|
|
|
|
|
LPG subsidy through banks in 54 districts from today
Chinese troops ‘training Pak army’ near LoC,
IB
BJP demands CBI probe
Centre to modernise prisons
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Gen DS Suhag
Act tough on graft in dental council: AAP
NRIs may get postal ballot facility: EC
Finally, a book in UPA’s defence; Khurshid on job
HRD ministers in degree row, Cong says PM clueless
Fraudulent LTC claims for travel to J&K exposed
U’khand cops yet to identify woman’s body
Inquiry panel formed; drug firm director held
2 Congo fever cases in Gujarat baffle officials
Bombay HC stays quota for Marathas, govt to move SC
BJP eyes to isolate Sena in BMC
Saradha scam accused attempts suicide in jail
Kunal Ghosh
TMC workers attack police station
ULFA ultras kill trader
|
|
LPG subsidy through banks in 54 districts from today
New Delhi, November 14 The government is re-launching the modified scheme under which the Aadhaar card will not be mandatory for availing cash subsidy directly in bank accounts. They will now be able to buy cylinders at the market price and the subsidy can be sent directly to the bank account linked with it. The DBTL is aimed at ensuring that the benefit meant for genuine customers reaches them directly and is not diverted, leading to an estimated saving of ~10,000
crore. The scheme was launched on June 1 last year and covered 291 districts. It required the consumer to mandatorily have an Aadhaar number for availing LPG subsidy. The Petroleum Ministry said today that the government has comprehensively reviewed the scheme and after examining the difficulties faced by consumers, modified the scheme prior to launch. The scheme is being re-launched in 54 districts in 11 states from tomorrow and in the rest of the country on January 1. In these districts the Aadhaar penetration is close to 95 per cent. Consumers who had joined the scheme earlier and had received cash subsidy in their bank accounts do not need to do anything further. To confirm this, they should check their CTC (cash transfer
complianant) status on the LPG portal. The major changes in the modified scheme are that Aadhaar is not mandatory. Consumers who declare that they do not have the Aadhaar number, can receive cash directly into their bank accounts without producing
Aadhaar. However, as and when they get Aadhaar, they may have to shift to
Aadhaar-based cash transfer. For consumers who are not CTCs will get a 3-month grace period during which they will receive cylinders at subsidised rate. After the grace period, they will get an additional three months as parking period. During the parking period they will have to buy cylinders at the market rate. If the consumer joins the scheme within the parking period, the subsidy as per entitlement and consumption during parking period will be transferred to his bank account. The permanent advance is paid in the bank account of consumers as soon as they make the first booking for a cylinder after joining the scheme, prior to the delivery. This advance ensures that LPG consumers have extra cash to pay for the first LPG cylinder at market price. Customers who have already given Aadhaar number to the LPG distributor but not to the bank should link their Aadhaar numbers with their banks immediately. The balance LPG consumers who have not given their Aadhaar number to LPG distributor or to banks must give their Aadhaar number to both if they have it. If they don’t have Aadhaar number, they need to give their bank account details to the OMC distributor or in the alternative they can give their 17-digit LPG ID to their banks if they are accepting it.
Major changes in scheme
* Since Aadhaar is not mandatory, consumers without a UID number can receive cash directly into their bank accounts *
However, as and when they get
Aadhaar, they may have to shift to Aadhaar-based cash transfer * Consumers who are not cash transfer complainants will get a three-month grace period during which they will receive cylinders at a subsidised rate *
After the grace period, they will get an additional three months as parking period during which they will have to buy cylinders at the market rate.
