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Dissent in poll-bound Himachal against Agnipath scheme, paper leak scam: Congress working chief (IANS Interview)

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There is a strong resentment in poll-bound Himachal Pradesh against the Centre’s Agnipath scheme for four-year contractual recruitment in the defence recruitment.

The BJP government led by Jai Ram Thakur is riddled with scams, ranging from the recruitment of police personnel to issuance of fake degrees at a price tag of Rs 4 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.

The main opposition Congress has been in full ‘battle gear’ to take head-on the ruling government in the assembly polls likely in November.

These were the views of two-time Congress legislator Rajinder Rana, who has learnt political lessons for years from his once-mentor and BJP’s two-time chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, to whom he “taught” lesson by defeating him in the 2017 assembly elections.

He had defeated BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Dhumal in a straight contest by 1,919 votes in Sujanpur, the seat the latter was asked to contest from.

In an interview with IANS here on Wednesday, Rana, who is one of the party’s state working Presidents, said there is strong resent among the youth and people of Himachal Pradesh, who felt proud to serve the nation by donning an army fatigue, against the contractual recruitment in the armed forces.

“In my constituency, every third house has a family member in the armed forces. In some house, there are two-three family members serving the nation,” Rana, a known social worker in the area who was once the election manager of Dhumal and he knows his family well, told IANS.

He said people of the Himalayan state, where there is 16 lakh unemployed, want to serve the nation owing to lack of work opportunities in the state. “They are also sturdy to serve the armed forces.”

“The Agnipath scheme is a fraud with the people of the state. There is a strong dissent even among parents of aspirant soldiers as you are going to employ a soldier at the age of 17-18 years when he has not even completed his education. At the age of 21-22, 75 per cent of them will be sent home without any social security incentive, including pension. We protest this scheme and it will be our main election issue,” realtor-turned-politician Rana, who won Sujanpur seat in Hamirpur district for the first time in the 2012 assembly polls as an Independent candidate by a margin of 14,116 votes, told IANS.

The hill state has around 1.20 lakh serving defence personnel and almost equal number of ex-servicemen largely settled in Una, Kangra, Hamirpur, Bilaspur and Mandi districts.

A large number of protesters tried to reach Dharamsala town in Kangra district where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to hold a roadshow on June 16, but were stopped by police several km before the venue.

The Congress is also eyeing to strengthen its vote bank against the resentment of government employees against the new pension scheme.

Rana said after the re-introduction of old pension scheme in the Congress-ruled Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the Congress in the state, if it returns to helm, will bring the old pension scheme.

The old scheme was done away by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s regime in December 2003. The national pension scheme took effect from April 1, 2004.

Around one lakh employees staged a protest in Shimla early this year, demanding scrapping of the new pension scheme. They say when it comes to financial benefits of the legislators, the government takes quick decision but when it comes to old pension benefits the employees, the government cites fund crunch.

There are about 2.25 state government employees, including about 30,000 contract, part-time, daily wage and para workers. The highest number of employees are employed in the education, public works, irrigation and public health, police and health departments.

Rana, who vacated the assembly seat and unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Hamirpur as a Congress nominee, said the leaked paper of the constable recruitment examination is one of the biggest scams in the country.

The scam is currently being investigated by the CBI and is likely to put the ruling BJP government in embarrassment in the run-up to the assembly polls.

So was the multi-crore fake degree scams by Manav Bharti University in Solan.

“Police records say 43,000 fake degrees were sold by the university across the country. In reality, the number of fake degrees could be 4 to 10 lakh,” said the Congress legislator, who holds allegiance with party veteran and six-time Chief Minister late Virbhadra Singh.

“The fake degree scam could be of over Rs 20,000 crore,” he added.

The fake degree scam was unearthed in February 2019, a year after the University Grants Commission (UGC) received an anonymous complaint about the alleged sale of more than 5 lakh degrees by two private universities in Himachal, Manav Bharti University in Solan and APG in Shimla.

The Congress will soon announce a toll-free telephone number to get feedback from the public about the programmes to be included in its election manifesto.

“The Congress is totally united to take head on the ruling BJP. A strong anti-incumbency wave against the state ruling BJP — evident from the loss of three Assembly and one parliamentary seat in the October 2021 bypolls — will be seen in the assembly polls too.

“Also the state has been seeing a two-party system. A handful rebels from both the Congress and the BJP have been emerging from time to time, but after failing to mark their presence on the larger political landscape,” said Rana, adding the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is nowhere in the picture in the state.

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241 dead, one survivor as Air India Dreamliner crashes after takeoff from Ahmedabad: Air India

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New Delhi, June 13: In what is being described as one of the worst aviation disasters in Indian history, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying 242 people crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport.

The aircraft, operating as Flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, plunged into a residential complex near BJ Medical College, killing 241 people on board.

The ill-fated flight had 230 passengers, 10 cabin crew, and two pilots. According to officials, only one person, a British national of Indian origin seated in 11A, survived the crash and is currently undergoing treatment at a local hospital.

The aircraft took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1.38 p.m. (IST) on Thursday before losing control moments later and crashing into a densely populated area, igniting a massive blaze and triggering emergency response teams across the city.

