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Diesel becomes dearer by Rs 1.80 per litre
3 MCD engineers booked for graft
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KV to be model for quality education: Sibal
Moti Goel declared fugitive
Woman killed in tin can blast
Karamchari Sangh to approach Hooda for reinstating workers
Present-day politics going downwards: AIFFO
Elderly women murdered in Premanand Colony
Consumers to benefit from new telecom tariff
NCERT textbooks
on Net
Film festival in schools
MCD liable for cattle menace, says HC
A friend indeed!
Patron of ‘Suniye’
Man electrocuted
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Diesel becomes dearer by Rs 1.80 per litre
New Delhi, March 23 While diesel will cost Rs 1.80 per litre more, medicines, tea, processed meat, fruits and vegetables will cost less in the Capital under the VAT regime to be implemented from April 1.
Cheaper:- Medicines, tea, processed meat, fruit and vegetables, knitting wool, Hawai slipper, plastic footwear, embroidery and Zari items.
Presenting the Budget for 2005-2006, Mr Walia announced that levy under VAT on diesel would be increased from 12 per cent to 20 per cent, while tax rate on dry fruits would increase from 4 per cent to 12.5 per cent and on stainless steel utensils and paper board from 8 per cent to 12.5 per cent, pushing their prices up as well. However, tax on drugs and medicines, tea, processed meat, poultry, fish and processed or preserved fruits and vegetables have been reduced from 12.5 per cent to four per cent, giving relief to the common man, he said. Tax rate on food served in star category hotels was slashed from 20 to 12.5 per cent, he added. Other articles on which levy has been reduced were: knitting wool, hawai chappal along with plastic footwear, embroidery and zari items. Setting at rest many apprehensions, Dr Walia said staple food items or foodgrains like paddy, rice, wheat and pulses, both processed and unprocessed salt, branded and unbranded bread, CNG, unprocessed poultry, eggs, live stock and animal meat, khandsari, sugar, textiles and tobacco (excluding gutkha) have been exempted from tax. Some other items like rakhi, bangles, handmade articles, safety matches, clay idols and lamps, poha, murmura and lai, muddhas, puffed rice, coconut and religious pictures were also exempt from any levy. He also clarified that Information and Technology items, including cellular phones and accessories would continue to attract four per cent tax rate. In accordance with the decision of the Empowered Committee on VAT, the threshold limit for registration under VAT Act has also been raised from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. The Budget would be put to vote on March 30 after seven days of debate. The Budget session of the Delhi Assembly had commenced on March 15.
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3 MCD engineers booked for graft
New Delhi, March 23 The CBI sources said that the accused were allowing commercial construction in Block no-5, plot number 55,56 and 57 WEA, Karol Bagh. The CBI has recovered incriminating documents from the residence of these officials. The CBI has also recovered movable and immovable assets worth Rs. 19.45 lakh in name of the Executive Engineer, Rs 4.37 lakh from the Assistant Engineer and Rs. 24.35 lakh from the house of the Junior Engineer. In another case, with the arrest of three persons, including a mechanical engineer and a hotel management graduate, the Crime Branch today claimed to have busted a gang, which duped several unemployed youths on the pretext of providing lucrative jobs. The Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), Mr Tajender Luthra, said that the accused persons were identified as Khurram Khan (29), Eroz (24), both residents of Dwarka and Vineet Gupta (27), resident of Satya Niketan. Acting on a tip-off that a gang was involved in duping several unemployed youths, the sleuths laid a trap and nabbed them. During interrogation, the accused persons disclosed that they used to download forms from the website of United Nations by using logos of different reputed organizations. They used to charge Rs 40,000 from youths and promised them jobs in Jet Airways and other organisations. The gang also issued fake interview letters to the victims, who were later made to meet one Kavita Balasubramaniam, posing as an administrative officer of Jet Airways. After conducting interviews of the victims, fake appointment letters were sent to the victims.
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KV to be model for quality education: Sibal
New Delhi, March 23 “We are proposing Kendriya Vidyalaya as the model for ensuring quality in the country. If Rs 10,000 is being spent in KVs, the same is needed for every child in the country. If additional money is needed, the education cess, if necessary, can be raised from two to four per cent,” said the Chairperson of the Sub-Committee, Mr Kapil Sibal. He assured that the revised bill would neither be “excessively prescriptive”, nor will it incorporate the “punitive measures of the previous model”. It would focus on quality development and there would be wider dissemination of the revised draft once it is ready. Mr Sibal said while the earlier version had proposed a large number of multiple authorities forcing parents and children to run from one authority to another, this time there wouldn’t be so many authorities involved. “It is really for the MHRD and States to look into how to implement it. The state ministers have been saying that the Centre must give space for states to plan and organise education,” he said. Accepting that the earlier draft did not emphasise the need for quality improvement of the government school system, he said that government schools must be world-class. It is for this reason they are being remodelled on the lines of the Kendriya Vidyalayas. On the need to provide for the 0-6 age group, he said, “the age group is under the purview of the Bill, which is for the 6-14 age group. But I am in agreement that pre-school should become part of all elementary schools to provide equal start for all children, and we may recommend this as desirable.” He went on to add, “the Child Labour Act will need to be amended if the Bill is to be enforced and the draft will be recommending this.” He, however, refused to comment on the issue of midday meals. Questions raised over the “effectiveness” of the Free and Compulsory Education Bill 2004 had paved the way for the modification of the same. Those who sought the withdrawal of the Bill blamed it for “intending to legalise the dual education system i.e. learning centres and para-teachers for the poor and regular schools for others”. It was also pointed out that the Bills “intended to create separate ‘special education’ system for the disabled, being discarded world wide and against the principle of inclusive education”.
