Page 20 - Aap Government

Centre appoints senior IAS officer Dharmendra as Delhi chief secretary

The Centre on Saturday appointed senior IAS officer Dharmendra as the new Delhi government chief secretary. Dharmendra, a 1989-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the AGMUT cadre, was Arunachal Pradesh chief secretary before being transferred to Delhi. He is among the senior-most Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre officers and is taking charge as the Delhi chief secretary ahead of the assembly polls due in February. "With the approval of the competent authority, Dharmendra, IAS (AGMUT 1989), is hereby transferred from Arunachal Pradesh to Delhi and posted as chief secretary, GNCTD, wef 01.09.2024 or with effect from the date of joining, whichever is later," according to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs order issued on Saturday. Incumbent Naresh Kumar, a 1987-batch officer, who was given two extensions in the past, completes his tenure on August 31. Dharmendra's appointment came on the day his predecessor's three-month extended tenure

BJP MLAs meet Prez Murmu, seek Kejriwal govt's dismissal, AAP slams move

A delegation of Delhi BJP MLAs met President Droupadi Murmu here on Friday to seek the dismissal of the AAP government over the "constitutional crisis" in the wake of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's imprisonment. Hitting out at the BJP, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accused it of having no regard for the Constitution and accepting defeat even before elections are held in the national capital. The BJP delegation headed by Leader of the Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta submitted a memorandum to the president and formally appealed to her for urgent intervention in the ongoing "constitutional crisis plaguing Delhi". It also raised concerns over the functioning of the AAP government, according to a statement issued by Gupta. The AAP government has "lost all moral rights to govern and has blatantly deceived the mandate" given to it by the people of Delhi, said the memorandum. Gupta said the main issue of "paralysis of governance" was Kejriwal being in jail for more than four mon

Govt will give special grants to villages with drug-free status: Punjab CM

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Wednesday said his government will give special grants to the villages that attain the drug-free status, as he inaugurated a new office for the state's apex anti-drug unit. Speaking after inaugurating the new office of the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) in Mohali, the chief minister said his government is committed to make Punjab a drug-free state. "The state government will give special grants to the drug-free villages across Punjab," he said. These grants will be used for the promotion of sports and sporting infrastructure in villages, helping channelise the unbounded energy of the youth in a positive direction, he said. Already players from Punjab have brought laurels for the country in events like the Olympics, he said, adding youths from the state will bag more medals. On the occasion, he also launched anti-drug Helpline and WhatsApp Chatbot (9779100200), according to an official statement. Speaking after inspecting the newly constructed

K Kavitha vows to 'return with interest' against those behind her arrest

BRS leader K Kavitha on Tuesday vowed to "return with interest" against those behind her arrest in the Delhi liquor policy case, striking a defiant tone after being released on bail following over five months in judicial custody. Addressing media at the BRS party office here, Kavitha, daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, said, "I will return with interest to those who put me and my family through this ordeal. Our time will come." The BRS leader, who appeared emotional after reuniting with her family, insisted on her innocence and said her arrest as politically motivated. "Only because of politics, I was put behind bars. I made no mistake. I will fight and prove I'm innocent," Kavitha declared after coming out of the Tihar jail. "I am Telangana's daughter, KCR's daughter. I cannot commit a mistake. I am stubborn and good," she added. Kavitha acknowledged the personal toll of her incarceration, stating, "Being separated from my family and children for ...

Money generated in excise scam used as per wishes of Kejriwal: CBI to court

The CBI on Tuesday claimed before a Delhi court that the money generated from the excise "scam" was spent according to the wishes of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who promised Rs 90 lakh to each candidate of his party in the 2022 Goa assembly elections. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) made the submission before Special Judge Kaveri Baweja, who extended the judicial custody of Kejriwal in the case of alleged corruption till September 3. The CBI urged the court to take cognisance of a charge sheet that it has filed against Kejriwal and others. Money has been spent according to the wishes of Kejriwal...the entire money was sent in the funds of AAP. He had promised Rs 90 lakh to be given to each candidate of each constituency and there are 40 constituencies in Goa, the CBI told the court, which reserved the order on whether to take cognisance of the charge sheet for September 3. The CBI told the court that Vijay Nair, a co-accused and former AAP communication in-charge, was

Delhi health minister highlights doctors shortage, slams L-G for inaction

Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj on Tuesday said there is a shortage of nearly 30 per cent of doctors and specialists at many hospitals, but no efforts have been made to fill these critical vacancies despite repeated requests to the lieutenant governor. He said excuses such as the unavailability of the chief minister and the lack of an NCCSA meeting, are being cited by the LG's office to delay appointment for these positions. Bharadwaj's statement came during a press meet here where he also discussed the series of measures taken by Delhi government to combat the spread of dengue. "We have requested that warnings and awareness announcements be made across all metro stations, bus stations and other public transport hubs to inform people about dengue prevention," the minister said. Emphasising that it is very important that all government hospitals in the city are fully equipped to handle dengue cases, Bhardwaj said he directed several actions to the health secretary but was uns

