Union Minister Ramdas Athawale applauds PM Modi for highlighting the Pahalgam terror attack at the BRICS summit
He said while talking with ANI, '...Pakistan Army and the government did plan the Pahalgam attack and disturbed the peace that was in Kashmir post abrogation of Article 370... PM Modi raised this issue in BRICS, and all the countries there condemned it in one voice...'
While addressing the Pahalgam attack and BRICS condemnation of it, he also responded to political barbs from Team Uddhav aimed at Raj Thackeray over his earlier meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
'I think Raj Thackeray is a well-known leader of Maharashtra, and he formed a new party after separating himself from Balasaheb Thackeray. He also supported PM Modi... It's not good to object to the meeting. Being a home minister, anybody can meet Amit Shah, and this is what democracy is', Athawale said.
The remarks came a day after the public reunion of the Thackeray brothers.
Earlier, on Monday, PM Modi, while addressing the session on 'Peace and Security and Reform of Global Governance', at the 17th BRICS Summit in Brazil, condemned terrorism as a 'grave threat to humanity', underlining the need for urgent reforms in global institutions and highlighting India's commitment to the Global South, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
MEA Secretary (Economic Relations) Dammu Ravi, during a special media briefing on Sunday (local time), said the Prime Minister's remarks came in the context of discussions on peace, security and multilateral reforms. PM Modi also welcomed the united condemnation by BRICS members of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
'On the session on Peace and Security, Honourable Prime Minister underlined that terrorism was a grave threat facing humanity. In this context, he noted that all the leaders have condemned the Pahalgam terrorist attack in the strongest terms. He underlined that the terror attack is an onslaught on all of humanity. He also noted that those funding, promoting and providing safe havens to terrorists must be dealt with in the harshest terms,' Ravi said. (ANI)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
21 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Jal Jeevan Mission hits funding roadblock in Maharashtra as Centre withdraws support
New Delhi/Mumbai: Maharashtra's ambitious push to provide clean tap water to every rural household under the Jal Jeevan Mission has hit a major financial hurdle. With the Centre withdrawing its grant support for the flagship scheme, the state is now expected to bear the full cost of ongoing and future works—at a time when it is already struggling to clear pending bills worth ₹12,000 crore for completed projects. Thane, India - April 12, 2024 : Women carried water pots on their heads during a protest in Shahpur to protest against the water crisis in Shahpur taluk. Amid the growing water crisis, the number of villages affected by severe water shortages in Shahpur taluk has increased, with several housing projects in Shahpur taluk affected by the water crisis in Thane, in Thane, India, on Friday, April 12 2024. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) The Jal Jeevan Mission was launched in 2019 by the central government to provide functional tap water connections to all rural households by 2024. The Centre had approved a total outlay of ₹2.08 lakh crore for the scheme between 2019–20 and 2023–24, with states like Maharashtra receiving 50% of the funding as a central grant. The remainder was to be borne by the state. In Maharashtra, a total of 51,558 rural water supply schemes were approved under the programme. While 25,549 projects have been completed over the past five years, over 50%—or 26,009 schemes—remain unfinished. Officials say that one of the biggest reasons for the delays is the acute shortage of funds. Now, the situation may worsen. In a letter to states and Union territories on June 16, the Jal Shakti ministry said 'central grants-in-aid' towards extending the scheme would be released for 'eligible states only after getting approval from the competent authority.' The ministry is also conducting 'vigorous checks' on ongoing and proposed projects in various states to verify they comply with rules, the people cited above said. The Centre will provide money to the extent of what constitutes 'central liability' as defined under the scheme, which is funded in a 50:50 ratio between the Centre and states, one of the people cited above said. The Centre's letter said the total central outlay for the scheme from 2019-20 to 2023-24 stood at ₹2.08 lakh crore and the Centre had spent ₹1.85 lakh crore, with a balance of ₹22,694 crore for 2024-25. The finance ministry's department of expenditure had cleared the spending of the balance till March 2025 and 'almost the entire available fund was utilised', the letter said. All additional expenditure beyond this limit will have to be borne by states, the Centre said. 'Water being a state subject, states and Union territories may continue the implementation of ongoing works from their own resources,' the letter said. In Maharashtra, state government officials confirmed that the Centre had stopped releasing funds for the flagship scheme since October 2024. The state is now expected to bear the full cost of ongoing and future works, at a time when it is already struggling to clear pending bills worth ₹12,000 crore for completed projects under the scheme. 'Of the 26,009 pending projects, revised cost estimates for 7,098 projects have recently been approved. But without fresh funds, implementation will be severely impacted,' a senior official from the Maharashtra water supply department said. Water Supply Minister Gulabrao Patil informed the Legislative Council on Monday that the Centre has not released any funds to Maharashtra under the Jal Jeevan Mission since October 2024. In a written reply to a question on the progress of the scheme, Patil said, 'The state has not received any funds from the central government since October 2024. To ensure ongoing projects are not stalled, the state government has sanctioned ₹2,483 crore as a special provision.' Milind Bhosale, president of the Maharashtra State Contractors' Association, a representative body for contractors working on various projects in the state, voiced strong concerns. 'If the government couldn't clear our dues when central grants were available, how will it fund these schemes entirely on its own now? This is alarming,' he said. The association has reached out to BJP leader Girish Mahajan, seeking a meeting with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to press for immediate intervention.
