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Lid off massive scam in Mid-Day
Admn wilts under councillors’ pressure
Sheila calls dissidence ‘constraint of chair’
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Rs 132 cr sanctioned for IP University in Dwarka
Need to reduce drop-out rates in schools stressed
Gurgaon-Delhi CNG bus
Foreigner fleeces traders of lakhs with bogus credit card
Innovative workshop to make children learn and enjoy maths
After ‘warmth of autumn’, cold nights
Three women among four held for prostitution
Cloth merchant cheated of Rs 14 lakh
Bharat Petroleum launches mobile fuelling dispenser
Blankets, food distributed
Trade tax officers suspended for accepting bribe
Call centre drivers flouting guidelines
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Lid off massive scam in Mid-Day Meal Scheme
New Delhi, January 20 The 2,760 sacks of rice seized could just be the tip of the proverbial iceberg as the NGO is entrusted with the task of supplying rice to primary schools in Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, police sources said. The matter came to light when eight trucks of the NGO carrying rice from Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns in Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh were detained here on December 21 last year. Police got suspicious when the drivers said the rice was being brought all the way to North Delhi to be ‘cleaned’ at a factory here. A case has been registered at PS Samaipur Badli and the NGO booked under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC. Taking serious note of the issue, Metropolitan Magistrate Vijay Shanker summoned C K Agrawal, president of the NGO Bharatiya Manav Kalyan Parishad (BMKP), but he failed to satisfy the court as to why he had to take the rice 200 km from Bulandshahr just for ‘cleaning’. According to National Programme for Nutritional Support to Primary Education guidelines, the rice has to be taken directly from FCI godown to the school or village concerned. “But here the NGO had procured the rice free of cost from FCI godowns in Bulandshahr and was caught in the act while bringing it to Delhi to sell it,” Public Prosecutor Angiresh Gahlaut alleged. A stamp paper agreement, supposedly between the Basic Education Officer, Bulandshahr and BKMP, deputing the NGO to supply rice to schools, was also questioned by the police as it was allegedly bought in April 2004 and the contract was executed only in
July 2005. “They (the NGO) have not been able to give a clear answer as to why they bought the stamp paper a year before the execution of the agreement...this can also be considered a clear indication of a conspiracy, of breach of good faith,” Mr Gahlaut submitted. Several other agreements inked by the NGO with MCD, NDMC and other nodal agencies involved in the mid-day meal scheme under National Programme for Nutritional Support to Primary Education, 2004, were also likely to come under scanner. The court has asked the NGO to produce certain documents by January 24, the next date of hearing. “According to the guidelines prescribed by the programme, the rice has to be taken directly from the FCI godown to the school or village concerned. Here the trucks were sent to Delhi on a false pretext,” Mr Gahlaut alleged.
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Admn wilts under councillors’ pressure
Gurgaon, January 20 More than 12 elected councillors today again blocked the road skirting the local Civil Hospital and the Municipal Council for more than two hours to press for demolition of the illegal structure in New Colony. The councillors, in a show of solidarity with the Municipal Engineer, Mr Bhopal Singh, who was brutally beaten up along with his staff, by the owner of the illegal structure, Mr Kishan Chand Gupta, had yesterday blocked the road. The councillors today raised slogans against the government and also demanded action against all those involved in the assault of the Municipal Engineer. They also demanded demolition of the illegal structure. It was only after more than two hours of sloganeering by the councillors and blockade of the road that a posse of police personnel and demolition squad reached New Colony. According to many, the demolition squad did too little too late. Rather than demolishing the structure, they just partially damaged the lintern part. The irate councillors lifted the blockade only after the demolition squad reached the spot with an avowed aim to demolish the illegal construction. A basement and a three-storeyed structure had been built. Although it is a residential place, the structure is of commercial nature. The Municipal Council had earlier vetoed it and recommended action against it. Meanwhile, Mr Kishan Chand Gupta and his wife are said to have gone into hiding. The municipal engineer was beaten up by Mr Kishan Chand and his associates on the allegation that the officer misbehaved with his wife after he reached the site of the construction yesterday. The councillors said they would soon meet to take stock of the matter and formulate a suitable response. Some of them said the response of the authorities so far, including the administration, had not been encouraging. Rather than the administration and the police taking stern action, their response appeared to be laboured, they added.
