High-Level ECI Team To Visit J&K Today To Review Assembly Polls Preparedness

by Pabitra Mohan Senapaty

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

A high-level team of the Election Commission of India (ECI), headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar, is arriving in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday to review preparedness for the Assembly polls in the Union Territory.

Srinagar, Aug 8: A high-level team of the Election Commission of India (ECI), headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar, is arriving in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday to review preparedness for the Assembly polls in the Union Territory.

Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu will accompany the CEC during the visit.

As per the schedule, the ECI team will reach Srinagar at 10 a.m. At 11.15 am, it will hold meetings with representatives of different political parties including the BJP, Congress, National Conference (NC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bahujan Samaj Party, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and Aam Admi Party.

The ECI members will not meet the representatives of the Panthers Party as its name and symbol were frozen by the commission on March 20.

After holding meetings with different political parties, the commission will hold a joint meeting with Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) of all 20 districts through video conferencing. The meeting is slated to start at 2 p.m.

At 7 p.m., the ECI team will meet the J&K Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), state poll nodal officer and coordinator of central paramilitary forces to review preparedness for the polls.

After their night halt, the members will hold a meeting with Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo and Director General of Police (DGP) R.R. Swain at 9 a.m. on Friday. They will leave for Jammu on Friday at 11.40 a.m.

At 1 pm on Friday, the ECI team will meet various enforcement agencies in Jammu and before leaving for New Delhi, it will address a news conference at around 2:30 p.m.

The J&K's last elected government was dissolved in June 2018 after the BJP withdrew from the PDP-BJP coalition government headed by Mehbooba Mufti.

On August 5, 2019, Article 370 was abrogated and the state was bifurcated into two UTs of J&K and Ladakh each headed by a Lt Governor.

--IANS

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Odisha To Implement ‘Ayushman Bharat’ Alongside ‘Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana’ Soon: Mukesh Mahaling

by Hemanta Pande

Bhubaneswar: The Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) will be implemented in Odisha alongside the State's own health scheme Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana (GJAY) soon, informed State’s Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling on Tuesday.

Speaking to the media persons, Minister Mahaling said, “The Ayushman Bharat Yojana will be implemented in Odisha very soon. More than 3 crore people from 1 crore family will be issued a new and distinct card under the scheme once the Ayushman Bharat and Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana are rolled out in the State. The beneficiaries can use their cards at any of the 27,000 empanelled hospitals from across the country and can avail cashless treatment.

“The migrant workers, who were earlier facing problems for treatment, will now be able to visit any of the empanelled hospitals and get medical treatment freely,” he added saying people aged 70 or above will also be eligible to apply for the scheme.

While 67 lakh eligible families of the State will be covered in Ayushman Bharat, 33 lakh families will be included in the Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana, the Minister said.

Under these health schemes, a medical coverage of Rs 10 lakh and Rs 5 lakh will be provided to each female and male beneficiary respectively, he added.

Notably, the previous Biju Janata Dal government in Odisha had refused to participate in Ayushman Bharat, asserting that its own health initiative, the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY), now renamed as Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana, was superior.

Launched in September 2018, AB PM-JAY is designed to offer comprehensive health coverage to individuals from economically vulnerable families, ensuring that they receive necessary medical care without incurring catastrophic financial burdens.

The AB PM-JAY scheme covers a wide range of medical procedures across various specialties, including surgery, oncology, and cardiology, and provides cashless treatment in empanelled hospitals.

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Barcelona Legend Andres Iniesta Set To Retire On Special Date

by Shambhu Datta Mishra

New Delhi, Oct 1: There are not many names in football history that hold the same weight as Andres Iniesta. The Spaniard will be announcing his decision on his retirement in a ceremony set to be held October 8, a number which he holds close to his heart.

Iniesta shared a post on Instagram with the caption, "COMING SOON 8/10/24." The numbers 8 and 24 were donned by the former Catalonian captain during his 18-year tenure with the club.

Despite an illustrious club career, which saw him make 674 appearances for Barcelona ,in which he scored 57 goals and provided 135 assists, during which he won four Champions Leagues, three Club World Cups, nine League tiles, three European Super Cups, six Copa del Reys and seven Spanish Super Cups.

Iniesta’s true legend status came with the Spanish national team as he was one of the pillars of a historic La Roja side that is dubbed as the country’s golden generation.

Iniesta scored a goal in the extra-time of the 2010 World Cup Final against the Netherlands, which led Spain to their first and only FIFA World Cup trophy. Alongside, he was also in the side that lifted the 2002 and 2012 UEFA European Championships.

The 40-year-old midfielder recently attended an event in Spain where he hinted that his future may lie in coaching as he hopes to return to the club where he became a legend.

"I feel like I would like to continue playing football, until I feel that the time has come for me to stop, I will try to play . I would also like to get my coaching qualification and see what the future holds.

"Obviously I would like to return to Barça at some point in my life , because that's how I feel, but I don't know when or how to say now, nor does anyone else. We'll see how things go during this time and then we'll see where we are," Iniesta was quoted saying by Spanish outlet Relevo.

(IANS)

High-Level ECI Team To Visit J&K Today To Review Assembly Polls Preparedness

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