Delhi excise case: Court extends Kejriwal's judicial custody till Sep 3

A Delhi court on Tuesday extended the judicial custody of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a corruption case related to the alleged excise scam till September 3. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja extended Kejriwal's custody after he was produced before the court through video conference on expiry of the judicial custody granted earlier. The court is currently hearing arguments on whether to take cognisance of a supplementary charge sheet filed against Kejriwal by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

SC adjourns hearing on Vijay Nair's bail plea in Delhi excise policy scam

The Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned hearing on the bail plea of former Aam Aadmi Party communication in-charge Vijay Nair in a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. A bench of justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti deferred the matter after the counsel for the ED sought a weeks' time for filing a counter affidavit. "Reluctantly, time prayed for is granted," the bench said. The top court had issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on August 12 on the plea of Nair while noting that he has been in custody for two years. Appearing for Nair, senior advocates Abhishek Singhvi and Vikram Chaudhary submitted before the court on August 12 that he was arrested on November 13, 2022, and he has challenged the trial court's July 29 order dismissing his default bail plea. Earlier, on July 3 last year, the high court refused to grant bail to Nair and other co-accused in the money laundering case. The money laundering case stems from a Central Bureau

Delhi Mohalla buses still far from being deployed as vehicles yet to arrive

Delhi residents may have to wait a little longer to board Mohalla buses as the transport department is still working to finalise routes and is yet to get the vehicles. According to officials, Delhi Transport Corporation and Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) will soon start trial run on two new routes -- Indian Airline colony/Priya Cinema to Lok Kalyan Marg Metro Station and Lok Kalyan Marg to Vasant Vihar. The trial on two routes -- Pradhan Enclave Pushta to Majlis Park Metro Station and Akshardham Metro Station to Mayur Vihar Phase III Paper Market -- is already going on. "The DTC and DIMTS will be starting trial run on two new routes to gain further insights. There are 16 depots that have been built for parking and maintenance of these buses. The work for installing charging infrastructure is going on at these depots and will take time. "There has been a delay in the arrival of buses from the company. The department was targeting to launch these buses by the en

AAP to launch 'Aap ka vidhayak, aap ke dwaar' from Sep 1 for Delhi polls

The AAP will launch a campaign 'AAP ka vidhayak, aap ke dwaar' from September 1 to reach out to people as the party gears up for the Delhi Assembly polls due early next year. Following a meeting of senior party leaders to chalk out the strategy for the polls, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak said the campaign will be intensified in the days to come. "There was a detailed discussion on various aspects related to governance, political scenario and each assembly constituency in Delhi. Manish Sisodia's 'padyatra' has been getting a very positive response," Pathak, who is also the party's national general secretary (organisation), told reporters after the meeting. "Wherever he is going people are coming out and saying 'you have been faced a lot of injustice'. We will continue these padyatras," he added. The party will also be rolling out its campaign 'AAP ka vidhayak, aap ke dwaar' from September 1 wherein the MLAs will hold meetings at the 'mandal' level and booth level where there wi

Delhi magistrate court extends Bibhav Kumar's judicial custody till Sept 13

A court here on Saturday extended the judicial custody of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar till September 13. Kumar is accused of assaulting Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Maliwal on May 13 at the chief minister's official residence. Judicial Magistrate Gaurav Goyal extended the custody after Kumar was produced through video conferencing. The magistrate also sought a response from the investigation officer regarding Kumar's plea seeking proper pagination of the chargesheet and documents provided to his advocate. Kumar's counsel Rajat Bhardwaj said the documentation needed to be organised so that the defence could argue its case. Delhi Police's 500-page final report against Kumar has been filed under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including sections 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 341 (wrongful restraint), 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage

AAP accuses BJP, CBI of 'conspiring' to keep Arvind Kejriwal in jail

The Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday slammed the BJP and central probe agency CBI for allegedly conspiring to keep Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in jail in the excise policy case. No immediate reaction was available from either the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or the BJP on the AAP's charges. Senior AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Atishi alleged that the CBI sought time from the Supreme Court to file a reply on Kejriwal's bail plea, but "planted" it in newspapers. "The CBI says in court that its reply on the bail plea is not ready and so the hearing of bail be extended by 14 days. The same day the CBI's reply is given to the media so that it can become a one-sided headline in the newspapers," Sisodia posted on X in Hindi. "The CBI is dancing like a puppet on the BJP instructions to keep Arvind Kejriwal in jail," he added. The senior AAP leader asserted that the conspiracies being hatched for "headline management" will fail and truth and honesty will win one day. The agen

Atishi holds meet on providing 400 units of free power to 1984 riot victims

Atishi also instructed the Revenue Department officials to make unique ID cards for the riot victims

