Page 81 - Delhi

Delhi excise 'scam': Court extends judicial custody of Sisodia till Jan 10

A court here on Monday extended till January 10, 2024 the judicial custody of AAP leader Manish Sisodia in a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. Special Judge M K Nagpal also sought responses from Sisodia and other accused on an application filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking permission to file additional documents in the case. The judge directed the accused persons to file their replies to the application by December 10. The court also directed the ED to provide hard copies of the 540 pages of additional documents to the accused persons before the next hearing on January 10. During the proceedings, the court also adjourned the hearing on an application moved by the ED seeking day-to-day hearing in the matter. The judge noted that the case is currently at the stage of scrutiny of documents and that the trial will begin after this stage is over and charges are framed against the accused persons. "The application shall be taken up at

Delhi govt plans WhatsApp-based bus ticketing system on metro routes

The Delhi government is planning to launch a WhatsApp-based bus ticketing system in the national capital on the lines of the Delhi Metro, officials said. They said the Transport Department of the city government is working on rolling out the digital ticketing system for DTC and cluster buses. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) already has a WhatsApp-based ticketing system in place. The service was launched in May this year and subsequently extended to all corridors of the rapid transit system, including the Gurugram Rapid Metro. There will be a cap on the number of tickets a user can generate. For purchasing Delhi Metro tickets, passengers have to send a message with the text Hi' to +91 9650855800 on WhatsApp or scan the provided QR code to effortlessly purchase metro tickets using their smartphones across the whole network. Ticket cancellations are not allowed in WhatsApp ticketing. A marginal convenience fee is applied to transactions made via credit or debit card, while no

Gandhi Nagar traders threaten to shut down market over user charge by MCD

Traders on Sunday staged a demonstration in East Delhi's Gandhi Nagar and threatened to shut down the popular garment market against the MCD's collection of user charge to lift garbage against set norms. No immediate response was available by the civic body when approached for a comment. Around 100-150 shopkeepers, who were joined by Gandhi Nagar ward councillor Priya Kamboj, staged a demonstration in the market alleging that the MCD was randomly collecting a user charge of Rs 1,000 from shopkeepers flouting rules. "The MCD is randomly collecting a user charge of Rs 1,000 from shopkeepers in the Gandhi Nagar market without complying to the rules. There is mismanagement in the collection process as shopkeepers are being charged regardless of their shop size," the BJP councillor said. As per the Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules 2016, commercial properties have to pay a user charge ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 5,000 depending on the size of the plot or its seating capacity. The BJ

Namo Bharat RRTS train trial conducted from Delhi's Duhai to Modi Nagar

After commencement of the 17 km priority section of the Regional Rapid Transit System that covers Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Meerut, a trial run of the Namo Bharat train was conducted from Duhai to Modi Nagar South on Sunday. The train departed from Duhai station, reached Murad Nagar station, and then continued to cover the distance of about 12 km to Modi Nagar South. "At present, the Namo Bharat trains are undergoing a trial run to test the track and traction. Initially, the train is being operated manually under the Train Control Management System. The train covered the distance from Muradnagar station to Modi Nagar South at a minimal speed. Later, it was brought back to Duhai while slightly increasing its speed," a statement from the National Capital Region Transport Corporation said. The 25 km-stretch between Duhai and Meerut South RRTS station is the next section of the corridor that will be opened for the public after the priority section. The section has a total of four stations

INDIA bloc to meet on Dec 19 in Delhi, to work on 'Main Nahin, Hum' motto

Evolving a "core positive agenda", seat sharing and a programme to hold joint rallies are among the main challenges before the opposition INDIA bloc that will be taken up at its next meeting in the national capital on December 19. "The 4th meeting of the leaders of INDIA parties will be held on Tuesday December 19th, 2023 in New Delhi at 3 pm," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X on Sunday. The parties intend to move forward with the unity theme - "Main Nahin, Hum" (We, Not Me) - as a counter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the meeting, a senior leader of the Congress said. The meeting is being held in the backdrop of the Congress' poor show in the just concluded assembly elections, where it suffered humiliating defeats in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, while the BJP asserted that people have affirmed their faith in "Modi's guarantees" and will re-elect his government in 2024. The challenge before the opposition parties now is to come out wi

