Page 60 - Delhi Government

Delhi govt provides honorarium of Rs 1 cr to family of Corona warrior

The Delhi government on Tuesday provided an honorarium of Rs 1 crore to the family of a nurse who lost her life to COVID-19 while serving as a frontline warrior during the pandemic. Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj met with the family of Gayatri Sharma, who had been serving as a nurse (ANM) at GTB Hospital since 1998 and was due to retire in January 2024. She was posted on duty at Ghazipur Health Centre during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bharadwaj said, "Throughout her many years of service in the health department, she remained dedicated to serving the people. While the value of her life cannot be measured, this honorarium is a tribute from the Kejriwal government to the sacrifices made by the Corona warriors." Gayatri Sharma is survived by her husband, Yajnadatt Sharma, and a son and a daughter. Daughter Megha is pursuing post-graduation, while son Gautam is studying at Hindu College, according to an official statement issued by the health department.

Better than private schools: Atishi while inaugurating Delhi govt school

Delhi government schools are now preferred over private schools, Education Minister Atishi said on Monday after inaugurating a new building of a school in Rithala on Monday. Atishi said Rana Pratap Rajkiya Sarvodaya Kanya/Bal Vidyalaya in Sector 5, Rohini is much better than private schools of the country. The Delhi government aims to "reshape the lives" of underprivileged children by providing them with "exceptional" educational opportunities, the AAP leader said. "The state-of-the-art Delhi government school inaugurated today is better than private schools in the country. Parents now willingly opt for Delhi government schools over private schools. To make the country number one in the world, we must ensure that every child gets quality education. Delhi's education revolution has given a bright future to lakhs of children," Atishi said. According to the Delhi government, the new 4-storey school building has 50 classrooms, 10 modern laboratories, two libraries, staff rooms, activit

Sisodia planted manufactured opinions in support of excise policy: CBI

Former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia "planted" manufactured public opinions in support of the excise policy by getting favourable views from interns of Delhi Minority Commission to make grounds for the now scrapped policy, the CBI has alleged in its supplementary charge sheet. The Delhi government had constituted an expert committee on overhauling the excise policy, which had given its recommendations. Sisodia was unhappy with the recommendations, so he asked the then excise commissioner Rahul Singh to seek public opinion by placing the Dhawan Committee report on web site, the agency alleged in the charge sheet filed before the Special CBI court on April 25. In the supplementary charge sheet filed in the case against Sisodia and other accused, the central agency said he "dishonestly and fraudulently" wanted to prepare grounds through "fabricated public opinions" for incorporating provisions in the policy as per his "pre-conceived" ideas. The charge sheet said Sisodia "g

Delhi LG approves transfer of land to build metro station at Keshopur

Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has approved for transfer of land to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for the construction of a station at Keshopur under its Ph-IV project, officials said on Saturday. The site of the station falls on the under-construction metro corridor between Janakpuri and R K Ashram Marg. The LG has approved for transfer of land from the city's Irrigation and Flood Control Department (I&FC) department to the DMRC, officials in the LG Office said. The DMRC's request with the Delhi government for the transfer of land was pending since April 2019, a senior official said. DMRC sources also confirmed the development. Keshopur station on this upcoming corridor will be an elevated structure. At present, the DMRC is doing construction work on 65.1 km of Phase-IV priority corridors, which comprise Janakpuri West to RK Ashram Marg (28.92 km), Majlis Park to Maujpur (12.55 km), which are extensions of the already operational Magenta Line and Pink Line respectively

Withdraw Delhi ordinance or it will be defeated in Parl, KCR tells Centre

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately withdraw the ordinance issued by the Centre on control of services in Delhi, as his counterparts from Delhi and Punjab, Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann, met him over the issue here. Rao made the demand during a joint press conference with his Kejriwal and Mann. The two AAP leaders met KCR here seeking support over the Kejriwal's fight against the Centre's ordinance. "We demand the Prime Minister to withdraw the ordinance yourself or else we all will support Kejriwal Ji. We will stand by him. We will use all our strength in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to defeat the ordinance. Unnecessarily don't make an issue. Let the government work," Rao told the NDA government at the Centre. Modi government has insulted the people of the Delhi by bringing in the ordinance. "I can say without an iota of doubt it is insult to the Delhi state people," KCR, as Rao is addressed, said. The Cen

