGARH, July 26:
By-polls to Talwandi Sabo and Patiala assembly seats in Punjab will be held on August 21.
The Election Commission today issued a notification in this regard and announced that the two assembly seats will go to polls on August 21 with polling commencing from 7 am till 6 pm, Chief Electoral Officer of Punjab VK Singh said.
He said no candidate submitted papers on the first day of filing of nominations in both assembly constituencies. The last date for filing the nomination papers is August 2.
The CEO said scrutiny of nominations would be done on August 4 while the last date for the withdrawal of candidature is August 6. Counting of votes would be held on August 25.
The model code of conduct has come into force in district Bathinda and Patiala and shall remain in force till the completion of election process, he said.
Patiala assembly seat was vacated by Amarinder Singh after he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Amritsar, defeating BJP stalwart Arun Jaitley.
Talwandi Sabo seat fell vacant after sitting Congress MLA Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhi deserted the party to join ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). (PTI)
Youth electrocuted
Excelsior Correspondent
SAMBA, July 26: A 11 year old boy was electrocuted at his residence in village Bamboo Chak Ramgarh in Samba district today.
He has been identified as Harpreet Singh S/o Manjit Singh. During the time of incident the family members were not present in the house. When family reached the home they saw the boy in an unconscious state and rushed him to Government Community Health Centre Ramgarh where from doctors referred him to GMC Jammu. But at GMC he was declared as brought dead by doctors.
Right-wing outfit writes to CBFC to ban ‘Singham Returns’
PANAJI, July 26:
Ahead of its release on Independence Day, Rohit Shetty’s ‘Singham Returns’ has been hit by a controversy after a right-wing Hindu organisation has asked the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to put a ban on the film.
Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) has written to the CBFC, citing that the film depicts Hindu saints in a bad light, which hurts the religious sentiment of the believers of the faith.
HJS National Secretary Ramesh Shinde, said that the trailer of the film, uploaded online shows a Hindu saint as a ‘villain’.
“They have shown that actor Ajay Devgn, who plays a role of police officer speaks of hitting the saint, while he is seen offering prayer at a mosque in uniform, and saluting a Muslim priest. This is going to create wrong impression about the Hindu religion,” he said.
Shinde said, “If the producer of the film goes ahead with the release without cutting the scenes (defaming a Hindu saint), we will hold demonstrations across the country.”
‘Singham Returns’ has also been shot in Goa, besides Hyderabad and Mumbai. (PTI)
Dilip Kumar’s house in Pakistan now “protected building”
KARACHI, July 26:
Setting at rest all doubts, Pakistan has declared the ancestral house of Bollywood legend Dilip Kumar in Peshawar as a “protected building”.
“The house of Dilip Kumar has been notified today as a protected monument under the Antiquity Act of… 1997,” said Director for archaeology and Museums Dr Abdul Samad yesterday. The five-marla house (one marla equals 25.2929 square metres) is located in a narrow alley of Mohalla Khudadad, near the historic Qissa Khwani Bazaar of Peshawar. Pakistan conferred Nishan-i-Imtiaz on the thespian in 1998. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had issued instructions early this month to declare Dilip Kumar’s house a national heritage site and directed authorities to purchase the property. The notification issued by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) provincial Government is the first major step towards protecting the house.
Yousaf Khan, better known as Dilip Kumar, was born in the house in December 1922; he stayed there for 12 years. His family moved to Mumbai about eighty years ago. The old house is perhaps the only tangible link that the famous actor has with the city of Peshawar, according to Dawn. Nearby is the ancestral house of Raj Kapoor, another Bollywood legend.
The Government would acquire the almost 100-year building by fixing an appropriate price under the Land Acquisition Act 1895, officials said.
This will not be the first attempt to acquire the house though.
When the Awami National Party (ANP) was ruling the Northwest Frontier Province (present day Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, K-P), the cultural department initiated steps to buy the house. The plan was shelved in 2012 after many parties claimed the property as theirs.
The house has since fallen into disrepair. It was used as a warehouse for a long time which also badly affected the building. Now with the Government notification in place, no one will be able to demolish it, sell it or even alter it for commercial reasons.