Air India confirmed the accident in an official statement on X: “UPDATE: Air India confirms that flight AI171, operating from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick on 12 June 2025, was involved in an accident. The 12-year-old Boeing 787-8 aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew. The aircraft crashed shortly after take-off. We regret to inform that, of the 242 aboard, there are 241 confirmed fatalities. The sole survivor is being treated in a hospital.”

The airline also shared the nationality breakdown of passengers: 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.

“Air India offers its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. Our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of all those affected, their families and loved ones. A team of caregivers from Air India is now in Ahmedabad to provide additional support,” the statement added.

The national carrier has pledged full cooperation with authorities investigating the cause of the crash and has established dedicated helplines for families seeking information.

Domestic callers can reach the support team at 1800 5691 444, while international callers are advised to dial +91 8062779200.

Regular updates will be provided through Air India’s official website and its X handle.

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Plastic nurdle spill from sunken cargo ship reaches TN’s Dhanushkodi sanctuary, raising alarm

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Chennai, June 10: A plastic nurdle spill from the sunken cargo ship MSC ELSA 3 has spread into the newly declared Dhanushkodi Greater Flamingo Sanctuary in Ramanathapuram district, threatening one of India’s most fragile coastal ecosystems.

The MSC ELSA 3, a Liberian-flagged vessel, sank off the Kochi coast a few weeks ago while carrying 640 containers, including 13 with hazardous materials, 12 with calcium carbide, 367 tonnes of furnace oil, and 84 tonnes of diesel.

The ship’s cargo manifest remains undisclosed, fuelling speculation about the full extent of environmental risk.

Dhanushkodi Sanctuary, located within the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, supports 128 species of birds — including Greater and Lesser Flamingos — and is home to sea turtles, crustaceans, molluscs, and fish. Its dunes, marshes, and seagrass beds form part of the Central Asian Flyway for migratory birds.

The nurdles — tiny plastic pellets used in industrial manufacturing — resemble fish eggs and can be deadly to marine life. When ingested, they cause internal blockages, starvation, and often death. They also absorb toxins, entering the food chain and posing long-term health hazards.

About 80 bags, each weighing 25 kilograms, have reportedly washed ashore along a 12-km coastal stretch. Affected sites include the Dhanushkodi old church, Irattaithalai, Mugandharayan Chathiram, Gothanda Ramar temple, and Patchappatti village.

Carried by ocean currents from the Thiruvananthapuram-Kanniyakumari coast, the spill now threatens the adjacent Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, home to vital coral reefs and seagrass beds.

Experts warn these habitats could be smothered by plastic debris, blocking sunlight and disrupting photosynthesis.

Ramanathapuram District Collector Simranjeet Singh Kahlon said, “We’ve identified between 15 and 30 nurdle bags along the coast. A special team has been deployed for cleanup, and additional teams are monitoring for further debris.”

He urged the public not to panic, stating that swift action was underway.

The disaster evokes memories of the 2021 X-Press Pearl incident in Sri Lanka, where 1,680 tonnes of nurdles led to mass marine deaths and crippled fisheries.

Studies showed severe impacts on plankton and larval life forms, threatening entire food chains.

Cleanup efforts in Ramanathapuram face challenges due to the nurdles’ buoyancy and small size, worsened by monsoon waves that break them into microplastics.

With the 61-day annual fishing ban nearing its end, fishermen fear reduced fish catches and consumer hesitancy could harm their livelihoods if the spill worsens.

Environmentalists are calling for urgent intervention, cargo transparency, and long-term containment measures to prevent irreversible damage to one of India’s most critical marine ecosystems.

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Eight Punjab and Haryana HC judges take lead to boost Kashmir tourism post Pahalgam terror attack

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Srinagar, June 9: To give a boost to Kashmir tourism post Pahalgam terror attack, eight judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court are visiting the valley along with their families.

The visit of the legal personalities along with their families carries a powerful message for the revival of tourism in Kashmir, which got shattered after the Pahalgam terror attack.

On April 22, Pakistan-backed terrorists of Lashkar-e-Kashmir (LeT) killed 26 civilians, including 25 tourists and a local pony owner.

The pony owner sacrificed his life while trying to protect the tourists from the bullets of the terrorists.

The terror attack caused outrage in the entire country, and to avenge the killings of innocent civilians, the Indian Armed Forces carried out airstrikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan under Operation Sindoor.

In retaliation for India’s attack on terrorist infrastructure, Pakistan resorted to heavy mortar shelling on civilian facilities in Poonch, Rajouri, Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora districts.

Eighteen civilians were killed in Pakistan shelling, 13 of them in Poonch district, in addition to the destruction of scores of homes, shops, a temple, a mosque, a church and a Gurudwara.

The itinerary of the visiting high court judges includes visits to the Mughal Gardens of Nishat and Shalimar, Shikara rides on the Dal Lake, a visit to the historic Pari Mahal and buying a few handicrafts at the local market.

There could be no better omen for the revival of tourism in Kashmir than the decision of the honourable justices of the High Court to come here along with their families.

Coinciding with the visit of these dignitaries, local tour and travel operators and hotel owners are reporting a gradual rise in the tourist bookings that had virtually stopped after the Pahalgam terror attack.

Tour and travel operators and others connected with the tourist industry have expressed hope that the visit by the most respected legal dignitaries, like the high court judges, will restore confidence among visitors, both domestic and foreign, that Kashmir is a safe tourist destination.

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