|
|
|
Chinese troops ‘training Pak army’ near LoC,
IB
New Delhi, November 14 The Chinese troops, according to a report submitted by the BSF intelligence wing, have been seen training Pak armymen in "weapon handling" techniques bang opposite the Rajouri sector of International Border. The report said these military manoeuvres were being conducted at forward defence locations of Pakistan which are usually manned by border guarding personnel - the Pak Rangers. Preliminary inputs analysed by the BSF also showed that some Pak army units have taken over paramilitary posts of Rangers opposite the Sriganganagar sector. The BSF found new observation towers have also been set up by Pakistan in recent past along Abohar and Gurdaspur sectors in Punjab. The BSF intelligence reported that phone intercepts along the border indicate that Pakistan army and Rangers are planning to deploy snipers and sharp shooters at strategic locations and posts to target Indian soldiers and assets. The BSF intelligence reported that a special squad of the Pak army commandos has been placed at select locations along the IB and
LoC, which may attempt to carry out raids and Border Action Team (BAT)-sponsored attacks into the Indian territory. It also said a large grouping of terrorists has been detected along Sialkot area in Pakistan which may be planning to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir at a time when Assembly polls are scheduled in the state. It said agencies have detected a few launch pads for terrorists to infiltrate along either the International Border
(IB) or the Line of Control (LoC). The India-Pak border, which has been witnessing a series of ceasefire violations in the past few months, is peaceful but tense, the report said. — PTI
Targeting India
* Chinese troops have been seen training Pak armymen in weapon handling techniques opposite the Rajouri sector of the
IB * Some Pak army units have taken over paramilitary posts of Rangers opposite Sriganganagar sector *
Observation towers have also been set up by Pakistan along Abohar and Gurdaspur sectors in Punjab *
Phone intercepts indicate that Pakistan Rangers are planning to deploy snipers at strategic locations to target Indian soldiers
|
|
|
BJP demands CBI probe
New Delhi, November 14 “Since Kunal Ghosh is a prime witness of the scam, it is the imperative for Bengal police to be more alert and monitor him 24/7. “The jail authority's approach therefore raises further questions - whether it was a suicide attempt or a political conspiracy to suppress evidence? Also it is important to know how the sleeping drugs were slipped into his room," Singh said in a statement. The BJP leader, who is also the party in charge of the state, said the CBI should investigate the suicide attempt and ensure a safer custody of the prime accused in Saradha scam. Ghosh had allegedly tried to commit suicide by consuming sleeping pills in the early hours in Presidency correctional home where he is lodged.
|
|
Centre to modernise prisons
New Delhi, November 14 Speaking at the concluding session of a two-day seminar on prison reforms organised by the
NHRC, Rajnath said there was a need for changes in the present modern jail manual. He said the Centre had earlier issued 22 advisories to the states regarding prison reforms in accordance with the recommendations by the Supreme Court and the
NHRC. He said the second phase to modernise prisons would start from February next year. “Prisons should not be seen only as places of confinement, but also for reforming the inmates. They should be imparted skill training in prisons,” he said.
|
|||||
|
Suhag gets rank of General of Nepal Army
New Delhi, November 14 As part of a long-standing tradition between Nepal and India, both countries confer the honorary title on each other’s Army chiefs. The President also felicitated General Suhag with the insignia of the Nepal Army. The Indian Army Chief also called on Prime Minister Sushil Koirala at his office at Singhdurbar. They discussed Nepal-India military cooperation and matters of mutual interest. The Chief visited the mountain warfare school and interacted with the ex-servicemen in Pokhara and also visited headquarters western division. General Dalbir Singh is on a four-day visit to Nepal after being invited by his Nepalese counterpart General Guarav Sumsher
Rana.
|
|||||
|
Act tough on graft in dental council: AAP
New Delhi, November 13 The CBI’s anti-corruption branch in Chennai is already inquiring into four cases of corruption and related instances of irregularities in the DCI that came to light in the last two years. The apex dental body is accused of granting approvals for courses, seats expansion and renewal of recognition of privately-run institutions. Majority of the corruption cases are related to the massive jump in the postgraduate seats over the last three years. DCI head Dr Dibyendu Mazumdar is under fire in the oral and maxilla-facial surgery scam (accused of sanctioning nearly 81 seats in violation of the national policy) and for scrapping of biometric attendance system . — TNS
|
|||||
|
NRIs may get postal ballot facility: EC
New Delhi, November 14 Appearing for the EC, advocate Meenakshi Arora told a Bench headed by Chief Justice HL Dattu that a panel set up by the commission to go into the demands of NRIs had recommended the use of the postal ballot. The postal ballot could be sent electronically to the NRI voters who in turn could send them by surface mail after exercising their franchise, she said. Appearing for the Centre, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) L Nageswara Rao said the government would go through the recommendations and give its report to the SC. At this, the Bench slated the next hearing after four weeks. The SC is hearing three PILs filed by Nagender Chindam and several others on the issue.
