Nitish Kumar announces commission for sanitation workers ahead of Bihar polls
He added that the commission will offer recommendations to the government on safeguarding the rights of sanitation workers and oversee the implementation of relevant welfare measures.The proposed body will comprise a chairperson, a vice-chairperson, and five members, including one woman or transgender representative.Kumar said the commission will play a "significant role in integrating the deprived sections of society engaged in sanitation work into the mainstream and contributing to their social and economic development".The announcement came just months ahead of the state Assembly elections scheduled for later this year.On Saturday, Nitish Kumar launched development projects worth around Rs 650 crore in Madhubani district."The CM laid the foundation stone for the construction of an approach road, including a road over bridge (ROB) worth Rs 178 crore, and a railway-level crossing situated between Khajauli-Jaynagar railway stations," a release from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said.Nitish Kumar also launched a series of development projects, including the revival of the Old Kamaladhar and Jeevch-Kamla rivers at a cost of Rs 264.93 crore. He also inaugurated the construction of four barrages and associated structures on the same rivers to improve irrigation and flood management, with an estimated cost of Rs 161.08 crore.Additionally, a new inter-state bus terminal is set to come up in the Madhubani municipal area under the Urban Development and Housing Department, with a budget of Rs 14.53 crore.- EndsTune InMust Watch
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
4 minutes ago
- First Post
A court order leaves India's Cuba envoy with two wives, Supreme Court hears case
In 2022, the Gauhati High Court ruled that a marriage under the Christian Marriage Act can't be dissolved by customary practices of the Kuki tribe. This decision created a complex matrimonial situation for Thongkomang Armstrong Changsan, India's ambassador to Cuba read more A view of Supreme Court of India building in New Delhi. PTI The Gauhati High Court in 2022 had ruled that a marriage conducted in a church under the Christian Marriage Act, 1872, between a man and a woman from the Kuki tribe cannot be dissolved by customary practices involving the Songpijan village committee or 'gaonburas (village elders)' in Assam's Dima Hasao district. The court stated that such a marriage can only be annulled through legal proceedings before the High Court or a district judge, as outlined in section 10 of the Divorce Act, 1869. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This decision created a complex matrimonial situation for Thongkomang Armstrong Changsan, India's ambassador to Cuba, who found himself with two wives. Before the 2022 High Court ruling affirming his 1994 church marriage to Neikhol Changsan, he had remarried another woman after a customary divorce, and he has a daughter from each marriage. Supreme Court's observation The Supreme Court, addressing Changsan's appeal, expressed no sympathy for him. After mediation attempts failed, a bench led by Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi noted on Friday (July 25) that the Gauhati High Court's judgment was legally robust. Recognising that the Indian Foreign Service officer has been married to his second wife for nearly 15 years, the court sought a resolution to this legal and matrimonial dilemma, aiming to help Neikhol rebuild her life. Arguments by first wife, IFS officer Neikhol, representing herself in court, claimed she single-handedly raised her 29-year-old daughter without her husband's involvement and accused Changsan of manipulatively estranging their daughter from her. She urged the Supreme Court to 'protect her honour and dignity,' describing how Changsan secretly dissolved their marriage through tribal elders before remarrying. In response, senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy, representing the ambassador, stated that he has been covering their daughter's expenses, who is now pursuing a career in Bengaluru. Changsan also noted he has provided Neikhol with a house in Delhi and pays her Rs 20,000 monthly maintenance. The Supreme Court bench remarked, 'We have absolutely no sympathy for the man. The HC judgment is in your favour, and you have suffered socially and mentally. But can you think of a way to start life afresh?' To facilitate a potential resolution, the court suggested Neikhol meet her daughter in Bengaluru to discuss future steps. It directed Changsan to arrange her flight tickets, provide accommodation near her daughter's residence, and pay an ad hoc sum of Rs 3 lakh to support the visit. Justice Kant emphasised, 'If at all there is a possibility of settlement, the daughter could have a significant role to play,' urging the ambassador to encourage his daughter to reconnect with her mother. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Kuki Inpi, the highest governing body of the Kuki tribe in Assam, clarified that Kuki customary law cannot dissolve a church-conducted Christian marriage or force a couple to reunite against their wishes, aligning with the High Court's stance.
