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Now, ghost pensioners’ scam hits MCD
Teachers seek minority status for Jamia
IT exports from Haryana touch Rs 21,000 cr
3 dead, 25 hurt as truck overturns
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Juvenile burglar arrested
Rs 3.66 lakh looted from UPCC staff
Facelift of Faridabad’s biggest nullah planned
CWG delegation happy with preparations
Now, a signal-free ride from Modi Mill to IGI Airport
Feast for foodies
Gang of vehicle thieves busted
8 huts gutted DTC bus emits smoke
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Now, ghost pensioners’ scam hits MCD
New Delhi, March 10 The meeting of the standing committee of the MCD today witnessed discussion on "ghost pensioners’ scam". The municipal officers at the meeting informed that there were around 3,300 former municipal employees who were withdrawing pensions from the civic agency as well as the Delhi government. Also, there are some people who are taking pensions even without being eligible for it. However, according to sources, the figures of such "pensioners" could be up to 9,000. The chairman of the standing committee, Ram Kishan Singhal, said that the corporation had asked the Delhi government to provide a list of the employees withdrawing salaries from them. "Only after we match the lists of the government and MCD that we will get to know how many pensioners are withdrawing money from both the sources. There are some 3,300 people in this category," said Singhal. Municipal officers also confirmed that some people were withdrawing pensions even though they were ineligible for the same. The investigating officers informed at the meeting that they were working on the issue and would soon crackdown on such people. "So far we have confirmed 3,300 such cases and the rest will be exposed soon," said B.N, Singh, a municipal officer. Earlier, the civic body had admitted that it had been paying salaries to some 22,000 ghost employees, leading to an annual loss in crores. The matter is still under consideration as no action has been taken so far. Reacting to the scam, municipal commissioner, K.S. Mehra said a report in this regard would be submitted by March 16. "We would submit a final report on this fraud by March 16," said Mehra. Apart from giving pension to retired MCD employees, the civic body also gives monthly aid to widows, handicap and senior citizens. Over 1.90 lakh people take monthly pension from the MCD under these various categories. |
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Teachers seek minority status for Jamia
New Delhi, March 10 Jamia Millia Islamia is recognised as a central university. Therefore, it has to adhere to the Acts meant for central universities. What has irked the teachers is the recent implementation of OBC quota in central universities. They alleged that it ate further the share of Muslim students. “Our university is essentially a minority institution, but the benefits cannot reach the community till we are not recognised as a Muslim minority educational institution,” said N.U. Khan, president, Jamia Teachers’ Association. Jamia Administrative Staff Association, Jamia Senior Secondary School, Teachers’ Association and Jamia Old Boys’ Association would hold a demonstration at Jantar Mantar on March 15 to press for their demands. According to teachers, Jamia has almost 25 per cent Muslim students enrolled in different courses. Being a central university it is not possible for Jamia to introduce minority quota as the SC/ ST and OBC quota does not leave any scope for it. The university administration maintained that it had to ensure there was at least 50 per cent seat for the general category in Jamia. “We want at least 50 per cent seats for Muslim students in the university with reservation for underprivileged category,” said Khan. Under the Central Educational Institutions (reservation in admission) Act, it is mandatory for all non-minority higher educational institutes to implement 27 per cent OBC quota under the time frame fixed by the government. But the ministry of human resource development has not been stringent about implementing it in Jamia. In fact some reports indicate that the government had been planning to formally exempt Jamia from the purview of the Act. The university admits Muslim students enrolled in Jamia School that is run by the university through internal continuity system. However, the teachers said the system had no legal sanctity. No central university could formulate its own guidelines to admit students, so far the central government has been ignoring it by stating that the university had a unique character, said Khan adding that putting a clear minority tag would sort out many issues related to Jamia’s status. |
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IT exports from Haryana touch Rs 21,000 cr
Gurgaon, March 10 According to official sources, software exports from the state during financial year 2008-09 showed a growth of about 17 per cent. A Nasscom-Mckinsey report has projected a growth of 11-12 per cent in IT and ITES exports from Haryana in the current fiscal (2009-10) and the exact figures are expected by June.
Gurgaon has the lion’s share in software exports as more than 90 per cent of IT and ITES units of the state are located in the district. As of now, there are around 400 IT and ITES companies operating in the district. “The IT and ITES industry is providing direct employment to nearly 2 lakh persons and indirectly benefiting many others,” said Gurgaon deputy commissioner Rajender
Kataria, adding that to boost the IT industry, a regional IT industry promotion office had been set up in
Gurgaon. Market observers point out that the volume of software exports from Haryana has shown a steady rise during the past several years. The IT and ITES exports from the state, which were about Rs 10,700 crore in 2005-06, went up to the tune of Rs 14,000 in 2006-07 and reached Rs 18,500 crore in 2007-08, before touching Rs 21,000 crore in 2008-09.
