Page 58 - Delhi Government

LG Secretariat rebuts 'overturning CM's decision' charges on Delhi officers

The National Capital Civil Services Authority (NCCSA), set up by the Centre through an ordinance, has been reduced to a "complete farce" as bureaucrats are "overturning" Delhi chief minister's decisions and "dictating" their own will, the CMO said on Sunday. The statement by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) came two days after the second meeting of the NCCSA during which two member-bureaucrats "did not oppose" Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's stand but later on cancelled his decisions. However, LG Secretariat rejected the CMO's claims and said their statement is not giving "true picture" of developments that took place in the civil services authority's meeting. "A narrative is being projected that officers are not listening and need absolute control. NCCSA shall release the draft minutes to the press to verify the truth in public domain," the LG Secretariat said. The three-member NCCSA was set up by the Centre through the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance,

Top headlines: Reading limit on Twitter, Delhi gets Rs 1,700 cr in excise

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Atishi writes to new DERC chief, requests him to take oath on July 3 or 4

Delhi Power Minister Atishi on Friday wrote to newly appointed DERC Chairman Justice (Retd) Umesh Kumar and requested him to take oath of office on July 3 or 4, sources said. Justice Kumar was appointed chairman of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) on June 21. Lt Governor VK Saxena had earlier this week written to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, flagging the "unnecessary delay" in administering the oath of office to Justice Kumar and said it should be done without further delay. Sources said Kejriwal forwarded the letter to Atishi the same day and asked her to administer the oath "as early as possible". In her communication to Justice Kumar, Atishi blamed the Power department for the confusion. Justice Kumar, a former Allahabad High Court judge, in a letter to the department, had said it was only after he was communicated that the minister would not be available in the national capital after June 29 that he came to Delhi. He said he had made himself available to

Delhi govt moves to Supreme Court against Centre's services ordinance

The Delhi government on Friday moved the Supreme Court against the Centre's ordinance over control of services in the national capital, officials said. Earlier in the day, the AAP had announced that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will burn copies of the Centre's ordinance at the party office in central Delhi on July 3. The party had on June 11 organised a maha-rally against the ordinance. The Centre had on May 19 promulgated the ordinance to create an authority for the transfer and posting of IAS and DANICS officers in Delhi, with the AAP government calling the move a circumvention of the Supreme Court verdict on control of services. The ordinance, which came a week after the Supreme Court handed over the control of services in Delhi, excluding police, public order and land, to the elected government, seeks to set up a National Capital Civil Service Authority for the transfer of and disciplinary proceedings against Group-A officers. Transfer and postings of all officers of the Del

AAP demands Delhi L-G Saxena's apology over his remarks on freebies

The Aam Aadmi Party's chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar on Friday lashed out at Lieutenant Governor Vinay Kumar Saxena over his remarks on freebies and demanded an apology from him. She also said the LG should "give up the facilities" that he has been getting at the cost of taxpayers' money. A couple of days ago, Saxena had said the people of the national capital are now "used to freebies". The remarks made at an event titled 'Delhi 2041 - New Master Plan' seem to be directed at the AAP government's subsidies, primarily on water and electricity. At a press conference here, Kakkar said the LG should withdraw his statement and apologise to the public. "The LG has insulted the people of Delhi. He should know that Delhi collects the highest amount of tax. In last financial year, Rs 1.75 lakh crore tax was collected from Delhiites," she said. "The Centre's problem is Delhi has a staunchly honest government. The LG gets 3,000 to 4,000 free units of electricity, lives in Raj Niwas for f