“The next step for the Government will be to preserve or restore it, put it on the list of heritage sites and then open it to the public,” local media reports quoted Director for archaeology and museums Dr Abdul Samad as saying. “We cannot waste any time, we have to start work on its preservation, to restore it to its original condition. Once restoration is complete, the house will be made into a museum, where the actor’s life will be charted for the public, he said. Shakil Wahidullah of the Cultural Heritage Council (CHC), who recently visited India, told The Express Tribune, “This is a positive step taken by the provincial Government but the delay led to the house further falling apart.” The CHC has advised the K-P Government to set up the museum, where the actor’s personal artefacts will be put on display. An archive of his movies could also be part of this endeavour. “We have met film producers from Dilip sahab’s heyday and have asked them to provide us costumes used by the actor in his movies for the (future) museum,” said Wahidullah. “His wife Saira Banu has also been asked to provide items which can be put on display at the house for people to see,” he added.
The present owners of the house are said to be demanding 80 million Pakistan rupees for the property. They have also created some legal hurdles.
On July 17, one Haji Lal Muhammad moved the court, claiming that he lawfully owns the five-marla house, and that he had purchased it from Muhammad Badshah and his wife Saeeda Khatoon for Rs 515,000 on January 5, 2008.
(UNI)
15 bovines rescued, 4 smugglers arrested
Excelsior Correspondent
RAJOURI, July 26: Thannamandi police rescued 15 bovine animals and arrested four smugglers.
As per police sources, a police team from Thannamandi police station laid a naka and rescued 15 bovine animals in two separate incidents.
Four smugglers have been arrested, who have been identified as Shabir Ahmed, son of Ghulam Qadir and Sageer Ahmed, son of Ghulam Qadir both residents of Behrote Thannamandi, Mohammad Shafeeq, son of Mir Mohammad, a resident of Kote and Abdul Hamid, son of Ali Mohammad, a resident of Rajdhani Thannamandi.
Two cases under FIR number 102/14 and 104/14 under Section 188 RPC and 3 PCA Act have been registered at police station Thannamandi and investigation started.
Police team led by SHO Mehraj Raina made the arrest under the supervision of SDPO Surjeet Bhagat.
Provide immediate relief to affected people: Sukhnandan
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 26: BJP MLA from Marh Assembly segment, Ch. Sukhnandan today asked the Government to press into service all the means and work round the clock to mitigate the sufferings of the people who have been hit by recent cloudburst and flash floods in his constituency and adjoining constituencies of Jammu.
Talking to media persons along with BJP Press secretary Balbir Ram Rattan, Sukhnandan Kumar, said he is continuously in touch with the people of his Constituency for the last three days and visiting every affected village to ascertain the problems of the people and assess the damage caused by flash floods and cloudburst.
He said the houses, poultry farms, pig farm and godowns were badly damaged by the cloud burst and flash floods. At various places live stock including buffaloes, cows, pigs were washed away and standing crops were damaged. Many houses and shops have been totally damaged and the household items got perished, he added.
He said a goushalla building in Datryal village was also damaged by flash floods. The people have suffered a heavy loss and they need help.
Sukhnandan Kumar said that villages namely Datryal, Halqa, Marh, Chaffrechak, Kuntwala, Ghura Singu, Taruchak, Rathwa and many more have been very badly hit. He said the Government should utilize all the possible means to reach every affected family with relief and compensation. Although it may take few days to assess the accurate losses but some immediate relief should be provided to affected families adding that just rupees 1500 from Red Cross has been provided to few families, which is a cruel joke.
The MLA said that special teams be constituted under some senior officers of the Revenue Department with directions to remain camped in the affected villages till normal life starts again. He said that the villages where school buildings have been damaged, alternate arrangements be made so that the studies of school going children do not suffer.
Sukhnandan Kumar also appealed the Government to depute teams of Health Department in the affected villages to provide help and ensure that epidemic like situation does not arise. PHE and PDD should also work on war footing to restore water and electricity supplies in affected areas. He assured the people that being their representative I am with them and would make best possible efforts to ensure that relief is provided to them and their cases of compensation are prepared and processed in shortest time.
India look to consolidate lead against struggling England
Southampton, July 26:
They have snatched the momentum with a brilliant show on the dreaded Lord’s green-top and India’s in-form cricketers would now aim to take an unassailable series lead against a demoralised England in the third cricket Test starting here tomorrow.
The visitors won the second Test at Lord’s by 95 runs on a green-top wicket after the first Test at Nottingham was drawn. The stage is now set for Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men to overwhelm the hosts, who are in turmoil.
