Assam decision a relief for 22,000 Gurkhas facing “foreigner” test
The Hindu
Bharatiya Gorkha Parishangh welcomes Cabinet decision not to prosecute any member of the community under Citizenship Act
Assam’s decision not to let Gurkhas undergo the citizenship test through the Foreigners’ Tribunals (FTs) has come as a relief for at least 22,000 members of the community in the State. The Himanta Biswa Sarma Cabinet on Wednesday decided not to prosecute the Gurkhas under the Citizenship Act and withdraw all cases against members of the community in the FTs. The Bharatiya Gorkha Parishangh (BGP) on Thursday welcomed the decision and thanked the Chief Minister for solving the problem the community has been facing since 1997.The Shakti Scheme in Karnataka has completed its first year, yet the smart cards intended for the beneficiaries remain undistributed. According to Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, while the smart cards have been prepared, their issuance has been stalled due to the absence of electronic ticketing machines (ETMs) in all buses, making them impractical.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R. Ashok were engaged in war of words over the Lok Sabha election results on Tuesday, with the former calling the latter “ignorant and entertaining people”. In response, Mr. Ashok said the Chief Minister “sometimes wakes up from deep slumber to exhibit his arrogance and anger”.