Delhi govt reshuffle: Atishi gets revenue, planning, finance after L-G nod

Delhi minister Atishi has been given the additional charge of Revenue, Planning and Finance departments following LG V K Saxena's nod to the cabinet reshuffle proposal, officials said on Friday. The three departments were earlier with minister Kailash Gahlot. With the additional charge, Atishi, who also holds the distinction of being the only woman minister in the cabinet, will now hold 12 portfolios, the highest among all ministers. "Delhi LG VK Saxena has approved the proposal and the file reached the government," said the official. A row had erupted over the cabinet reshuffle issue on Thursday with government officials claiming that the file pertaining to it was lying with the Lt Governor for four days, a charge denied by the latter's office. Atishi along with Saurabh Bharadwaj was inducted into the cabinet following the resignation of Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain after their arrest. While Sisodia was arrested in connection with excise policy case, Jain was arrested last

AAP appoints Rajinder Nagar MLA Durgesh Pathak as party in-charge for MCD

The AAP on Thursday appointed senior leader and Rajinder Nagar MLA Durgesh Pathak as the party's in-charge for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). An order to this effect was issued by AAP national general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak. "The party hereby announces Durgesh Pathak as the MCD 'Prabhari' for the state of Delhi. We wish him all the very best for his new responsibility," Pathak said in the order, a copy of which was shared by the AAP on Twitter. Pathak was the election in-charge for MCD polls and Rajinder Nagar assembly bypoll last year. He was also AAP's co-convenor during the 2015 Delhi assembly polls and the co-incharge for the 2017 Punjab assembly elections.

L-G Saxena holding onto cabinet reshuffle file, claims Delhi AAP govt

The file relating to the cabinet reshuffle in the AAP dispensation has been lying with Delhi LG V K Saxena for the last four days waiting to be signed, a government source said on Thursday. "The file to approve these changes has been with the Lt Governor for last four days. His predecessor, Anil Baijal, used to approve such files within half an hour," the source said, adding the reshuffle is going to be a major one. All the same, sources from the LG office denied the allegation and said the file was signed on Wednesday and sent to the government. There have already been a number or shuffles in the ministerial posts in the last few months in the Delhi government. Following the resignations of Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, who both are in jail in the alleged excise policy scam, Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi were sworn in as ministers in March this year.

Don't insult hard-working people of Delhi: Kejriwal to LG on freebies

Hitting out at Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena over his remarks on "freebies", Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asked him not to "insult" the "hard-working people" of the national capital. On Wednesday, Saxena said people of Delhi are now "used to freebies" at an event titled 'Delhi 2041 - New Master Plan' organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Saxena's remarks seem to be directed at the Aam Aadmi Party government's subsidies, primarily on water and electricity. Reacting to Saxena's remarks, Kejriwal said Saxena was an outsider and did not understand the people of Delhi. "The people of Delhi are hardworking. They have beautified Delhi by their hard work. LG sir, you have come from outside and you do not understand Delhi and Delhiites. Don't insult the people of Delhi like this," he said in a tweet in Hindi. The chief minister also said the Delhi government, unlike others, does not indulge in "theft". "We save money and provide facilities to people. What is your .

Delhi govt's EV transition targets may cause significant disruptions: IAMAI

Earlier this week over 1,500 cab drivers conveyed their concerns about the financial implications of the scheme in a letter to Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot

Delhi's retail liquor trade records sharp decline compared to Q1FY23

The retail liquor trade in Delhi has recorded a sharp decline as compared to the first quarter (April-June) in 2022, when the now-scrapped excise policy of the city government was in place, according to a report prepared by the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC). The new excise policy of the Delhi government was withdrawn in July 2022 after Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in its implementation. The policy was finally wrapped up on August 31 last year. The old policy under which Delhi government corporations opened liquor vends in the city was rolled out on September 1, 2022. Despite all the disruptions related to the excise policy changes and non-availability of many brands, Delhi maintained a healthy annual growth rate of 36 per cent year on year, the CIABC report said. However, a closer analysis shows that much of this growth is attributed to the first quarter of 2022-23, when various trade schemes and .