Keeping me in custody serves no purpose, AAP's Sanjay Singh tells court

AAP leader Sanjay Singh on Saturday urged a court here to release him, saying no purpose will be served by keeping him in further custody in a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise scam. Singh's counsel made the submission before Special Judge M K Nagpal during the hearing of his bail application. He told the court that he was not required for further investigation and that the probe against him was over. "The ED has already filed its charge sheet against me after the completion of the investigation. I'm not required for the custodial interrogation any further. There is no purpose to keep me in further custody," Singh's counsel told the court. During the arguments, the ED said the probe was ongoing and if released on bail, Singh could hamper the investigation and tamper with the evidence as well as influence the witnesses. In the course of hearing on bail application, the fifth supplementary prosecution complaint filed against Singh was also taken out from a se

Milk bank, AI-driven civic monitoring among proposals in MCD's next budget

The MCD's budget for next fiscal will see the establishment of its first Lactation Management Unit, or Milk Bank, and use of Artificial Intelligence for monitoring of civic amenities. The civic body has in its budget estimates for 2024-25 provisioned funds for construction of around 20 school buildings in different zones of the city. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi on Saturday presented a budget estimate of Rs 16,683.02 crore for the year 2024-25 with estimated income to be Rs 15,686.99 crore. The civic body saw a spike of Rs 400 crore in the revenue, as it earned Rs 2,417 crore in the financial year 2022-23 -- the highest revenue in the history of the Corporation through property tax, according to the MCD. The MCD's first milk bank will be set up in Swami Dayanand Hospital, it said. The corporation has proposed a pilot project for Preet Vihar, East Patel Nagar, and Kotla Mubarakpur wards for the extension of civic services through artificial intelligence. It proposed to const

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Anti-collision system Kavach deployed on 1,465 route km, 139 locomotives

The sections include Lingamapalli - Vikarabad - Wadi and Vikarabad - Bidar section (265 Rkm), Manmad-Mudkhed-Dhone-Guntkal section (959Rkm) and Bidar-Parbhani section (241Rkm)

Delhi cabinet reshuffle: Atishi gets Law dept, now overseeing 14 portfolios

The Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's recommendation for the same was approved by Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, said the Delhi government on Friday

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Gender parity in Delhi's higher education declined in in 2020-21: Data

The gender parity index in higher education in the national capital declined to 1.04 in 2020-21 from 1.16 in 2018-19, according to data published by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics. Gender parity index (GPI) is defined as the ratio of number of females to males enrolled in a given stage of education. The index ideally should be between 0.97 and 1.03, as per the report 'Women and Men in Delhi 2023'. However, the number of female students per 100 male students in important educational programmes in Delhi has shown a rise. Comparing the data recorded across various higher education courses in 2012-13 and 2020-21, it was observed that the GPI increased from 0.84 to 0.9 in PhD, 0.73 to 1.02 in postgraduate, 1.03 to 1.11 in undergraduate, 0.51 to 0.73 in PG Diploma and 0.53 to 0.84 in Diploma programme in regular mode of education. Of the total students in Delhi, around 90.1 per cent opted for general course as compared to technical or professional courses which include 92 p

Unemployment rate in Delhi higher than national level for men, women

The unemployment rate in Delhi was higher with almost double in case of females as compared to the country's average, said a Delhi government report. According to the 'Women & Men In Delhi-2023' report, the unemployment rate was 5.1 per cent for males and 6.0 per cent for females in Delhi in 2021-22 while at all India level it was 4.4 per cent for males and 3.3 per cent for females. The broad employment status showed that 33.1 per cent of working men in the city were self-employed, 63 per cent were in the regular wage/salaried employee category, and 3.5 per cent were in the casual labour category. Among the female workers, only 17 per cent were engaged in the self-employed category while 83 per cent were in the regular wage/salaried employee category, said the report. Industry-wise, out of total female workers, 59.74 per cent were engaged in 'other services' followed by 'trade, hotel and restaurant' (14.73 per cent) and 'manufacturing' (14.19 per cent) in 2021-22. In case of male

