AAP completes 100 days in office

May 24, 2015

New Delhi, May 24: The AAP-led Delhi government today completed 100 days in office, a period marked by its ongoing bitter tussle with the Lt Governor, a split in the party and implementation of a slew of its electoral promises, including slashing power tariff by 50 per cent and providing free water of up to 20,000 litres per month.

AAP 100The government also relaunched the '1031' anti-corruption helpline, where people can lodge complaints against officials, to weed out graft and achieve its stated objective of making Delhi the country's first graft-free state.

The government has planned a mega event at Central Park here in the heart of the national capital tomorrow where the entire Delhi Cabinet will be present to highlight its achievements before the public.

The Arvind Kejriwal government has also initiated the process of regularising unauthorised colonies while it banned demolition of jhuggis immediately after assuming office and held a series of special camps to provide licences to e-rickshaws.

A new body, Delhi Dialogue Commission, was created to implement the government's 70-point development agenda whereas 21 MLAs were appointed as Parliamentary Secretaries to assist in matters of governance.

Its bid to reach out to the rural constituency suffered a serious setback in the form of an alleged suicide of a farmer at a party rally days after it announced relief of Rs 20,000 per acre for rain and hailstorm hit farmers in Delhi.

On the administrative front, Kejriwal had to settle for KK Sharma as the Chief Secretary as the Centre overruled his choice of Ramesh Negi.

A major conflict broke out as the Lt Governor Najeeb Jung appointed Shakuntala Gamlin as the acting Chief Secretary when Sharma went on a 10-day leave.

As Kejriwal questioned the LG's authority and accused him of trying to take over the administration, the Union Home Ministry came out with a notification throwing its weight behind Jung.

The chances of the confrontation ebbing away looks a distant possibility as the two sides have raised the stakes in the power tussle with the Delhi government mulling to take the legal route.

The AAP government has also decided to call a two-day 'emergency' session of Delhi Assembly from Tuesday to deliberate on the notification.

The comment by the Chief Minister, who has repeatedly alleged "conspiracies" against the government, that there should be a "public trial" of the media evoked sharp criticism.

Later, the government also issued a circular on filing of defamation cases against media houses for publishing or broadcasting news that damages the reputation of the Chief Minister, the council of ministers or the government. The circular was stayed by Supreme Court.

In February, the AAP government had announced a 50 per cent subsidy on monthly power consumption of up to 400 units and 20,000 litres of free water per month to all households which would cost the exchequer around Rs 1,670 crore annually.

The free water scheme and power subsidy came into effect from March 1.

The ruling AAP on multiple occasions locked horns with the police, accusing it of creating problems towards smooth functioning of the government, which reached its flashpoint when they got entangled in a tussle over the issue of statutory powers of a District Magistrate who was asked to probe the alleged suicide of farmer Gajendra Singh.

Delhi Police had written to the district magistrate saying he had no jurisdiction in the matter as it was the subject matter of an FIR filed under various sections of IPC, including abetment of suicide.

The period also saw Kejriwal loyalists having an ugly spat with dissident leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan. The duo were expelled from the party last month.

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News Network
April 15,2020

New Delhi, Apr 15: With 1,076 new COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours, India's tally of coronavirus cases has risen to 11,439, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday.

Out of the total tally, 9,756 cases are active while 1,306 patients have been cured/discharged and migrated.

With 38 new deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the death toll rises to 377.

According to the ministry, Maharashtra is the worst-affected state with 2,687 cases of which 259 patients have recovered/discharged while 178 patients have lost their lives due to the virus.

Delhi comes in at the second position with 1,561 cases of which 30 patients have recovered while 30 patients have succumbed to the virus.

Tamil Nadu is the third state with over 1,000 cases at 1,204 cases of which 81 have recovered and 12 have died due to the deadly virus.

Rajasthan is nearing the 1,000 mark with 969 cases of which 147 people have recovered while 3 patients are dead. Madhya Pradesh reported 730 cases including 51 patients recovered and 50 patients dead.

On Tuesday, in an address to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the 21-day national lockdown has been extended till May 3.

