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Kejriwal sacks Minister Sandeep Kumar over 'objectionable' CD

September 1, 2016

New Delhi, Sep 1: An alleged sex scandal rocked the Arvind Kejriwal government on Wednesday evening as the chief minister sacked his Social Welfare Minister Sandeep Kumar over a CD expose showing him in objectionable position with at least six women.

sandeepThe incident sparked a political storm with the rival parties accusing Kejriwal of being aware of the CD for two weeks but sitting over it till a TV channel aired it on Wednesday evening.

Kumar , 36, has become the third AAP Cabinet minister to be removed by Kejriwal in the last year and a half.

Earlier, law minister Jitender Tomar was dropped from Cabinet for forgery and food and supplies minister Asim Ahmad Khan was removed for reported corruption.

Kejriwal broke the news on the Twitter. "Received 'objectionable' CD of minister Sandeep Kr. AAP stands for propriety in public life. That can't be compromised. Removing him from Cabinet wid immediate effect," Kejriwal tweeted. "Removing him from Cabinet wid immediate effect," said Kejriwal.

Amid acerbic attacks from the rivals, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told reporter that Kumar was removed within 30 minutes of the party getting the information about the CD.

"We follow a policy of zero tolerance. There can be no compromise on discipline," he said, adding that the AAP sticks to its principles and earlier also removed tainted ministers.

"Who ever earns a bad name to the AAP, whether a minister or even the chief minister, will face action," he said.

Sources said the CD was given by a person called Om Prakash to the office of Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung about five days back. The videos in the CD seemed to be related to a few years ago as the sacked minister is seen to be slim in them.

One of the video in the CD is nine minute long and the sacked minister is seen with six different women.

Leader of Opposition of Assembly Vijender Gupta of the BJP said the scandal has exposed the AAP government.

"Kejriwal calls his ministers gems. A minister responsible for social and women welfare himself has been exposed," he said.

Another AAP women activist recently committed suicide over sexual harassment recently.

Former minister Somnath Bharti is also facing charges of abusing his wife. Why cannot the AAP government take action against those who misbehave with women, he said.

"There are so many sex scandals being perpetrated by AAP leaders. Why is Kejriwal defending them," said Gupta.

Delhi Congress chief spokesperson Sharmishtha Mukherjee said: "This is height of hypocrisy that a social welfare minister who claims that he touches his wife's feet every morning is involved in a sex scandal."

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Agencies
August 2,2020

Lucknow, Aug 2: Uttar Pradesh's cabinet minister for Technical Education Kamal Rani Varun succumbed to COVID-19 on Sunday at the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences.

Kamal Rani is the first minister in Uttar Pradesh to die after contracting coronavirus. She was 62.

On 18 July, the minister tested positive for coronavirus and was admitted to the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Hospital.

She was later shifted to the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the minister's death.

In a condolence message issued on Sunday, Adityanath said, "Kamal Rani Varun died on Sunday at around 9.30 am. She was an experienced and capable leader. She discharged her responsibilities with competence. She was a dedicated public representative, who was always working for the welfare of deprived and oppressed sections of the society."

Kamal Rani was the MLA from Ghatampur in Kanpur. She was also twice a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha.

Meanwhile, Adityanath has cancelled his visit to Ayodhya scheduled for the day, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said on Sunday.

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Agencies
August 5,2020

Ayodhya, Aug 5: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday recalled the significance of the path of 'maryada' associated with Lord Ram in the backdrop of the situation created by COVID-19 and emphasised the importance of social distancing and wearing face masks.

He said that the current situation demands 'maryada' should be 'do gaz ki doori, mask hai zaroori' and exhorted everyone to follow it.

In his speech after laying the foundation stone of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the Prime Minister said the temple of Lord Ram will inspire and guide humans for ages to come.

He said that the path of `maryada' followed by Lord Ram is all the more necessary today in the situation created by COVID-19.

"The `maryada' (need) today is do gaj ki doori, mask hai jaroori (keep distance of two yards, wear mask). The Almighty may keep all the citizens healthy and happy, this is my prayer. The blessings of Mother Sita and Shri Ram be always there on the citizens," he said.

The Prime Minister termed the occasion as historic and said that India is starting a glorious chapter when people across the country are excited and emotional to have finally achieved what they had been waiting for centuries.

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News Network
July 18,2020

New Delhi, Jul 18: The Covid-19 lockdown-led reduction in air pollution levels across five Indian cities, including Delhi and Mumbai, may have prevented about 630 premature deaths, and saved USD 690 million in health costs in the country, according to a new study.

Scientists, including those from the University of Surrey in the UK, assessed the levels of harmful fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from vehicles and other sources in five Indian cities -- Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad -- since the beginning of the lockdown period.

The study, published in the journal Sustainable Cities and Society, compared these lockdown PM2.5 figures from 25 March up until 11 May, with those from similar periods of the preceding five years, and found that the measure reduced pollution levels in all these places.

According to the scientists, during this period, the levels of these harmful air pollutants reduced by 10 per cent in Mumbai, and by up to 54 per cent in Delhi.

"The percentage reduction for the other cities ranged from 24 to 32 per cent, which was slightly smaller than the measured values for Delhi and Mumbai," the scientists noted in the study.

"While the reduction in PM2.5 pollution may not be surprising, the size of the reduction should make us all take notice of the impact we have been having on the planet," said Prashant Kumar, a co-author of the study from the University of Surrey.

The scientists said these reductions in PM2.5 were comparable to those reported in other cities across the world, such as in Austria's capital Vienna (60 per cent), and Shanghai (42 per cent) in China.

They also calculated the monetary value of the reduced mortality due to air pollution and found that the lowered levels of PM2.5 may have saved 630 people from premature death, and USD 690 million in health costs in India.

Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths on July 17

According to the researchers, the present lockdown situation offers observational opportunities regarding potential control systems and regulations for improved urban air quality.

They said an integrated approach might help in understanding the overall impacts of Covid-19 lockdown-style interventions and support the implementation of relevant policy frameworks.

"This is an opportunity for us all to discuss and debate what the 'new normal' should look like - particularly when it comes to the quality of the air we breathe," Kumar said.

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