Connect with us
Friday,16-May-2025
Breaking News

National News

CAG report on Delhi’s health services tabled in Assembly

Published

on

New Delhi, Feb 28: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on health services in the national Capital, during the erstwhile AAP government’s regime, was tabled in the Delhi Assembly on Friday.

The Central government auditor’s report on the health department’s expenses under the AAP dispensation, is one of the dozens of reports that the BJP government has vowed to present in the House, to expose corruption under the previous regime.

In the CAG report tabled on Friday, the Mohalla Clinics, one of the flagship projects of the Kejriwal administration as well as government hospitals came under scathing criticism for the gross irregularities, inefficiencies, price escalation and under-utilisation of funds.

A couple of BJP legislators, speaking on the CAG report in the Assembly, tore into the former AAP government and accused it of promoting corruption and malpractices in health departments.

BJP MLA Harish Khurana slammed the AAP government over cost escalation and overpricing of several projects, due to delays.

He said that the CAG report clearly shows the array of irregularities that took place under the AAP government.

“In 11 years of their rule, they built just three hospitals and also incurred huge losses to the exchequer. In 11 years of their governance, only 3 hospitals were either built or extended. Indira Gandhi hospital suffered 5 years’ delay, leading to escalation in cost by Rs 314 crore. Similarly, Burari hospital saw cost escalation by about Rs 41 crore,” Khurana said.

“In total, an additional expense of Rs 382 crore was made on construction of three hospitals,” he pointed out.

“The funds provided by the Centre to the state government in fighting the Covid pandemic were also mismanaged. They were blaming the Centre over shortage of funds but the facts reveal that state government was responsible for bungling up,” said Khurana, son of former Delhi CM Madan Lal Khurana.

The CAG report highlights the ‘dire conditions’ of Mohalla Clinics, the much-touted dispensaries started under the stewardship of former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.

Earlier in the day, AAP leaders protested outside the Assembly against the suspension of 21 lawmakers, this week. Ex-Chief Minister Atishi, now Leader of Opposition, also wrote to Speaker Vijender Gupta to flag the ‘severe blow to democratic values’.

National News

Three Jaish terrorists killed in J&K encounter

Published

on

Srinagar, May 15: Three terrorists of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) were killed on Thursday in a gunfight with the security forces in Nader village of Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

Officials said the three terrorists were later identified as Asif Ahmed Sheikh, Amir Nazir Wani and Yawar Ahmad Bhat, all residents of Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

This is the second encounter in the union territory within 48 hours.

Earlier today, Srinagar headquartered 15 Corps of the Army said on X, “On May 15, 2025, based on specific Intelligence input from Int agency, a Cordon & Search Operation was launched by Indian Army, J&K Police and Srinagar Sector CRPF at Nader, Tral, Awantipora. Suspicious activity was observed by vigilant troops and on being challenged, terrorists opened heavy fire, and a fierce gunfight ensued. Operation is in progress.”

A gunfight had started between the security forces and the hiding terrorists on Thursday in the Tral area of Pulwama district’s Awantipora sub-division.

The Police said on X, “Encounter has started at Nader, Tral area of #Awantipora. Police and security forces are on the job. Further details shall follow.”

Following specific Intelligence inputs, security forces surrounded the Nader village of Tral tehsil to conduct searches. “As the security forces came close to the hiding terrorists, there was an exchange of gunfire, which is now going on,” police said.

Today’s gunfight comes two days after security forces gunned down three Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists in an operation in the Keller area of Shopian district.

Of the three terrorists killed on Tuesday, the two slain terrorists were identified as Shahid Kuttay and Adnan Shafi, both residents of Shopian. Kuttay, who joined Lashkar in 2023, was involved in a shooting incident at the Danish resort on April 8 last year, in which two German tourists and one driver were injured.

He was also involved in the killing of a BJP Sarpanch at Heerpora in Shopian in May last year. Shafi, who joined the terror group in 2024, was involved in the killing of a non-local labourer at Wachi in Shopian district.

On May 10, a ceasefire understanding was announced by India and Pakistan. However, the terrorists fired at the sentry post outside the headquarters of the White Knight Corps in the Nagrota area of Jammu district nearly two hours after the ceasefire understanding came into force.

India has made it clear that any act of terror within the country would be treated as an “act of war”. The terrorists, aided and sponsored by Pakistan, killed 26 innocent people on April 22, including 25 tourists and a local in Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam.

The cowardly act was carried out by LeT terrorists, as per the security forces. This finally resulted in India avenging the murder of innocent civilians by precision strikes at terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK).

India has made it clear that the Indus Waters Treaty would continue to remain in abeyance, and no trade would be restored with Pakistan.

During Pakistani targeting of civilian areas along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border, more than 200 houses and shops have been destroyed, forcing hundreds of border dwellers to abandon their homes to seek refuge at safer places away from the line of fire.

These affected families are yet to return to their homes at the LoC as the security forces are busy defusing unexploded Pakistani mortar shells in the affected areas.

Continue Reading

National News

Pak PM’s ‘copycat’ meet with soldiers unmasks its web of lies on ‘Operation Sindoor’

Published

on

New Delhi, May 15: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited an Army cantonment in Sialkot of Punjab province on Wednesday evening, to meet and express solidarity with the soldiers.

However, what could have been a morale-boosting exercise for Pakistani Defence forces turned out to be an ‘embarrassing and ignominious’ one because of the location, ambience and the backdrop in which the Pakistani PM interacted with them.

Shehbaz Sharif’s meeting with Pakistani soldiers is seen as a clear attempt to copy that of his Indian counterpart Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in sending a message to the world.

