Adopting a zero tolerance against corruption, the Trivendra Rawat government in Uttarakhand has recommended a CBI probe into the Rs 170 Crore National Highway (NH) land scam. Taking action against the government servants who are involved in the scandal, the Rawat government suspended six officers- including four SDMs on Saturday.

The scam was executed jointly by politicians, farmers, state government staff and NH staff- in which high compensation was provided to selected individual by showing their agriculture land as commercial land. Initial finding indicates a scam of Rs 170 Crore but the amount could go high as many other cases are yet to be examined.

Chief Minister Trivendra Rawat said, “NH 74 is a serious issue, we will fight against corruption like a holy fight. Will not spare any accused.”

Kumoan Commissioner D. Senthil Pandiyan conducted an initial inquiry in the scam. Acting on the report submitted by the Kumoan Commissioner the Uttarakhand government has decided to recommend a CBI inquiry and stop the ongoing Special Investigation Team probe of the state police in the high profile scam.

The primary inquiry report found 18 suspicious cases, in which the state government suffered a loss of about Rs 170 Crore. But, many other cases are likely to surface and the scandal is all set to cross over Rs 300 crore mark.

Acting on the Kumoan Commissioner report, the state government suspended D.P Singh, A.P Shukla, S.S Jangpangi, B.S Phonia, N.S Napchiyal and H.S Martola- who are presently serving in different position in Udham Singh Nagar district.

Besides, National Highway staff, state government staff, and farmers, politics too made big money by getting high compensation for agriculture land. Many beneficiaries provided donation to the Congress party as election fund. Which hints that some influential politicians in Harish Rawat government backed the guilty.

Many farmers from Jaspur, Kashipur, Bajpur and Sitarganj- who were politically connected- received high compensation for their agriculture land. A total sum of Rs 5 Crore was deposited in a bank account of Congress in Dehradun during the election time. The donation was received from builders and farmers from Udham Singh Nagar.

The land scam was organized with active involvement of the National Highway and state government staff. The decision of the Rawat government to seek CBI inquiry has made many political leaders lose their sleep and mental peace.

Adopting a zero tolerance against corruption, the Trivendra Rawat government in Uttarakhand has recommended a CBI probe into the Rs 170 Crore National Highway (NH) land scam. Taking action against the government servants who are involved in the scandal, the Rawat government suspended six officers- including four SDMs on Saturday.

The scam was executed jointly by politicians, farmers, state government staff and NH staff- in which high compensation was provided to selected individual by showing their agriculture land as commercial land. Initial finding indicates a scam of Rs 170 Crore but the amount could go high as many other cases are yet to be examined.

Chief Minister Trivendra Rawat said, “NH 74 is a serious issue, we will fight against corruption like a holy fight. Will not spare any accused.”

Kumoan Commissioner D. Senthil Pandiyan conducted an initial inquiry in the scam. Acting on the report submitted by the Kumoan Commissioner the Uttarakhand government has decided to recommend a CBI inquiry and stop the ongoing Special Investigation Team probe of the state police in the high profile scam.

The primary inquiry report found 18 suspicious cases, in which the state government suffered a loss of about Rs 170 Crore. But, many other cases are likely to surface and the scandal is all set to cross over Rs 300 crore mark.

Acting on the Kumoan Commissioner report, the state government suspended D.P Singh, A.P Shukla, S.S Jangpangi, B.S Phonia, N.S Napchiyal and H.S Martola- who are presently serving in different position in Udham Singh Nagar district.

Besides, National Highway staff, state government staff, and farmers, politics too made big money by getting high compensation for agriculture land. Many beneficiaries provided donation to the Congress party as election fund. Which hints that some influential politicians in Harish Rawat government backed the guilty.

Many farmers from Jaspur, Kashipur, Bajpur and Sitarganj- who were politically connected- received high compensation for their agriculture land. A total sum of Rs 5 Crore was deposited in a bank account of Congress in Dehradun during the election time. The donation was received from builders and farmers from Udham Singh Nagar.

The land scam was organized with active involvement of the National Highway and state government staff. The decision of the Rawat government to seek CBI inquiry has made many political leaders lose their sleep and mental peace.

China, one of the first countries to suspend imports of Brazilian meat following revelations that companies were selling unsafe produce for years, has decided to fully reopen its market, a top minister said.

"China has announced the complete reopening of its market to Brazilian meat. This categorically certifies the solidity and quality of Brazil's sanitation system," Brazilian Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi said in a statement on Saturday.