UP court orders arrest of AAP MP Sanjay Singh in 2001 road blockade case

A Sultanpur court on Tuesday took strong objection to Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh not appearing in a two-decade-old case and ordered police to arrest and produce him on August 28. On August 13, a non-bailable warrant was issued against Singh, SP leader Anoop Sanda, and four others, with the hearing scheduled for Tuesday. The accused however did not appear before the court. "The court has directed the police to arrest all the accused and produce them in the court by August 28," a court officer told PTI. Madan Singh, appearing for the six accused, said a bail petition for Singh and Sanda has been filed in the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, with a hearing set for August 22. The case goes back to June 19, 2001, when a demonstration was held near an overbridge close to the city's Sabzi Mandi area under the leadership of former SP MLA Anoop Sanda over poor power supply. Sanjay Singh, along with former councillors Kamal Srivastava, Vijay Kumar, Santosh, and Subhash Chaudh

Delhi excise scam: Court extends CM Kejriwal's judicial custody till Aug 27

A Delhi court on Tuesday extended the period of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's judicial custody till August 27 in a corruption case lodged by the CBI in connection with the alleged excise scam. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja extended Kejriwal's custody after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader was produced before the court through a video-conference on the expiry of the period of his judicial custody granted earlier. The court is likely to consider on August 27 a supplementary chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Kejriwal.

Atishi directs CS to resolve sewer overflow issue in parts of Delhi

She highlighted that the sewer water is contaminating the drinking water which can lead to a serious health crisis

Delhi govt to start cashless medical facility for retired DVB employees

The Arvind Kejriwal government will start a cashless medical facility for over 20,000 retired employees of the Delhi Vidyut Board, Power Minister Atishi said on Saturday. The file for the cashless medical facility was signed on Friday and notification for it will be issued next week after which the scheme will come into effect, the Delhi minister said at a press conference. The Delhi Transco Limited (DTL) will handle the cashless medical facility for employees of Delhi Vidyut Board (DVB) who retired before April 2002. The DVB was unbundled into separate generation, transmission and distribution companies in 2002. The generation companies (PPCL and IGPCL), DTL and the three distribution companies (discoms) will handle the cashless medical facilities of employees working with them, who retired after 2002, Atishi said. Retired employees faced a lot of hardships in receiving reimbursements of their medical claims but now it will end with the Kejriwal government's cashless medical ...

Alliance with Cong to be discussed after Kejriwal is out of jail: Sisodia

The question of an alliance of the Aam Aadmi Party with the Congress for the upcoming Delhi Assembly polls will be decided after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal walks out of the prison, senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia said. In an interaction with the editors of PTI at its headquarters, Sisodia said the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), of which the AAP is a part, played a "very big role" in restricting the BJP to below the majority mark in the recent Lok Sabha polls. However, assembly polls are a different occasion, he added. The talks about alliance are discussed around the polls, he said, and added, "Arvind Kejriwal is still inside (the jail). I believe he will be out soon and these questions will perhaps be asked again and answered then." The former Delhi deputy chief minister said the possibility of the AAP's alliance with the Congress in Haryana will also be discussed once Kejriwal comes out of the jail. The Delhi chief minister, who is also the AAP ...

Delhi LG calls drains condition appalling, says result of years of neglect

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Friday said the condition of drains in the national capital is the result of "years of neglect". On August 4, Saxena inspected three arterial drains -- Barapulla, Kushak, and Sunehri -- and flagged their state as "appalling" and noted that they were filled with silt and debris. In a post on X, Saxena said, "The city's major drains, clogged with silt and garbage, are mainly responsible for the waterlogging and the resulting hellish conditions in Delhi every year. This condition of Delhi's drains is, clearly, the result of years of neglect and negligence". Saxena noted that the Barapulla, Kushak, and Sunehri drains alone are responsible for draining the water from 24 per cent of the entire Delhi area, "but these drains are not able to work even at 10 per cent of their capacity". "The reason is clear. The cleaning work started after my visit on August 4 and in the last 10 days more than 1200 MT of silt has been removed from these drains," he ...

Punjab CM Mann terms Sisodia's bail as breaking 'shackles of dictatorship'

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann met senior AAP leader and former deputy chief minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia here on Friday and said he has got justice by "breaking the shackles of dictatorship". This was Mann's first meeting with Sisodia after the Aam Aadmi Party leader was released on bail by the Supreme Court last week. Sisodia was arrested in connection with the excise policy case on February 26 last year, and was granted bail by the apex court on August 9. "Today I met the leader and the person who brought a revolution of education. He came out of the jail after one-and-a-half years by breaking the shackles of dictatorship. When nothing was found against him, we got justice from the court," Mann told reporters after the meeting. He said he prays for Sisodia's health and hoped he will again assume the role of improving the future of children. Mann said on the occasion of Arvind Kejriwal's birthday today, he met the Delhi chief minister's wife Sunita Kejriwal. "Today is