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Sheila calls dissidence ‘constraint of chair’
New Delhi, January 20 When asked by reporters whether she had raised the issue of dissidence with Congress president Ms Sonia Gandhi, she said that she had, but felt at the same time that the Congress president had the whole nation to look after and “we must be able to look after ourselves”. Rubbishing the ‘outsider tag’, Ms Dikshit said that the people of the city have accepted her leadership by giving the mandate in her favour for two consecutive terms. Maintaining that “everybody is an outsider in Delhi”, Ms Dikshit said though she was clinically born in Punjab, she spent all her life in the national Capital. She said that even if she was an outsider, she had served the Congress in Delhi and the party had won two consecutive Assembly polls.
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Rs 132 cr sanctioned for IP University in Dwarka
New Delhi, January 20 At a meeting held under the chairmanship of Delhi Minister of Finance and Planning Dr A.K. Walia, EFC has given a go-ahead to the project related to the first phase of West Campus of Guru Gobind Singh IP University in Dwarka with an estimated cost of Rs 132 crore and six other projects with an estimated cost of Rs 84 crore. Addressing the media, Dr Walia said that a sprawling modern campus of IP University would come up at Dwarka by the end of 2008. The new campus would also accommodate three additional school building blocks and two hostel building blocks for its constituent unit Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology apart from other planned buildings of the university. He expressed confidence that the new campus of the university would help in imparting meaningful higher education to the students of Delhi and satellite towns. Three proposals of the Department of Power amounting to Rs 68.28 crore have also been approved by the EFC. First proposal amounting to Rs 44.62 crore relates to procurement, laying, testing and commissioning of 220 KV XPLE Cable of size 1x1200 Sq.mm (U/G) in double circuit from 220 KVS/Stn. Shalimar Bagh to 200 KV proposed S/Stn. at Wazirpur Indl. Area. This will help in improving and strengthening of power supply in NDPL area, especially 33 KV network in Wazirpur, Ashok Vihar and also providing source of supply. Another proposal amounting to Rs 11.66 crore relates to augmentation of 100 MVA, 66/220KV power transformers with 160 MVA, 66/220 KV power transformers at GT Station. This would help in overcoming the overloading problem of 100 MVA transformers and improvement in the power supply. The 3rd project amounting to Rs 12 crore relates to refurbishment of Waste Heat Recovery Unit of Module 1,2 & 3 and their associated equipment of IP Power Station. A proposal of Public Works Department amounting to Rs 8.33 crore has been cleared by the EFC which would enable widening of Road No 45 at NH-1 from Metcalfe Crossing to Timarpur Crossing from six to eight lanes. The EFC has also cleared two proposals of Home Department. A Fire Station and 21 staff quarters would be constructed at Okhla Industrial Area with an estimated cost of Rs 3.34 crore. Another project relates to purchase of X-ray Baggage Inspection System and X-ray Scanner for setting up of control room at Central Jail.
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Need to reduce drop-out rates in schools stressed
New Delhi, January 20 It further cites, “The net enrolment rate in primary schools is around 77 per cent and in secondary schools, it is around 60 per cent. The drop-out rate was 34.9 per cent at the primary level, 52.9 per cent at the upper primary level and 62.6 per cent at high school level in 2002-2003.” With these findings being the focus, the EPSI and the ASERF organised an interactive session on ‘Challenges for Primary and Secondary Education’ as a prelude to its vision to ‘Revisit Indian Education – Vision 2020.’ The interactive session aimed at discussing issues such as Universalisation of Elementary Education, Making Secondary Education Relevant, Challenges in Vocationalisation of Education and Professionalisation of Teacher Education. It was pointed out that unless steps are taken to drastically reduce the drop-out rates, by the year 2016 there will be about 500 million people in the country with fewer than five years of schooling, and another 300 million that will not have completed high school. The interactive session included senior academicians and industry experts voicing their views on these issues of primary and secondary education sector in the country. Issues related to restructuring school curriculum to meet objectives of work education, professional development strategies for teachers and their education, implications of universal elementary education for secondary education were also discussed.
