New Delhi:  Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Tuesday said far from doubling farmer income as promised, the Union government had presided over the doubling of the input costs of farmers even as minimum support price (MSP) on food grains was hiked by two to five per cent annually during the last eight years.

Speaking in Lok Sabha, she emphatically asked how much of the additional spending of Rs 4 lakh crore grant being sought by the government would reach the farmers.

Asserting that farmers wanted to be ‘atmanirbhar’ and did not want to live on doles, the Bathinda MP said: “What is needed is guaranteed crop procurement on MSP as well as fixation of MSP as per the Swaminathan formula to ensure a 50 per cent profit to farmers on the total cost of production of a crop”.

She said the first step in this direction was reconstitution of the MSP committee as per the written assurance given to agitating farmers when they lifted their protest one year back.

“The government should also make MSP a legal right as promised to farmers to ensure its aim of doubling farmer income can be achieved.”

Giving facts, Harsimrat Kaur said while the price of diesel had almost doubled during the last eight years, the prices of fertilisers like urea had increased from Rs 175 per 50 kg bag to Rs 270 for a 45 kg bag.

She said similarly the price of DAP had increased from Rs 1, 125 per bag to Rs 1, 350 per bag. She also detailed how pesticides and seeds were attracting a GST of 18 and 12 per cent respectively and tractors that of 28 per cent.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader also spoke on how Punjab was being discriminated against.

She said an attempt was being made to snatch away the river waters of the state bypassing the riparian principle which gave Punjab exclusive rights over its river waters.

“A sinister conspiracy has also been unleashed to dilute Punjab’s right over Chandigarh as its state capital.”

She said this was being done despite the fact that the Central government had reiterated Punjab’s right over Chandigarh in 1970 and the Rajiv-Longowal accord had also been ratified by the Parliament.

She said it was unfortunate that Punjab, which had suffered during Congress rule at the Centre, was now again suffering under the present dispensation.

She also made an appeal for the release of Sikh detainees incarcerated in prisons even after completion of their life terms.

She said it was unfortunate that despite a written order declaring the commutation of life sentences of all Sikh detainees as well as commutation of the death sentence of Balwant Singh Rajoana during the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Sri Guru Nanak Dev, they had still not been released.

She said in stark contrast, Bilkis Bano rapists had been released which had sent a wrong message to the Sikh community.

Meanwhile, Harsimrat Kaur also requested Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to increase GST on government advertisements while detailing how the AAP government in Punjab had increased advertisement expenditure from Rs 20 crore per annum to Rs 750 crore.

“Much of this has been spent to contest assembly elections in Himachal and Gujarat, ” the MP said, while calling for a stop to such misuse of the public exchequer.

Srinagar : The summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded coldest night of season once again at minus 3.4 degrees celsius while the mercury also settled below freezing point at other stations of the Valley.

The intense cold conditions tightened its grip in Kashmir as the dry spell continues in most parts of the Valley while the weatherman has predicted no significant change in weather conditions till the end of this month.

As per the details available, Srinagar recorded coldest night of season at minus 3.4 degree celsius. Similar temperature was recorded on December 05, 2022.

Pahalgam in South Kashmir was coldest at minus 5.3 degree celsius while Gulmarg, a famous ski-resort recorded a low of minus 4.0 degree celsius.

Kupwara saw a low of – 2.8 degrees Celsius throughout the night, while Qazigund saw a low of minus 3.0 degrees Celsius. According to the forecast, the weather will continue mainly dry through the end of this month.

Winter is the timer when the Valley witnesses surge in tourist inflow from across the country. The tourists mainly come to see snowfall which is a novelty in the mainland India.

Lucknow: The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court has stayed the further proceedings in a criminal case filed against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in Sultanpur district court.

Justice D.K. Singh passed the order on a petition moved by Kejriwal and fixed January 13 as the next date of hearing in the case.

The Delhi Chief Minister said in his plea that the Supreme Court (SC) had already exempted his personal appearance in the case but the trial court at Sultanpur was proceeding further in the case.

As the SC allowed his plea, the trial court proceedings would be futile and, as such, until the top court proceedings were concluded, there was no logic to proceed with trial in the case, the plea added.

During the LokSabha elections in 2014, an FIR was lodged in Sultanpur against Kejriwal, Kumar Vishwas and others for blocking roads, preventing government servants from doing their duty and other offences.

After the charge-sheet was filed, the Sultanpur court had summoned all the accused for trial.

By  Mahie JK

Uttarakhand is considered the city of lakes in India. There are many attractive spots in this famous tourist location, whose beauty can make anyone crazy. By the way, there is a hidden hill station in its beautiful valleys, which you can make your destination for New Year celebration. Bhowali region situated in district Nainital is a gateway to the kumaon region surrounded by several lakes, tea-estates, forests, and fruit orchards.

At an elevation of around of  around 1706 mts above sea level Bhowali is one of the charming towns of Nainital. the nearby attractive tourist destination are  Mukteshwar, Ramgarh, Shyamkhet, Ranikhet, Almora, Naukhuchiatal etc. The roads are also properly linked and connected.  Bhowali can be called as the centre of Uttarkhand regions from where all nearby hill destinations are properly connected.

Surrounded by Green mountains and tall trees one can witness the Himalayas also from Mukteshwar and Ramgarh. its is like experiencing paradise on earth. The entire area is filled with peace and positive vibes.