China is one of the leading markets for meat processed in Brazil, the world's leading beef and poultry exporter and fourth-leading pork exporter, Efe news reported.

Chilean authorities, meanwhile, announced on Saturday that they had decided to end a total ban on imports of Brazilian beef and limit the restriction to products from the 21 processing plants cited in the investigation.

Authorities said investigators have found violations at 21 Brazilian meatpacking plants.

The scandal was triggered by a huge police operation last week that found evidence that meat-packers had been selling rotten and substandard produce for several years.

The evidence found include the use of chemicals to disguise the look and smell of expired meat and payment of bribes to inspectors to ensure shipments of adulterated products.
 

China, one of the first countries to suspend imports of Brazilian meat following revelations that companies were selling unsafe produce for years, has decided to fully reopen its market, a top minister said.

"China has announced the complete reopening of its market to Brazilian meat. This categorically certifies the solidity and quality of Brazil's sanitation system," Brazilian Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi said in a statement on Saturday.

China is one of the leading markets for meat processed in Brazil, the world's leading beef and poultry exporter and fourth-leading pork exporter, Efe news reported.

Chilean authorities, meanwhile, announced on Saturday that they had decided to end a total ban on imports of Brazilian beef and limit the restriction to products from the 21 processing plants cited in the investigation.

Authorities said investigators have found violations at 21 Brazilian meatpacking plants.

The scandal was triggered by a huge police operation last week that found evidence that meat-packers had been selling rotten and substandard produce for several years.

The evidence found include the use of chemicals to disguise the look and smell of expired meat and payment of bribes to inspectors to ensure shipments of adulterated products.
 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been named among the probable contenders for Time magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Time will next month announce the list, comprising a number of leading artists, politicians, lawmakers, scientists and leaders of tech and business.

While its editors will determine the ultimate honorees, the publication has asked readers to vote from among a list of probable contenders.

Modi had been named among the magazine's probable contenders in last year's Time 100 list also. He was named among Time's 100 most influential people in the world in 2015 and former US President Barack Obama had written a profile for him for the magazine.

Last year the then RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, tennis star Sania Mirza, actress Priyanka Chopra, Googles India-born CEO Sundar Pichai and founders of Indian e-commerce major Flipkart Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal were among Time's list of the 100 most influential people.

Among the list of probables this year are Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, US President Donald Trump, his daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband and senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, California Senator Kamala Harris, actor Riz Ahmed, Russian President Vladimir Putin, UK Prime Minister Theresa May, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Pope Francis and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Also on the list are White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, actor Amy Schumer, CEO of Youtube Susan Wojcicki and Counselor to Trump Kellyanne Conway.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been named among the probable contenders for Time magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Time will next month announce the list, comprising a number of leading artists, politicians, lawmakers, scientists and leaders of tech and business.

While its editors will determine the ultimate honorees, the publication has asked readers to vote from among a list of probable contenders.

Modi had been named among the magazine's probable contenders in last year's Time 100 list also. He was named among Time's 100 most influential people in the world in 2015 and former US President Barack Obama had written a profile for him for the magazine.

Last year the then RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, tennis star Sania Mirza, actress Priyanka Chopra, Googles India-born CEO Sundar Pichai and founders of Indian e-commerce major Flipkart Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal were among Time's list of the 100 most influential people.

Among the list of probables this year are Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, US President Donald Trump, his daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband and senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, California Senator Kamala Harris, actor Riz Ahmed, Russian President Vladimir Putin, UK Prime Minister Theresa May, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Pope Francis and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Also on the list are White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, actor Amy Schumer, CEO of Youtube Susan Wojcicki and Counselor to Trump Kellyanne Conway.

The Centre is mulling incentives for private doctors who treat tuberculosis (TB) patients, and financial benefits and free medicines to those visiting them, under its "aggressive" strategy to eliminate the disease.

The draft National Strategic Plan (NSP) for TB Elimination (2017-2025), which will be rolled out soon, proposes the benefits which include Rs 2,000 assistance for patients visiting private sector doctors.

Union Health Minister JP Nadda during an event to mark the World TB day on Friday had announced the NSP will be finalised within a month.

TB is India's "severest" health crisis and kills an estimated 1,400 people a day, the NSP draft says.

