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When a magistrate feels helpless… New Delhi, February 25 Metropolitan Magistrate Digviay Singh has forwarded the judgement to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, seeking an enhancement of the punishment. Digvijay Singh had heard evidence in the case against SRM Educational Society, after a complaint by a student who alleged that he was cheated into believing that a medical college run by the society enjoyed government recognition. The matter was then probed by the Crime Branch and the Chairman of SRM Educational Society, Riyaz Munir Ahmed, Treasurer Waqar Husein, Secretary Dr Pandey and one Dr Jamal were arrested two years ago and charged under Section 420 (cheating) of the IPC. The MM then fixed February 21 for pronouncing the order. However, on the judgement day, the court opined that the accused deserved jail term exceeding three years, which was more than the maximum he was empowered to award under the law. The MM then invoked Section 325 of Cr.P.C and referred the matter to the CMM who, he said, had the powers to send the accused to prison for more than three years. The section empowers a magistrate to forward cases to the CMM, wherein he/she is of the opinion that the accused deserves a sentence greater than what he is empowered to award. The CMM today took the case file on record and fixed March 17 for hearing final arguments afresh. Complainant Hussain Aqil had alleged that though he paid about Rs three lakh as donation to get admission to SRM Medical College, it was subsequently found that the institution was not recognised, contrary to the claims. Aqil had been
attending classes at Sarai Julena near Escorts Hospital in the city,
where the college was running an orientation programme.  |
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Woman head constable held on charge of child abuse New Delhi, January 25 The maid has registered an FIR against Rekha, a head constable in the Communication Unit in Tilak Marg police station. She has alleged that Rekha used to beat her with iron rods and torture her by inflicting burn injuries for not obeying her orders to share bed with her friends. The incident came to light after residents in the Tilak Marg police colony sought the assistance of an NGO to stop the humiliations heaped on the maid by the woman cop. The girl is now in the safe custody of the NGO, Nirmal Chhaya, which is also rendering necessary assistance to the victim. The 12-year old maid was brought by Rekha seven years ago from a remote village in Gwalior. Kaul stays with her eight-year-old daughter in an A-1, Type II, single storey flat, in Tilak Marg police colony. Ever since the story of the illegal confinement broke on February 19, Rekha, along with her daughter, had fled their Tilak Marg house and were staying in her brother’s house in Mehrauli. The police picked her up from her brother’s house this morning. The doctors, who conducted the medical check-up at Ram Manohar Lohia hospital on the victim, confirmed that the latter was tortured. Three get life term for beating man to death A Delhi court has
sentenced three people to life imprisonment for killing their neighbour
by crushing his head with a heavy stone in Raghubir Nagar in West Delhi
about four years ago. Additional Sessions Judge I S Mehta also imposed
a fine of Rs 3,000 each on Ramu, his elder brother Shyam, and one Gyan
Chand for murdering Chandra Bhan, following an altercation over
allegations of eve-teasing against the deceased. According to
prosecution, Chandra Bhan was beaten mercilessly with a “danda” and a
hockey stick before being repeatedly hit with a heavy stone by Ramu. While
walking back home on October 26, 2000, Chandra Bhan, a grosery shop
owner, touched Ramu and Shyam’s sister by mistake, according to an
eye-witness. The moment his elbow brushed against her body, she raised
an alarm, following which Ramu and his friend Gyan Chand came out with a
stick. While the two were beating Gyan Chand, Shyam joined them with
his hockey stick and gave him a pounding on his leg. Thereafter, Gyan
Chand fell down and his head was crushed by Ramu with the help of a
heavy stone lying nearby. |
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Govt inertia New Delhi, January 25 They were allotted plots on June 6, 2003, in the Industrial Area. Had the demand drafts been issued to the plot allottees, the Delhi Government would have raked in Rs. 1, 89, 00, 00, 000. The interest for eight months on this amount works out to Rs 12, 60, 00, 000, which is a net loss to the DSIDC. However, the Managing Director of the DSIDC and the Delhi Government remain unfazed. The Delhi Government had filed an affidavit in the Delhi High Court stating that allotment letters would be handed over shortly, so that they could move in the confirming areas, he pointed out. He urged the chief minister Shiela Dikshit to issue the demand drafts to plot allottees immediately, to enable them to take possession of the plots. Earlier, the properties in Delhi were sold on leasehold basis. Due to the ingrained corruption in the system, the property owners were facing problems and, at the same time, the administration was losing revenue. The individuals were also facing difficulties in getting their properties mortgaged. The DDA had announced a few years back the freehold policy for residential areas. This helps in checking corruption and individuals can mortgage their properties at their own will. Keeping in mind the benefits to individuals and the government, the DDA had announced the freehold policy for industrial plots, but the Delhi Government had not so far announced any scheme for free holding the plots allotted by the DSIDC. Student killed by speeding tanker Noida: A third-year electrical