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Gurgaon-Delhi CNG bus flagged off
Gurgaon, January 20 The destination of the bus will be from Gurgaon to Delhi and back to Gurgaon. The stations the bus will touch upon in Delhi include Connaught Place, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Shivaji Park. The 51-seater vehicle was billed to be a mega bus. At least 70 passengers can stand in the aisle. With the court laying embargo on petrol and diesel operated buses in Delhi, the routes of Haryana Roadways buses were diverted to prevent their entry in the interior of the national Capital. Consequently, office-goers and college students studying in Delhi were the worst sufferers. In the interregnum, the Delhi Transport Corporation made a huge dent and captured the market let off by the Haryana Roadways Services. According to official sources, depending on the success of this bus, more would be added in the fleet of Haryana Raodways. Speaking on the occasion of the flag-off ceremony, the Transport Minister said in order to improve the services of Haryana Raodways buses the ministry has decided to improve the functioning of the worksshops of Haryana Raodways. There is a plan to computerise the depots. According to him, the ministry is also working on a plan to reduce the cases of road accidents involving buses.
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Foreigner fleeces traders of lakhs with bogus credit card
Ghaziabad, January 20 The shopkeepers who went to the bank to claim payment were in for a big shock. The credit card turned out to be invalid. The shopkeepers have lodged a report with the police about this cheating. Investigations are on. Mr Harsh Batra, president of the Computer Suppliers’ Association, said a Nigerian youth, Brian Harthet, had visited a number of shopkeepers on Wednesday evening and purchased computers, computer components, attachments and cellphones worth lakhs. Mr Batra said Brian was sold all these goods on the basis of matching signatures on his credit card and passport. The master card with the Nigerian youth was also accepted by the credit card machine. The foreigner had given his own cellphone number also. As per his passport, he is a native of Malawai. Mr Batra said he had bought two laptops and a printer etc worth Rs 1 lakh from G. Enterprises on Ambedkar Road, a laptop worth Rs 50,000 from Computer Gallery, another laptop worth Rs 60,000 from SP Electronics at District Centre, Raj Nagar, and mobile phones worth Rs 40,000 from Raheja Mobile Shop at the new bus stand. The shopkeepers realised they had been cheated when they went to the bank to claim the sale money. The bank told them the credit card used for purchase was bogus and not valid. Shopkeepers then tried to contact Brian. His cellphone was ringing, but nobody answered the phone. Late in the evening, police Circle Officer Atul Srivastava was apprised of the matter. Mr Batra said this Nigerian young man in an Indica car had made purchases worth lakhs of rupees from some Noida computer shops too. The police after taking written complaints from all shopkeepers have started the investigation.
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Innovative workshop to make children learn and enjoy maths
New Delhi, January 20 “We have been selling the idea of making the learning of mathematics less traumatic. What we have observed is that children in the primary classes need to be taught what is relevant and not abstract,” said Sabyasachi, a subject expert who works for Jodo Gyan, a non-profit organisation based in Delhi, working in the area of activity-based learning in Maths and Science, at the elementary level. The revised syllabus of Mathematics drafted by the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) also lays emphasis on “making books attractive” and “utilising to the maximum a child’s interests and enthusiasm”. The syllabus talks of reducing phobia through the use language that a child can understand. “Mathematics should emerge as a subject of exploration and creation rather than finding known old answers to complicated and often convoluted problems, requiring blind application of un-understood algorithms,” the draft of the syllabus says. “We are working with a number of schools in the Capital where we are helping children understand the basis using props and models. The CBSE has also asked schools to start Maths Labs, but these are for higher classes, whereas we work for the primary ones, because we firmly believe that by the time the children reach class eight or nine, the fear of mathematics has already set in. Which is why these alternate teaching methods must begin early,” explained Sabyasachi. To bring into focus the need to introduce changes in the teaching of mathematics, Jodo Gyan, which has been working in this direction for the last seven years, is organising a seminar on ‘making mathematics with children’ and an exhibition on ‘Maths Lab – how and why’. “The effort is to introduce innovative methods of teaching to make children understand and enjoy what they are learning. Mathematics is no longer abstract but quite ‘tangible’. It must be connected to reality, stay close to children’s experience and be relevant to society, in order to be of human value. Mathematics lessons should give students the ‘guided’ opportunity to re-invent mathematics by doing it,” it was put forth. The workshop will be inaugurated by Prof. Yashpal on January 23 at Chacha Nehru Bhawan, NCERT. Workshops on Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) for maths-lab co-ordinators and maths teachers will be held on January 24-25 which would be attended by more than a 1,000 teachers and 70 principals.
