The Congress, facing a cash crunch ahead of next year’s general elections, will soon kickstart a nationwide crowdfunding campaign, sources within the party have said.

Sources said that the party will launch the campaign after the assembly elections in five states next month. Polling will be held in Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Mizoram in November, with results for all 5 states set to be declared on December 3.

The party has formed an alliance with 25 other parties to take on the BJP in next year’s general elections. For the polls, Congress plans to seek funds from people across the country, including party workers.

The Congress has assets worth Rs 805.68 crore, according to a recent report by advocacy group Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). The Bharatiya Janata Party, in comparison, has Rs 6,046.81 crore.

Corporate donations too have steadily dried up for Congress in the last 7 years, while BJP has been consistently going up. In the last 7 years, the corporate donations declared by the BJP are at least three times more than the total donations of all other National Parties. In FY 2017-18, it was more than eighteen times that of all other national parties.

The move by Congress to seek public donations appears modelled on the lines of the Aam Aadmi Party which seeks contributions online. The party had gone down this route for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls too, after it ran out of funds to run some of its offices.

But the party could win only 52 of the 545 Lok Sabha seats in the ensuing general elections. The BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, registered a thumping win securing 303 seats.

Foreign Minister S Jaishankar today met the families of eight former Indian Navy personnel who have been sentenced to death in Qatar. 

Mr Jaishankar said India will “continue to make all efforts to secure their release.”

“Met this morning with the families of the 8 Indians detained in Qatar. Stressed that Government attaches the highest importance to the case. Fully share the concerns and pain of the families. Underlined that Government will continue to make all efforts to secure their release. Will coordinate closely with the families in that regard,” he said on X – formerly known as Twitter. 

Met this morning with the families of the 8 Indians detained in Qatar.

Stressed that Government attaches the highest importance to the case. Fully share the concerns and pain of the families.

Underlined that Government will continue to make all efforts to secure their release.…

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) October 30, 2023

The men, including decorated officers who once commanded major Indian warships, were working for Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, a private firm that provided training and related services to Qatar’s armed forces. 

Sources said some of them were working on a highly sensitive project — Italian technology-based midget submarines with stealth characteristics. 

Reports claim the eight Navy veterans have been accused of spying.

The Ministry of External Affairs had earlier said it was shocked by the verdict and would take up the issue with Qatari authorities. “We are deeply shocked by the verdict of death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgement. We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options,” the ministry had said.

Those sentenced are Capt Navtej Singh Gill, Capt Birendra Kumar Verma, Capt Saurabh Vasisht, Cdr Amit Nagpal, Cdr Purnendu Tiwari, Cdr Sugunakar Pakala, Cdr Sanjeev Gupta and Sailor Ragesh.

Meetu Bhargava, sister of one the former officers detained, had sought help from the  government to bring her brother back in June this year. 

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, on June 8, she had appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene. “These Ex Navy officers are the pride of the nation & again I request our Hon’ble Prime Minister with folded hands that it is high time that they all are brought back to India immediately without any further delay,” read her post, tagged to PM Modi and Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh.

The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has issued a notification for admission to  postgraduate courses in Ayurveda, Unani, Homoeopathy, Yoga, and Naturopathy for the academic year 2023-24. Eligible candidates can submit their applications through the official website, cetonline.karnataka.gov.in. Registration opens at 11am, October 30 and will close on November 2 at 11.59pm. Candidates from the general category will need to pay a registration fee of Rs 2,000, while Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates are required to pay Rs 1,000 for their registration. 

“All candidates who have successfully cleared AIAPGET-2023 are eligible to complete their online registration for available PG AYUSH seats,” the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) official notice stated.

According to the examination authority, 85 per cent of the seats in government institutions will be reserved for the state quota. The KEA will be responsible for filling all Ayurveda, homeopathy, and unani seats, along with 25 per cent of yoga and naturopathy seats in private institutions.

“Candidature is provisional and contingent upon meeting the eligibility criteria outlined in the AIAPGET 2023 information bulletin. Furthermore, provisional admission is subject to approval by NCISM/NCH/government/competent authority/universities, etc. Mere registration or document verification does not guarantee candidates admission to Karnataka AYUSH PG MD and MS courses,” the KEA added.

Steps for applying online for Karnataka AYUSH NEET PG Counselling 2023:

Visit the Karnataka Examinations Authority’s official website.Review the eligibility requirements.Initiate the registration process by clicking on the designated link.Input your personal information and academic details.Submit the required payment.

For more information, candidates are advised to visit the KEA website at http://kea.kar.nic.in.