'I spend 18 hours on toilet', says Jairam

June 9, 2012

Jairam

New Delhi, June 9: Amid the controversy over Rs 35 lakh expenditure on Planning Commission's toilets, Union Minister Jairam Ramesh today quipped that he himself spends '18 hours of a day on toilets alone'.

"I believe the biggest issues in front of us are malnutrition and toilets, these are the two faces of one coin... I have MNREGA, PMGSY, drinking water etc under me but I spend maximum time on toilet only," said Ramesh, who holds the portfolios of Rural Development and Drinking Water and Sanitation, in what apparently was his take on the toilet controversy for which the plan panel has drawn flak.

"Believe me that out of the 24 hours, I spent 18 hours on toilet (issue) itself," he said at a function here to release a book on manual scavenging written by journalist Bhasha Singh.

He insisted that the government was "not at all insensitive" and it is committed and duty bound to work on the issue.

He lamented that even after six decades after independence, around 7.5 lakh families are involved in manual scavenging as per the 2011 census.

"After the figures we get from various states, I was under the impression that manual scavenging in the states have been abolished.

"But when I went through the detailed report of Census, the figures are surprising and astonishing. Even today many people don't realise and don't believe that this Census is correct," he said.

The book in Hindi titled "Adrishya Bharat" is on manual scavenging.

He said Railways is "another big headache for us."

The issue of manual scavenging is related with daily railway traffic and "we have to tackle this also.

Though my responsibility is for rural area, we have to take care of urban areas as well. Facilities like Sulabh should be available in large numbers."

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News Network
October 22,2024

Several Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) schools across India were hit with hoax bomb threats on Tuesday, just days after an explosion occurred near a CRPF school in Delhi. The threats, sent via email late Monday night, targeted schools in Delhi and Hyderabad, according to sources.

Earlier this week, a bomb exploded outside a CRPF school in Delhi’s Rohini area, causing significant damage to nearby vehicles and property. Fortunately, no casualties or injuries were reported.

In response to the blast, Delhi Police confiscated CCTV footage from nearby markets as part of their investigation. Sources indicate that surveillance footage captured a suspect at the scene, wearing a white T-shirt, displaying suspicious behavior the night before the explosion.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the explosive device had been hidden in a polythene bag, buried in a shallow pit, and covered with garbage. The blast caused a hole in the school's boundary wall and shattered the window panes and signboards of nearby shops.

Following the incident, the Delhi Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) under Section 4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, Section 3 of the Indian Explosives Act, and other relevant sections.

The FIR states, "A case of an explosion caused by an unknown explosive substance has been registered, and the investigation continues." It also details the damage, noting that the blast left a hole in the boundary wall and affected nearby structures.

The targeted schools serve children from CRPF and other paramilitary families, and the recent threats have heightened concerns. In response, Delhi authorities have placed the city on high alert, ramping up security measures, especially in markets, ahead of the Diwali festival. 

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News Network
October 27,2024

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav stated on Sunday, October 27, that his party is prepared to contest the Maharashtra Assembly elections independently if the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) does not include them in the alliance. 

Yadav assured that the SP would only contest in constituencies where it has a strong organizational presence and would ensure its participation does not affect the MVA’s overall prospects.

Several I.N.D.I.A. alliance members have expressed dissatisfaction with the Congress over seat-sharing arrangements in upcoming state polls. 

Both the CPI(ML)L and the RJD voiced frustration after being offered only 3-4 seats each for the Jharkhand elections by the Congress.

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