It says the private sector TB care providers will be given incentives to promote TB case notification, ensure treatment adherence and completion. The incentives will be provided upon notification in the TB reporting software – Nikshay.

The incentives to the private sector TB care provider are: Rs 250 on notification of a TB case diagnosed as per standards for TB Care in India (SCTI), Rs 250 on completion of every month of treatment and Rs 500 on completion of entire course of TB treatment, the draft, accessed by PTI, says.

It also says, for notification and management of a drug- sensitive patient over 6-9 months as per STCI, a private TB care provider will be eligible to receive Rs 2,750.

"For notification and correct management of a drug- resistant case over 24 months as per STCI, a private provider will be eligible to receive Rs 6,750," it says.

India also has more than a million "missing" cases every year that are not notified and most remain either undiagnosed or unaccountably and inadequately diagnosed, and treated in the private sector, the draft document says.

"This tragic loss of life, continued suffering, poverty need to end with concerted efforts from all of us," it says.

The Health Ministry will evolve the scheme which will also have provisions for free-of-cost medicines to TB patients going to private doctors or institutes.

"To address financial and nutritional hardship patient and family undergo due to TB, and to reduce catastrophic cost to patients, cash incentive of Rs 2,000 will be provided for every TB patient through Direct Beneficiary Transfer," the draft said.

In 2015, TB was estimated to have killed 1.8 million people and six countries – India, Indonesia, China, Nigeria, Pakistan and South Africa – accounted for 60 per cent of the total number of cases of tuberculosis worldwide.

"The Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) notified 17.5 lakh TB patients in 2016, from both public and private sectors, and 33,820 drug-resistant TB patients are notified additionally," the latest TB report released by the government said.

The Centre is mulling incentives for private doctors who treat tuberculosis (TB) patients, and financial benefits and free medicines to those visiting them, under its "aggressive" strategy to eliminate the disease.

The draft National Strategic Plan (NSP) for TB Elimination (2017-2025), which will be rolled out soon, proposes the benefits which include Rs 2,000 assistance for patients visiting private sector doctors.

Union Health Minister JP Nadda during an event to mark the World TB day on Friday had announced the NSP will be finalised within a month.

TB is India's "severest" health crisis and kills an estimated 1,400 people a day, the NSP draft says.

It says the private sector TB care providers will be given incentives to promote TB case notification, ensure treatment adherence and completion. The incentives will be provided upon notification in the TB reporting software – Nikshay.

The incentives to the private sector TB care provider are: Rs 250 on notification of a TB case diagnosed as per standards for TB Care in India (SCTI), Rs 250 on completion of every month of treatment and Rs 500 on completion of entire course of TB treatment, the draft, accessed by PTI, says.

It also says, for notification and management of a drug- sensitive patient over 6-9 months as per STCI, a private TB care provider will be eligible to receive Rs 2,750.

"For notification and correct management of a drug- resistant case over 24 months as per STCI, a private provider will be eligible to receive Rs 6,750," it says.

India also has more than a million "missing" cases every year that are not notified and most remain either undiagnosed or unaccountably and inadequately diagnosed, and treated in the private sector, the draft document says.

"This tragic loss of life, continued suffering, poverty need to end with concerted efforts from all of us," it says.

The Health Ministry will evolve the scheme which will also have provisions for free-of-cost medicines to TB patients going to private doctors or institutes.

"To address financial and nutritional hardship patient and family undergo due to TB, and to reduce catastrophic cost to patients, cash incentive of Rs 2,000 will be provided for every TB patient through Direct Beneficiary Transfer," the draft said.

In 2015, TB was estimated to have killed 1.8 million people and six countries – India, Indonesia, China, Nigeria, Pakistan and South Africa – accounted for 60 per cent of the total number of cases of tuberculosis worldwide.

"The Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) notified 17.5 lakh TB patients in 2016, from both public and private sectors, and 33,820 drug-resistant TB patients are notified additionally," the latest TB report released by the government said.

Disney is already planning sequels to "Star Wars: Episode IX" and has teased that the franchise will go on for 15 more years.

Disney CEO Bob Iger says there is a future for Star Wars beyond 2019, reported Contactmusic.

"We're starting to talk about what could happen after Episode IX. We've got a creative team actually thinking about what could be another decade and a half of Star Wars stories.

It's kind of mind-blowing spending an afternoon with a creative team thinking about that," he says.

Iger adds that the Skywalkers will still feature heavily in "The Last Jedi," despite the fact that General Leia actress Carrie Fisher tragically died last December.