The victory at Lord’s marked an end to the 15-match long drought without an overseas Test win. It stretched as far back as 2011, when India had beaten West Indies at Kingston.
That was also the last time that the Dhoni-led side took a 1-0 series lead. In that light, this is uncharted territory for a young team.
Back then, India won the Test series in the Caribbean by the slimmest of margins, drawing the next two Tests at Barbados and Dominica.
This is purely a statistical memory because Dhoni makes it a point to segregate the present from the past. But there can be some learning from history and it is for that purpose they had recruited former Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid as mentor ahead of this Test series.
The legendary batsman was part of the Indian side that last played a five-Test series, back in 2002, coincidentally too against the West Indies.
India, under Sourav Ganguly back then, had taken the lead at Trinidad, squandered it away at Barbados in the third Test, and then lost the series at Kingston in the fifth Test eventually.
At this juncture it can be hoped that he also impressed upon this young team how to wade through untested waters.
Unlike that tour, this series doesn’t have a tour game in between any of the Tests. A long drawn-out encounter can be a gruelling affair especially if it is packed in 40-odd days. India need to watch out against two factors — complacency and bowlers’ workload — and that the two are indirectly related.
A return to the four-bowlers theory inadvertently means more physical exertion for the medium-pacers because whenever India will feel the pressure, one of them will be called into service.
The pitch at Southampton’s Ageas Bowl ranks somewhere in between the ones at Trent Bridge and Lord’s – green to start with and expected to dry out over the five days.
Squads:
India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c & wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Gautam Gambhir, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Stuart Binny, R Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishwar Pandey, Pankaj Singh, Varun Aaron, Wriddhiman Saha.
England: Alastair Cook (c), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Robson, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes.
Match starts at: 3.30pm IST. (PTI)
Bike stolen
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 26: A Pulsar 150 cc bike bearing registration No JK02AQ 8917 has been missing since the night of July 23, 2014 from Prem Nagar, near Jogi Gate, Jammu.
According to the reports, the owner of the bike had parked his red colour bike of Model No 2010 as usual outside his house at night but in the morning the bike was missing.
An FIR in this concern has been registered at Police Post, Residency Road, Jammu.
Any information about the missing bike may be communicated to Mobile Phone Numbers 7298026406 and 9419608505 or Police Post, Residency Road, Jammu.
President calls for interlinking of academia, industries
RAIPUR, July 26:
Expressing concerns that no Indian university was ranked among world’s top 200 educational institutions, President Pranab Mukherjee today suggested interlinking of varsities with industries to produce skilled and talented students to meet present day needs.
Addressing the golden jubilee convocation of Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University here, he said education cannot be seen in isolation.
“There has to be close integration among universities and research organisations. If we have that, it would be possible to attract talented teachers, scholars and students. Universities must have interlinking with industry and market,” Mukherjee said and asked the universities to inject skills into the young population to meet demands of the industries.
Citing ancient Takshila and Nalanda universities, he said excellence in education was one area where India led not for one year or two, but for almost 1,500 years, and asked why we can’t lead now.
“Not a single Indian university, not a single IIT finds its place in world’s top 200 institutions. India was leading the world in arena of higher education. Why can’t we do it now?” he asked.
Mukherjee observed that there has been significant expansion of higher education infrastructure in the country.
“We have over 730 degree-awarding institutions and 37,000 colleges. We have talented teachers and students. We have created adequate infrastructure. Higher grades will bring skilled teachers and students.
“And, almost like a parrot, I keep repeating it with a purpose and to some extent, we have created awareness on importance of ratings,” he said, suggesting need for universities to equip themselves with necessary changes to match top educational institutions standards.
Mukherjee also asked the universities to take advantage of modern communication and technological tools to convert traditional classrooms into smart classrooms.
Speaking to students, the President asked them to fulfill their duty towards society and be socially responsible.
“Society and universities have invested in you. You have a responsibility to give back to the society. Whenever you see any wrong, try to correct it. Be the agent of change,” he said.
Chhattisgarh Governor Balramji Das Tandon and State Chief Minister Raman Singh were among other dignitaries present during the function.
Pt Ravishankar Shukla University is one of the oldest and largest universities of Chhattisgarh. It was formed in 1964, when Chhattisgarh was a part of Madhya Pradesh. (PTI)