I assure you there will be no compromise on free electricity: Atishi

PPAC hinges on the prices of coal and gas. Though it is different from electricity charges but is levied in consumers' electricity charges

CCTVs at waterlogging-prone spots on G20 delegates' routes: Delhi govt

To ensure that visiting delegates from G20 countries are not inconvenienced by waterlogging, the Delhi government is installing CCTV cameras at "vulnerable" points on the routes that may be taken by them, officials said on Monday. Authorities are rushing to complete the desilting of drains as the monsoon arrived in the national capital on Sunday, two days before its scheduled onset, bringing respite to Delhiites from scorching heat. "The Public Works Department has identified some vulnerable spots. CCTV cameras have been installed at some of the points while work is going on at the other. The officials have 24x7 access to the footage to monitor the on-ground situation," an official said. In view of the G20 Summit, the department plans to maintain a strict vigil at areas that will see movement of delegates to ensure that they do not face any inconvenience due to waterlogging. "We are planning to install CCTV cameras along the routes that may see the movement of delegates during the

Navy carries out navigability assessment of Yamuna river, say officials

The Indian Navy on Saturday successfully carried out the navigability assessment of the Yamuna river, from Signature Bridge to ITO barrage, in Delhi with the help of a workboat, Raj Niwas officials said. Terming it a historic first, they said such trials were earlier planned and contemplated, but could never be taken to conclusion due to various problems associated with the Yamuna like lack of required depth, floating debris in water and the unhygienic condition of the river bank. The workboat was brought to the city by the naval authorities on the initiative of Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, who has been actively monitoring the rejuvenation of Yamuna as chairman of the NGT-appointed high-level committee (HLC), officials said. After the successful completion of physical cleaning of the river and its floodplains between Signature Bridge and ITO Barrage, the LG had decided to undertake this venture by requisitioning for a navy boat. The navy workboat, which is 11 m long with a draft

Greenpeace brings Delhi govt's attention to mitigating impact of heatwaves

Greenpeace India on Friday wrote to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the lack of action and urgency in mitigating the impact of extreme heat episodes on vulnerable people in the national capital. Greenpeace India members also staged a demonstration at the Delhi Secretariat, demanding that the city government implement a comprehensive heat action plan (HAP) by June-end. The letter to the chief minister said despite the Union health ministry's warning about the significant health and socio-economic impact of heatwaves, the city government has displayed indifference towards this issue. HAPs are the primary policy response to economically damaging and life-threatening heatwaves. They prescribe a number of activities, disaster responses and post-heatwave response measures to decrease the impact of heatwaves. Considering the devastating impacts faced by more than half of Delhi's population during the 2022 heatwaves, we emphasised the urgent need for the Delhi government to relea

Delhi govt to roll out welfare schemes for nearly 500,000 domestic workers

The Delhi government will soon come up with welfare schemes for nearly five lakh domestic workers in the national capital, Labour Minister Raaj Kumar Anand said on Friday. Anand made the announcement at a workshop held by the International Labour Organization to discuss bringing domestic workers' rights under the legal ambit in Delhi Addressing the workshop, Anand said the AAP government is constantly working for the welfare of labourers in Delhi. He said that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal believes he is "a creator of the country's destiny." The Kejriwal government has formulated and implemented 17 welfare schemes covering education, health, safety and pension for construction workers in the capital, he said. The Delhi government will soon come up with similar welfare schemes for five lakh domestic workers in the city, he said. He said the workshop is very important for domestic workers and those who work on their behalf because through this "we are able to acknowledge the ...

Focus on law and order: Health Min Saurabh Bhardwaj responds to L-G Saxena

Bharadwaj said that the officers had misinformed LG Saxena about the factual condition

Delhi L-G raises concern over inordinate delay in govt's hospital projects

The LG claimed that work under former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's tenure was much better in the health sector

Day is not far when PM will run all states, Delhi CM writes to Oppn parties

Kejriwal appealed to the leaders of opposition parties to discuss how to defeat the bill related to the Centre's Ordinance in Rajya Sabha in their upcoming meeting

Delhi CM calls NCCSA meeting to discuss transfer, posting of officers

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has called the second meeting of the National Capital Civil Services Authority (NCCSA) on June 28 to discuss the transfer and posting of officers in the city.