Rs 25 per litre on relief Petrol prices for two-wheeler owners from weaker section

The Election Commission team led by Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra on Wednesday held meeting with senior officials of the State Administration and Expenditure Officials in Lucknow to take stock of the preparedness for Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The team, which reached Lucknow yesterday for a three-day visit. The team will tomorrow have discussions with DGP and Chief Secretary of the state and later in the evening brief media about the outcome of the meetings.The ECI team a day before,  interacted with the representatives of various political parties. The poll campaign is intensifying day by day in the state which has 403 Assembly seats.

-National Commission for Minorities, NCM has taken suo moto cognizance of attacks on churches in different parts of the country and will be sending teams to enquire into the matter as well as call for a report from concerned authorities. NCM Chairman Iqbal Singh Lalpura condemned attacks on churches in the meeting of commission held in New Delhi today. He said, appropriate action will be taken by the commission accordingly. Mr. Lalpura also proposed to visit the site in Ambala where the church was vandalized. 

-In Jharkhand, Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced a relief of 25 rupees per litre on Petrol prices for two-wheeler owners coming from the lower and middle-income group. The beneficiaries will start getting benefits of waiver at Petrol prices from January 26 next year. Soren was addressing a public gathering in a function organized at Morhabadi Grounds in Ranchi on the occasion of the Second Anniversary of the State Government. Chief Minister Hemant Soren laid foundation stone of several projects. Soren also distributed assets among the beneficiaries worth fifteen hundred crore rupees. Governor Ramesh Bais, Rajya Sabha MP Shibu Soren and former Union Minister of State for Home R.P.N. Singh were present on this occasion.

-Minister of State for Education Dr. Subhas Sarkar on Wednesday virtually announced the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA), 2021. Indian Institute of Technology of Madras got the first rank under the Central University and Institute of National Importance category. On this occasion, Dr. Sarkar said, ARIIA ranking will certainly inspire Indian institutions to reorient their mindset and build ecosystems to encourage high-quality research, innovation, and entrepreneurship in their campuses. Giving emphasis on promoting innovation to achieve a five-trillion dollar economy by 2025, Dr. Sarkar said, more than quantity, the institute should focus on the quality of innovations and research. He said, this will help in achieving the targets set for making the country self-reliant. Chairman of All India Council for Technical Education Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe said, indigenous version of innovation and entrepreneurship ranking initiative designed through ARIIA, will not only help Higher Educational Institutions to demonstrate their efforts but also orient them in setting goals at institute level.

-Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has informed that all the programmes and benefits to the labour force will be channelized through Karmika Bhavan situated in the districts. The workforce in the organised and unorganised sectors can now approach the Bhavans managed by the Labour Department to get the benefits and services. Speaking to media persons in Hubballi, the Chief Minister said that all the labour-related issues will be resolved under one roof. There are eight Karmika Bhavans functioning in the state at present and the plan is to have such Labourer Bhavans in all the districts. He informed that during the surge in COVID cases the Karmika Bhavans provided relief to workers and the mobile clinic units reached out to the labourers at their worksite.