New Delhi [India], August 17 (ANI): The fight for the next Lok Sabha elections seems to be gaining pace with over a year yet to go. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is looking to up the ante against Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre, for which he will follow the same strategy that the Opposition had adopted in 2014 which had led to the downfall of the UPA government.

New Delhi [India], June 2 (ANI): Condemning the killing of the bank manager in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district on Thursday, Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that the "coward terrorists will not be spared".

New Delhi Mar 22 PTI On the occasion of World Water Day the central government on Tuesday launched a nationwide campaign for greywater management Called Sujlam 2 the campaign will focus on creation of community and institutional greywater management assets Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said greywater if treated properly can be used in several ways like for farming and gardening If this water is left untreated then it can also cause diseases Hence in view of providing water security to people under the Jal Jeevan mission the greywater plan is being made an integral part of the village action plan We are launching Sujlam 2 which focuses on creation of community and institutional greywater management assets he said in a video message after launching the campaign Our Panchayati Raj groups would ensure that greywater management is done with soak pits which can also be extended to anganwadis religious institutions he added Shekhawat appealed to all stakeholders to become part of the campaign to make it a success He said specific guidelines have been issued by the Jal Shakti Ministry on the project Greywater is relatively clean water generated from kitchen bathroom laundry etc PTI UZM AQS AQS

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 12 (ANI): Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said he had received a notice in which the Mumbai Police has summoned him on Sunday in connection with a phone tapping case.

Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], March 6 (ANI): Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil on Sunday said that his party Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will hold discussions on forming an alliance with other parties in Nagpur for upcoming local body polls.

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 26 (ANI): Pune Police on Saturday registered an FIR against former city Police Commissioner Rashmi Shukla in the Maharashtra phone tapping case. The case was registered under section 26 of the Indian Telegraph Act.

New Delhi Feb 23 PTI Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday urged people to visit border villages to impart a degree of vibrancy to sparsely populated regions along the countrys frontiersAddressing a webinar on the impact of Budget on Rural Development the prime minister also called for convergence of efforts to ensure 100 per cent implementation of the announcements made in the Union budget within the given time-frameBudget has given a clear roadmap for achieving the goal of saturation of government development schemes benefits and how basic amenities can reach cent percent population he said addressing the webinar on the theme Leaving no Citizen BehindHe suggested touring border villages and organising tehsil level competitions in such hamlets to make them more vibrantCan we tour border villages spend a night there experience the ambience study the lives of people staying there This will bring vibrancy to those regions Modi saidThe prime minister also stressed on the need to break silos and make concerted efforts to ensure 100 per cent implementation of schemes such as the PM Awas Yojana and the Jal Jeevan Mission as well as schemes for rural roads improving connectivity in north-eastern region and providing broadband connectivity in villagesHe said the Prime Ministers Development Initiative for the North East PM-DevINE will ensure the saturation of basic amenities in the regionSimilarly Svamitva Scheme is helping in properly demarcating residences and land in villages as more than 40 lakh property cards have been issued he said adding that the budget has also allocated Rs 48000 crore to build 80 lakh housesReferring to the target of providing four crore tap water connections under the Jal Jeevan Mission the prime minister asked officials to step up efforts to ensure that every household in the country had access to clean tap water by 2024He also asked every state government to be vigilant about the quality of the pipelines being laid under the Mission as also the quality of water that is proposed to be supplied to householdsNoting that rural digital connectivity had become a necessity Modi said the initiative will lead to creation of a pool of skilled youth in villages and help expand the services sector in the countryHe underlined the role of women power as the foundation of the rural economyFinancial inclusion has ensured better participation of women in the financial decisions of the families There is a need to push this participation of women further through self-help groups Modi saidThe webinar was attended by Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh ministers of state and officials of more than a dozen ministries and departments PTI SKUASK SKU MIN MIN

New Delhi Dec 28 PTI Ahead of the Punjab assembly polls early next year former India team cricketer Dinesh Mongia and Congress MLAs Fateh Singh Bajwa and Balwinder Singh Laddi joined the BJP here on Tuesday Bajwa is the MLA from Qadian constituency and the brother of Rajya Sabha MP and former Punjab Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa while Laddi is the legislator from Sri Hargobindpur They joined the BJP in the presence of the partys state incharge and Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Besides the two sitting MLAs former MP Rajdev Singh Khalsa former MLA Gurtej Singh Ghuriana and United Christian Front of Punjab president Kamal Bakshi were among those who joined the BJP These joinings came a day after former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh and former Union minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa met the BJP top brass and announced a formal alliance for the assembly polls Welcoming the leaders into his party fold Shekhawat said leaders from other parties are joining the BJP as it is gaining ground in Punjab For the past several days the BJP has been roping in leaders and renowned personalities from Punjab to strengthen its position in the state where it has always been a junior partner in alliance Later in the day Shekhawat named the six members of a committee for finalising seat-sharing arrangement and drafting a common manifesto of the alliance This committee will include two members each from the BJP and its two allies -- Amarinder Singhs Punjab Lok Congress and the Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led Sanyukt Akali Dal From the BJP its state general secretaries Subhash Sharma and Dayal Sodhi will be part of the committee while Punjab Lok Congress will be represented by General Shergill and Raninder Singh Tikka and the Sanyukt Akali Dal by Justice Nirmal Singh and Parminder Singh Dhindsa PTI JTR SMN

