Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday ordered proprietary rights for 3,245 slum households in three districts under the BASERA scheme, with directives to complete the process of grant of such rights to a total of 40000 households by September this year.

Chairing the second meeting of the Empowered Committee under the Chief Minister’s Slum Development Programme – ‘BASERA’, Captain Amarinder asked the concerned department to expedite the process of verification and grant of proprietary rights in order to benefit the maximum slum dwellers in the state. He reviewed the progress made so far under the scheme by various districts.

The 3,245 households approved for proprietary rights are located at 12 slum sites in the districts of Faridkot, Sangrur and Fazilka.

Till date, 186 slums having 21,431 households have been identified in 20 districts, wherein the verification process is being carried out full swing, the Chief Minister was informed. The virtual meeting was further apprised that the verification of 25,000 households shall be completed within the next two months and the process of granting proprietary rights to eligible slum-dwellers shall be initiated simultaneously. The verification of 40,000 households shall be completed by September 2021, it was decided at the meeting.

The Empowered Committee, at the two meetings held so far, has given approvals, under the scheme, for 21 slums involving 4705 households, spread over Moga, Bathinda, Fazilka, Patiala, Sangrur and Faridkot districts. The identification of another 186 slums, involving approximately 22,000 households, is currently underway.

The scheme, aimed at helping slum-dwellers realise their dream of owning a home, was launched in January this year by the Chief Minister as a visionary step towards inclusive urban development and planning.

Punjab is the first state in the country to launch such a scheme for conferring proprietary rights to every slum household occupying state government land in a slum in any urban area on the date of notification of ‘The Punjab Slum Dwellers (Proprietary Rights) Act, 2020’, i.e., 1st April 2020.

Maharashtra government on Tuesday postponed the date of SSC (class 10th) and HSC (class 12th) board exams which were scheduled to be held in April in view of a steep rise in Covid-19 cases in the state. The board exams of class 12th, which were to begin from 23 April, will be held in May. The board exams of class 10th, which were to start from 30 April, will take place in June.

The decision was taken in a meeting between Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad after consultations with various stakeholders: students, teachers, parents, elected representatives from across parties, academicians and tech giants.

“Given the current #Covid-19 situation in Maharashtra, we’ve postponed state board exams for class 10th and 12th. The present circumstances are not conducive for holding exams. Your health is our priority,” said Gaikwad.

“During the consultations, various alternative assessment options were evaluated keeping the health, well-being, and future of our students in mind. Postponing exams seemed to be the most pragmatic solution. We’ll also be writing to the CBSE, ICSE, IB, and Cambridge boards, requesting them to reconsider their exams dates,” she wrote on Twitter.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday alleged that it was West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who instigated people to snatch away the guns from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which led to firing in Cooch Behar on Saturday that resulted in the death of four people.

Addressing a public meeting in Dhupguri, Amit Shah said, “The fourth phase polls were held in North Bengal. Didi instigated people and told them to gherao CRPF and loot them. People listened to her, weapons were snatched, bullets were fired and four people died. Didi had you not instigated them they would not have died.”

“A fifth person also died. A youth, Anand Burman had gone to cast his vote but TMC goons shot him dead. Didi is speaking about the four but nothing on Anand Burman. Why? It’s because he belonged to the Rajbongshi community that is not a part of her vote bank,” he added.

Shah said that Banerjee criticising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is a futile exercise. “Didi is abusing BJP unnecessarily. You are mistaken that BJP is contesting against you. It is the mothers, sisters of North Bengal, Rajbongshi community, the Gorkha community, the tea garden workers, the farmers who are contesting against you.”

“If you listen to Didi’s speeches you will find that she talks more about me than she talks about Bengal. Now it is being said ‘Amit Shah resign’. I will resign the day people of Bengal ask me to. But you will be ready with your resignation on May 2,” he further said.

Amit Shah said BJP will not only form the government in West Bengal, but it will do so with absolute majority.

Polling for the first four phases in West Bengal already took place. Violence erupted at a polling booth in Cooch Behar during the fourth round of polling. The ruling TMC alleged that Central Forces opened fire twice at polling booths in Cooch Behar where people were casting their votes. Official sources in Cooch Behar had earlier confirmed the death of four people in firing.

Polling for the first four phases has been concluded in West Bengal. The fifth and sixth phases of the ongoing elections will take place on 17 April and 22 April. Counting of votes will take place on 2 May.

A day after BJP knocked at Election Commission (EC) doors over TMC candidate Sujata Mondal’s remarks allegedly against the Dalit community, the saffron party on Monday approached the Scheduled Caste Commission, demanding strict action be taken against her for allegedly likening Dalits with beggars.

A party delegation led by Dushyant Gautam, BJP Rajya Sabha MP, met SC Commission chairperson Vijay Sampla and submitted the memorandum for the same. The delegation also had singer turned politician and Karol Bagh MP Hansraj Hans and Sunita Duggal, who represents Hisar constituency in Loksabha. Later, speaking with media persons at the BJP HQ, Gautam said the remarks made by Sujata Mondal has exposed the very anti-Dalit mindset of the TMC and added that the growing support for BJP has baffled Trinamool Congress.

“TMC leaders can’t digest the fact that Dalits are realising how Trinamool have always exploited them for electoral gains and therefore, now shifting towards BJP after being impressed by the leadership of PM Modi. This has rattled Mamata Banerjee and her cadre and such statements are actually manifestation of their frustration.”

Speaking to The Sunday Guardian, Sampla, SC Commission chairperson, said that notices have been issued to West Bengal Chief Secretary, State and Central Chief Election Commissioner and DGP to know about their stance on the entire row since the onus to conduct smooth elections lies on them.