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Agencies
February 4,2020

New Delhi, Feb 4: Saying the matter had been adjourned many times and it will have to hear it someday, the Supreme Court on Tuesday fixed April 14 for hearing a plea by Zakia Jafri, wife of slain MP Ehsan Jafri, challenging the SIT's clean chit to then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 riots.

A bench comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari posted the matter for hearing in April after Zakia's counsel sought an adjournment and urged the court to post it after the Holi vacation.

When advocate Aparna Bhat, appearing for Zakia, told the court that the issue in the matter is contentious, the bench said, "It has been adjourned so many times, whatever it is, we will have to hear it someday. Take one date and make sure you all are available." Zakia had filed a petition in the apex court in 2018 challenging the Gujarat High Court's October 5, 2017 order rejecting her plea against the decision of the Special Investigation Team.

Ehsan Jafri was among the 68 people killed at Gulberg Society on February 28, 2002, a day after the S-6 Coach of the Sabarmati Express was burnt at Godhra killing 59 people and triggering riots in Gujarat.

On February 8, 2012, the SIT filed a closure report giving a clean chit to Modi and 63 others, including senior government officials, saying there was "no prosecutable evidence" against them.

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Althaf
 - 
Tuesday, 4 Feb 2020

No use.. will Supreme court gives justice??? 

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News Network
January 9,2020

Mumbai, Jan 9: India's weddings are famously lavish -- lasting days and with hundreds if not thousands of guests -- but this season many families are cutting costs even if it risks their social standing.

It is symptomatic of a sharp slowdown in the world's fifth-largest economy, with Indians spending less on everything from daily essentials to once-in-a-lifetime celebrations.

Growth has hit a six-year low and unemployment a four-decade high under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Prices are rising too, squeezing spending on everything from shampoo to mobile data.

Chartered accountant Palak Panchamiya, for example, has already slashed the budget on her upcoming Mumbai nuptials by a third, trimming spending on clothing and the guest list.

"Initially I chose a dress that cost 73,000 rupees ($1,000)," Panchamiya told news agency as she picked through outfits at a recent marriage trade fair.

"But my partner felt it was too expensive, and so now I am here reworking my options and looking for something cheaper."

India's massive wedding industry is worth an estimated $40-50 billion a year, according to research firm KPMG.

The celebrations can last a week and involve several functions, a dazzling variety of cuisines, music and dance performances, and lots of gifts.

Foreigners can even buy tickets to some events.

But these days, except for the super-rich -- a recent Ambani family wedding reportedly cost $100 million -- extravagance is out and frugality is in as families prioritise saving.

"Earlier Indian weddings were like huge concerts, but now things have changed," said Maninder Sethi, founder of Wedding Asia, which organises marriage fairs around the country.

Cracks emerged in 2016 when the Indian wedding season, which runs from September to mid-January, was hit by the government's shock withdrawal of vast amounts of banknotes from circulation in a bid to crack down on undeclared earnings.

Mumbai-based trousseau maker Sapna Designs Studio shut for months as the economy was turned on its head by Modi's move.

"No exhibitions were happening and there were no avenues for us to sell either," said Vishal Hariyani, owner of the clothing studio.

Hopes for a recovery proved short-lived when the cash ban was followed by a botched rollout of a nationwide goods and services tax (GST) in 2017 that saw many small-scale businesses close.

Since then, keeping his studio afloat has been a challenge, with consumers increasingly reluctant to spend too much, says Hariyani.

"We customise our clothes as per their budgets, and now week-long weddings have been converted to just a 36-hour ceremony," he told news agency.

"We have to pay GST, pay workers and even offer discounts to customers," he added.

"The whole economy has slowed down and reduced spending on weddings is a by-product of that. Everyone except the super-rich are affected," Pradip Shah from IndAsia Fund Advisors told news agency.

"It is reflective of how sombre the mood is," he said.

In a country where families traditionally spend heavily on weddings -- including taking on debt in some cases -- the downturn is also a source of sadness and shame, with elaborate celebrations often seen as a measure of social status.

"We haven't even invited our neighbours. It is embarrassing but the current situation doesn't offer us much respite," 52-year-old Tara Shetty said ahead of her son's wedding.

"In my era, we always spent a lot and had thousands of people attending the weddings," she explained.

"My wedding was supremely grand, and now my son's is the polar opposite."

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