Tamil Nadu CM calls all party meet to discuss about NEET Bill

Odisha government has announced reopening of educational institutions from Monday amid dip in COVID-19 cases in the state. State government said, all educational institutions, imparting any type of education of the level of Class - 8 and above including schools, colleges, ITIs, Polytechnics, Degree Colleges, and Professional Colleges and Universities, should start physical classroom teaching with effect from February 7. Physical classes for lower classes will begin from 14th of this month. However, the students will be given the choice either to opt for the online or the offline classes. Attendance in the physical class is not mandatory.

-The main accused of multi-crore scam in Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank and former director of the bank Daljeet Singh Bal was arrested on Thursday near Indo-Nepal border in Raxaul, Bihar. East Champaran SP, Kumar Ashish said the accused was planning to flee from India through Nepal route. Daljeet Singh Bal is main accused of over 6,700 crore rupees PMC Bank scam. The accused was arrested at Integrated Check Post (ICP) of Raxaul following a tip-off from the Economic Offences Wing of Mumbai Police. The Economic Offence Wing of Mumbai Police is probing the scam. 20 account holders of the PMC Bank committed suicide after the scam surfaced.

-Another witness in the 2008 Malegaon blast case has claimed that he was coerced by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad to name RSS leaders as responsible for the blasts. As the witness denied having given a voluntary statement to the ATS, Judge PR Sitre of Mumbai’s special NIA court has declared him hostile. Of 222 prosecution witnesses examined in the case so far, 17 have turned hostile. The witness informed the court that ATS took him into custody and tortured him to name Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and its leaders. The person claimed that he was neither a member of the Sangh nor did he know any of their leaders. Six people were killed and over 100 others were injured when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon on 29th September 2008. Some of the prime accused in the case include BJP MP from Bhopal Pragya Singh Thakur, Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, Major Ramesh Upadhyay (retired), and Sameer Kulkarni. All of them are out on bail.

-Various enforcement teams have seized valuables worth Rs 316 crore 66 lakh in violation of model code of conduct till February 2 in Punjab. Chief Electoral Officer(CEO), Dr S Karuna Raju on Thursday said that the surveillance teams have seized 29.63 lakh litres of liquor worth 16 crore rupees. Similarly, the enforcement wings have also recovered psychotropic substances amounting 278 crore 58 lakh rupees besides confiscating unaccounted cash of 20 crore 47 thousand rupees. The Chief Electoral Officer said that the free and fair poll will be ensured in the state. He revealed that as many as 1215 vulnerable hamlets have been identified. Besides this, 2956 persons have been identified as probable sources of trouble, he said adding that out of these persons preventive action had already been initiated against 2219 persons while the remaining would also be brought to book. He also informed that from a security point of view 1097 persons have been bound down under preventive sections of CrPC act. He informed that all the 2793 cases of non-bailable warrants have been executed. Dr Raju said that of the total 3 lakh 90 thousand 275 licensed weapons in the state 3 lakh 76 thousand 925 weapons have been deposited till date. Whereas, 76 without licenses weapons were seized in the state as per the directions of the election commission.

-Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin has called for an all party meeting on February 5 to discuss about NEET Bill sent back by the Governor. In a statement on Thursday evening, Stalin said that his Government would discuss the next step with regard to the issue of NEET. He has reiterated that the Bill was based on the recommendations of the A. K. Rajan committee report. He said that the report had included the thoughts expressed by a cross section of the Society which highlighted the disadvantages of the Bill which prevents rural and poor students from having a medical education.