PM Modi attacks Opposition for projecting Land Bill as anti-poor
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today addressed a workshop of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs on how to take the government's pro-poor welfare programmes to the people to counter opposition's claim that the Land Act by the NDA government is 'anti-farmer'.
The one-day workshop 'Garib Kalyan Yojnaye: Its Effective Implementation and Role of MPs' coincided with the Congress party's mega 'Kisan Rally' at the Ramlila Maidan in national capital.
When a farmer goes to bed, he doesn't know what will happen to his land tomorrow: Rahul Gandhi
Projecting the government as 'anti-farmer' and 'pro industrialist', Congress today declared full scale war against it over Land Acquisition Bill with Rahul Gandhi accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of bringing ordinance on it to pay back 'loan' of industrialists.
The Congress vice-president, who just returned from a two-month absence from public life, said the new Land Bill is not only against the interests of farmers but also the tribals.
Over 700 feared dead after migrant boat sinks off Libyan coast
A boat crowded with migrants capsized in the sea north of Libya overnight, leaving at least 24 confirmed dead with the death toll expected to rise into the hundreds, Italy's Coast Guard said Sunday.
The Coast Guard said in a statement that the migrants' 20-meter (66-foot) vessel was reported to be sinking as a Portuguese-registered merchant ship, the King Jacob, approached to attempt a rescue. It picked up 28 passengers, but the boat then capsized, sending hundreds more tumbling into the water.
Sitaram Yechury unanimously elected new general secretary of CPI (M)
The Communist Party of India-Marxist today unanimously elected senior politburo member Sitaram Yechury as its new general secretary. He will replace the outgoing general secretary Prakash Karat.
At the meeting of the new Central Committee (CC) on the last day of the party's 21st Congress, outgoing general secretary Prakash Karat proposed Yechury's name and S. Ramchandran Pillai seconded it. The 91-member CC unanimously approved it.
Nasim Zaidi takes over as new Chief Election Commissioner
Dr. Nasim Zaidi has assumed charge as the 20th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). He succeeds HS Bramha. A 1975-batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, Brahma (65), who hails from Assam, was elevated as the 19th Chief Election Commissioner in January this year and had a stint of a little over three months.
Zaidi has earlier served as Election Commissioner since July 2012. Before joining the Election Commission, Zaidi had served the nation as a long time civil servant of the Indian Administration Service (1976- Batch).
