Cong flays Goa Shiv Sena chief's remarks on Karnataka people GOA, JUNE 11 (PTI): The Goa Congress today criticised state Shiv Sena president Shivprasad Joshi for praising the right wing Sri Ram Sene and stating that many people in neighbouring Karnataka cannot sing complete national anthem. Joshi yesterday said though Goans are patriots, many people in Karnataka do not even know how to sing the national anthem. The Sena leader had also hailed the Sene and its controversial chief Pramod Muthalik for doing a commendable job of protecting women. "Shiv Sena's praising of Shri Ram Sene displays their mindset though it's not at all surprising. Moreover, the moral policing hypocrites should introspect first," Goa Congress spokesman Sunil Kawthankar told PTI. Reacting to Joshi's statement on singing of the national anthem, the Congress leader said the remarks regarding people of Karnataka are "completely unfortunate and condemnable". Referring to incomplete printing of national anthem in the Marathi subject textbooks of class II in Goa, Kawthankar asked, "where was Shiv Sena when incomplete national anthem was printed in thousands of 'Gomant Bharti' books? Is their nationalism selective?" In the wake of the Congress' allegation that the books carried incomplete national anthem, the state government recently ordered reprinting/replacement of several thousand books. Maharashtra waives off all farm loans, averting strike MUMBAI, JUNE 11 (Reuters): India's Maharashtra state, home of the country's financial capital Mumbai, agreed to forgive all loans held by farmers, who in turn ended a strike that had sent prices of vegetables and produce sharply higher. It was not immediately clear how much the loan waivers would cost state coffers. Maharashtra state Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil told reporters that a joint committee of government representatives and farmer leaders will be put in place to decide on the exact details and execution of the waivers. Last week Maharashtra's chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had said the government was willing to write off up to 305 billion rupees ($4.75 billion) in defaulted loans held by farmers. That offer had been rejected by farmers, who had demanded a waiver of all loans, similar to the $5.6 billion in debt forgiveness announced by Uttar Pradesh in April. Farmers accepted the new offer on Sunday, ending an 11-day strike by farmers that had curtailed supplies of vegetables and milk to cities, including Mumbai, and sent prices sharply higher. Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel has sharply criticised farm loan waivers, saying they increase government spending and widen fiscal deficits, while creating moral hazard by eroding the country's credit culture. MHRD prepares format to monitor school-wise Aadhaar enrolment New Delhi, June 11 (IANS): The Ministry of Human Resource Development, which made Aadhaar card mandatory for students to avail mid-day meals, has told states and union territories to update it about the progress made by them in Aadhaar enrolment. In a circular it said it was rigorously monitoring the Aadhaar enrolment drives carried out by states and union territories and has prepared a format to capture the school-wise Aadhaar enrolment data through a web portal. "It is essential that every child either have Aadhar card or must have submitted application for Aadhaar card or Aadhaar enrolment to avail mid-day meal. The states and union territories are carrying out drives for enrolment and the progress is being rigorously monitored at different levels," the ministry said in a circular. "In this regard, the ministry has prepared a format to capture the school-wise Aadhaar enrolment data through MDM-MIS web portal. The data entry shall be done from district/block level user into the portal (www.trgmdm.nic.in) on a weekly basis (every Friday)." The ministry in March notified mandating Aadhaar for the beneficiaries of mid-day meal. Following widespread criticism, the government clarified that the benefits will continue with alternate means of identification. The Aadhaar enrolment entry data form has been issued to all states and union territories except for Assam, Meghalaya and Jammu and Kashmir.