While India’s military prowess was reinforced during PM Modi’s visit to the Punjab airbase, the Pakistani establishment utterly failed not just in optics but also went to expose its flaws, its canards and the extent of devastation that it endured during India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’.

As India pummeled and pounced its multiple airbases on May 10 morning, in response to its escalation, Pakistan resorted to a barrage of lies, claiming that it downed Indian jets, destroyed its airbases and also captured an air force personnel. All those claims were outrightly rejected by India.

Prime Minister Narenda Modi’s visit to the airbase in Punjab, yesterday, shredded its web of lies and demolished all its claims.

PM Modi visited Adampur airbase, one of the forward areas, which Pakistan claimed to have destroyed in its airstrikes, and met the soldiers in the backdrop of India’s famed air defence system and also fighter jets, but Pakistan PM’s interaction with their soldiers took place in a deserted location, lined with some tanks and aircrafts parked at a distant location.

The pictures shared by PMOs of both the nations clearly show the stark contrast in which the Prime Ministers met their respective soldiers.

This clearly shows that Pakistan suffered large-scale decimation and also how its airbases and airfields suffered extensive damage in Indian bombing. The Pakistani PM’s interaction with soldiers in a deserted ground only confirms this.

The Pakistan PMO shared pictures of Shehbaz Sharif with soldiers but not of any airstrip or runaway, thereby ascertaining that its airfields suffered severe damage in Indian strikes. The only prominent picture was of Shehbaz Sharif standing on an Army tank and addressing the soldiers.

Sharif’s meet with Pakistani jawans has also been mocked and taunted by many social media users, who called it a copycat meet and the one aping the Indian style of lauding its braves but utterly failing in doing so.

In stark contrast to this, PM Modi’s visit to Adampur airbase was high on symbolism as well as messaging, about how the nation and the Indian Air Force command stand firm and resolute, in wake of the barrage of drone and missile attacks.

PM Modi’s pictures with the soldiers, with S-400 defence systems and MiG29 in the backdrop, right next to the airfield, said it all. Also, he landed at the airstrip in a Hercules aircraft, thus proving that there was no damage to the Adampur airbase.

All this goes to expose Pakistan’s theatrics and bombastic rhetoric despite being cut to size by the Indian military in the May 10 strikes.

This was well reflected in PM Modi’s rousing speech at the airbase, where he said that when our soldiers chant ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’, the enemy trembles with fear.

He also saluted the braves for teaching Pakistan a lesson and also thundered, ‘ghar mein ghus ke maarenge’.

Notably, Indian forces inflicting severe damages on Pakistani airfields has also been reportedly globally, with two US dailies – The New York Times and The Washington Post, claiming that India took clear edge over Pakistan during ‘Operation Sindoor’.

Continue Reading

National

Desperate Pakistan ‘pleads’ with India to reconsider Indus Waters Treaty suspension

Published

on

New Delhi, May 15: Nearly a few days into the understanding with Pakistan after the Indian Armed Forces left the Pakistani defence and military shattered, Islamabad has now reportedly written a letter to New Delhi, urging it to reconsider the decision of putting the Indus Waters Treaty which it has put into abeyance.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Water Resources has reportedly written a letter to New Delhi to resume the flow of rivers into its territory under the Indus Waters Treaty, media reports have claimed.

The Indus Waters Treaty is a pivotal water-sharing accord that has endured for more than six decades.

The plea comes after India halted the 1960 agreement in the wake of yet another Pakistan-backed terrorist attack, this time in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22, which left 26 civilians dead, mostly tourists.

India, invoking its national security prerogative, has placed the treaty in abeyance until Islamabad “credibly and irrevocably” ends its support for terrorism.

The move was endorsed by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the apex decision-making body on strategic affairs, marking the first time New Delhi has hit pause on the World Bank-brokered agreement.

In a letter sent to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, the Pakistani Ministry warned that suspending the treaty would trigger a crisis within the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his first address since Operation Sindoor, underlined the government’s uncompromising position.

“Water and blood cannot flow together,” he declared.

“Terror and talks cannot happen at the same time. Terror and trade cannot happen simultaneously.”

However, Indian officials have dismissed these concerns, pointing to Pakistan’s longstanding use of terrorism as a state policy.

The treaty allocates three western rivers, Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab, to Pakistan, while the eastern rivers – Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi, remain with India.

India has now announced a three-tier strategy — short-term, mid-term, and long-term to prevent any flow of Indus waters into Pakistan.

Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Paatil said that steps are being taken to ensure not a single drop of water is allowed to leave Indian territory unutilised.

India’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reinforced the government’s stance, saying, “The Indus Waters Treaty was founded on goodwill and friendship. Pakistan has trampled on these values by supporting cross-border terrorism for decades.”

The strong response follows Operation Sindoor, a swift military campaign launched after the Pahalgam attack, which resulted in a brief ceasefire agreement. But New Delhi has made it clear: dialogue with Islamabad will now be limited to one agenda — ending terrorism and ensuring the return of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

As per the 1960 treaty, India got around 30 per cent of the total water carried by the Indus River System located in India, while Pakistan got the remaining 70 per cent.

With the Indus Waters Treaty suspended, the Narendra Modi government is expected to take major steps toward completing the stalled hydroelectric projects.

A key meeting is likely to be held this week with Home Minister Amit Shah, along with Water Resources Minister Paatil, Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and senior officials from all related Ministries. Since the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, two meetings have already taken place between Amit Shah, Paatil, and top officials of the Ministry.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending