A health worker collects swab sample from a person for Covid-19 test. (Express file photo)Delhi News Highlights: The number of new Covid cases has gone down in Delhi further, with the national capital recording 928 fresh infections on Wednesday. Three virus-related fatalities were also reported during the day, which saw 1,466 patients recovering from the disease. The positivity rate is now at 7.08 per cent.
A deputy secretary in Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s office and two sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) have been suspended by Lt Governor V K Saxena on corruption charges, official sources said on Wednesday. Prakash Chandra Thakur posted as deputy secretary in the chief minister’s office, Vasant Vihar SDM Harshit Jain and Vivek Vihar SDM Devender Sharma were suspended and disciplinary proceedings ordered against them, sources said.
The Delhi University has announced it will conduct a second phase of semester examinations for students of undergraduate and postgraduate courses who could not take the paper previously due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other reasons. In a notification issued on Tuesday, the university said the registration for the examination will begin from June 29.
A new solar cooking system, developed by Indian Oil’s Research and Development wing, is currently being tested at 60 locations in the country, and its use is likely to be scaled up soon.
Speaking at a demonstration on the indoor solar cooking system, called Surya Nutan, Hardeep Singh Puri, the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, said, “This is a revolutionary step, a complete paradigm shift. If the idea is taken forward well and if there is commercial exploitation, the private sector will join in. There are so many households, the cost will come down.” Read more
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia conducted a surprise inspection of the road stretch between ITO and Tilak Bridge on Wednesday and reprimanded officials over its non-maintenance, according to an official statement.
Sisodia also asked the officials to prepare a beautification and street-scaping plan for the road stretch in accordance with global standards within a week, the statement said.
He reprimanded the officials concerned over the non-maintenance of the road stretch and the foot overbridges as also on road aesthetics. (PTI)
After a post on the AAP’s Facebook page featured his photo with the caption “Most Corrupt Persons of Punjab”, National Commission for Minorities Chairperson Sardar Iqbal Singh Lalpura sent a legal notice on Wednesday to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, demanding that the party issue a public apology and pay compensation.
Though the post has since been taken down, Lalpura has demanded the removal of “false publishing from all social media’’ as well as an unconditional apology in print, digital and social media platforms, along with a “corrigendum clarifying the correct facts’’. Read more
The number of new Covid cases has gone down in Delhi further, with the national capital recording 928 fresh infections on Wednesday. Three virus-related fatalities were also reported during the day, which saw 1,466 patients recovering from the disease. The positivity rate is now at 7.08 per cent.
The Delhi government is likely to hold a meeting with market associations and women entrepreneurs next week to address their queries on the Dilli Bazaar portal.
Delhi government's ambitious "Dilli Bazaar" e-portal that will enable shoppers across the globe to have a virtual tour of the city's key markets and shop on the lines of other e-commerce platforms will go live in December with 10,000 vendors.
Ahead of the launch, the government will hold a slew of meetings with traders and market associations to know their concerns and address their queries, officials said. The first such meeting is likely to be held in the next week. (PTI)
A deputy secretary in Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's office and two sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) have been suspended by Lt Governor V K Saxena on corruption charges, official sources said on Wednesday.
Prakash Chandra Thakur posted as deputy secretary in the chief minister's office, Vasant Vihar SDM Harshit Jain and Vivek Vihar SDM Devender Sharma were suspended and disciplinary proceedings ordered against them, sources said.
The move reflected LG Saxena's commitment to zero tolerance to corruption and ensuring probity in the functioning of the government, one of the sources said. (PTI)
Power discom TPDDL will hold a special Lok Adalat on June 26 in association with the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) for on-the-spot settlement of electricity theft and disconnection cases, a spokesperson of the discom said on Wednesday.
Cases that are either pending in any court of law or are yet to be filed in any court will be taken up at the Lok Adalat. Those desirous of settling their electricity theft cases can either attend in person or through their authorised representatives carrying authorisation letter, he said.
The litigants may register prior to the Lok Adalat by calling on 19124 or by writing to eac.care@tatapower-ddl.com, he added. (PTI)
The Delhi University sought information from its colleges on the number of additional teaching and non-teaching staff members required to deal with the "additional pressure" created due to the implementation of the 10 per cent reservation for the EWS category in admissions, a senior varsity official said on Wednesday.
The official said the 10 per cent increase in the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category in DU has led to an increase in the number of seats for students. However, the number of teachers and non-teaching staff has remained the same.
Reservation for EWS for admission to all colleges and universities was implemented in 2019. (PTI)
Five policemen and a home guard were injured after a man stabbed them inside the Cyber Cell police station in Shahdara on Wednesday afternoon.
Police said the incident took place on the third floor of the station, and the accused was eventually arrested.
An officer said the accused walked into the police station and went to the third floor. He was recording a video and talking loudly when the policemen asked him to stop and started questioning him about the video. The officer said the accused got angry and pulled out a knife, stabbing the six security personnel who were standing in front of him. Read more
The Delhi Police busted a fake visa racket and arrested three persons for allegedly cheating people in the name of sending them to European countries, the police said Wednesday. The police said the accused were forging Polish visas with the help of their associate based in Poland.
The gang primarily operated in Punjab and Haryana and was trying to “induce” people to spend a huge amount of money to get a residence visa. Read more
The Delhi High Court Wednesday directed the Delhi Police to produce a woman and her minor daughter, who have allegedly been illegally detained by her parents in Uttar Pradesh. Justice Jasmeet Singh asked the Delhi Police to produce the woman and her seven-year-old before the court on Friday.
The court was hearing a habeas corpus plea filed on behalf of the woman's husband seeking direction to the authorities to produce his wife and daughter who are in illegal custody of the woman's parents.
The man, in his plea through advocate Anurag Pratap, submitted that he married the woman, who was a widow and was having a girl child, in January this year. (PTI)
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday wrote to the Enforcement Directorate seeking postponement of her appearance by a few weeks till she recovers completely from Covid and a lung infection.
The Congress president had been summoned by the agency for questioning in a money laundering case related to the National Herald newspaper on June 23.
"Since she has been strictly advised rest at home following her hospitalisation on account of Covid and lung infection, Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi has written to ED today seeking the postponement of her appearance there by a few weeks till she has recovered completely," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter. (PTI)
The counting of votes for Haryana’s 18 municipal councils and 28 municipal committees began at 8 am Wednesday. After the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) opened its account by winning the Ismailabad (Kaithal) municipal committee chairperson post, party president Arvind Kejriwal congratulated the winners.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Sanjay Gupta of brokerage firm OPG Securities in the 2018 National Stock Exchange (NSE) manipulation case involving the former CEO of the bourse Chitra Ramkrishna.
Sources said Gupta was arrested since recent investigations into the case revealed that he had not only destroyed some evidence but also attempted to bribe officials of Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) when it was probing issues associated with NSE. Read more
The Delhi public works department (PWD) has ordered all its finance officers to provide monthly reports on or before the 10th of every month, starting from July, according to officials.
According to officials, this is being done in all departments to keep a check on spending and to see whether the funds released for projects and administrative functionings are being correctly applied and used.
“All finance officers to report to COA (controller of accounts) also and provide consolidated monthly report in respect of their zones of data of transactions that took place up to previous month or during the month under all heads including debt, deposit, suspense and remittance of every division…And furnish it latest by 10th of every month,” the order stated. Read more
The Delhi University has announced it will conduct a second phase of semester examinations for students of undergraduate and postgraduate courses who could not take the paper previously due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other reasons.
In a notification issued on Tuesday, the university said the registration for the examination will begin from June 29.
The previous round of physical mode examination for all undergraduate and postgraduate programmes took place in May and June. This was the first time in two years that the university resumed the physical mode of examination. However, some students could not attend the examination due to various reasons including COVID-19. (PTI)
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was questioned for nine hours by the Enforcement Directorate for the fifth day of questioning in the National Herald case.
Residents of a Noida highrise were allegedly beaten up by goons on Sunday after they protested against the builder’s alleged poor upkeep and refusal to hand over the maintenance to the resident welfare association (RWA).
The police said that they have arrested seven people in connection with the incident at Sunshine Helios in Sector 78 and registered a case under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 147 (rioting) and 323 (causing hurt). The police added that they were probing allegations that the arrested individuals were linked to the builder. Meanwhile, the builder company, Sunshine Infrawell denied the allegations and said that it was the residents who had hired goons.