engineering student of JSS College, Devinder Pal Singh, 22, of Sahibabad,
was crushed under the wheels of a speeding tanker, leading to a furore. The
accident took place near Sai temple in Sector-61. Devinder Pal died on
the spot, according to Sector-58 police. The driver sped away with the
killer vehicle. But, at a short distance, he fled after abandoning the
tanker. As soon as the news reached the college students came out on
the road and blocked the traffic. However, no one from the institute
bothered to visit the accident spot. A large number of students, who
had converged at the accident spot, marched to their college, where they
stayed till late in the night. Livid at the institution’s indifference,
they raised slogans against the management, placed the victim’s body on
the road and blocked the traffic. When the police somehow managed to
take the body to the government hospital, the students created a ruckus
there also. The students also raised slogans against the police force.
They alleged that the police was deliberately not checking speeding
vehicles on the roads. The parents of the deceased also reached the
police station along with the students and demanded the arrest of the
driver. |
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Right focus New Delhi, January 25 Thereby the campaign managers hope to draw the attention of the people to the just cause of the marginalised and the underprivileged. According to the Chief Executive of ActionAid India, the objective of the campaign is to sensitize people to the plight of the marginalized communities with whom the NGO is working. The `FTV-like campaign’ will use the well-known format of a televised fashion show – the only difference will be that the people on the ramp won’t be anorexic models, but members of marginalised communities. The electronic campaign has been conceptualized by Saatchi and Saatchi and executed by young filmmakers Geeta and Avinash, who have also received the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award for the film `The Joy of Giving’. The film has also been entered at the International Film Festivals at Cannes and Prague. Says Saatchi & Saatchi creative director, “We pay attention when models walk up and down the ramp. What if the communities did the same? Would they be also noticed. The message is aimed at highlighting the dramatic contrast in people’s approach - the social apathy towards important issues and the mindless consumption of banal triviality.”
Vow to put wanted
criminals behind bars Meerut: About 900 wanted criminals of Meerut zone
will feel the heat if the zonal police of Meerut goes ahead with its
drive to put them behind bars. In view of the general elections, the
border with the neighbouring states will be sealed and vital
installations, including telephone exchanges, power houses, important
government offices and institutions, will be provided security
cover. This was disclosed by the ADGP (Law and Order), Mr Bua Singh, to
mediapersons after a review meeting of election preparation and police
arrangements. Senior police officials of the Meerut zone, IGP R K Tiwari,
Dy IGP C B Rai and police heads of seven districts, including Meerut,
Bulandshahar, Ghaziabad, Bhagpat, Muzaffarnagar and Saharanpur attended
the meeting. OC |
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Notice to Yusuf on petition challenging
his election New Delhi, February 25 Justice R. C. Chopra issued notices to the Election Commission, Delhi Wakf Board and all the other candidates who contested from the constituency on a petition filed by the BSP candidate, Mr Mohammed Akram Ansari. Mr Ansari, through his counsel Ravindra Kumar, challenged Mr Yusuf’s election on the grounds that he was holding an office of Profit (Delhi Wakf Board)—at the time of his election. Besides seeking to declare Mr Yusuf’s election as null and void, the petitioner also sought that the minister be debarred from contesting any elections for the next six years. Earlier, another
candidate from the same constituency, Naved Yar Khan had also challenged
Mr Yusuf’s election on the same grounds. |
INLD shifts Bhiwani rally venue
to showcase Jhajjar, February 25 Addressing the party workers, Mr
Sher Singh Badsami, state unit president, said that the Chief Minister,
Mr Om Prakash Chautala, himself had selected this town for organizing