News18
12 minutes ago
- News18
Bhopal: Metro On Track For October Debut, CM Mohan Yadav Takes Test Ride
Last Updated: The Bhopal Metro will operate at speeds of 40–60 kmph, with a design speed of 90 kmph. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav inspected the under-construction Bhopal Metro on Sunday and expressed hope that the priority corridor from Subhash Nagar to AIIMS will become operational by October this year. Yadav took a test ride on a three-coach metro train from Subhash Nagar station to AIIMS and from AIIMS to Rani Kamalapati station. He reviewed onboard features and facilities. 'The Bhopal metro project is progressing rapidly. A few incomplete works will be completed within one and a half to two months. The government is working swiftly to give a gift of metro train service to people by October," he told reporters while pointing out that metro train service in Indore has received a positive response. He said the test run of the Bhopal metro is underway, and the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) has completed the inspection. 'The Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) will soon inspect the metro works. Once the CMRS gives clearance, the priority corridor of the Bhopal Metro will be opened for public transport," he added. Yadav stated that the Bhopal metro project is being developed at an estimated cost of Rs 6,941.40 crore. The priority corridor from Subhash Nagar to AIIMS is being built at a cost of approximately Rs 2,225 crore and is nearing completion. 'Our target is to start metro operations on this priority corridor by October 2025. The roadmap aims to fully operationalise both corridors- orange and blue lines- before 2030," he said. Yadav said the design speed of the Bhopal Metro is 90 kmph, with an operational speed of 40 to 60 kmph. A total of 27 state-of-the-art metro train sets have been planned for the metro project, out of which seven have already arrived in the state capital. The metro will not only ensure convenient travel but also contribute effectively to environmental protection and pollution control, he added. Sharing updates on the Indore metro, Yadav said the government aims to start the full section from Super Corridor to Malviya Nagar (Radisson) intersection by the end of this year. Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the state government is moving quickly to enhance civic amenities, the chief minister added. view comments First Published: July 28, 2025, 08:09 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Indian Express
34 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Not just stalking accused, several VIP relatives on list of law officers appointed by Haryana govt
THE Haryana government may be having a rethink over the appointment of Vikas Barala, an accused in a sexual harassment case, as Assistant Advocate General, but a scrutiny of the list shows that like Barala, many of those appointed as law officers are relatives of VIPs, including politicians and bureaucrats. This, ironically, when the Supreme Court, as early as 2016, had cautioned against such appointments and advised guidelines to insulate the process from politics. On July 18, Vikas Barala, the son of BJP Rajya Sabha MP and former Haryana BJP president Subhash Barala, was named as one of 97 law officers in the state. Talking to The Indian Express, Advocate General Pravindra Singh Chauhan said: 'As far as Vikas Barala is concerned, he has not joined yet…I was not aware of the background (of Vikas Barala). I don't think he (Vikas) will join.' AG Chauhan told The Indian Express that it was wrong to see all from one lens. 'I have seen their (the new appointees') working. All of them are competent lawyers. They have not made it to these posts due to their surnames, but only due to their competence. All the selections have been made on merit.' The AG's office in Haryana put out an advertisement in January for 100 posts of law officers (including 20 Additional AGs, 20 Senior Deputy AGs, 30 Deputy AGs and 30 Assistant AGs). A Selection Committee was then set up, with AG Chauhan as its head, and Special Secretary (Home) Maniram Sharma, 'Legal Remembrancer' Ritu Garg, and retired judges Darshan Singh and H S Bhalla as members. Of the 97 chosen, The Indian Express found, at least 23 have links to either politicians, bureaucrats or judges. These include at least seven close relatives of retired or serving high court judges, seven close relatives of IAS-IPS officers, seven close aides of BJP ministers or MLAs, and relatives of officials of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the State Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana. Aakash Singla, who has been appointed as Additional AG and whose father