Browsing: India

Crackdown continues against illegal bike taxis in Bengaluru Bengaluru: As transport dept intensifies its crackdown on illegal bike-taxi operations, commuters are questioning why the same urgency is not being shown against autorickshaw drivers who allegedly overcharge passengers, refuse trips, and exploit the shortage of alternative transport.Over the past three days, transport officials have seized nearly 350 bike taxis in the city for allegedly operating private two-wheelers for commercial purposes. Bike owners now face penalties ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000, besides the possibility of suspension of driving licences and seizure of their vehicles.However, the enforcement drive has triggered frustration…

Hyderabad: The CBI has registered a corruption case against a senior Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) official and the managing director of a pharmaceutical company over allegations that bribes were sought and offered to secure clearances for applications linked to World Health Organisation (WHO) certification standards.A Hyderabad-based regulatory consultant is also mentioned in the FIR as an alleged intermediary in the dealings. The FIR, registered by the CBI’s anti-corruption branch, Visakhapatnam, on Aug 6, names Bikash Roy, assistant drug controller (India) at the CDSCO sub-zonal office in Visakhapatnam, and H Vikram, MD of Chennai-based Artura Pharmaceuticals Private Limited, which…

Chennai: Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to introduce a separate entrance examination or use NEET scores for admissions to Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry (BVSc & AH) courses. Instead, admissions should be made based on Class XII marks or criteria decided by state govts, he said.In a letter to Modi, Vijay opposed a common entrance examination. “I would be grateful if the Veterinary Council of India could be advised to review its decision and permit admissions to the BVSc & AH degree programme to continue on the basis…

The court held that the candidate’s answer was correct as it was supported by NCERT and GCERT textbooks, while the source relied upon by GPSC for framing the question was ‘unauthenticated’ Ahmedabad: In a significant relief to a Gujarat Public Service Commission (GPSC) aspirant who missed qualifying for the next stage of a recruitment process by just one mark, the Gujarat high court on Friday directed the commission to award her a mark for a disputed question on Kautilya’s Arthashastra.The court held that candidate Arti Rangpariya’s answer was correct as it was supported by NCERT and GCERT textbooks, while the…

Prayagraj: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the fisheries department has decided to divide six rivers flowing through Prayagraj into 38 separate zones and allot fishing rights through an auction process. Officials believe the move will not only create additional sources of income for fishermen but also increase the department’s revenue.The decision covers stretches of Ganga, Yamuna, Varuna, Mansaita, Tons and Belan rivers. According to officials, the zones have been demarcated across the tehsils of Meja, Koraon, Handia, Bara, Sadar and Phulpur.The length of the identified zones ranges from three to eight kilometres, and a separate minimum auction value has been fixed…

Berhampur: Vigilance sleuths on Friday nabbed the accountant-cum-data entry operator (ADEO) of Raj Jankia gram panchayat under Nayagarh district’s Ranpur block while allegedly taking bribe of Rs 4,000 from a Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)-Gramini beneficiary to facilitate release of bonus and payment under MGNREGS (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme).The accused was identified as Prasanta Kumar Bhatta. The entire bribe amount was seized from him. The vigilance sleuths also conducted raids at two locations of the accused. Sources said the complainant had reportedly provided Rs 7 lakh to the accused a few days ago. The beneficiary completed his…

The wall came crashing down around 1.30pm Gurgaon: Two labourers who had taken shelter from the rain near a wall inside an under-construction school were crushed to death when it collapsed on Friday afternoon.It was the first day at the construction site for Suraj (38) and Dayanand (45) — both from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh — who had been hired for landscaping work on the upcoming Vasant Valley School campus in DLF Phase 2. Suraj is survived by his wife and two daughters, aged five and two, while Dayanand leaves behind his wife and a son.According to police and workers…

Aizawl: In a joint operation, Assam Rifles and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Aizawl, have seized 15 kg of methamphetamine tablets near Sakei Bangla Restaurant in Seling village of Aizawl district, Assam Rifles said in a press release on Friday. They also arrested three persons in this connection.The joint team intercepted an ambulance carrying the consignment, estimated to be worth Rs 45 crore.“To avoid suspicion, one of the apprehended individuals, a woman, was posing as a patient while travelling in the ambulance. The operation resulted in the apprehension of three persons and seizure of the ambulance used for transporting the…

Dostoevsky, Tehran Coup Novel Found in Atiq’s Son Aaban’s CarDostoevsky, Tehran Coup Novel Found in Atiq’s Son Aaban’s CarDostoevsky, Tehran Coup Novel Found in Atiq’s Son Aaban’s CarDostoevsky, Tehran Coup Novel Found in Atiq’s Son Aaban’s CarDostoevsky, Tehran Coup Novel Found in Atiq’s Son Aaban’s Car Jhansi: Books by renowned Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky and Iranian-American author Marjan Kamali were among the personal belongings recovered from the mangled car of Aaban Ahmed, the youngest son of slain gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed, after he was killed in a road accident on the Jhansi-Kanpur highway. Police clarified that the books had no connection…

Board of Control for Cricket in India had withdrawn the ground’s recognition in Sept 2017 Noida: The district administration has cleared a proposal to reopen Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik sports complex in Greater Noida for public use after nine years. A formal approval from Greater Noida Authority, which owns the complex, is awaited. The annual membership fee has been fixed at Rs 210 for players below 18.The plan was cleared at a meeting of the district sports development and promotion committee, chaired by district magistrate Medha Roopam, where the state of sports activities in the district, proposals to strengthen infrastructure,…