"I've seen (The Last Jedi). It's quite good. It picks up where VII left off. We're really excited about it. I can't disclose much about it because that's not what we do right now – until we're ready," he says.

Disney is already planning sequels to "Star Wars: Episode IX" and has teased that the franchise will go on for 15 more years.

Disney CEO Bob Iger says there is a future for Star Wars beyond 2019, reported Contactmusic.

"We're starting to talk about what could happen after Episode IX. We've got a creative team actually thinking about what could be another decade and a half of Star Wars stories.

It's kind of mind-blowing spending an afternoon with a creative team thinking about that," he says.

Iger adds that the Skywalkers will still feature heavily in "The Last Jedi," despite the fact that General Leia actress Carrie Fisher tragically died last December.

"I've seen (The Last Jedi). It's quite good. It picks up where VII left off. We're really excited about it. I can't disclose much about it because that's not what we do right now – until we're ready," he says.

The Supreme Court has asked automobile companies not to frustrate the government's initiative to check increasing levels of pollution by selling BS-III vehicles which they are holding in stock.

The apex court, which was hearing pleas of automobile manufacturers seeking permission for disposing of around 8.2 lakh BS-III vehicles which are being held in stock, indicated that either it will ban registration of such vehicles or impose costs to compensate for the health hazards created by pollution.

“The Centre had spent thousands of crores of rupees to upgrade technology to produce BS-IV fuel and the companies could not be allowed to frustrate the government's initiative to check increasing pollution levels by selling around 8.2 lakh BS-III vehicles which they are holding in stock,” a bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta said.

The court will take up the matter again on March 27.

The automobile companies have approached the apex court to dispose of their stock as the Bharat Stage IV (BS-IV) emission norms are to come into force from April 1. During the hearing, the bench said three options were available before it.

These were either taking a drastic step to ban registration of BS-III vehicles or allow their registration but ban plying of such vehicles in major cities or ask the companies to pay costs for creating health hazards and reimburse the Centre which spent enormous money in upgrading fuel standard.

The amicus curiae, assisting the court in the matter, urged the bench to ban manufacture and sale of BS-III vehicles as the Centre had spent around Rs.18,000 to 20,000 crore for producing cleaner fuel.

Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) had submitted data on manufacturing and sale of BS-III vehicles on a monthly basis from January 2016 and told the court that the companies were holding stock of around 8.24 lakh such vehicles including 96,000 commercial vehicles, over six lakh two-wheelers and around 40,000 three-wheelers.

The manufacturers told the court that they were allowed to sell their stocks with old emission norms when new technology was brought in force on the previous two occasions at the time the industry had switched to BS-II and BS-III in 2005 and 2010.
They also contended that they had stopped manufacturing BS-III vehicles.
 

The 17-hour state wide strike called by a student organisation to protest the induction of Independent MLA Ashab Uddin as parliamentary secretary partially affected normal life in the state capital on Sunday.

Normal life was partially affected in Imphal and in adjoining areas with less vehicles on the road and many shops closed.
There was no report of any untoward incident, official sources said.
The Democratic Students Alliance of Manipur (DESAM) had called for the 17-hour strike to protest the induction of Independent MLA Ashab Uddin as a parliamentary secretary and the allocation of Education portfolio to him.The strike started from midnight last night. DESAM had alleged that Uddin “is a non-indigenous person” in the state.

Uddin had won from the Jiribam seat. The Jiribam MLA claimed that his family came to the state in 1906.
DESAM president Nameirakpam Edison, on March 24, had maintained that the newly formed BJP coalition government should withdraw the portfolio of Education to Uddin.

He said stronger form of agitation would be taken up after the ongoing Board examination ends, if the N Biren Singh-led government fails to comply with their demand.
The Manipur Chief Secretary, O Nabakishore had on March 25 appealed to DESAM to call off the bandh in the interest of the general public.
In a press release, issued on March 25, Nabakishore reminded that the Supreme Court and High Court have passed judgement declaring bandh as illegal as it infringes upon the fundamental rights of a citizen and is liable for punishment under appropriate laws.
It also maintained that the “state government cannot remain silent spectators” when people are suffering and urged the public to assume their normal activities.
The strike called by DESAM is being strongly opposed by United Muslim Organisation while some other civil bodies have supported it.
The All Manipur Bengali Students Association, Jiribam and All Manipur Muslim Organisation Co-ordinating Committee had asked DESAM to withdraw the boycott imposed against Uddin.

