SRINAGAR, Sept 1: A fresh inquiry has been ordered a against a police officer of deputy superintendent rank into allegations of “wrongful confinement” and “bribery” charges against him during his posting in Arnas area of Reasi district by Jammu and Kashmir government.
“Dr. S.D. Singh Jamwal, ADGP (Security), J&K, is hereby appointed as Inquiry Officer to conduct a denovo inquiry into the charges framed against Zubair Mirza, I/c Dy.SP, and served to him vide O.M. No. Home/Gaz/PB-I/32/2018 dated 11.12.2018,” reads an order by Raj Kumar Goyal (IAS), Financial Commissioner/Additional Chief Secretary Home Department.
The order states that General Administration Department on 1 August 2018 forwarded a copy of communication dated 14 June 2018 of Vigilance Organization (Now Anti Corruption Bureau), for consideration of its recommendations and initiation of Regular Departmental Action (RDA) against the officer, Zubair Mirza, then SDPO Arnas, based on the written complaint of alleged wrongful confinement of the complainant and his family members and bribery charges.
Subsequently, the Home Department served a charge sheet upon Mirza on 11 December 2018.
“In response, the delinquent officer submitted his reply on 27.12.2018, which was found at variance with the charges served upon him,” the order reads.
Subsequently, the order said a departmental inquiry was ordered against on 23 April 2019 in terms of Rule 33 of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services ( Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1956. Senior police officer Garib Dass (IPS) was appointed as Inquiry Officer and he furnished a report on 9 February 2022, the order reads. “He has inter-alia concluded that inquiry conducted has not brought out any adverse inference on the basis of which it could be constituted that the delinquent officer (Mirza) had failed to maintain absolute honesty and integrity and acted in unprofessional manner in discharge of his official duty, unbecoming of a government servant,” the order reads.
However, it has been observed that the Inquiry Officer has not delved on the charges framed against the officer “satisfactorily,” the order noted.
“Therefore, the Competent Authority has desired to hold a denovo inquiry into the charges served upon Zubair Mirza, I/c Dy. SP, …on 11.12.2018,” the order said, adding, “Therefore, in terms of Rule 33 of the Jammu & Kashmir Civil Service (Classification, Control and Appeal), 1956, Dr. S.D. Singh Jamwal, ADGP (Security), J&K, is hereby appointed as Inquiry Officer to conduct a denovo inquiry into the charges framed against Zubair Mirza, I/c Dy.SP.”
The Inquiry Officer has been asked to complete the enquiry and submit his report along with recommendations to the Home Department within a period of thirty days. (Agencies)
Inquiry ordered against police officer on allegations of wrongful confinement, bribery
GST mop up rises 28 pc in Aug to Rs 1.43 lakh cr
New Delhi, Sep 1: Collections from Goods and Services Tax (GST) rose 28 per cent to Rs 1.43 lakh crore in August, the Finance Ministry said on Thursday.
GST collection has remained over the Rs 1.4-lakh-crore mark for the sixth straight month in August.
Better reporting coupled with economic recovery has been having a positive impact on the GST revenues on a consistent basis,” the ministry said in a statement.
The gross GST revenue collected in August 2022 stood at Rs 1,43,612 crore of which Central GST is Rs 24,710 crore, State GST is Rs 30,951 crore, Integrated GST is Rs 77,782 crore (including Rs 42,067 crore collected on import of goods) and cess is Rs 10,168 crore (including Rs 1,018 crore collected on import of goods), the ministry said.
The revenues for the month of August 2022, registered 28 per cent increase than the GST revenues of Rs 1,12,020 crore collected in August 2021. (Agencies)
House, 3 shops gutted in Srinagar fire
SRINAGAR, Sept 1: A residential building and three shops were razed in a fire in Srinagar on Thursday. No one was injured, officials said.
Fire and Emergency service officials said it broke out in a shop at Barbarshah area in the city earlier in the day and engulfed two other provisional stores causing extensive damage to properties.
