‘18 surveillance boats given to WB not used’
None of the 18 surveillance boats sanctioned to West Bengal for coastal security are currently operational, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. Expressing his disappointment over the state of affairs despite Centre’s efforts to bolster coastal security, Rai said, “Coastal security is a shared responsibility and the states must utilise their resources.” Despite the boats being inactive, he emphasised that efforts to curb illegal activities along the coast were continuing.
NDA, Congress spar over significance of sengol
Sengol, installed by PM Modi in the new Parliament building, was at the centre of a BJP-Congress verbal duel in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. The Congress claimed that an untrue story was told about its significance and the government countered it. The opposition parties objected to the mention of Sengol by Union Minister Bhupender Yadav during a discussion on the Constitution. Yadav said that when the Sengol was given during the transfer of power at the time of Independence, it was treated as a “walking stick” of Jawaharlal Nehru. Congress MP Jairam Ramesh objected, saying that it was not given to anyone. He said the BJP has spread a story about the Sengol and “this is not history”.