The 17-hour state wide strike called by a student organisation to protest the induction of Independent MLA Ashab Uddin as parliamentary secretary partially affected normal life in the state capital on Sunday.

Normal life was partially affected in Imphal and in adjoining areas with less vehicles on the road and many shops closed.
There was no report of any untoward incident, official sources said.
The Democratic Students Alliance of Manipur (DESAM) had called for the 17-hour strike to protest the induction of Independent MLA Ashab Uddin as a parliamentary secretary and the allocation of Education portfolio to him.The strike started from midnight last night. DESAM had alleged that Uddin “is a non-indigenous person” in the state.

Uddin had won from the Jiribam seat. The Jiribam MLA claimed that his family came to the state in 1906.
DESAM president Nameirakpam Edison, on March 24, had maintained that the newly formed BJP coalition government should withdraw the portfolio of Education to Uddin.

He said stronger form of agitation would be taken up after the ongoing Board examination ends, if the N Biren Singh-led government fails to comply with their demand.
The Manipur Chief Secretary, O Nabakishore had on March 25 appealed to DESAM to call off the bandh in the interest of the general public.
In a press release, issued on March 25, Nabakishore reminded that the Supreme Court and High Court have passed judgement declaring bandh as illegal as it infringes upon the fundamental rights of a citizen and is liable for punishment under appropriate laws.
It also maintained that the “state government cannot remain silent spectators” when people are suffering and urged the public to assume their normal activities.
The strike called by DESAM is being strongly opposed by United Muslim Organisation while some other civil bodies have supported it.
The All Manipur Bengali Students Association, Jiribam and All Manipur Muslim Organisation Co-ordinating Committee had asked DESAM to withdraw the boycott imposed against Uddin.

 Roger Federer survived a brave challenge from American qualifier Frances Tiafoe before emerging with a 7-6 (7/2) 6-3 victory as he got his Miami Open title bid underway.

Tiafoe, ranked 101st in the world, struggled against Federer's serve but was strong on his own and forced a first set tie-break in which the Swiss came out on top yesterday.

The 19-year-old son of immigrants from Sierra Leone then broke Federer's serve in the first game of the second set only for the 18-times Grand Slam winner to break back twice and run out a comfortable winner in the end.

Federer is in fine form having clinched the Australian Open and Indian Wells so far this year and extended his record to 14-1.

The 35-year-old is looking for his third Miami title following wins in 2005 and 2006.

Reigning US Open champion Stan Wawrinka got off to a solid start, beating Argentina's Horacio Zeballos 6-3, 6-4 at Crandon Park on Saturday.

In the absence of Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, the top two ranked players in the world, Wawrinka is the number one seed and is fired up after reaching the final at Indian Wells last week, where he was beaten by Federer.

"I'm playing better tennis. I feel that I'm playing good here. I took the confidence from Indian Wells. So let's see…

When I'm playing well, when I am confident with my game, I know I can beat anybody," said Wawrinka, who turns 32 on Tuesday.

"It has been quite tough conditions these last few days here. Raining, really windy today. It's really windy on the court, so it's never easy.

"I'm happy the way I was moving, the way I was playing, and my attitude in general was really positive," added Wawrinka, who next faces Tunisia's Malek Jaziri, a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 winner over Spain's Feliciano Lopez.

 Roger Federer survived a brave challenge from American qualifier Frances Tiafoe before emerging with a 7-6 (7/2) 6-3 victory as he got his Miami Open title bid underway.

Tiafoe, ranked 101st in the world, struggled against Federer's serve but was strong on his own and forced a first set tie-break in which the Swiss came out on top yesterday.

The 19-year-old son of immigrants from Sierra Leone then broke Federer's serve in the first game of the second set only for the 18-times Grand Slam winner to break back twice and run out a comfortable winner in the end.

Federer is in fine form having clinched the Australian Open and Indian Wells so far this year and extended his record to 14-1.

The 35-year-old is looking for his third Miami title following wins in 2005 and 2006.

Reigning US Open champion Stan Wawrinka got off to a solid start, beating Argentina's Horacio Zeballos 6-3, 6-4 at Crandon Park on Saturday.

In the absence of Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, the top two ranked players in the world, Wawrinka is the number one seed and is fired up after reaching the final at Indian Wells last week, where he was beaten by Federer.