Gurgaon has emerged as a preferred destination for the IT industry in the recent past. Numerous established companies like IBM, Microsoft,
Genpact, Oracle, Dell, Samsung, Siemens, Fidelity, HCL, Wipro, TCS, Hughes, Silicon Graphics,
Alcatel, Convergys, Google, Accenture, Aricent, Hewitt, Polaris and Sapient etc have a number of units in the city. The Electronic City located in Gurgaon is spread over an area of 40 acres for hi-tech export-oriented electronics/IT industry. A Software Technology Park developed over an area of 14,000 square feet within the Electronic City is dedicated to software units. A satellite communication link has also been provided here. An Information Technology and Telecommunication Complex within the Electronic City is also in place for computer/software exporters with world-class facilities of earth-station, teleconferencing, Internet-mail service and other communication services. |
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3 dead, 25 hurt as truck overturns
Greater Noida, March 10 The 25 injured have been admitted to various hospitals in the district. Four of them are critical. The truck overturned as its rear tyre burst. Some traders from Dankore, Rabupura and Kakode had gone to sell khoya in Delhi on a 407-Tata mini-truck. While returning, the traders had loaded general merchandise like cloth that they had bought from Delhi on the truck. As the overloaded truck reached near Safipur village on Expressway, one of its rear tyres burst and the driver lost control over the vehicle. The truck hit the divider and overturned. Some nearby people helped in rescuing the injured persons. |
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Juvenile burglar arrested
New Delhi, March 10 The police claimed that the gang was involved in more than 100 thefts and burglaries. They had allegedly set fire on eight houses after burglary and theft in the past one year. While six such incidents were reported last year, two cases took place this year. Sonu (name changed) was caught when he attempted to rob the house of one Lalita in Pillanji village in Sarojini Nagar but two of his associates managed to escape, deputy commissioner of police (south) H G S Dhaliwal said. On March 9, Lalita, reported that at about 7 pm, three juveniles, namely Sonu, Monu and Viru (names changed), entered her house. Sonu and Monu were carrying knives in their hands and robbed the complainant’s mobile phone and gold chain of her son. Lalita and her son resisted the accused and the police acted swiftly. In order to escape from the spot, the juvenile hit himself intentionally with a brick on his head to terrorise the complainant. In the commotion, two of the accomplices — Monu and Viru — escaped from the scene of crime. The group were allegedly involved in burglaries and setting on fire their targets in Laxmi Bai Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Kotla and R K Puram. He had escaped from a remand home a couple of times over a period of seven years and had earlier been involved in several cases of thefts and burglaries in areas near Sarojini Nagar, a senior police officer told. Sonu is wanted by the Juvenile Justice Board in three cases, including two cases of burglary and one case of robbery. On interrogation, Sonu disclosed that they used to dispose off stolen articles in Bihar through one of their contacts staying in the Badarpur area. Three mobile phones, a knife, a purse and few documents were allegedly recovered from him. “Investigation is in progress. Efforts are being made to apprehend his other accomplices and to effect more recoveries,” Dhaliwal said. |
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Rs 3.66 lakh looted from UPCC staff
Ghaziabad, March 10 The incident took place on Tuesday around 1:30 pm that S.N. Singhal, cashier in Rajinder Nagar UP Power office, and J.P. Tiwari, a clerk, were going on a scooter to deposit the amount in PNB, Shyam Park Extension. Singhal was driving the scooter while Tiwari was holding the cash bag. Two young men on a black bike pushed the scooter near Ram Manohar Lohiya Park. As Singhal lost balance over the scooter, one of the criminals snatched the bag from Tiwari and the two sped towards Kiran Gate. Tiwari informed his seniors and the police. The police tried to nab the culprits but failed. SP City A.K. Vijeta said the Delhi police’s cooperation had been sought in tracing the bikers. According to eyewitnesses, the bandits were well-dressed. The police believes the bandits were from the hi-fi circles of Delhi as they had fled towards national Capital. Had the policemen present near Ram Manohar Lohiya Park been a little alert, the criminals could have been nabbed. Besides, there was a PCR near the park. Kiran Gate police post is also near. But despite all this, the criminals not only accomplished the loot but also managed to flee. |
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Facelift of Faridabad’s biggest nullah planned
Faridabad, March 10 Speaking at an interactive session with industrialists organised by the Faridabad Industries Association (FIA), Sehrawat revealed that the MCF has sent a Rs 25-crore proposal to the state government for the first phase of the proposed facelift of the nullah. The nullah, which was once a virtue for this industrialised city, has now emerged as a major bane. It once acted as a natural drainage system for the city. However, now it is full of sewage and plagued with highly polluted water. Also, at umpteen places people have encroached upon the areas on both sides of the banks. The bed of the nullah has become shallow on account of a large amount of garbage and ecologically dangerous non-biodegradable waste being constantly dumped there. The nullah, for most part of the year, remains choked and instead of acting as a drainage system the water from it now backflows in various parts of the city during the rainy season. According to MCF authorities, under the facelift plan there will be pucca embankments on both sides of the nullah. Also, the encroachments will be removed and road will be laid along both sides of the embankment. The nullah starts from under Neelam flyover in AC Nagar in the heart of the city. The water accumulated in it from AC Nagar gathers steam and the momentum continues building up on account of water and sewage added at NH-1, NH-5, part of NH-3 and Badkhal, Nawada and other villages. The nullah then passes from under Bata flyover and near thermal power station, Munjesar, Hardware-Sohna road, Jawahar Colony, Sanjay Colony, Ballabgarh-Sohana road before merging into Yamnua. It passes through the industrial sectors in Faridabad. |
