Kejriwal picks his team; 'unwell' Anna to skip swearing-in

December 24, 2013

New Delhi, Dec 24: Arvind Kejriwal is understood to have finalised his team of ministers that includes his trusted associate Manish Sisodia and five others to be inducted into his ministry that will be sworn in later this week.

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Besides Mr Sisodia, a former journalist who won from Patparganj constituency, the Cabinet will include Rakhi Birla, the giant killer who defeated PWD Minister Rajkumar Chouhan, Somnath Bharti (defeated Women and Child Development Minister Kiran Walia) Saurabh Bhardwaj, Girish Soni and Satendra Jain, said Bharadwaj after a meeting with Mr Kejriwal.

Mr Kejriwal may be sworn in as Chief Minister once President Pranab Mukherjee clears the Lt Governor’s proposal in this regard.

Throughout the day Mr Kejriwal held discussions at his residence here with party leaders including Mr Sisodia.

Meanwhile, Mr Kejriwal is understood to have decided on senior IAS officer, Rajendra Kumar as Chief Minister’s Principal Secretary.

Like Mr Kejriwal, 47-year-old Kumar, at present Higher Education Secretary, is an alumnus of IIT-Kharagpur.

Mr Kumar met Mr Kejriwal at his residence here. Chief Secretary D M Spolia also met Mr Kejriwal. They were described as courtesy calls. Birla, Bharti, Jain and Soni met Kejriwal.

Anna to skip

Anna Hazare is yet to receive an invitation for the swearing-in ceremony of the Arvind Kejriwal-led government in Delhi but would not attend even if he got one owing to ill-health.

"Nahi, abhi letter nahi aaya (No, the invitation has not come yet)," Hazare said, when asked if he has received any invitation from his former protege for attending the oath taking ceremony.

"I will speak (to him) on December 26," Hazare said. Kejriwal has requested Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung to allow him to take oath at the Ramlila Maidan on December 26, where Hazare had launched his movement for the Jan Lokpal in 2011.

Asked if he would attend the swearing-in ceremony if he received the invitation, Hazare said, "nahi, abhi toh mera tabiyat theek nahi (No, right now I am unwell)."

Hazare had yesterday declined to comment on the Kejriwal-led AAP's decision to form the new government in Delhi, but added he would express his views when his former protege acts on the Lokayukta issue.

"Mein bolta hoon, Kejriwal par no comment. Koi baat nahi karna hai," Hazare had said.

Asked about Kejriwal's party accepting outside support of Congress, Hazare said, "Whatever is good, let him do it... He will do whatever is right."

Hazare had parted ways with Kejriwal following his decision to form a political party.

The relations between the Gandhian and the AAP convenor had hit a new low when he recently ordered a frontline leader of Kejriwal's party Gopal Rai to leave his fast venue and village after he engaged in a spat with former Army chief General V K Singh. Singh had slammed Kejriwal and others for having deserted Hazare and formed a political party.

The AAP had immediately recalled Rai from Hazare's fast venue.

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Agencies
March 3,2020

Lucknow, Mar 3: Two days after wife of Kafeel Khan, who is booked under the National Security Act, alleged that her husband faced a threat to life in Mathura jail, where he is lodged for anti-CAA protests, the District Magistrate claimed that Khan was 'fully secure' in the jail.

"Kafeel Khan, who has been booked under the National Security Act (NSA) for alleged inflammatory statements during an anti-CAA protest in Aligarh, is absolutely fine and fully secure in Mathura jail. Allegations of 'inhuman' treatment being meted out to him are baseless," Mathura District Magistrate Sarvagya Ram Mishra said on Monday.

Also Read: Kafeel Khan’s wife fears threat to his life
Senior Superintendent of Mathura district prison, Shailendra Maitrey, said that Khan's condition is being monitored every half an hour and the report is written in the gate book. He said, his ECG is normal and blood pressure was also in control.

He said that Khan was demanding checkup from a cardiologist.

"Since no specialist is available in the government sector here, his request could not be complied with. However, the jail authorities have sent his request to chief medical officer and have asked him to make a specialist available," the jail official said.

He said Khan is in barrack, which is fully ventilated, and he shares it with 50-60 'good behaviour' prisoners.

It may be recalled that in a letter to the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court, Additional Chief Secretary (Home), and Director General (Jail), Shabista Khan, wife of the jailed doctor, had alleged that her husband was being treated inhumanely in the jail.

She feared that an attempt could be made on her husband's life inside the jail. She had demanded adequate security for him and had urged that her husband should be kept away from active criminals lodged in the jail.

Khan was booked by Aligarh police on December 13 for delivering a provocative speech in Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) during an anti-CAA protest in the campus, a day earlier, and was arrested from Mumbai airport on January 29 by Uttar Pradesh special task force.

The Aligarh police had slapped the stringent National Security Act (NSA) against Khan on February 13 night, hours before he was expected to walk free from the Mathura jail, after he was granted bail by Aligarh's chief judicial magistrate on February 10.

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Agencies
April 23,2020

New Delhi, Apr 23: With an increase of 1,229 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the total number of cases reached 21,700, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday.

The tally is inclusive of 16,689 active cases, 4,325 patients have been cured/discharged and migrated, while 686 patients who have died due to the deadly virus.

According to the ministry's data, Maharashtra is on the top of the list with most COVID-19 cases, 5,652 cases of which 789 patients have recovered and 269 patients succumbing to coronavirus.

Gujarat and Delhi are second and third on the list respectively with Gujarat having 2407 cases of which 179 patients have recovered and 103 deaths. Meanwhile, in Delhi, the tally stands at 2248 cases of which 724 patients have recovered and 49 patients have died from COVID-19.

Rajasthan's tally stands at 1,890 cases with 230 patients cured while 27 deaths have been reported as of Thursday.

Madhya Pradesh has 1695 cases of which 148 patients have recovered and 81 deaths reported. Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, stands with 1629 cases of which 662 patients have recovered and 18 have died due to the deadly virus.

Goa has seven cases reported of which all seven patients have recovered from the coronavirus.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on April 14, that the nationwide lockdown would be extended to May 3.

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News Network
April 15,2020

New Delhi, Apr 15: A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of COVID-19 lockdown till May 3, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday issued consolidated revised guidelines on measures to be taken by Ministries and Departments of Government of India, state and Union Territory governments and authorities for the containment of COVID-19.

As per the guidelines, all domestic and international air travel of passengers (except for security purposes), passenger movement by trains (except for security purposes), buses for public transport, metro rail services will remain prohibited.

It stated that all educational, training, coaching institutions etc. shall remain closed. Inter-district and inter-state movement of individuals except for medical reasons or for activities permitted under guidelines shall remain prohibited.

Taxis (including auto-rickshaws and cycle rickshaws) and services of cab aggregators to remain prohibited until May 3.

Also, all cinema halls, malls, shopping complexes, gymnasiums, sports complexes, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars and auditoriums, assembly halls and similar places shall remain closed.

All social/political/sports/entertainment/academic/cultural/religious functions/other gatherings will also not be allowed.

"All religious places or places of worship shall be closed for public. Religious congregations are strictly prohibited. In the case of funerals, a congregation of more than 20 persons will not be permitted," the guidelines stated.

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