Under 'Dilli Ki Yogshala', the Delhi government provides a free yoga trainer to groups of 25 people to learn the ancient Indian practice in community spaces and parks. So far, 17,000 citizens have opted for the scheme at 546 parks and public spaces across the national capital, according to the government.
On the occasion of the International Yoga Day, the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal performed yoga asanas with hundreds of people at the Thyagraj Stadium here. He was joined by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, and members of 'Dilli Ki Yogshala', the initiative under which the city government teaches yoga to citizens for free.
The Delhi government will soon roll out yoga classes in its schools so that children can learn and practice it from an early age, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday. He also said that his government will continue to teach yoga to people for free and that it was on a mission to increase the number of beneficiaries manifold.
With schools set to reopen from July 1 following summer vacation, rising Covid cases in Delhi-NCR have sparked concerns among parents even as principals said there should be no more disruption in offline learning and asserted that all measures are being taken to get students accustomed to living with the pandemic.
According to school principals, while coronavirus is posing new threats, there is a need for parents to understand that the pandemic is nearing the endemic phase and one should get accustomed to living with it. "While the schools are scheduled to open from July 1 after the summer vacations, increasing Covid cases have become a major concern for the parents yet again.
Following a fake complaints from BJP leader, the L-G is trying to stop the construction work of hospitals in Delhi. Despite the complaint being called frivolous by the former LG, the current Vinai Saxena violating the prevention of corruption rules has given permission to ACB to investigate the allegations of corruption against senior PWD officials: Deputy CM Manish Sisodia
The reaction comes a day after LG gave permission to ACB to investigate allegations of corruption against PWD. -with ENS inputs
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has written to the Delhi chief secretary over the denial of admission to children from the EWS (Economically Weaker Section) category in private schools over the last two years, asking him to take “legal remedy” in the matter.
The commission said prima facie, in the past two years, around 18,000 children were not provided admission in Delhi under the EWS category even after allotment by the directorate of education. It also asked the chief secretary to intimate it of action taken within seven days of the issue of the letter. Read more
Residents of a Noida highrise were allegedly beaten up by goons on Sunday after they protested against the builder’s alleged poor upkeep and refusal to hand over the maintenance to the resident welfare association (RWA).
Things came to a head on Saturday after four children got stuck inside an elevator in the society for 20 minutes. The resident association secretary said that the issues with the lifts were not new. “On May 12, one of the lifts dropped an entire floor. On Saturday, three children were stuck in a lift for almost 20 minutes,” the secretary alleged. Read more
The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the plea for an SIT probe into the damage to public properties during the protests against ‘Agnipath’ will be listed for hearing after the Chief Justice of India takes a decision in this regard.
The Agnipath scheme, announced on June 14, provides for the recruitment of youths in the age group of 17-and-a-half-years to 21 years for a four-year stint with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for 15 more years. Read more
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reaches the office of the Enforcement Directorate for the fifth day of questioning in the National Herald case.
Gandhi, 52, arrived at the ED headquarters on APJ Abdul Kalam Road in central Delhi at 11:15 am along with his security escort. A strong contingent of police and paramilitary personnel was deployed around the federal agency's office even as Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) has been imposed in the area.
The Congress MP from Wayanad has spent about 42 hours at the ED office over the last four sittings with the investigators, where he was questioned over multiple sessions and his statement recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. He was questioned for three consecutive days last week, and after Monday's questioning, he was asked to rejoin the session and complete the recording of his statement.
Sources said Rahul is being questioned about the ownership of Young Indian (YI) by the Gandhi family and its shareholding in Associate Journals Limited (AJL), the company that runs the National Herald newspaper. He is being questioned about the circumstances under which AJL was acquired by Young Indian in 2010 for a “pittance” making it in turn the owner of all assets owned by the National Herald newspaper. -with PTI inputs
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast for Delhi today indicates that overcast skies are likely to persist during the day, and light rainfall is on the cards.
Rainfall is not on the forecast for Delhi from June 22 to 26, but the possibility of rain or thunderstorm returns on June 27, the IMD’s seven-day forecast shows. Read more
In a bid to provide better last-mile connectivity to government staff, Delhi Police personnel deployed on security duty, and visitors, the Delhi government is planning to start a free electric shuttle service from the Delhi Secretariat to nearby Metro stations and bus stops.