this rally to mark four years of the INLD government. The rally
attendance would showcase the strength of the INLD party. By selecting
the town for the rally, Mr Chautala had reposed his faith in the party
workers here. Declaring the formations of the two committees, he said
that Country and Town Planning Minister, Mr Dhir Pal, would head the
organizing committee. The other members of the committee are Mr Nafe
Singh Rathee, MLA from Bahadurgarh, Capt Inder Singh, MP from Rohtak, Mr
Zile Singh, Ms Kanta Devi, Mr Virender Pal, Mr Hukum Singh, former MLAs,
Mr Dario Singh, MLA from Jhajjar, Mr Ramesh Balmiki, Satpal Pahalwan,
Bhoop Singh, Randhir Singh, Capt Bhoop Singh, Mr Teja Singh, Mr Balwan
Suhag, and Mr Mahabir Deswal. The disciplinary committee would be headed
by Mr Satpal Pahalwan. He said the government machinery and funds would
not be used, as it was rally of the party. Leaders have been given the
responsibility to ensure that workers were able to attend the rally in
large numbers. |
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Chautala equating educational institutions with Bhiwani, February 25 The party had an alliance with the public only, he said. Addressing a press conference here today, he said that candidates for the parliamentary seats would be declared before the Bhiwani rally to be held on March 9. The BJP leader said that a number of senior leaders from other parties would join the BJP in the rallies being held during the next fortnight. He said that the rally at Rewari tomorrow would be addressed by senior leaders, including Sushma Swaraj. The Navyuva rally to be held at Rohtak on February 28 would be addressed by the party president Venkaiah Naidu, Rajnath Singh. Taking a dig at the INLD president, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, for his education policy, Prof Sharma said that the Chief Minister had equated educational institutions with trade centres and slapped huge taxes on schools. “There is no difference between sanskar kendras and business centres for the Chief Minister,” he quipped. Lashing out at Mr Chautala, he said that the BJP had given a chance to the Chief Minister to improve from his image after the Meham episode. However, he has deceived the party as well as the people. He said that BJP activists would reach out to the voters and spread the ‘Atal Sandesh’. He said that there was a wave in favour of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the country. “It is Atal Bihari
Vajpayee who has compelled the Congress leader Sonia Gandhi to come out
on the streets,” he claimed. Tara Chand Agarwal, Capt Dharmpal, Laxmi
Narain Dhanania, Balwan Singh and Shankar Dhupar were among others who
were present on the occasion. |
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Party leaders firing on all cylinders to Noida, February 25 The BSP and the Congress are reported to have finetuned their strategies with the help of former BJP leaders for this seat, thus creating new challenges for Ashok Pradhan. The Samajwadi Party has decided to launch two giant projects in the Thakur-dominated areas of Dadri and Rabupura. In 1999 elections, Ashok Pradhan had polled 2.20 lakh votes, defeating in the process Satya Behn of the Congress by over a lakh votes. He was the second BJP candidate in UP to have romped home with such a big margin. But now he is a minister. There is bigger challenges to his prestige this time. All parties are known to be finalising their strategy to annex this BJP citadel. Close proximity of Javer MLA Horam Singh to Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, who is back in BJP camp, is being considered a possible challenge for Ashok Pradhan from within the BJP. The Congress, number two in the last Lok Sabha elections, is also struggling to improve its position. A BJP Dalit leader RP Singh had joined the Congress on February 18 in the presence of state Congress leader Verinder Singh. He is one of the Congress hopefuls to contest this seat against Ashok Pradhan. However, the candidature of Satya Behn in the Congress, who was number two in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections, is still considered pretty strong as she is quite active in the state campaigns. Another candidate is veteran and popular Congress leader of Javer, Bansi Pahadiya. Other candidates for this seat are Congress MLA from East Delhi Ambrish Gautam, former Agra MP Azad Kumar Kardam, and Mukesh Kardam, who has joined the Congress from the BSP. The BSP, number three in the last Lok Sabha polls, is also pulling out all the stops to annex this seat. Phool Singh Tomar of BSP had polled 99,000 votes. But now, the BSP is likely to project another challenger to Ashok Pradhan, former UP revenue minister and a Dalit leader Ravi Gautam, who was recently inducted into the BSP in a rally in Dadri from the BJP. Besides, the BSP list has the names of Mayawati’s brother Anand, Javer BSP MLA, Narinder Kumar as the other contenders. The Samajwadi Party, it seems, would like to give this seat to the Lok Dal. Efforts are on to consolidate and placate the Yadav, Thakur and Muslim votes in the constituency. Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh has been seen very active among the Thakurs of Dadri, Rabupura, Satha area. Former IAS officer Devi Dayal appears to be projected for this seat by the SP. After scrapping GB Nagar District, Chief Minister Mulayam Singh