|
|||||
|
Finally, a book in UPA’s defence; Khurshid on job
New Delhi, November 14 “I have a case on the behalf of the Congress that we did not do anything wrong. We were hammered for what we did not do,” Khurshid said today admitting that he had been contracted by Rupa Publishers to write a book that presented the details of landmark events during UPA-II from the perspective of the Congress. Titled “The Other Side of the Mountain”, Khurshid’s book will attempt to give UPA-II's version of major scams that dented its reputation. Khurshid said the book would highlight how Team Anna was hiding stuff from each other besides accounts of events that led to the split of the decade between Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal. That was when the AAP was born. He said he was responsible for the split in many ways or was at least considered responsible for it. As part of the former government's delegation that was engaging with Anna, Khurshid went to meet the social activist who would not let him reveal the truth of the meeting. “Anna himself came to see me telling his people he was going to meet some saint. Kiran Bedi wanted to accompany him but he told her that he had an individual invite. I, too, lied to my security to go and see Anna. By the end of the meeting Anna had agreed to campaign for the Congress. All he wanted was PM's assurance on the Lokpal bill," recalls Khurshid, who will contrast Anna and Kejriwal in his book. The book will record UPA-II's perspective on the 2G and coal scam with the author asking tough questions from the ruling
BJP.
|
|||||
|
HRD ministers in degree row, Cong says PM clueless
New Delhi, November 14 Referring to the latest controversy around MoS HRD Ram Shankar Katheria, who is facing a charge of forging his graduation marksheet of Kanpur University, Congress spokesperson Salman Khurshid today said: “The master of the class is clueless. The truth about the educational qualification of HRD Minister Smriti Irani has not yet come out and we have another controversy. This time we have a minister who seems to have filed in his own marksheet, bringing into doubt the validity of his graduation degree. It seems the ministers of this Government believe in making degrees in India.” — TNS
|
|||||
|
Fraudulent LTC claims for travel to J&K exposed
Chandigarh, November 14 Scrutiny of travel claims have revealed that forged e-tickets were enclosed with LTC claims by defence personnel as well as civilian employees travelling to J&K. When some of the claims were verified with the airlines, it turned out that the amount being claimed were more than double the actual cost of tickets. It was also found that tickets were purchased from unauthorised travel agents in violation of rules. All government employees are mandated to purchase tickets for official use from specified agents only. For
LTC, special tickets are issued by Air India under its LTC-80 scheme. However, “LTC-80” was found to be mentioned on forged private airlines tickets, especially in the J&K sector. Some forged tickets also mentioned fares that were lower than the LTC-80 fare. In June 2010, LTC rules were relaxed, permitting government employees to travel by air in economy class from Delhi and Amritsar to any place in J&K by any airlines, though reimbursement of fare would be limited to fares charged by Air India for tickets issued under the LTC scheme. The detection of fraudulent claims has also prompted the Controller General of Defence Accounts to issue instructions recently that extra vigilance needed to be exercised while processing LTC claims and all relevant documents are to be thoroughly
scrutinised.
|
|||||
|
U’khand cops yet to identify woman’s body
Dehradun, November 14 Moumita’s brother Mridul Das has left for Uttarkashi and is expected to reach Purola today. The police expect him to identify the body. On Thursday, Moumita’s cousin failed to identify the body. A State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team had recovered the body in a decomposed condition from the Yamuna, two kilometres from Damta in Uttarkashi district. “In case the body is not identified, we will go for DNA testing,” Uttarkashi Superintendent of Police Jagat Ram Joshi said, adding that the body would be cremated on Saturday if Mridul failed to identify it. The police have arrested a taxi driver, Raju Das, and his three accomplices — Bablu, Guddu and Kundan for murdering Moumita and Avijit, who had come to the state for celebrating Diwali but went missing. The accused have been arrested on charges of rape, murder, abduction and suppression of evidence. The police claimed that the accused had confessed of raping the girl before throwing her into the Yamuna.