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Moti Goel declared fugitive
Ghaziabad, March 23 Apart from the key accused Moti Goel, five other accused have also been placed in this category by the Sihani Gate police, Ghaziabad. SO of Sihani Gate police station Randhir Singh said efforts to trace Moti Goel had been made for the past two and a half months. There are at least six cases registered against the accused. Apart from Moti Goel, his father Lajja Ram, brother, Rakesh Kumar, Rohtesh Sharma of Prahlad Garhi, Rakesh Veer Singh of Modi Nagar and Katar Singh of Nasartpura have also been declared fugitives. The police had sought attachment orders against all six of them from the sessions court, Ghaziabad. The court has accepted the police plea and ordered that action under Section 82 be taken against the accused. Following the court order, the police had gone to Moti Goel’s residence in Nav Yug Market, Ghaziabad, and made a public announcement of the court order. A copy of the court order was also pasted on Moti Goel’s house, which is presently unoccupied.
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Woman killed in tin can blast
Gurgaon, March 23 Her husband was not at home when the incident occurred. The police refuse to comment except that the investigation was on. They are awaiting the return of the man to know from where he had picked up the material. According to the police, such incident has occurred for the first time in Gurgaon. Sec 144 in Gurgaon The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Sudhir Rajpal, has clamped Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in Gurgaon district from today in view of the annual auction of liquor vends tomorrow. The order will be effective till the proceedings of the auctions are over. The order prohibits private persons from carrying firearms and other weapons which are likely to be used and cause injury to others.—TNS
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Karamchari Sangh to approach Hooda for reinstating workers
Faridabad, March 23 Stating this, Mr Subhash Lamba, a spokesperson of the Sangh, claimed that the previous state government had retrenched about 25,000 employees of the various departments under the guise of rationalisation and restructuring, during the past about six years. He said as the majority of the Congress leaders and activists of the party had promised to reinstate the staff, allegedly removed from the service, the issue was required to be taken up at various levels so that the affected persons and their families get some relief. He said the Sangh had decided to submit a memorandum in this regard to each of the 67 MLAs of the Congress. A delegation of the employees union would also meet the Chief Minister. Alleging that the previous state government had taken various anti-employee decisions, he said instead of providing employment to the jobless, it had taken away the jobs of the employed, leading to a near-chaos in several departments. He said the policy of privatisation and contract system was not meant to help the masses, but to benefit the relatives of those in power.
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Present-day politics going downwards: AIFFO
New Delhi, March 23 Most of the freedom fighters, who were involved in the freedom struggle, feel that the present state of social and political affairs in the country, including basic freedom rights of the people, security of life, freedom of movement and expression, safety of personal property, social security are in danger even after 57 years of freedom. While paying tributes to veteran freedom fighter late Pandit Sheel Bhadra Yajee on his 99th birth anniversary here yesterday Chaudhry Ranbir Singh, president of All India Freedom Fighters’ Organisation (AIFFO), who is the only surviving member of Constituent Assembly of India and father of present Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bhupender Singh Hooda, said that the situation in the country is worst than what it was before independence. He said that there has been a constant increase of corruption, food adulteration, social conflicts, unfair means in elections, fall in education standards and health care. He urged all political parties to include the ideals and principals of life for which the freedom fighters, revolutionaries and martyrs had sacrificed their lives in their election manifestos. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Satyanand Yajee, general secretary, AIFFO, called upon patriotic, democratic and socialist forces to rise unite and launch decisive struggle against the power hungry and selfish elements among politicians, bureaucrats and those who control the economy. He urged the government to include framing of new education policy, which should be job-oriented, free and compulsory education for girls till the age of 18 years.
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Elderly women murdered in Premanand Colony
New Delhi, March 23 Their bodies were discovered this morning at around 10.30 a.m. when Pyari’s daughter Neelam (35), who was also residing in the same locality came to visit her. When Neelam reached the house this morning the front and back doors were found opened and both the women were found murdered in a room. The police said that both the women were slit in their neck. Neelam immediately told her neighbours about the incident, who later reported the matter to the police. The police said that Neelam used to stay at nights with her mother, Pyari. Pyari had been staying alone after her husband’s death 12-years ago. Last night, since Neelam could not go to her mother, she reportedly requested Pandityan to sleep with her mother. The victim’s daughter told the police that the house was found ransacked and the property documents were missing. Apart from this, some gold jewellery worn by the victim were also missing. Neelam, who is also staying in the same locality, has two children, while her husband, Satish, owns an auto-rickshaw. The police have registered a case of murder and looking into all possible angles to trace the killers of the two elderly women.