On Sunday, the BJP had filed a complaint before the EC against Mondal, who has allegedly described Scheduled Caste voters as “beggars by nature” in a video clip which has now gone viral in the poll-pound state.

Taking a serious note of reports that Gujarat’s health machinery has failed to handle the worsening condition of Covid-19 in the state, the Gujarat High Court on Monday slammed the state government and asked it some scathing questions during the hearing of a suo motu PIL.

The HC questioned some policies of the government: Why is Remdesivir injection available in one place? Why can’t people get injections at home? If there are enough beds and oxygen in hospitals? Why is there a line of 40 ambulances outside hospitals? With such questions, the High Court has directed the government to take immediate action. The PIL, titled “Uncontrolled Rise in Covid Control and Serious Management Issues”, will now have a further hearing on 15 April at 11 am.

A bench led by Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Bhargava D. Karia held a hearing on the PIL registered suo motu on Sunday. Advocate General Kamal Trivedi is representing on behalf of the Gujarat government and Chief Secretary of Gujarat Anil Mukim, Additional Secretary of Health Department Dr Jayanti Ravi and Health Commissioner Jayaprakash Shivahare participated in the hearing online. The bench expressed displeasure over the government’s policies in handling Covid-19. The HC questioned the shortage of Remdesivir injections as well as the large number of people gathering in public places.

After the cases came down, the government forgot in February that Covid-19 was there, the Chief Justice said. “You say, but here the situation is different. Tests for normal people take five days, you know? Not knowing what is going on in other states. We want to know what happens in Gujarat.” Advocate General Kamal Trivedi said that some people take the test only to allay their fears. “It’s not fun to get someone tested,” he said.

At one point in the hearing, the government argued that reports in the media were unfounded and irresponsible. Hearing the argument, the bench reacted sharply, saying: “We look at both media reports and the actual situation. On the contrary, the media is now doing responsible journalism. Instead, the government will present an affidavit of any action taken by the 14th and the next hearing is scheduled on the 15th.”

At one stage, the HC Chief Justice had stopped the public prosecutor from comparing Gujarat with other states. He said, “We don’t need to compare any other state. If we are in Gujarat, talk about Gujarat. Though we are so modern, why is this situation? Even today, it takes 4-5 days for a common man to get the result of RT-PCR test. Reports are received by evening if there is a VIP. Why is Remdesivir not available in private hospitals? If there was a long line outside Zydus, why does one agency have all the control?”

The Election Commission (EC) on Monday banned West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from campaigning in the ongoing state elections for 24 hours after she made “highly insinuating and provocative remarks laden with the serious potential of the breakdown of law and order and thereby affecting the election process”.

In its order, the poll panel condemned her statements “portent with serious law and order problems across the state (s)” and sternly warned her “to desist from using such statements while making public utterances during the period when Model Code of Conduct is in force.”

The Commission said it has carefully considered the matter and “is of the considered view that Ms Mamata Banerjee, who happens to be the Chief Minister of the state, has in violation of the provisions of Model Code of Conduct as well as Section 123 (3) and (3A) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and Sections 186, 189 and 505 of Indian Penal Code, 1860 made highly insinuating and provocative remarks laden with the serious potential of the breakdown of law and order and thereby affecting the election process”.

“The Commission also imposes a ban of twenty-four hours on Mamata Banerjee from campaigning in any manner from 8 pm of April 12, 2021, till 8 pm of April 13, 2021,» the EC order stated.

The ban comes into force ahead of the fifth phase of the West Bengal Assembly polls which is due on 17 April.

Reacting to the ban, Mamata Banerjee said she would “protest the undemocratic and unconstitutional decision of the Election Commission”. Her tweet came less than an hour after the EC suspended her from campaigning.

“To protest against the undemocratic and unconstitutional decision of the Election Commission of India, I will sit on dharna tomorrow at Gandhi Murti (in) Kolkata from 12 noon,” Mamata tweeted late Monday night.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out against Mamata Banerjee at an election rally, saying she has waged an

open war against the state’s Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Castes (OBC).

Referring to TMC candidate Sujata Mondal’s recent statement, Modi said, “Didi’s people abuse Bengal’s Scheduled Caste community and call them beggars. Babasaheb’s soul would be hurt by hearing such bitter words. Didi calls herself the ‘Royal Bengal Tiger’. Such comments on the Scheduled Castes cannot be given by any TMC leader without Didi’s will.”

“Didi… has started a campaign to discredit the ordinary voters of Bengal,” PM Modi said. “Close associates of Didi have started saying that people who vote for the BJP will be thrown out! Do people approve of this sort of language, these lines, this arrogance? Is this democracy?” he added.

He also pointed out the violence taking place during the Bengal polls and questioned if Banerjee had appealed for peaceful elections during her rallies. “Has Didi appealed even once for the peaceful conduct of elections? Has she even once said that strict action will be taken against those who get involved in violence and try to obstruct voting?”

PM Modi on Monday also said the people of West Bengal have “clean-bowled TMC and hit so many fours and sixes that BJP has already scored a century of seats” in the last four phases of the Assembly polls, which has irked the Trinamool Congress chief.

“The people of Bengal failed the plan of Didi. She was preparing to hand over the captaincy of the party to bhaipo (nephew), but the public caught her ‹khela› in time…Didi›s entire team has been asked to go out of the field by the people of Bengal. She knows once Congress and the Left went out of Bengal, they never came back. Didi once you go, you will never come back again. TMC is going to lose,” said Modi. The fifth and sixth phases of the ongoing elections in West Bengal will take place on April 17 and April 22, respectively. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.