One can take a pleasure of flora and fauna also. Bhowali serves varities of apples, oranges, apricots, peaches, walnuts and straw berries. its also gives varieties of flora where many exotic plants and herbs are grown. Tourist can also get a good experience of camping, trekking and shopping also. The mall roads of Nainital and local markets of Bhowali is good place for shopping lovers.

Though there are variours places to visit in Bhowali but  it is best known for T B sanatorium established in 1912. The other ones are Shyamkhet tea gardens, Goludevta temple, Folk culture Museum and sainik School Ghorakhal.

If you are planning to celebrate the coming New Year in a different way, Bhowali can be the best option this time. The Best time to visit this region of Uttarkhand is from October to December. One can witness snowfall also in December.

New Delhi:  The Congress on Tuesday moved notices in both Houses of Parliament on clashes with Chinese PLA at Arunachal border.

Party MP Manish Tewari has given an adjournment notice in the LokSabha while Syed NaseerHussain has given notice for a short duration discussion in the RajyaSabha.

Tewari in the notice said, “I wish to draw the attention of the Government to the grave border situation with China emerging from the Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh. These clashes took place at a nullah along the LAC near a point called the Yangtze in Eastern Tawang.”

“At least 6 of our soldiers have been reportedly injured and taken to Guwahati for treatment. There are also concerns about major gaps in military deployment in certain border areas of Arunachal Pradesh. These clashes are in addition to what has been happening in Eastern Ladakh where, despite multiple rounds of talks, 16 in total till 30 November 2022, China has vehemently refused to vacate areas it reportedly occupied after the major clash on May 5, 2020. The crises in areas such as Depsang and Demchok remain unresolved. Locals that had hitherto travelled to the Charding La-NilungNalla Junction have been denied access by the Chinese. “

The notice says, “China has, in the meantime, built substantial military infrastructure all across the Line of Actual Control. China is unwilling to restore the status quo ante in Eastern Ladakh, a situation that puts India at a massive disadvantage. I, therefore, urge the Government to inform the House of the situation in Tawang Arunachal Pradesh and the overall border situation with China because it concerns India’s sovereignty and independence.

Chinese troops approached the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh last week, but Indian troops firmly contested their way, leading to a clash between the two, sources said on Monday.

Although no loss of life or major injuries were reported, some Indian and Chinese troops received minor injuries during this clash, a source said. It is the first physical clash between the two armies since August 2020 in eastern Ladakh. There was another incident in October 2021 at Yangtze, 35 km northeast of Tawang, where the Chinese attempt to get access to the top of 17, 000 feet peak was thwarted and the area is now under snow and will remain so till March.

Top sources confirmed that a clash occurred between the two sides along the disputed section of the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh on December 9 at Yangtze. Soon after the clash, troops of both India and China immediately were disengaged from the area

New Delhi:  Bollywood actor Nora Fatehi has filed a defamation case in a court here against actor Jacqueline Fernandez, alleging that the latter made defamatory allegations against her for “malicious reasons” and to destroy her career.

According to Fatehi, Fernandez sought to criminally defame her in order to destroy her career to further her own interests, since they are both working in the same industry and have similar backgrounds, amongst other reasons.

Contending that her image is being tarnished, Fatehi, stressing that artistes’ career is solely based on their reputation, alleged that defamatory remarks were made against her by Fernandez to ensure her financial, social, and personal downfall.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration will allot the families in the union territory a unique alpha-numeric code.

According to the officials quoted by the PTI, the database called JK Family ID will be used to determine eligibility of beneficiaries of various social welfare schemes.

“Once the data in the JK Family ID database is authenticated and verified, a beneficiary will not be required to submit any more document to avail a service,” Prerna Puri, the commissioner secretary of the Information Technology Department of Jammu and Kashmir, told PTI.

The move is part of the “Digital J&K Vision Document” unveiled by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has hailed the move but the other parties have raised privacy concerns.

“Creating ‘a unique family ID’ for J&K residents is emblematic of the widening trust deficit esp post 2019. Kashmiris are viewed with deep suspicion & this is another surveillance tactic to tighten the iron grip on their lives,” PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said.

New Delhi:  Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will lead an all-women march in each state capital and read out a ‘women’s manifesto’ as the Congress gears up to take Bharat Jodo Yatra to booth level.

The party will start its preparatory meetings for this from December 15 at the state level and then district and block level.

Apart from Priyanka’s women march, the Bharat Jodo Yatra will start at the booth level in one month’s time. The yatris will distribute a letter written by Rahul Gandhi and a charge sheet against the BJP government to every person.

After the Yatra, a block level convention will be held in each district to be attended by the state president and senior state Congress leaders.

After all the districts in the state have convened the meetings, there will be a state level workers’ convention followed by rallies in each state to be addressed by the state Congress President and former Congress President.

The party’s ‘haath jodo’ programme will start from January 26 for the next two months as the party has called the plenary session in Raipur in February.

The Congress programme will be telecast live on giant screens and will be shown at important places across each state.

The UP Congress has begun the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatras’ to mobilise the cadres for party leader Rahul Gandhi’s yatra, which is scheduled to enter the state early January, party sources said.

The yatra will begin from Barabanki on Sunday and will reach Lucknow on Monday.

Uttar Pradesh Congress Zonal President Nakul Dubey, in a press statement, said the UPCC would be taking out six state-level yatras from different places in the state.

“The yatra from Barabanki will culminate in Hardoi on December 21 after covering various districts, ” he added.

The Congress plenary is planned for three days in Raipur followed by a mega rally.