Election Commission tells government to defer gas price hike

March 25, 2014
New Delhi, Mar 25: The Election Commission (EC) has asked the Centre to defer the notification of new gas price from April 1 after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) contended that it will violate the poll code.

Mukesh-Ambani-kejriwal

The EC has taken note of AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal’s argument that the notification amounts to the Union government violating the model code of conduct, which came into effect on March 5 with the announcement of election schedule.

EC Principal Secretary K Ajaya Kumar on Monday wrote to Saurabh Chandra, secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, conveying him the Commission’s decision to defer notifying the new gas price for the quarter from April to June this year.

He also informed the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas that the EC had taken the decision to defer the gas price hike after considering all “relevant facts”, including the fact that the matter was sub judice before the Supreme Court.

Kejriwal argued that the oil ministry will violate the model code of conduct if it raises gas price. He has alleged that the move to raise the price was aimed at providing windfall gains to Reliance Industries of Mukesh Ambani.

Petroleum Minister M Veerappa Moily had earlier stated that the proposal to raise gas prices for both public sector and private producers was twice considered and approved by the Union Cabinet. The ministry notified in January this year the “Domestic Natural Gas Pricing Guidelines, 2014” that will apply to all natural gas produced domestically, irrespective of the source, whether conventional, shale or coal-bed methane from April 1, 2014.

According to the new gas-pricing formula, the rates will be doubled from the current cost. For all domestically produced gas, the rates will be in the range of $8.2 - $8.4 per unit.

According to the notification, gas from April 1 would be priced at an average price of liquid gas (liquefied natural gas or LNG) imports into India and benchmark global gas rates. This formula will be applicable for five years till March 31, 2019.

The new rates will change every quarter based on the 12-month average of global rates and LNG import price with a lag of one quarter. This would apply to all gas produced by public and private sector firms.

The monthly revision of petrol and diesel prices, however, would not require EC nod as the government had taken the policy decision much earlier.

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News Network
April 28,2020

New Delhi, Apr 28: Nafisa Ali took to Instagram to share the inspiring story of her niece, Diya Naidu, who donated her plasma to help patients suffering from Covid-19 after recovering from the disease. The veteran actress shared a photo of her niece from the hospital bed and asked fans to read Diya's post to get a detailed account of her experience.

Nafisa wrote, "Diya Naidu my niece - a COVID19 hero - is back home after donating her plasma - looks like liquid gold - it’s value is priceless as it will save lives. So please read her COVID19 story and share the information that is first hand. It is the need of the hour. Help save lives. #diyanise. #diyanaidu #covid_19 #india (sic)."

Diya Naidu, who is a dancer and choreographer based in Bengaluru, revealed in her Instagram post that she has donated her plasma for other Covid-19 patients. She said that the method has been super effective wherever it's been tried.

Earlier, Nafisa Ali gave a shout-out to her niece on Instagram and penned a heartfelt note for her. She wrote, "I am so grateful to you brave child - a COVID19 warrior (living in Bangalore) has agreed to donate her plasma to help cure other COVID19 serious patients (sic)."

Explaining the process of plasma therapy to treat Covid-19 patients, she wrote, "The process of donating plasma to treat COVID-19 is not very complex and can be done in just two hours. One of the most discussed methods of treatment of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus is plasma therapy, which involves the transfusion of plasma from a convalescent coronavirus patient to a critical patient. The blood of a recovering patient is rich in antibodies produced by the body to fight the virus, which are expected to help the critical patient recover (sic)."

Plasma therapy has been suggested to treat people suffering from Covid-19. People, who have recovered from the disease, are donating plasma as it contains antibodies to fight the disease. Earlier, Kanika Kapoor, who was the first Bollywood celebrity to be diagnosed with the disease, also offered to donate her plasma. She has recovered from Covid-19 and is currently living with her family in Lucknow.

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News Network
May 25,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, May 25: About 100 people, including a Magistrate and some police personnel, have been asked to go into quarantine after an accused, who was produced before a lower court here following his arrest, later testedpositive, officials said on Monday. The accused, who was arrested along with two others in connection with a case relating to illicit liquor transportation two days ago, had been shifted to thePoojapura central jail after he was remanded to judicial custody.

With his sample testing positive on Sunday, theman has been sent to a designated COVID-19 hospital. The Nedumangad court magistrate, before whom he was produced, 34 police personnel, including a circle inspector, who were on duty at the Venjaramoodu police station when the accused was broughtafter his arrest, some employees of a government hospital where his swab sample was taken and 12 officials of thePoojapura central jail have gone into quarantine, police sources said.

. Meanwhile, Malayalam film actor Suraj Venjaramoodu and Vamanapuram MLA D K Murali (CPI) are under self-imposed quarantineas they had attended a function in which the circle inspector had taken part.

Two days ago, a car in which illicit liqour was being transported had hit a policeman and sped away, but people managed to stop the vehicle and the three accused, who were in an inebriated state, were arrested, sources said.

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News Network
January 21,2020

Amaravati, Jan 21: Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu and at least 17 MLAs of his party were taken in police custody late on Monday as they tried to conduct a foot march from the state assembly to nearby Mandadam village in violation of prohibitory orders.

TDP leaders started off on the march after staging a sit-in near the assembly main entrance following the suspension of 17 MLAs from the House for the day.

They were protesting the AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill, 2020, that was passed by the assembly, enabling the establishment of three capitals for the state.

The TDP leaders were taken to the Mangalagiri police station.

Meanwhile, tensions prevailed at the Jana Sena Party headquarters at Mangalagiri as police prevented its president Pawan Kalyan from proceeding to the Amaravati region to speak to protesters fighting for the retention of only one capital for the state.

DIG Kanti Rana Tata and other senior police officials reached the Sena office and blocked the exit of Kalyan and political affairs committee chairman Nadendla Manohar, resulting in an argument.

Kalyan asked how could police impose restrictions within his own office.

Scores of Sena workers gathered outside the office even as a large posse of police was posted to thwart Kalyan and other leaders' plans.

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