by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : The CBI on Saturday searched 14 locations in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, including the residence of a woman IAS officer, a Samajwadi Party leader and a BSP leader, in connection with its investigation into a case of illegal sand mining, with sources saying the role of former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who held the portfolio of mining, will also be probed.
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) spokesperson Abhishek Dayal told reporters that the agency registered a case on January 2 against 11 people, including a few known public servants and unknown public servants and others, under several sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The agency has named the woman IAS officer B. Chandrakala, a former Hamirpur District Magistrate, miner Adil Khan, geologist/mining officer Moinuddin, SP leader Ramesh Kumar Mishra, his brother Dinesh Kumar Mishra, Ram Ashray Prajapati, a former clerk in the mining department in Hamirpur, Sanajy Dikshit, who contested the 2017 Assembly polls on Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket, his father Satyadeo Dikshit, and Ram Avtar Singh, a former clerk in the mining department.
The official said that it conducted searches at 14 locations including one in New Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar area and Kanpur, Lucknow, Hamirpur, Jalon, Hamirpur and Noida (in Uttar Pradesh).
The agency carried out searches at two residential premises of Chandrakala in Lucknow and Noida and at the premises of the SP leader and his brother in Kanpur and his close associate Ambika Tiwari in Hamirpur.
Dayal said the case relates to the illegal sand mining between 2012 and 2016, which it had started investigating on the directions of the Allahabad High Court.
He said the agency was investigating the granting and renewal of the licenses for the mining in the state between 2012-16 and also during the ‘obstruction’ period.
The official said that the CBI team recovered a few documents and seized a bank locker and two bank accounts from the IAS officer.
From the residence of Adil Khan, the agency collected the documents related to mining. “We found that the mining licence to him was provided on the recommendations of the then mining minister Gayatri Prajapati,” he said.
He said the agency recovered Rs 12.5 lakh and 1.8 kg gold from the residence of Moinuddin in Hamirpur and Rs 2 crore and two kg gold from the residence of the retired clerk of the mining department, Ram Avtar Singh, in Jalon.
“Ram Avtar Singh was also holding a mining licence on a different name,” the official said.
The official said that it also carried out searches at the residence of SP leader Ramesh Kumar Mihsra’s wife in Lucknow but she has not been named in the FIR.
A senior agency official said that the agency will also probe the role of the Mining ministers in the state in 2012-16.
Former Chief Minister and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav held the mining ministry portfolio in the state from 2012 to 2013. Gayatri Prajapati succeded Akhilesh Yadav as Mining Minister.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Business, Business Ideas, Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Startup Basics, Women Entrepreneur
By Richa Sharma,
New Delhi : Thirty-two-year-old Geeta sits patiently, painting pots created by her husband in the small open porch in her house at Kumhar Gram or Potters’ Village that interestingly has managed to find space in West Delhi’s Uttam Nagar.
Geeta says she desperately awaits for the Diwali season (October-November) every year, when it is boom time for the potters, who labour from dawn to dusk in the days leading up to the festival.
“Diwali is a boon for us,” Geeta told IANS, pointing to the four-fivefold rise in income during that time — against the average income of Rs 8,000 to Rs 15,000 per month during the rest of the year.
Leela Ram Prajapati, who has been a potter for the last 30 years, concurred. “We get maximum work during Diwali.”
Packed with magnificent ceramics, as also idols, vessels, artefacts and other items crafted out of mud, the narrow lanes of Kumhar Gram boast of a great deal of talent and artistry among the more than 400 families that have been settled in the locality since the 1970s.
Harikishan, whose efforts led to the creation of the colony, won a National Award in 1990. Today, as many as 12 potters at Kumhar Gram have been similarly honoured.
Despite these achievements and the talent they inherited from their ancestors, a majority of the potters in the colony do not want the future generation to continue with their profession because of the lack of facilities and the low income generated through the year, except for the month of Diwali.
“I don’t want my children to take up my profession when they grow up. I want them to do a fine job,” Pooja, a 34-year-old potter said, adding there was a huge problem managing the family expenditure on an income of Rs 10,000-Rs 15,000 in a month.
The potters had another grouse. While agriculturists in particular welcome the monsoon as it impacts their yields it often has quite the opposite impact on potters.
“Sometimes, the unbaked items get destroyed in the rain,” a potter said, adding there is no enough space inside the houses to accommodate all of what they have crafted but which hasn’t gone through the ‘bhatti” (ovn).
They also expressed anger at the rise of Chinese goods in the market.
“Due to the increasing flood of Chinese items, our sale is going down day by day. It affects our livelihood,” said Tarachand, a 48-year-old potter.
Even so, given their belief in karma, they labour on.
(Richa Sharma is an Intern at IANS)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that there will be no sale of firecrackers during Diwali, as it restored a November 2016 order banning the sale and stocking of firecrackers in Delhi and National Capital Region.
A bench headed by Justice A.K. Sikri, while restoring the order, said: “We should see at least in one Diwali the impact of a cracker-free festivity.”
However, the court said that the September 12, 2017 order lifting the ban on the sale and stocking of firecrackers in Delhi NCR will be back into effect from November 1.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Markets, Online Marketing
New Delhi: (Press Release) The largest collection of online Islamic books in India by the name of “Momincart.com” was inaugurated in Jamia Nagar, New Delhi. It is of its first kind on the internet platform with online store having about 9000 books boasting of 1500 authors thus making it a delight for book readers. In this technological era it was imperative that books be available to public via click of a button and Wasiq Nadeem of momincart.com has successfully ventured into this zone.
“Our aim is that Islamic books be easily accessible to everyone. Most of the people in these modern times don’t find much time to go and search in market places. With the development of internet people find it much convenient to save efforts and search online. There was a void in availability of Islamic books in this aspect. This website offers solace to all such seekers of knowledge at affordable costs. Profit making is not our target.” Wasiq added.
Various prominent public dignitaries were present for the inauguration. Muhammad Saleem engineer, Secretary General of Jamat e Islami Hind ;Mr Kamal Farooqi, ex chairman of Minority Commission and member of Muslim Personal law Board; Mr Naved Hamid, President of All India Muslim Majlis e Mushawarat were the chief Guests. The chief guests were full of praise and put forth their valuable advises. Muhammad saleem engineer said that in today’s world we cannot do much without internet. Aforetime people used to visit marketplaces to purchase books but now days markets are coming to homes of people. This is a modern era and people must make use of these methods. Mr Kamal Farooqi expressed great happiness and further said i am glad that people of my community are coming up in this professional manner. Now da there are many issues regarding personel law board and people want to read about it but dont know where and how to go about it.With this initiative people will get correct information about any current topics they wish to read. Navaid Hamid congratulated wasiq nadeem and his entire team for their efforts and said this is a unique initiative in itself.
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Media, News
New Delhi, (IANS): It was a cloudy Tuesday morning here with the minimum temperature recorded at 23.1 degrees Celsius, three notches below the season’s average, as rains bring respite for denizens the previous day, the weather office said.
“The sky will remain partly cloudy and rain/thundershower is likely to occur in some parts of Delhi and NCR region,” said an official of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).
According to the weather office, rains brought a respite in Delhi by bringing the temperature down.
Delhi recorded a rainfall of 10.2 mm between 8.30 a.m. on Monday and 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday.
The maximum temperature is likely to hover around 38 degrees Celsius, said the official.
The humidity at 8.30 a.m. was 74 percent, he said.
Monday’s maximum temperature settled at 40.9 degrees Celsius, one notch above the season’s average while minimum temperature was recorded at 30.5 degrees Celsius, four notches above the season’s average.