Cost of Renovation of Delhi CM's residence Rs 52 cr: Report sent to LG

Renovation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's official residence incurred a total cost of Rs 52.71 crore, according to a "factual report" submitted by the Delhi government's Vigilance Directorate to the lieutenant governor, official sources said on Thursday. The cost of Rs 52.71 crore included Rs 33.49 crore spent on the construction of the house and Rs 19.22 crore on a camp office for the chief minister, the report said, citing records of the Public Works Department (PWD). It is "unfortunate" that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), after failing in all its attempts to malign Kejriwal's image over the last nine years, is now targeting the chief minister's residence, the Aam aadmi Party (AAP) said in a statement. "There is nothing in the report to say that any crime was committed. This is the first time that an official residence complex for the chief minister was created in Delhi, comprising the chief minister's residence, an office secretariat, an auditorium and staff quarters," it

High Court directs Delhi govt to consider Advocates Protection Bill

The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the Delhi government to consider the draft Advocates Protection Bill 2023 and hold a consultation with stakeholders on it.

Delhi mulls revision of user charge for services to augment non-tax revenue

The Delhi government has undertaken an exercise to revise user charges for services provided by its various departments and agencies with the aim to augment non-tax revenue, officials said on Wednesday. The Finance department wrote to all additional chief secretaries, principal secretaries and secretaries earlier this month, asking them to furnish the details of user charges being collected for different services, they said. A Finance department circular noted the need to augment non-tax revenue in view of the "stretched state finances" due to the impact of COVID-19 in 2021-22 and the non receipt of GST compensation from the Centre since July 2022. "In this context, a need has arisen to augment non-tax revenue, which is currently at only 1.69 per cent and 1.35 per cent of total revenue collection of Delhi government during financial year 2020-21 and 2021-22, respectively," said the circular. The major components of non-tax revenue are interest charged on loans or advances, dividend

Policy limitations hurting survival of transplanted trees: Forest dept

The survival rate of transplanted trees in Delhi drastically comes down after the first year due to multiple reasons, including limitations of the tree transplantation policy, the city government's Forest department found during an in-house audit conducted recently. The tree survival rate after one year of transplantation is up to 90 per cent. It drastically drops to 38 per cent after three years, a senior Forest department official, requesting anonymity, told PTI. Data collected after a preliminary audit and submitted to Delhi High Court in May last year showed that only 33.33 per cent of the 16,461 trees transplanted in the national capital over the preceding three years had survived. The Delhi government's tree transplantation policy states that agencies concerned must transplant a minimum 80 per cent of the trees affected by its development works. The benchmark tree survival rate at the end of one year of transplantation is 80 per cent. A three-member committee set up to identi

Delhi govt expresses concern over increasing atrocities on SC/ST community

The Delhi government on Tuesday expressed concern over "increasing" atrocities against members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the national capital and a noticeable decrease in the conviction rate under the SC/ST Act. In a review meeting chaired by SC/ST Welfare Minister Raaj Kumar Anand, officials discussed urgent measures to address these alarming trends and ensure justice for the victims. The review meeting, attended by district magistrates and key officials, highlighted the need for effective implementation of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in Delhi. Anand stressed the government's responsibility to provide immediate legal aid to victims from the SC/ST communities and emphasised the importance of registering complaints promptly to expedite the legal process. He urged the authorities to apprehend and prosecute the culprits responsible for crimes against members of the SC/ST communities. By ensuring swift justice, the government

Kejriwal to meet Mamata, discuss ordinance on administrative services

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is likely to meet his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on Tuesday, an official said. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo is trying to drum up opposition support over his government's fight against the Centre over an ordinance on the control of administrative services in the national capital. Kejriwal is scheduled to land at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in the afternoon, following which he will visit the state secretariat Nabanna to meet the Trinamool Congress chief. "They are scheduled to have a closed-door meeting at the state secretariat. They may also hold a discussion on probable strategies for next year's general elections," a senior TMC leader said. Kejriwal has met Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the ordinance issue and the latter has extended full support to AAP in its tussle with the Centre on the matter. The AAP chief may also meet Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and NCP leader Sharad

Delhi govt to de-silt Ring Road trunk sewer line to lessen overflow issues

The Delhi government will de-silt all trunk sewer lines in the national capital for the first time this year, it said in a statement on Monday. The initiative aims to provide relief to Delhi residents from persistent sewer overflow problems, contribute to the rejuvenation of the Yamuna river and effectively address waterlogging on the roads, it said. The project will commence with the cleaning of the 9.8-kilometre Ring Road trunk sewer line from the Red Fort Gate to the Maharani Bagh sewage pumping station, benefitting areas such as Chandni Chowk, Daryaganj, Sarai Kale Khan, Ajmeri Gate, Pragati Maidan, Nizamuddin and Sunder Nagar. The decision to clean the Ring Road trunk sewer line was made following a directive by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The trunk sewer line, which has not been de-silted for over 18 years, has accumulated a significant amount of sediment, leading to reduced flow capacity and back-overflow situations during the rainy season, the government said in the ...

