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BJP CM Raman Singh accused of Rs 36,000-cr rice scam

July 5, 2015

New Delhi: Jul 5: After Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Vasundhara Raje, the Congress on Saturday trained its guns on Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, claiming to have fresh proof linking him to the Rs 36,000-crore rice scam in the state.

Raman SinghRenewing its attack on Singh, the main Opposition demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the scam, from which Singh’s wife Veena and sister-in-law Renuka reportedly benefited.

“In the garb of providing rice at Re 1 per kg under PDS, Raman Singh created a well-oiled corruption machine in connivance with rice mill owners, PDS shop owners and public officials to earn thousands of crores as kickbacks and commission,” AICC spokesman Ajay Maken, with Chhattisgarh Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel, told reporters here.

The renewed attack on Singh is part of the Congress' strategy to highlight allegations on corruption in BJP-ruled states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

This is being seen as an attempt by the Congress to puncture Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s claim of zero tolerance towards corruption.

Maken said there were similar instances of corruption in the procurement of other commodities like salt, gram, kerosene and wheat through the state civil supplies corporation.

Magnitude of the scam

He said the scam's magnitude could be gauged from the fact that during the past 11 years of BJP rule in Chhattisgarh, the amount spent by the public exchequer on procurement of paddy, as also procurement and supply of various PDS items through the state civil supplies corporation comes to Rs 1.5 lakh crore approximately.

The faction-ridden Congress has been out of power in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh for nearly 12 years, and is making great efforts for a comeback.

In the past few weeks, the Congress has levelled allegations of impropriety against External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for helping former IPL ex-chief Lalit Modi procure travel documents in the UK.

Chouhan is under fire from the Congress for reported irregularities in recruitment in the MP government for various professional posts — widely known as the Vyapam scam.

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News Network
May 21,2020

New Delhi, May 21: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) to airport operators on Wednesday for recommencement of domestic flights from May 25 onwards, saying Aarogya Setu app is not mandatory for children below 14 years of age.

"Passengers shall compulsorily walk through screening zone for thermal screening at a designated place in the city side before entering the terminal building," the AAI said in its SOP, which has been accessed by news agency.

Airport operators must make appropriate arrangements for sanitisation of a passenger's baggage before his or her entry into the terminal building, said the SOP dated May 20.

The AAI manages more than 100 airports across the country. However, major airports like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad are managed by private companies. 

Civil Aviation Minister had announced on Wednesday that domestic flight services would resume from May 25 onwards in a calibrated manner.

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Agencies
July 30,2020

Chennai, Jul 30: Tamil Nadu government on Thursday extended the Covid-19 lockdown till August 31, giving only a few relaxations like allowing delivery of non-essential goods by e-commerce sites. The ban on public transport has been extended till August 31, while availing of e-pass for inter-district and inter-state travel will continue to be in force.

In a detailed statement, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced a “complete lockdown” during which only essential services would continue to be in force on all Sundays during the month of August across the state.  

In Chennai, restaurants will be allowed to open dine-in facilities at 50 percent of its total capacity from 6 am to 7 pm from August 1, while vegetable shops, grocery outlets and standalone commercial establishments will also be allowed to remain open from 6 am to 7 pm.

E-commerce sites have been allowed to begin delivery of non-essential goods from August 1, while the ban on public transport, temples in urban areas and towns, cinema halls, shopping malls, and gyms would continue till August 31.

It also said companies or factories in Chennai that have been allowed to function with 50 percent of staff can increase their strength to 75 percent from August 1.

COVID-19 Pandemic Tracker: 15 countries with the highest number of coronavirus cases, deaths

The government also asked companies to encourage its employees to work from home and advised commercial establishments to follow the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) as advised by it. Inter-state or inter-district travel will be allowed only with e-pass, while ban on metro and suburban trains continues.

The decision to extend the lockdown till August 31 comes as Tamil Nadu continues to grapple with an increasing number of coronavirus cases. The prevalence of the virus is no more limited to one city or region of the state with almost all districts reporting fresh cases, some of them over 200 new patients, every day.

On Thursday morning, Tamil Nadu’s Covid-19 tally was 2,34,114 including 1,72,883 discharges and 3,741 deaths. The active cases stood at 57,490.

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News Network
March 4,2020

Mar 4: Twenty-one Italian tourists and three Indian tour operators have been sent to an ITBP quarantine facility in Delhi on Tuesday for suspected coronavirus exposure, official sources said.

Health Ministry sources said these foreigners, 13 women and eight men, were in the same group of which an Italian and his wife have tested positive in Rajasthan capital Jaipur.

“His (Italian in Jaipur) condition is stable,” a source said.

Three Indians, who were accompanying this Italian group as tour operators, have also been sent to the ITBP facility in Chhawla area of south-west Delhi, they said.

All these people, staying at a five-star hotel in south Delhi, have been put in “preventive isolation” at the ITBP camp and their samples will be taken on Wednesday, sources said.

The centre already has 112 people, 76 Indians and 36 foreigners, since February 27 after they were evacuated by an IAF plane from Wuhan in China, the epicentre of the coronavirus.

The first samples of these 112 people had tested negative when reports came in last week.

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