"I'm playing better tennis. I feel that I'm playing good here. I took the confidence from Indian Wells. So let's see…

When I'm playing well, when I am confident with my game, I know I can beat anybody," said Wawrinka, who turns 32 on Tuesday.

"It has been quite tough conditions these last few days here. Raining, really windy today. It's really windy on the court, so it's never easy.

"I'm happy the way I was moving, the way I was playing, and my attitude in general was really positive," added Wawrinka, who next faces Tunisia's Malek Jaziri, a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 winner over Spain's Feliciano Lopez.

US President Donald Trump promised on Saturday to promote a new healthcare plan once former President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act "explodes", a day after the Republican bill to replace that plan was withdrawn before it could be put to the vote by the US House of Representatives.

"ObamaCare will explode and we will all get together and piece together a great healthcare plan for THE PEOPLE. Do not worry!" EFE news quoted Trump as saying in a tweet on his personal Twitter account, in a reference to the law Obama enacted in 2010.

The tweet reflected the comments he made on Friday after the Republican plan was withdrawn once it became clear that it lacked the necessary support among his own party to be passed by the House.

"Perhaps the best thing that could happen is exactly what happened today, because we'll end up with a truly great healthcare bill in the future after this mess known as Obamacare explodes," Trump said on Friday in a statement to reporters at the Oval Office.

When the President predicted that Obamacare will "explode", he meant the cost of insurance premiums will soar out of control this year under that law, and trusted that the Democratic opposition would therefore work with him to change the healthcare system.

"We were very close, it was a very tight margin. We had no Democrat support, no votes from the Democrats," Trump said, and calculated that with "10 to 15" more Republican votes, the bill would have been passed by the lower house.

The first vote on the measure was scheduled for last Thursday, but Republicans were forced to postpone it for lack of support among their own party, after which Trump gave them an ultimatum to either hold the vote this Friday or he would leave the current healthcare system in place.

Finally, just before the time to vote rolled around, Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan jumped in to withdraw the bill and avoid it being shot down.

Obamacare, a law designed to improve the quality of healthcare services and make them affordable for low-income citizens, has provided medical coverage for more than 20 million people who were previously uninsured.

The Republican plan dismantled the basic benefits of Obamacare, including subsidies to help people get medical insurance and the expansion of Medicaid, a programme of access to healthcare for low-income families.

Meanwhile, the conservative plan would have put an end to the mandate to buy coverage, which forces those without any kind of insurance to purchase a policy or pay a fine.

US President Donald Trump promised on Saturday to promote a new healthcare plan once former President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act "explodes", a day after the Republican bill to replace that plan was withdrawn before it could be put to the vote by the US House of Representatives.

"ObamaCare will explode and we will all get together and piece together a great healthcare plan for THE PEOPLE. Do not worry!" EFE news quoted Trump as saying in a tweet on his personal Twitter account, in a reference to the law Obama enacted in 2010.

The tweet reflected the comments he made on Friday after the Republican plan was withdrawn once it became clear that it lacked the necessary support among his own party to be passed by the House.

"Perhaps the best thing that could happen is exactly what happened today, because we'll end up with a truly great healthcare bill in the future after this mess known as Obamacare explodes," Trump said on Friday in a statement to reporters at the Oval Office.

When the President predicted that Obamacare will "explode", he meant the cost of insurance premiums will soar out of control this year under that law, and trusted that the Democratic opposition would therefore work with him to change the healthcare system.

"We were very close, it was a very tight margin. We had no Democrat support, no votes from the Democrats," Trump said, and calculated that with "10 to 15" more Republican votes, the bill would have been passed by the lower house.

The first vote on the measure was scheduled for last Thursday, but Republicans were forced to postpone it for lack of support among their own party, after which Trump gave them an ultimatum to either hold the vote this Friday or he would leave the current healthcare system in place.

Finally, just before the time to vote rolled around, Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan jumped in to withdraw the bill and avoid it being shot down.

Obamacare, a law designed to improve the quality of healthcare services and make them affordable for low-income citizens, has provided medical coverage for more than 20 million people who were previously uninsured.

The Republican plan dismantled the basic benefits of Obamacare, including subsidies to help people get medical insurance and the expansion of Medicaid, a programme of access to healthcare for low-income families.

Meanwhile, the conservative plan would have put an end to the mandate to buy coverage, which forces those without any kind of insurance to purchase a policy or pay a fine.