Hindustan Times
22 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Over 6,000 Myanmar nationals take refuge in Mizoram amid escalating Chin rebel clashes
More than 6,000 refugees from Myanmar have fled to Mizoram following fresh clashes between Chin pro-democracy groups, with civil society organisations now stepping in to mediate peace, state authorities said. People take out a rally in Agartala seeking deportation of illegal migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar. (ANI) The fresh influx began after a June 5 shootout in Zokhawthar between two warring Chin factions — the Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) and the Chinland Defence Force (CDF). The violence continued on Monday when the Chin National Army retaliated with an assault on a CNDF stronghold at Rihli village, located just across the border from Mizoram's Saikhumphai village. 'Over 4,000 adult refugees have been registered by police in Zokhawthar in the past three days,' said Lalrawnkima, village council secretary of Zokhawthar. 'Since only those above 18 are registered, the total number with children could be well over 5,500. Every household here is hosting between 25 to 30 people, while others are being accommodated in community and church halls.' In Saikhumphai, over 700 more Myanmarese nationals have reportedly sought shelter following the attack at Rihli, according to a civil society leader from nearby Vaphai village. Mizoram home minister K Sapdanga stated that the state is committed to aiding those displaced by the conflict. 'The Mizoram government will do everything within its capacity to provide relief — not just because they are our ethnic kin, but out of sheer humanitarian responsibility,' Sapdanga said. He added that Lalmuanpuia Punte, political adviser to the chief minister, along with the Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA) and various student bodies, are actively working to broker a ceasefire between the two factions. The CNDF and CDF — comprising fighters from the Zo ethnic community — are said to be embroiled in a power struggle over control of Khawmawi, a strategic border trade town between Mizoram and Myanmar. On June 5, the CNDF reportedly captured eight camps from the CDF, forcing them out of Khawmawi after intense fighting.
New Indian Express
30 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Delhi University faculty slams periodic review, retirement policy
NEW DELHI: Senior faculty members at Delhi University have voiced strong opposition to a proposed policy mandating periodic review and compulsory retirement of university employees, arguing that it undermines the institution's autonomy and targets senior staff unfairly. At a meeting held on Monday by a committee constituted by DU's Executive Council (EC), Dr Mithuraaj Dhusiya submitted a detailed note challenging the applicability of the Department of Personnel and Training's (DoPT) Office Memorandum dated June 27, 2024. Dhusiya contended that the policy has no legal basis in Central Universities like DU, which operate under UGC-approved ordinances. Citing the Allahabad High Court's ruling in Dr Suchitra Mitra vs Union of India, he emphasised that professors at central universities are not government servants and do not hold civil posts under the Union, making the Central Civil Services (CCS) rules inapplicable. 'The Professors of the University are neither members of a service nor do they hold a civil post under the Union,' the court had ruled, reaffirming that such rules do not apply to central universities. He also referred to a 2018 statement by former HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, clarifying that universities with their own ordinances are not obligated to adopt CCS rules. Raising concerns over the policy's intent, Dhusiya argued that it disproportionately targets employees above 50 years of age while sparing junior staff. Terming it 'arbitrary' and a 'witch-hunt,' he accused the administration of attempting to replace permanent staff with temporary or contractual hires. 'This notification is an unmitigated disaster,' he wrote, adding that it threatens to institutionalize contractual employment across the board. The committee is yet to take a final call, with the next round of discussions scheduled for July 10.