Yadav is also reportedly toying with the idea of going in for fresh
Assembly polls in UP. |
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Put off CAS; make it user-friendly first: Malhotra New Delhi, February 25 “CAS should be deferred till the user-friendly regulation is brought before the next session of Parliament,” Mr Malhotra said. He said he had raised this demand with Information and Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad who assured him that the ministry would decide the issue in the next two-three days. In the opinion of Mr Prasad, the TRAI recommendation putting CAS on hold for three months was good, and the government had sought legal opinion from the advocate general, Mr Malhotra told newspersons. “The government has no option but to accept the TRAI report. If no other way is found then CAS should be scrapped,” Mr Malhotra said. A check should be kept on the cable operators so that they did not charge arbitrary rates from the consumers, he said. “While deferring the implementation of CAS in South Delhi and elsewhere, the government must ensure that the cable operators and the service providers charge rates which were in operation before December 2003,” he said in his letter to Information and Broadcasting Minister. Drawing the minister’s attention to the other technologies available, he said any system that was adopted, should give a free choice to the consumers and put them neither at the mercy of cable operators nor the broadcasters. “The consumers should have the clear option to use either
CAS, Direct-to-Home or cable without set top boxes,” Mr Malhotra said. |
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Action demanded against officials responsible Sonepat, February 25 In a press release today they demanded an immediate suspension of the officials of the Public Health Department who had failed to maintain the water supply system, which is part of the essential services in this city. Instead, the striking employees had held the residents on ransom. They alleged that the taps remained dry throughout the day yesterday and the officials of the PHD had even failed to supply water tankers to the residents of the city. In effect, the residents were forced to fetch water from other places to meet their daily requirements. They also urged the Chief Minister, Mr Om Parkash Chautala, to take a serious note of the lapse by district administration as well as the Public Health Department and take action against those officials found responsible for the water crisis in the city. It may be recalled that the drinking water supply in the city has been erratic over the last couple of months. As a result, the residents do not get regular supply of drinking water. Although the PHD has fixed the timings for the water supply in each zone, they have regularly failed to ensure its punctuality. Meanwhile, the saluice valves can be seen leaking in various parts of the city, thanks to the failure of the PHD officials to repair them. This has resulted in
wastage of water as well as spread of unhygienic conditions in the area. |
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Sonepat briefs Sonepat, February 25 According to a report, the head, the foot and the hands were separated from the body which bore multiple injuries inflicted by sharp-edged weapons. The police believe it to be a case of murder and registered a case against the unidentified assailants in this connection. The youth, it may be recalled, had been missing from his house since February 18 last.
Man killed in accident Mr
Partap Singh, a resident of Tihar Malik village, was killed on the spot
after being hit by an unknown vehicle on the road near the village about
15 km from here last night. According to a report, the police have
registered the case and sent the body for the postmortem
examination. Petroleum dealers
warn of strike The Sonepat Petroleum Dealers Association has condemned
the inaction of the police to apprehend the assailant allegedly involved
in the attack on Mr Mukesh Batra, owner of the Batra Petrol Pump on
February 13 and urged the district and police administration to take
immediate steps to catch the culprit. According to a report, the
association has also threatened to resort to a one-day token strike on
March 1 if the miscreant was not arrested. It alleged that the
assailant, who is a close associate of some politicians and bureaucrats,
was roaming in the city and threatening Mr Batra with dire consequences
if he pressurised the police to arrest him. Earlier, a meeting of the
association was held and adopted a resolution to urge the district and
police administration to apprehend the culprit. Meanwhile, a deputation
of the association called on the Deputy Commissioner and the
Superintendent of Police.