New Delhi Dec 28 PTI Ahead of the Punjab Assembly election former India cricketer Dinesh Mongia and sitting Congress MLA Fateh Singh Bajwa joined the BJP here on Tuesday in the presence of Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Bajwa MLA from Qadian is the brother of senior Congress leader Pratap Singh Bajwa Besides Bajwa Balwinder Singh Laddi sitting MLA of Congress from Punjab also joined the BJP on Tuesday These joinings came a day after former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh and former Union minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa met the BJP top brass after which an announcement for a formal alliance was made between the BJP and the parties of these two leaders Welcoming the leaders into his party fold Shekhawat said leaders from other parties are joining the BJP as it is gaining ground in Punjab From the past several days the BJP has been roping in leaders and renowned personalities from Punjab to strengthen its position in the state where it has always been a junior partner in the alliance PTI JTR CK

New Delhi Dec 19 PTI The governments decision to build the Lakhwar and Renukaji dams will not just help address Delhi-NCRs water supply needs but also lead to rebirth of the River Yamuna one of the most polluted rivers in the country Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat saidThe government has extended the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana PMKSY under which 90 per cent grant has been given to three national projects including Renukaji in Himachal Pradesh and Lakhwar in UttarakhandIn an interview with PTI the Jal Shakti minister said the construction of the dams would be critical for the national capitals water supply needs and also lead to rebirth of the riverLike in the case of Ganga it has been notified that all dam holding stakeholders have to discharge a particular quantum of water in non-monsoon months Similarly we will make it mandatory that some amount of water has to flow in Yamuna too and when water will flow and if effluent treatment plants are working then fresh and treated water both will improve Yamuna water quality he saidThe Lakhwar Multipurpose Project envisages construction of a 204 metre high concrete dam across the River Yamuna in Uttarakhand and aims to provide irrigation benefit to 33780 hectares and 7883 million cubic metres of drinking and industrial water supply while the Renukaji Dam Project involves construction of a 148 metre high rockfill dam across River Giri in Sirmour district of Himachal Pradesh which will provide water to Delhi-NCROn the issue of pollution in the River Yamuna Shekhawat said just two per cent or 22 km of Yamuna falls in Delhi but 98 per cent of pollution in Yamuna comes from Delhi so the reason for high pollution in the national capital is untreated or semi treated industrial effluents or sewage that is being discharged into the river in this 22 km stretchThe over 1300-km-long Yamuna is among the most polluted rivers in the countryShekhawat said the Delhi government keeps blaming Uttar Pradesh and Haryana governments for the pollution of Yamuna while in reality Delhis effluent treatment plants are not up to the mark and sewage treatment plants also need to be upgraded by the city governmentWater being a state subject it is the states responsibility So by working on rejuvenation of Yamuna we are actually fulfilling their responsibility For any project the Centre can give technical or financial assistance Ultimately conceiving a project augmenting it implementing it and operating and maintaining it is the responsibility of the state The Delhi government has absolutely failed in that Shekhawat saidHe said even the projects conceived in 2012 have not been completed yet by the Delhi governmentTo conceive and implement any project takes two-three years and for them Delhi government the tendering process itself took three years They city government said they will establish a decentralised sewage treatment plant in Chattarpur but in five years they have not even secured land for it They are just making promises he saidOn ground water rejuvenation Shekhawat said for the last few years awareness has increased among people on the subjectNoting that the geographical and underwater conditions of each state is different from another the minister said if ground water activities are based on them then better results can be seenWe have started aquifer mapping and 80 per cent of it has been done and taking it to micro level we will be using Australian technology Till now traditional technology was being used We have identified vulnerable regions facing maximum critical issues and are aiming to finish it in one year span and simultaneously in Jal Shakti Abhiyan the groundwater related activities and investment of Rs 56000 crore has been made he saidUnder the Atal Bhujal Yojana investment is being made in select districts of seven states with lowest level of ground water availability he added PTI UZM DV DV