Delhi Secretariat is situated near ITO and Indira Gandhi Stadium. “The nearest Metro stations are IP and ITO Metro stations but as both are located in opposite directions, auto rickshaws either refuse to go or charge extra,” said an employee who works at the Delhi Secretariat. Read more
Traffic movement will be affected in parts of central Delhi on Tuesday as former Congress president Rahul Gandhi will appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for the fifth time in a money laundering probe linked to the National Herald newspaper.
To avoid inconvenience to the public, Delhi Traffic Police said it has made special arrangements and urged commuters to avoid certain routes. (PTI)
A press conference was held on Monday with retired Armymen and police personnel to “clarify various doubts” regarding the Agnipath scheme.
In attendance were ADCP (Gautam Budh Nagar) Ranvijay Singh and retired veterans Colonel R K Bhushan, Colonel S K Bohra, Colonel Shailendra Singh, Colonel I P Singh, and Colonel S K Shrivastava. They also condemned the violent protests in several states by those dissatisfied by the scheme.
ADCP Singh said, “The Agnipath scheme is a beginning to an aspirant’s life, which gives him the opportunity to serve the nation. Even a single day’s service is a gift, and the scheme provides four years.” Read more
CM Arvind Kejriwal on the International day of Yoga said Delhi is the only city where a large number of people practice yoga on a daily basis.
Around 17000 people are practicing yoga in 546 parks of Delhi on a daily basis.
Around 4600 Covid patients signed for free classes during third wave and research studies have shown that yoga helped the patients a lot in improving immune system and fight Covid. -with ENS inputs
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal performed Yoga asanas along with hundreds of people at Thyagaraj stadium on the occasion of International Yoga Day on Tuesday.
Kejriwal joined members of 'Dilli Ki Yogashala' along with his deputy Manish Sisodia at the stadium for the Yoga session.
He appealed people to resolve for practising Yoga and Pranayam every day.
In a series of tweets he said Delhi government has arranged free Yoga classes, and urged people to practice the exercises themselves and others for living a healthy life.
Residents of the city in groups of 20-25 if willing to practice Yoga are provided an instructor by Delhi government under the 'Dilli Ki Yogsahala' programme. (PTI)
Days after a 25-year-old man was arrested for allegedly assaulting and raping an eight-year-old at her home in Southeast Delhi, police have found that the accused is HIV-positive and had deliberately tried to “spread” the disease.
The accused, a labourer, recently shifted to a rented accommodation where the minor lives with her mother. On June 14, the girl was alone at home when he targeted her. When her mother returned from work, she found bite marks on her body. They reported the matter to police and were sent to AIIMS for medical help. Read more
Students who had been admitted to Modern School Barakhamba Road against the economically weaker section (EWS) quota and are in class XI now have been asked to pay over Rs 67,000 in fees for the first term of this academic year, prompting the parents to get a legal notice issued to the school authorities.
According to the provisions of the Right to Education Act 2009, all private schools in Delhi are required to reserve 25% of seats for EWS and disadvantaged group (DG) students during admissions at the entry level, and compulsorily provide them free education till the completion of class VIII. Read more
Vehicles in Delhi found plying without High-Security Number Plates (HSRP) or with stickers pasted on number plates will be slapped with a fine of Rs 5,000, said officials from the transport department.
The department will start a special drive today, as part of which enforcement officers will be deployed to check violations. Action will also be taken against dealers who supply unregistered vehicles, officials said. Read more
Long-pending plans to build a new prison in Narela have finally gained momentum with a 40-acre parcel of land being handed over to the prisons department.
There are three prisons in Delhi at present, Tihar, Mandoli and Rohini. Officials said the total capacity of the three complexes is 10,026 persons but 19,669 convicted and undertrial prisoners are housed in these at present. Read more
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has asked Delhi Police to take legal action against AAP’s Rajinder Nagar bypoll candidate Durgesh Pathak over allegations that minors were roped in during campaigning.
NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo has also written to the Chief Election Commissioner saying that such an act is prima facie in contravention of the Model Code of Conduct and in violation of Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, Child & Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, Article 21 (Right to Life) & Article 23 (Right to protection from forced labour) of the Constitution of lndia, relevant Sections of Indian Penal Code, 1860. Read more
Delhi reported 1,060 new Covid cases in a day and six deaths, the highest in around four months, as the positivity rate rose to 10.09 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department on Monday. This is the highest test positivity rate recorded in the capital since January 24 when 11.8 per cent of the people tested had turned out Covid positive.
