108 ft Shankaracharya statue in Bhopal
Madhya Pradesh government has decided to erect a 108 feet statue of Shankaracharya in Bhopal, on the lines of the Statue of unity at Sardar Sarovar dam in Gujarat. The statue will be made from eight metals—astdhatu—which will be collected from the public through a special campaign. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan announced the campaign in the presence of Hindu seers. Like the 'Run for unity' campaign organised in Gujarat, the campaign, set to begin on June 1, will be called 'Run for cultural unity' and will collect metal donated by Hindus from all over the state to build the statue. Shankaracharya is one of the important proponents of Hinduism and the CM hopes to appease the RSS leadership.
Rs 500 for those present at Amarkantak rally
A recent report has claimed that Rs 500 was paid per head to all those who attended Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech at Amarkantak on May 15 as part of the conclusion to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan's Narmada Yatra. According to the revelation, which left the BJP government embarrassed, the payments were made from the Swachh Bharat Mission fund. The rally itself was questioned by the National Green Tribunal for its impact as Amarkantak is a biosphere reserve. More than 50,000 people were ferried from 33 districts on the government's fund to impress the prime minister. The fund came from the Information, Education, Communication (IEC) head of Swachh Bharat Mission (Rural) and in official documents the rally was projected as a ‘training programme.’ Leader of opposition Ajay Singh questioned the misuse of public money. He asked if the government money was used to mobilise people, then why was the opposition not invited for the function.
UK based banknote firm gets court notice
Security Paper Mill located in Hoshangabad, 70 kilometres from Bhopal, has sued the UK based banknote manufacture De La Rue for supplying sub-standard security paper for making Rs 100 and 500 denomination notes. Security Paper Mill (SPM) lawyer Sushil Goyal told media that his client SPM has filed a recovery suit in a local court against the foreign company to recover Rs 11 crore for allegedly supplying poor quality paper. Advocate Goyal said that the paper was supplied last year and company has accepted that it was of inferior quality. On the complaint, the court has issued notice to the UK firm and listed the matter for second week of next month. De La Rue is the same company which was previously accused by Aam Aadmi Party as one of those mentioned in the infamous Panama papers. It was also reportedly investigated by CBI in 2010, AAP said.
6 crore saplings to be planted on the banks of Narmada
Over six crore saplings would be planted across river Narmada in Madhya Pradesh on July 2. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has asked people to register themselves for planting trees. He launched a website where people could volunteer themselves to plant saplings during the drive. The forest department is enrolling masses to become part of the afforestation drive along the banks of river Narmada to protect and conserve environment. Individuals and groups or organisations can plant these saplings on designated forest and revenue land. The government is also giving a subsidy for farmers who can plant fruit saplings on their privately owned land. A special task force has been created for safety and maintenance of saplings. People can even volunteer to be 'caretaker' to guard and nurture the saplings.