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Earth Hour
New Delhi, March 10 This year the Earth Hour will be observed on March 27 from 8:30 to 9:30 pm. Bachchan is the brand ambassador of the Earth Hour-2010. Earth Hour is an initiative where citizens around the globe show their support by switching off lights for one hour. The Chief Minister said that last year several historical buildings, office complexes, RWAs, shopping centers and hotels switched off their lights, resulting in close to 750 MW power saving in Delhi alone. “I hope that Delhi along with other cities across the country will take Earth Hour to newer heights by generating larger savings, thus stressing the need to shift to a sustainable and low carbon development path,” Dikshit said. She said it was like doing something which cost nothing and saved a lot. She added that Delhi was willing to have a candlelight dinner on March 27. Abhishek Bachchan said, “As responsible citizens of the planet, it is crucial for us to address the colossal problem of climate change by ensuring responsible action and adopting a sustainable way of life. . It is time we take a collective pledge to ‘switch on’ our minds and take the simple step of ‘switching off the lights’ on March 27 from 8:30 to 9:30 pm.” |
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CWG delegation happy with preparations
New Delhi, March 10 “I am confident that Delhi will organise an excellent Commonwealth Games. At Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, work is going on, but I am sure that everything will be ready in time. The progress in work is very impressive,” said Abdul Halil from Malaysia. Chefs de Mission having representatives from 70 Commonwealth nations and territories have gathered in New Delhi for a three-day seminar to take a first-hand experience and familiarise themselves with India’s preparedness in hosting the Commonwealth Games in Delhi from October 3-14. “I am very impressed with the facilities that we have seen at different venues. It is definitely going to be a successful event and we would love to be a part of it. Here at Games Village, the arrangements are fine,” said Neville Fenton, a delegate from Antigua. Chefs de Mission visited Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Complex, Games Village, Indira Gandhi Sports Complex and the Rugby 7 venue at Delhi University. At Games Village, the delegates were shown a set of furnished apartments to be provided to the visiting athletes and officials of the Games. |
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Couple captures nature on lens
New Delhi, March 10 Along with wife Novel, his partner in artistic works, he is holding an exhibition of their works, Inward Eye, at the India Habitat Centre here. Novel, a former State Bank of India officer, organises motivational adventure camps for women. The Lavasas have captured Yamunotri, Gangotri, Gaumukh, Tapovan, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Hemkund, Amarnath, Zanskar, Andamans, Lakshdweep, Arunachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and many more places on the lens. “We feel charged at high altitudes. We have seen dusty roads, climbed hills, rafted through rapid waters and trekked high altitudes amid thin air. But all this transforms into a strange communion even as we spend cold and biting mornings outside our tent to catch a glimpse of the majestic peaks or contours of the mountains and an incredible range of colours in the otherwise brown ranges of the Himalayas. Everything is worth the experience,” said Novel. |
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Now, a signal-free ride from Modi Mill to IGI Airport
New Delhi, March 10 It will be a major relief for residents of south-east Delhi as they always faced jam while going to the airport. More than two lakh vehicles can pass through the stretch daily. The 1,211-metre flyover has been built over Vivekanand Marg-Nelson Mandela Marg and Poorvi Marg intersections in Munirka. The flyover has dual carriageway of three lanes in each traffic direction, with superstructure of composite steel construction with fabricated steel girders. The flyoverm has features like— noise barriers of polycarbonate lexon sheets and concrete pavement over its length— for better and smooth riding surface. The landscaping work under the Munirka flyover is being undertaken under the consultancy of India Society of Landscape Architects. |
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Feast for foodies
New Delhi, March 10 Organised at Pragati Maidan, the four-day food event promises excellent business opportunities within the sector with more than 426 exhibiting
companies. One of the major crowd pullers at the event will be the culinary show that will feature live demonstrations, cooking competition and tasting various food preparations to be judged by chefs from the World Association of Chefs Societies
(WACS). |
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Gang of vehicle thieves busted
New Delhi, March 10 The four accused-- Kundan, Guddu, Durganand Paswan and Ranjan-were arrested from Ranjit Nagar. Three motorcycles, one scooter and several wrist watches have been recovered from their possession. According to police interrogation, Kundan was the head of the gang and worked as a car washer in Patel Nagar. He along with Guudu and Durganand would conduct burglaries and sell the stolen vehicles to their fourth accomplice Ranjan, who is a junk dealer. |
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