NEWS

The Goa government will drop the word “Bhumiputra (son of the soil)” from the Goa Bhumiputra Adhikarini Bill, 2021 that was passed by the assembly on July 30, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Tuesday.

“The sentiments of many people are attached to the word Bhumiputra and the government is ready to drop this word [from the Bill]. I assure you that we will drop the word Bhumiputra from the Bill. It is possible to name it Goa Bhumi Adhikarini Bill,” Sawant said.

The announcement came hours after the BJP ST Morcha handed him a memorandum, taking “strong objection” to the use of the word Bhumiputra in the Bill. The Morcha said this “hurt immensely the sentiments and feelings of almost all tribals of the state and the entire community has come up to agitation against the passing of any such Bill which may have disastrous effect if not attended to with a proper rectification”.

The Gujarat high court pulled up the authorities on Monday for externing a citizen from eight districts for calling up Godhra MLA CK Raolji’s son and questioning him about the MLA’s work.

Staying the externment imposed on Pravinbhai Charan, Justice Paresh Upadhyay sought an explanation from the sub-divisional magistrate and the MLA. The judge said such action was unacceptable. “We do not run kingdoms. We are a democratic republic. Is this a republic in which a citizen cannot question his elected representative? Externment orders are passed upon doing so?” The court questioned the “atrocity” committed against people at large.

Charan was booked in June this year by the Panchmahal police for calling Raolji’s son, Malavdeepsinh, on the phone and telling him that the MLA was not doing his work. He was accused of issuing death threats. The government tried to defend the preventive measure by citing the alleged threat. To this, the court said, “If so, the government can put him behind bars, but externment?” The judge added, “If somebody expresses his grievance before the MLA, then file an FIR? This should be stopped. Today, the person is externed for seeking an account of an MLA’s work. It is confirmed that if you don’t vote for me, you will be externed... only one step away from doing so (sic).”

Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani extended the Mukhyamantri Bal Seva Yojana (MBSY) to even those children who have lost one of their parents during the Covid-19 pandemic and launched a new scheme of providing Rs 50,000 financial assistance to young widows who get remarried, while leading the celebrations of 'Samvedana Divas' in the run up to the fifth anniversary of he assuming the office of CM, in Rajkot on Monday.

On July 7 the government gave assistance under MBSY to 776 children who had lost both parents to Covid 19. On Monday, the CM formally extended benefits of the scheme to 3,963 more children of the state who have lost one of their parents during the pandemic. At the Seva Setu event, JM Financial Foundation of Mumbai signed a memorandum of understanding with the state government in the presence of Rupani and Social Justice and Empower Minister Ishwar Parmar to pay for school fees of children covered under MBSY and studying in private schools, till they attain the age of 18. The CM said the school JM Financial Foundation will pay school fees with an upper limit of Rs 50,000 per annum per student.

Amarjeet Sinha on Monday resigned as adviser in the Prime Minister’s Office. There was no official word from the government or Sinha on this.

Sinha was appointed as adviser in the PMO after he retired in February 2020 from the IAS as rural development secretary. He was looking after the affairs of rural and social sectors. As rural development secretary, Sinha played a key role in putting the MGNREGS back on track after it floundered in the first two years of the Narendra Modi government. The geo-tagging of houses built under PMAY was a key step in transparency in rural development works initiated by him. Key rural schemes on roads, housing and rural livelihoods picked up pace during his tenure. In the Prime Minister’s Office, he was the man behind the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana which was designed to provide work to migrant workers returning home from urban centres during the pandemic-induced displacement.