The fresh cases were detected out of 10,506 Covid tests conducted the previous day. Delhi's Covid case tally has risen to 19,23,149 while the death toll climbed to 26,238, the department said in its latest bulletin. On Sunday, the city had logged 1,530 Covid cases with a positivity rate of 8.41 per cent and three deaths. The day before, Delhi recorded 1,534 Covid cases with a positivity rate of 7.71 per cent and three deaths.
Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain, currently being investigated in a money laundering case by ED, was rushed to Lok Nayak hospital at 11 am with low oxygen saturation. He was admitted to a special ward and is on oxygen. He is stable, according to sources.
The two accused, arrested by the Delhi Police in the Siddhu Moosawala murder case, have been identified as Priyavrat (26) and Kashish (24). Both shooters were seen in the CCTV footage that was recovered near a petrol pump. Police said Priyavrat is the main shooter and was directly in touch with Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar at the time of the incident.
The Delhi Police on Monday arrested two of the main shooters involved in a murder of singer Siddhu Moosawala, who was shot at a village in Punjab on May 29. Police have reportedly recovered large number of arms and explosives while making the arrests.
Congress leader Ajay Maken said that the party will hold a Satyagraha against the centre's Agnipath scheme at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Monday and meet the President in the evening to demand its withdrawal. "The scheme should first be discussed with youth & in Parliament, but before that, it should be withdrawn," he added.
As Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday for the fourth round of questioning in a money laundering case linked to the National Herald case, his party will hold a peaceful protest across the country against the central government’s “vendetta politics”. (ANI)
Delhi reported1,530 fresh Covid-19 infections in the last 24 hours along with 3 new deaths. Active cases stand at 5,542 while positivity rate stands at 8.41 per cent.
A 38-year-old man allegedly killed his live-in partner after the two got into a fight over their children from previous relationships, said police on Sunday. The incident took place in Outer Delhi’s Bhalswa area. The accused, Vijay Ram, approached police around 9 pm on Saturday and claimed he hit his partner during a fight and killed her.
Police rushed to his house where they found the body of the woman, Santoshi Devi, in the bathroom. A senior police officer said, “There was blood everywhere. Ram was questioned and he confessed he killed her on Friday night and the body had been lying in the bathroom. He planned to escape and was looking for places to go but got scared at the last minute and decided to surrender.”
Over 2,000 chess players from 188 countries are participating in the 44th Chess Olympiad.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched the torch relay for the 44th Chess Olympiad at Indira Gandhi Stadium in Delhi. Union Minister Anurag Thakur, Indian Chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand were also present.
The Supreme Court will hear on Monday the plea of ‘conman’ Sukesh Chandrashekhar, who is lodged in Tihar jail on charges of money laundering and duping several people, and his wife seeking their transfer to a prison outside Delhi alleging threat to their lives.
The Centre is expected to apprise a vacation bench of Justices C T Ravikumar and Sudhanshu Dhulia names of the prisons besides Tihar jail, where jailed Chandrashekhar and his spouse Leena Paulose could be shifted.
Delhi University has written to the heads of all departments to ensure that the direct teaching-learning workload of all permanent faculty members adheres to the University Grants Commission (UGC) norms.
In a letter dated June 16, the Assistant Registrar (Estab. Teaching) also asked the departments to make sure that the requirement for an ad hoc or guest faculty must be supported by the timetable and teaching-learning workload of permanent faculty members. This was done as allegedly many permanent teachers asked Ad hoc or guest faculty to take their classes.
PM also suggest the officials to close the Pragati Maidan tunnel for 4-6 hours every Sunday for vehicles and organise tour and visits for school children. The tunnel should be treated as an art gallery, he said.
Congress Party leaders sit on Satyagraha against the Government’s Agnipath Scheme, 19th June 2022 at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the main tunnel and five underpasses of the Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor project, an integral part of the Pragati Maidan redevelopment exercise. The Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor project has been built at a cost of more than Rs 920 crore and is entirely funded by the central government. It is aimed at providing hassle-free and smooth access to the new world-class exhibition and convention centre being developed at Pragati Maidan to facilitate easy participation of exhibitors and visitors in the programmes being held there. (PTI)