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After ‘warmth of autumn’, cold nights
New Delhi, January 20 After hovering at around 13 degree Celsius for most of last week and earlier this week, the minimum temperature dipped to eight degree Celsius, from 12.6 degrees yesterday. Though the minimum temperature was one degree above normal, the sharp fall in night mercury resulted in a slight chill during the night for the people of Delhi, who, in the last few days, were seen to have cast aside their sweaters at nights. The day temperature, however, continued to remain steady with there being a slight rise in maximum temperature, from 23.2 degrees yesterday, to 24.0 degrees today, one degree above normal. This was the first time over the last week that the minimum temperature has recorded such a sharp drop. Though the minimum temperature yesterday too dropped from the previous day level, the drop was only slight. The chilly night and warm day was in line with the trend in several parts of North India with below normal night temperatures being recorded in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, with many areas witnessing a dip in minimum temperature by about four degrees. Met office attributes a drop in night temperature to a sharp fall in mercury in Kashmir with the minimum temperature in Srinagar dropping to minus 1.8 degrees. The weather office has forecast a further drop in night temperature tomorrow to seven degree Celsius even though the day temperature is expected to remain steady at around 25 degree Celsius.
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Three women among four held for prostitution
New Delhi, January 20 The accused have been identified as Vimal (40), a resident of Inderpuri, operating from her house; Akash Sharma (37); and two girls of 21 years. Police said that Akash was the pimp and driver of Santro car to pick and drop the girls to the prospective customers. Police said that Vimal had been into this profession for the last two years, but has not been caught even as she used to change her residence frequently.
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Cloth merchant cheated of Rs 14 lakh
Noida, January 20
On January 2, his representative in Hyderabad, Nitin, in a telephonic talk had suggested to him to buy cloth at cheap rates. On January 3, Sanjay, posing as a cloth merchant, proposed to sell heavy stock of clothes to Mr Agarwal. Mr Agarwal has now told the police that after the phone call a meeting was held in Mumbai to finalise the deal. After this, he reached Radisson Hotel, Noida, for getting the money. Mr Agarwal had agreed to pay Rs 14 lakh on getting the stock of cloth. For quite some time, they waited in the hotel for confirmation that the goods had been received in Mr Agarwal’s godown. Sanjay and his companion Raj Kumar, posing as cloth merchants, put the pouch containing cash received from Mr Agarwal into a bag and told the latter to go to the godown to check the goods. Mr Agarwal said by the time he came back from the godown where the cloth had not been delivered the two cheats had fled with his Rs 14 lakh.
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Bharat Petroleum launches mobile fuelling dispenser
Greater Noida, January 20 The mobile dispenser unit is environment friendly, reduces over all fuel consumption and enhances productivity of large machines. It is mounted on a fuel tank with 8 kilo-liter capacity, which has a measured delivery unit and added facility to print tickets with details of quantity filled, time and date for each dispensing operation. The unit is also equipped to deliver lubricating oil to the earth moving equipment and machine. The unique initiative taken by the Industrial and Commercial (I&C) business unit of Bharat Petroleum is a new concept to save fuel cost and increase productivity specially in mining and large construction projects, where heavy mining and earth moving machineries and equipment are used. The present system of fuelling is done through fixed facilities embedded in the ground and large and heavy machineries and equipments have to be transported from their operating locations to the place of fuelling. It results in wastage of fuel and loss of productive time of these costly equipments. The fixed locations for refueling is generally around 8-10 kms away from operating areas. The mobile unit has a facility to dispense measured quantity in litres to the earth moving machines and equipments at their operating locations. Explaining the relevance of the mobile dispensing unit, Mr Anurag Deepak, General Manager (Industrial and Commercial), BPCL, said, “This is a new and significant milestone for BPCL. The mobile dispenser is an innovative concept.”
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Blankets, food distributed
New Delhi, January 20 The NGO has started mission Samvedna Shivir that is being operated at Adarsh Nagar. Samvedna Shivir is a task towards community welfare where there is no boundary line between the rich and the poor.
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Trade tax officers suspended for accepting bribe
Noida, January 20 In a sting operation some trade tax officials were caught demanding and accepting bribe. Two officials posted on the expressway check post and Kondli Bangar had been offered an amount by a Delhi-based tent house businessman for taking goods across the check post to Noida or Delhi. Though the senior officers do not admitted it, corruption is rampant in Noida’s trade tax department. After this operation, the Noida trade tax officials have become fearful and have refused to answer even legitimate queries in this regard.
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Call centre drivers flouting guidelines
Noida, January 20 According to an employee, Santosh, working in a call centre in Sector 58, Noida, drivers are always in a hurry and the women employees are left to fend for themselves.—OC
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