The case
* Moumita Das along with her friend Avijit Paul were killed on October 24 by four persons on way to Chakrata *
A State Disaster Response Force team recovered Moumita’s body in a decomposed condition from the Yamuna, two kilometres from Damta in Uttarkashi
|
|||||
|
Inquiry panel formed; drug firm director held
Raipur, November 14 As Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh came under attack over the deaths and allegations of spurious drugs being given, the director of a drug company, which allegedly supplied sub-standard medicines that were administered to the victims, and his son were arrested today. “A single-member probe commission has been constituted and retired District and Sessions Judge Anita Jha has been entrusted with the responsibility of investigating the case of sterilisation surgeries at Sankri (Pendari), Gaurela, Pendra and Marwahi areas of Bilaspur district, where 13 women died and several fell critically ill after undergoing surgery,” a government statement here said. The commission has been asked to submit its report to the state government within three months, it said. Chief Minister Raman Singh had yesterday announced an unbiased and transparent judicial probe into the incidents following which, the General Administration Department issued a notification last evening regarding formation of the panel. The Chief Minister today rejected Congress demand for his resignation. “Will by resignation resolve this issue. This is no option. Congress is only trying to politicise the issue,” he said. While 83 women were operated upon at Nemichand Jain Cancer and Research Centre at Pendari village of Takhatpur block on November 8, around 56 women underwent surgeries at three different camps in Pendra block on November 10. The commission will investigate on many points, including if standard protocol was followed at these camps, circumstances that led to the incident, whether medicines used at the camps were of standard quality, who are those accountable for this incident, measures that can be taken to avoid recurrence of such incidents, the statement said. — PTI
In UP village, 42 surgeries in 2 hrs
Lucknow: The UP Government on Friday suspended a sterilisation drive in Kushinagar and ordered an inquiry after it was found that 42 tubectomy surgeries were performed in less than two hours at a health camp at a primary health centre in Kushinagar. TNS
|
|||||
|
2 Congo fever cases in Gujarat baffle officials
Ahmedabad, November 14 The Chief district health officer said Dr Manish Gandhi had been admitted to a private hospital amidst strict security for treatment. The labourer was first admitted to the Ahmedabad civil hospital and later moved to a hospital in Patan (also in north Gujarat). He, however, could not elaborate how the medical practitioner and the labourer contracted the disease. The worried state government had rushed four teams to Bayad and surrounding areas to check further spread of the virus causing Congo fever. The health officer said a team had administered anti-virus vaccinations to around 300 domestic animals in the region.
|
|||||
|
Bombay HC stays quota for Marathas, govt to move SC
Mumbai, November 14 Hearing several public interest litigations, the Bench headed by Chief Justice Mohit Shah ruled that the fresh quotas announced by the Maharashtra Government violated the guidelines prescribed by the Supreme Court as per which reservations should not exceed 50 per cent of the total seats. The High Court also quashed the 5 per cent quota for Muslims in government jobs but allowed reservation in state-owned educational institutions. The petitioners argued before the court that reservations in government jobs and educational institutions in Maharashtra was already 52 per cent and the introduction of fresh quotas would raise it to 73 per cent. The court accepted the data provided by the government on educational backwardness among Muslims and allowed reservation for the community in government educational institutions. The reservations would not be available for Muslims in private educational bodies, the court said. The Bench did not accept the government’s argument that the two communities were socially, educationally and economically backward. Petitioners challenging the fresh quotas included social activist Ketan Tirodkar, an NGO Youth for Equality, Anil Thanekar, IS Gilada of the Indian Health Organisation and others. Arguing against the reservations for Marathas, the petitioners argued that the community controlled 75 per cent of cooperative sugar factories in the state apart from many of educational institutions in the state. Moreover, members of the community owned nearly 75 per cent of the land in the state, the petitioners stated. The BJP government under Devendra Fadnavis is now under pressure to implement the quota policy of its predecessor in order to keep the powerful Maratha community in good humour. “We will approach the Supreme Court. We will also bring about legislation in the Winter Session of the Assembly,” Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told reporters. The Opposition is blaming the government for not taking a strong stand in the court. “This government did not argue the case properly in court,” NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said. The Shiv Sena also joined the chorus against the government. “The government should tell us why it failed to protect the Marathas in the court. The impression is that only Muslims will benefit from the reservations,” Shiv Sena leader Diwakar Raote said.