3.1 kg narcotics seized
With the arrest of two persons, the West district police today claimed to have busted a gang, which had been involved in supplying drugs in Delhi. The police also claimed to have recovered about 3.1 kilograms of narcotics substance from the accused persons, who were apprehended near Rajouri Garden while transporting the drugs in a motorcycle. The police also recovered one semi-automated weapon, along with six live cartridges from their possession. The accused persons arrested have been identified as Pankaj, alias Bunty, resident of Tilak Nagar and Ram Karan, resident of Rajasthan.—TNS
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Consumers to benefit from new telecom tariff
Noida, March 23 The General Manager, Telecom Noida, Mr A. K. Garg, said with the rental of Rs 990 subscribers will be able to get 1,000 free calls while Rs 1,650-rental will enable the subscribers the benefits of 1,800 free calls. The tariff for the subsequent calls will be 90 paise a call. All these rates will be applicable from April 1, 2005. There will be no registration charges for the landlines telephone connection and free ITC cards worth Rs 500 will be given at the time of payment of first telephone bill for connections booked during the scheme. A free ITC card worth Rs 200 and Rs 500 will be offered with purchase ITC card of Rs 2,000 and Rs 5,000 respectively. The scheme, which is valid up to March 31, will give full-time on Excel Recharge Coupon of Rs 500, Mr Garg said.
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NCERT textbooks
on Net
New Delhi, March 23 Long weekend for DU students
It will be a long weekend for the Delhi University. The University has notified that all its faculties, departments and colleges will remain closed from March 24 to 26 on account of Holi and Good Friday.
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Film festival in schools
New Delhi, March 23 An initiative of the NCERT, Satyajit Ray classics and some memorable Hindi films will be shown in schools during the holidays as the government plans to put cinema at the centre of education. The award-winning Ray film, ‘Pather Panchali’ and Shabana Azmi-starrer ‘Masoom’ by Shekhar Kapoor, are among the films to be screened during a film festival for the students. The festival will be held simultaneously in different government schools in the city. ‘’We will ask the children to come and see the films in the schools. We will also invite the parents,’’ NCERT Director Krishna Kumar said. Part of an NCERT programme to use cinema as a tool in education, the film festival will begin in May and include classics, family drama and comedy.
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MCD liable for cattle menace, says HC
New Delhi, March 23 In the order, the Judges asked the MCD Commissioner to file an affidavit by next date of hearing on May 28 stating the steps taken by the authorities to regularise the unauthorised dairies and getting rid of stray cattle. The Deputy Commissioner and the Zonal Veterinary Officer (ZVO) were also asked to file affidavits stating the steps taken to remove stray cattle from the streets, which had been creating nuisance for the common people. The Counsel, Mr O. P. Saxena, appearing for MCD said that the Capital had more than 8340 unauthorised dairies. At least 369 dairy owners had applied for regularisation in response to the advertisement of the authorities. Meanwhile, the relatives of Chand Ram and Rani Devi, who were the victims of the bull menace at Baldev Park on February 4, filed petitions in the court seeking adequate compensation.
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A friend indeed!
Noida, March 23 By halting the express train at a ‘no-stop’ station on Sunday, the two railway officials had risked the lives of hundreds of railway passengers as this step could have resulted in a serious accident. It was a sheer luck that no train came on the same track for nine minutes that the Magdh Express (No. 2401) was halted at 11.42 am at Ghaziabad. The train was running late and had already been given the green signal, but to everybody’s surprise, it came to a halt. Though it had created a panic in the railway staff, the official version given was that the train was stopped only after someone had pulled the chain. As the security staff were seen running from one end of the train to the other, it was gathered that the driver had brought the train to a halt to enable a close friend get down at Ghaziabad as he lived there. Seeing the train stopping, some Ghaziabad-bound passengers also started alighting. As some of them could not get their children or luggage on platform, they pulled the chain. So, the train kept standing for 9 minutes on the platform. Gorakh Dham train was to come on the same track. It is learnt that action has been taken against the driver after enquiry.
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Patron of ‘Suniye’
New Delhi, March 23 Although three per cent posts are reserved for the disabled in all government, autonomous bodies, very few have taken steps to implement the Act in letter and spirit.—TNS
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Man electrocuted
Faridabad, March 23 The victim, identified as Ramesh Chand, a resident of Shyam Colony near Old Faridabad, was electrocuted when he took the cable in his mouth to peel it in order to improve the reception of the TV programmes. Later, he felt unconscious and died on the way to hospital. Several such cases have been reported in the past. According to the All Haryana Power Corporation Workers Union, there were over two lakh cable TV connections in the town and all the operators use the poles of the electricity department.
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New Delhi, March 23
Two elderly women in their early seventies were found murdered at the house of one of the victims in the Premanand Colony in North-West district this morning.
The victims were identified as Ram Pyari
(75), the owner of the house and her acquaintance Pandityan (73), resident of
Mangolpuri. Their bodies were discovered
this morning at around 10.30 a.m. 