is a former head of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana, told The Indian Express, 'I have been practising since 2012 and it is my first stint in the Haryana AG's office. I was earlier on the panel of Punjab and Haryana High Court.' Also appointed as Additional AG, Ruchi Sekhri, the BJP state secretary, Chandigarh, said, 'I have been practising for the last 22 years. It is my first stint in the Haryana AG's office.' Vasundhara Dalal Anand, the daughter of a former DGP who is also among the new Additional AGs, said she had been practising for over two decades and had earned her law degree from Delhi University. Another newly appointed Additional AG, not willing to be named, said she had been practising for nearly 15 years, and had earlier been with the Punjab AG's office. While an Additional AG in Haryana is entitled to Rs 1.8 lakh per month, apart from Rs 25,000 as retainer fee, a Deputy AG gets Rs 1.28 lakh, and an Assistant AG such as Vikas Barala Rs 88,400 per month. All the appointments are on a provisional/contract basis, and for a period of a year to begin with. A law officer's duties include giving advice to the state government in legal matters; to appear and defend the state government or its officials or any statutory authority before a court or tribunal; to represent the state government in any reference made by the President to the Supreme Court; and to discharge such other functions as are conferred on a law officer. The law officers are barred from appearing in any court of law 'against the interest of the state government'. Additionally, the AG can engage up to five advocates who 'possess such special qualifications and experience as deemed suitable for Law Officers'. The Haryana Law Officers' Engagement Act, 2016, says the candidates must be advocates, picked as per eligibility, merit and suitability, including the number of cases handled by them. While Barala's appointment has raised a row, such appointments took place under previous governments too. It was this that led to the Supreme Court curtailing the discretion of Punjab and Haryana governments in appointing law officers in March 2016, while advising guidelines for the same on the basis of merit and eligibility. Hearing a bunch of cases challenging law officers' appointments, a Bench of Chief Justice of India T S Thakur and Justice Kurian Joseph said: 'For a fair and objective system of appointment, there ought to be a fair and realistic assessment of the requirement. For otherwise, the appointments may be made not because they are required but because they come handy for political aggrandisement, appeasement or personal benevolence of those in power towards those appointed.' Rejecting the states' argument that appointments of law officers were contractual in nature and not public employment, the Court pointed out that the persons chosen lead some of the most important cases involving public interest. The Court also said that while its directions were confined to Punjab and Haryana, 'other states would (also) do well to reform their system of selection and appointment to make the same more transparent, fair and objective'. Subsequently, the BJP government in Haryana passed the Haryana Law Officers' Engagement Act in September 2016. Asked about Vikas Barala's appointment, former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda of the Congress said: 'I do not comment on individuals, but all I can say is that only competent people should be appointed (as law officers).' Another senior state politician said, 'It is commonly known that many of these appointments are political appointments. Of course, many of those who have political or bureaucratic linkages are also bright and competent and make it due to their competence, and not only due to their surnames.' Incidentally, on Thursday, hearing a case on the appointment of Punjab AG Maninderjit Singh Bedi, a Division Bench of the High Court held that 'you cannot succeed in the challenge to an office of Advocate General just by saying he is politically affiliated with some party… That cannot be a disqualification'. Meanwhile, in a Facebook post Thursday, Varnika Kundu, who had accused Vikas Barala of stalking and attempted abduction, said: 'Appointing someone to a public position of power is not just a political decision – it's a reflection of values and standards… Our policymakers run the country; the rest of us are just hoping they remember that they work FOR the INDIAN CITIZEN. What I will speak about is my own case – and the fact that despite months of national media attention, it has dragged on for this long with little progress… I continue to hold faith in the judiciary until the verdict is announced – but I won't deny that faith has wavered.'