Delhi's population projected to rise to 26.5 mn by 2036, says report

The national capital's population is projected to rise up to 2.65 crore, comprising 47.34 per cent women, by 2036, as per a Delhi government report. According to the report titled Women & Men in Delhi-2023', by 2036 the population of Delhi has been projected to be 2,65,91,000 1,25,89,000 females and 1,40,02,000 males. Women will account for 47.34 per cent of the city population in 2036, as compared to 48.78 per cent at the national level, it stated. Delhi is one of the fastest growing cities in the country due to the rapid pace of urbanisation. As per the Census 2011, Delhi's population was 1,67,87,941, 78,00615 females and 89,87,326 males, it said. Women's population in Delhi is 46.47 per cent of the city's total as per the 2011 Census, which is lower than the corresponding national figure of 48.53 per cent. Delhi's sex ratio is projected to rise from 868 (in Census 2011) to 899 in 2036 but would still be lower than the national sex ratio which is projected to increase from 943

Telangana CM in Delhi Revanth Reddy; likely to resign as Lok Sabha member

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Friday arrived in the national capital and is likely to tender his resignation from Lok Sabha. Official sources said Reddy is likely to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to offer his resignation. He represents the Malkajgiri Parliamentary constituency in Telangana. The sources said Reddy is also likely to meet party general secretary K C Venugopal and discuss issues ahead of the first assembly session in Telangana besides implementation of six guarantees promised by the party during the poll campaign. Reddy was sworn in as chief minister of Telangana on Thursday along with a deputy chief minister and other ministers. His swearing in was attended by top Congress leadership including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, besides chief minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah.

SC grants bail to executive of liquor firm in Delhi excise policy case

The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to liquor giant Pernod Ricard's executive Benoy Babu in a money laundering case arising out of the Delhi excise policy scam. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti noted that the accused has been in custody for more than 13 months and the trial against him has still not commenced in the case. The bench also noted that there were contradictions in the case probed by the CBI and the ED with regard to Babu. "You can't keep people behind bars before trial for long. This is not proper. We still don't know how this will go. There seems to be some contradiction between what the CBI is alleging and the ED is alleging in the case," the bench told Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the Enforcement Directorate (ED). At the outset, senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for Babu, said it is a completely 'bogus case' against his client which is being probed by the ED. "As per the ED's case, Babu met Vijay Nair (Aam Aadmi Part

Delhi govt report shows decline in sex ratio, rise in birth rate in 2022

The sex ratio in the national capital dropped to 929 in 2022 from 932 a year back, according to a report published by the Delhi government. The 'Annual report on registration of births and deaths in Delhi, 2022' showed that the birth rate in Delhi increased to 14.24 per thousand of population during 2022 from 13.13 in 2021. The death rate declined to 6.07 per cent in 2022 from 8.28 per cent in 2021. It also revealed a significant jump in the average number of births per day in Delhi i.e. up from 745 in 2021 to 823 in 2022. The sex ratio declined to 929 per thousand males in 2022 from 932 in 2021, the report said. The report said 1,55,670 (51.83 per cent) of the total births registered were males and 1,44,581 (48.14 per cent) were females and 99 (0.03 per cent) belonged to the "others" category. Out of the total births, 2,82,389 (94.02 per cent) were institutional -- 1,86,905 (66.19 per cent) of them in government hospitals -- and 17,961 (5.98 per cent) were domiciliary in nature.

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Air quality in Delhi remains in 'poor' category, overall AQI at 276

The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi, as per SAFAR-India (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research), was recorded at 276 on Thursday morning

Delhi govt mulls stipend for construction workers affected by Grap curbs

The Delhi government is planning to award stipends to nearly a lakh construction workers whose livelihoods were affected when restrictions under GRAP Stage-IV were in force in the national capital, officials said on Wednesday. A file on the proposal has been prepared and a meeting on it will be held next week. There are around a lakh workers registered with the Delhi government who are beneficiaries of various welfare schemes, the officials said. "The government will give a stipend of Rs 5,000 to construction workers who were affected due to the ban. A meeting of the Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board will be held next week with Labour Minister Raaj Kumar Anand to discuss the matter," an official said. Restrictions under the stringent GRAP Stage-IV kicked in on November 5 due to deteriorating air quality levels in the national capital. The Centre on November 18 ordered the revocation of the ban on construction work related to linear public projects in ...