SC guidelines violated
* The court ruled that the fresh quotas announced by the government violated guidelines prescribed by the Supreme Court as per which reservations should not exceed 50 per cent of the total seats *
The court also quashed the 5 per cent quota for Muslims in government jobs
|
|||||
|
BJP eyes to isolate Sena in BMC
Mumbai, November 14 Earlier this week, a meeting between Ashish Shelar, who heads the Mumbai unit of the BJP, and MNS Chief Raj Thackeray had given rise to speculation about the two parties tying up. The Shiv Sena and the BJP jointly control the BMC at present. However, with both parties falling out at the state level, the BJP is expected to break the alliance in Mumbai. Of the 227 seats in the BMC, the Shiv Sena holds 75 while the BJP has 31. The Shiv Sena is said to be negotiating with the MNS which has 28 corporators in the
BMC.
|
|||||
|
Saradha scam accused attempts suicide in jail
Kolkata, November 14 Ghosh, who had threatened to end his life if the CBI failed to take action against those involved in the scam, has been admitted to the SSKM hospital and his condition is stated to be critical. Hospital authorities said Ghosh had taken excessive dose of sleeping pills. Doctors, however, removed poisonous remnants of the pills from his stomach. His condition, though critical, remained somewhat stable. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told the Assembly that the jail superintendent, attending doctors and warders attached to Ghosh’s cell had been suspended. West Bengal Home Secretary Basudeb Banerjee was also asked to personally look into the matter and take action against accused. Ghosh had threatened to commit suicide while being producing in the city Banksall Court on November 10 in connection with a case of the Sarada Tours & Travel by the Biddhannagar police. He had demanded the arrest of “real” accused within three days. Widespread protests erupted after reports of Ghosh’s suicide attempt trickled in. The issue also came up in the ongoing Assembly session when Opposition members — Congress, Left Front and BJP MLAs — demanded the Chief Minister’s (also the Home Minister) resignation. The West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) president, Adhir Chowdhury, alleged that the Chief Minister wanted Ghosh to die and accordingly the police did not take adequate measures inside the jail even after Ghosh’s public declaration of committing suicide. BJP leader Siddharth Nath Singh alleged the incident was planned and Kunal had been supplied with huge stock of sleeping pills by jail authorities.
CM suspends jail staff
* Hospital authorities said Ghosh had taken excessive dose of sleeping pills *
His condition, though critical, remained somewhat stable. * CM Mamata Banerjee said the jail superintendent, doctors and warders attached to Ghosh’s cell had been suspended
|
|||||
|
TMC workers attack police station
Kolkata, November 14 Senior policemen fled the spot, while ASIs and constables stayed back but could do nothing. Some of them took cover under tables for safety. The incident occurred after the police went to the Baker Road area to evict trespassers from the PWD land, adjacent to the ADM’s bungalow. But the police could not fully vacate the place and handed over the land to the PWD in the face of violent demonstrations. Thereafter, led by the local TMC councilor and other leaders, nearly 100 people raided the Alipore station. They claimed that the local MLA and the PWD minister had allowed them to occupy the vacant land.
|
|||||
|
ULFA ultras kill trader
Guwahati, November 14 The police said a brick kiln owner, Shivaji Prasad, was called out of his residence around 6 am by two motor-cycle borne youth who fired at him from close range. The injured businessman, who received at least three bullet injuries, died while being taken to Jorhat Medical College. — TNS
|
|||||
New Delhi Navy war room leak case The CBI has faced the ire of a special court which imposed Rs 10,000 cost on it for “unnecessarily” delaying the proceedings by not appointing a prosecutor in the 2006 naval war room leak case in which five persons, including three former naval officers and an ex-Wing Commander, face trial. PTI Balasore Dhanush missile test-fired India on Friday successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable Dhanush ballistic missile from a naval ship off the Odisha coast. The surface-to-surface Dhanush, a naval variant of India’s indigenously-developed 'Prithvi' missile, was test-fired from a ship in the Bay of Bengal around 7.40 pm. PTI
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Suspended Trinamool Congress MP and Saradha scam accused Kunal Ghosh allegedly tried to commit suicide by consuming sleeping pills in the Presidency Correctional Home last night.
Ghosh, who had threatened to end his life if the CBI failed to take action against those involved in the scam, has been admitted to the SSKM hospital and his condition is stated to be critical.