Man run over Mr Mahinder (44) of Rishi Nagar
Colony was run over and killed by a train near the railway station here
last evening. According to a report, he was crossing the track when the
accident occurred. The GRP has sent the body for the postmortem
examination. According to another report, Mr Rajbir (30) of Deepalpur
village was killed in a road accident on G T Road near Bahalgarh village
about 10 km from here last evening. He was hit by an unknown vehicle
while he was crossing the road. The police have registered the case and
sent the body for the postmortem examination.
SI’s house burgled Thieves are reported to have scaled the walls of the house of Mr
Rajinder Singh, a sub-inspector here yesterday and escaped with booty
worth several lakhs of rupees from it in broad daylight. According to a
report, the thieves came in a car and parked the vehicle outside the
house in Sector 23. Some of them scaled the walls and entered the house.
They also removed the cash from the iron almirah and took away other
valuables. The owner of the house has lodged a complaint with the
police. A spate of thefts in the city and elsewhere in the district has
caused resentment among the residents and shopkeepers who are demanding
intensive police patrolling and stern action against the thieves.
Boy
electrocuted A five-year-old boy Anoop was electrocuted at Raipur
village about 10 km from here yesterday. According to a report, the
police have sent the body for the postmortem examination.
‘Road Show’ The Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) has fully geared up its
party cadre to accord a warm welcome to the Congress president, Mrs
Sonia Gandhi, during her ‘Road Show’ programme on February 26 in Sonepat
parliamentary constituency. Former HPCC president Dharampal Singh Malik
has been appointed as the chief organiser of the programme in the
constituency. Mr Malik said the Congress president would enter the
constituency from Jind and meet the people at the proposed four points—Nunan
Khera, Gohana, Bidhal-Pinana and Sonepat. He claimed that there was a
great enthusiasm among the people over the visit of the Congress
president. The local party leaders and the office-bearers have been
assigned duties at different points. Meanwhile, a team of more than a
dozen special protection group (SPG) commandos has reached the district
to take care of the security of the Congress president during her visit.
The team has already inspected the route which she would follow. On the
other hand, the visit of the Congress president has also failed to end
factionalism among the party’s local leaders. Each group has been
holding its meetings separately to assign duties of the party leaders. |
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Delhi digest
New Delhi, February 25 Dr S Nagarajan, director of Indian Agriculture Research Institute, and S S Gill, chairman, Governing body of Dayal Singh College, were also present on the occasion. Nagarajan said that the land on which ICAR (Shimla) was established, was given by Sardar Dayal Singh Majithia whose munificence and foresight was responsible for the establishment of Dayal Singh College. He encouraged the students of the college to embark upon careers that would satisfy the soul and said that the doors of IARI would be open to those who wanted to carry out socially useful research. Mr Gill congratulated the prizewinner and expressed his happiness in a manner in which the college was making progress from year to year. Computer lab for
Blind Relief Association Public sector
undertaking Bharat Electronics Ltd today donated a modern computer lab
to the Blind Relief Association. The computer lab will help blind
students undergo comprehensive computer training using JAWS Braille
Interface software. Study materials, including textbooks up to the
postgraduation level will be recorded in a recording studio for the
benefit of visually impaired students, a release said. UP urged to
provide home guards The Delhi Government has urged the Uttar Pradesh
Government to provide its home guards for deployment during the Lok
Sabha elections in the Capital. The sources said that in a letter sent
to the UP Government, the Delhi Government has asked around 1,000 home
guards for election duties. This is not the first time when the
government has asked for home guards from UP. In 1999 too, around the
same number of home guards were deployed in Delhi for election duty.