Special secretary of Delhi reinstated a week after being divested of charge

A week after being divested of his charge and alleging a break-in at his office for suspected "tampering of sensitive files", Special Secretary (Vigilance) of the Delhi government YVVJ Rajasekhar was reinstated on Monday. An order issued by the secretary (vigilance) said Rajasekhar will resume work "as usual" and all the assistant directors will maintain the status as on May 10 as far as the work flow in concerned. Rajasekhar was divested of all his work and files were taken away from him on the orders of Vigilance Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj. The order also directed for the de-sealing of room numbers 403 (of special secretary, vigilance) and 404 (confidential section of the special secretary, vigilance) in view of a recent ordinance of the Centre bringing services matters under the lieutenant governor's control. Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has launched a probe into a complaint from Rajasekhar in which he has alleged the opening of the lock of his office in the secretariat and ...

HC asks Delhi govt to file action plan on bomb threats received by schools

The Delhi High Court Monday asked the city government and police to submit an action plan to deal with bomb threats issued to schools to ensure safety and security of children, teachers, staff and all other stakeholders. Against the backdrop of a spate of such threats, Justice Prathiba M Singh said this never used to happen earlier and asked the Delhi Police as to what steps it was taking. The high court also asked the police to file a status report in respect of bomb threats received by Delhi Public School, Mathura Road, recently. It also impleaded Action Committee Unaided Recognised Private Schools as a party to the petition and said the association may also place on record its suggestions. The high court listed the matter for further hearing on July 31. It was hearing a plea by a parent of a child studying at DPS Mathura Road raising concern over a string of bomb threats to schools due to which parents, students and school staff were traumatised. Petitioner Arpit Bhargava, a .

Ordinance has been brought to investigate corruption of AAP: MoS Lekhi

Kejriwal said that he will seek the support of the leaders of the Opposition parties against the Centre's Ordinance days after the Supreme Court ruling empowering the AAP

Whatever happened in Delhi is a wake-up call, can happen anywhere: Mufti

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti who is visiting Karnataka, on Sunday appreciated the people for voting out a "fascist" BJP government in the state, but also cautioned people about the recent developments in Delhi, saying it was a wake-up call for everyone as it can happen anywhere in the country. Mufti was referring to an ordinance passed by the President on Friday, May 20, giving overriding powers to the Delhi's Lieutenant Governor -- a union government nominee -- to oversee the transfer, posting and disciplinary proceedings against civil servants in Delhi. The ordinance was brought in just a week after a Supreme Court Constitution Bench had ruled that powers over the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers in the national capital lay with the Delhi government and not the Central government. The apex court had made it clear that the Central government cannot take over governance of elected state governments. "Whatever happened in Delhi is a wake-up call

Centre moves SC seeking review of Delhi govt's executive powers verdict

The Centre has moved the Supreme Court seeking review of its May 11 verdict which held that the Delhi government has legislative and executive powers over the administration of services except for public order, police and land. The review petition, submitted by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, said the judgment "suffers from errors apparent on the face of the record and fails to consider the case submitted by the review petitioner". A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, in a unanimous verdict, had put an end to the dispute between the Centre and the Delhi government triggered by a 2015 home ministry notification asserting its control over services, holding the National Capital Territory administration is unlike other Union Territories and has been "accorded a 'sui generis' (unique) status" by the Constitution. The Centre had on Friday promulgated an ordinance to create an authority for transfer and posting of Group-A officers in Delhi, with the AAP

Centre files review petition against SC order on Delhi civil services row

Transfers and postings of officials have been a bone of contention between the Centre and the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government since 2015

Ordinance to say govt will have final say even if SC comes in way: Sibal

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Saturday took a dig at the Centre over its ordinance on transfer of bureaucrats in Delhi, saying that the government has promulgated the ordinance to state that it will have the final say even if the Supreme Court comes in the way. The Centre on Friday promulgated an ordinance to create a National Capital Civil Service Authority for transfer of and disciplinary proceedings against IAS and DANICS cadre officers. The ordinance came a week after the Supreme Court handed over the control of services, excluding those related to police, public order and land, to the elected government in Delhi. In a tweet, Sibal said, "Supreme Court to Government: Ruled to say: Hand over reins of 'services' to Delhi Government. Government to Supreme Court: Promulgated Ordinance to say: If you come in the way, we will still have the final say." The National Capital Civil Service Authority will comprise the chief minister of the government of the National Capital Territory of

Centre issues ordinance to take control of services dept of Delhi govt

This meant the L-G does not have sweeping executive powers over the national capital