The sources said that UP being the neighbouring state, it was easy to
ferry the home guards to Delhi and it would be less expensive
too. Moreover, the UP home guards are noted for good discipline. |
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NCR briefs Faridabad, February 25
Two
killed in car mishap Two youths, including a woman, were killed when
their car crashed against a tree near Neemka village here. Another
occupant of the car was injured seriously. The deceased have been
identified as Leelu and Ms Monika Chaudhary, who were college students
here. No kerosene for ration
card holders Sonepat: A large number of ration card holders in the
city and other parts of the district are being denied their quota of
kerosene on account of non-supply by most of the depot holders for the
past few months. According to a report, many owners of the fair price
shops alleged that they were not being supplied their full quota of
kerosene by the wholesale dealers and they have no alternative than to
stop the supply to the ration card holders registered with them. It is
alleged that certain officials of the Food and Supplies Department were
in league with the unscrupulous wholesale dealers of kerosene and they
were taking bribe from them. A high-level inquiry is likely to expose
the misdeeds of the officials of the department and the wholesale
dealers of kerosene. Sources, however, revealed that the depot holders
in the urban areas had got 40 per cent less quota of kerosene whereas
the depot holders in the rural areas were supplied 80 per cent less
quantity. Many depot holders also alleged that if any depot holder
insists on the supply of full quota, he is threatened with the
cancellation of the depot. These sources also revealed that the
wholesale dealers of kerosene had been earning lakhs of rupees every
month with the connivance of certain officials of the Food and Supplies
Department and the district authorities have remained silent spectators
in this regard. Representatives of various political parties, social
and voluntary organisations and trade unions have demanded a vigilance
probe into this scandal and stern action against the wholesale dealers
of kerosene and the officials of the Food and Supplies Department. |
Infant rescued;
two women among three held New Delhi, February 25 The police said that
the child’s stepmother had orchestrated the kidnapping to take revenge
on her husband. The accused have been identified as Qamar Jehan (30),
Mohammad Yamin (28), residents of Moradabad and Bholi, alias Babli,
(27), resident of Loni. The child Gulam Navi, alias Sabloo, was rescued
following a complaint from his mother Roshan Ara.
Four extortionists
held The Police Control Room (PCR) staff claimed to have apprehended
four extortionists Pawan Kumar, Vikas, Ranjit Singh, Ajay and Azad, all
residents of Devli. The accused were apprehended in the Sangam Vihar
area while they were trying to extort the TSR drivers and recovered the
extorted money from their possession.
Inspector nabbed The CBI
arrested Inspector of the Delhi Police posted as Additional SHO, police
station Khajuri
Khas for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000 from a
complainant. The bribe was allegedly taken by the complainant to take
action against a man who had allegedly threatened him of dire
consequences. The arrested inspector was identified as Mukhtiar Singh
Sanga. The inspector had worked with the Anti-Corruption Branch of the
Delhi Government and had knowledge of trap procedure. When the victim
made a complaint against the inspector, sleuths of the investigating
agency conducted searches at the office and residential premises of the
inspector and
recovered Rs 99,300 from his residence and Rs 6,000 from the
office drawer, a spokesman of the CBI said. |
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Garment exporters decry CBDT move to tax New Delhi: The garment exporters association has resented the step taken by the Central Board of Direct Taxes to bring profits on sale or transfer of DEPB licence under the tax net. The exporters alleged that the garment export is already on the edge with the impending phaseout of quotas under the WTO agreement of textiles and clothing. HKL Magu, president GEA, said that the move has come close on the heels of the recent government’s decision to slash the DEPB as well as the duty draw rates. The exporters perceive the DEPB scheme as a major instrument of export promotion having been in force for the past few years. But the CBDT decision to tax profit on sale of DEPB licence would further erode
into the waterthin margin on export profits. Mr Magu said that the
international garment scenario did not show a rosy picture of the Indian
apparel industry, which had been trying to improve. TNS |
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While some were gratified to see
televised reports of the new Commissioner of Police gathering first-hand
information of the plight of the daily traveler in the NCT public
transport system, many say he was on the wrong bus at the wrong
time.