Fire tenders from the nearby stations rushed to the spot and doused the flames. The cause of the fire is believed to be due to electric short circuit. (AGENCIES)
Prices of commercial LPG slashed by Rs 91.5 per cylinder
NEW DELHI, Sep 1: Oil marketing companies have cut the price of LPG cylinders by Rs 91.50 per unit with immediate effect.
Now, a 19 kg commercial LPG cylinder will cost Rs 1,885, instead of Rs 1,976 in Delhi.
On August 1, the prices were reduced by Rs 36. Prior to that, on July 6, rates for the 19-kg commercial cylinder were cut by Rs 8.5 per unit.
Prices of domestic cylinders remain unchanged.
On July 6, prices of domestic liquid petroleum gas cylinders weighing 14.2 kg were raised by Rs 50 per unit. Previously, the prices for domestic cylinders were revised on May 19, 2022.
In the national capital, it currently sells at Rs 1,053 per unit. Besides, in Kolkata, Mumbai, and Chennai, it sells at Rs 1,079, Rs 1,052.5, and Rs 1,068.5, respectively. (Agencies)
SpiceJet Delhi-Nashik flight returns midway due to ‘autopilot’ snag
NEW DELHI, Sep 1: A SpiceJet flight that took off for Nashik in Maharashtra from the Indira Gandhi International Airport here on Thursday morning returned midway to the city due to an ‘autopilot’ snag, a DGCA official said.
The Boeing 737 aircraft landed safely, he said.
“SpiceJet B737 aircraft VT-SLP, operating flight SG-8363 (Delhi-Nashik) on Thursday was involved in an air turnback due to an autopilot snag,” the official said.
Facing financial turbulence amid high fuel prices and rupee depreciation, SpiceJet aircraft have been involved in a series of incidents in the past as well, following which the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had issued a show-cause notice to the airline.
On July 27, the aviation safety regulator had also ordered the airline to operate a maximum of 50% of its flights for eight weeks. (Agencies)
3-day workshop on ‘Scientists as Filmmakers and Science Communication’ concludes at NIT Srinagar
Srinagar: A three-day workshop ‘Scientists as Filmmakers and Science Communication’ organised by the Postgraduate Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology (NIT), Srinagar concluded here Wednesday.
A statement of the NIT Srinagar issued here said that the event was presided over by Director NIT Srinagar, Prof Rakesh Sehgal who was the chief guest for the valedictory section.
In his address, Prof Sehgal said that the primary objective of the workshop was the promotion of science communication skills among the students and its importance in context with modern research.
In his message, Institute’s Registrar Prof Syed Kaiser Bukhari said science film engages viewers visually and viscerally more so emotionally thereby potentially reaching wider audiences.
Welcoming the guests Head PG Department of Physics, M A Shah said that films were the most powerful tools for communicating science to the general public.
The coordinator of programme Prof S Rubab gave a brief outlook of the programme in context with the New Education Policy.
The concluding session was also attended by Dean Students Welfare Prof Abdul Liman and former HoD Mathematics Prof Niyaz Ahmad Sheikh.
On the occasion, independent filmmaker Jalaluddin Baba said whether it was the newly-published scientific research or promoting scientific awareness for conservation purposes, choosing a short film about the topic was a great way to get involved in outreach and education.
In the inaugural programme former Additional Director of AIR Srinagar Rafiq Masoodi advised students that new technologies could reach the public if the work was presented properly.
KCR gives slogan of ‘BJP Mukt Bharat’ in Patna visit
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, who visited Patna on Wednesday to meet his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar and other Mahagatbandhan leaders, gave the slogan of “BJP Mukt Bharat”.
“The country is a trouble zone and hence, we have decided to bring every opposition party on one stage to oppose the BJP. I have a good meeting with our elder brother Nitish Kumar ji and we will sit together to make strategy against the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The BJP wants an opposition-free space to establish a dictatorship in the country. Hence we have decided on a ‘BJP Mukt Bharat’,” he said.
KCR, as the leader is popularly known, alleged that the Narendra Modi government has had no achievement for the last 8 years, and “he is only working on the Becho (sell) India campaign”.
“What is the achievement of Narendra Modi in this country? Has he done anything that helps people to live an easy life? His government is selling the assets of the country including railway, airports, shipyards, LIC etc. Agriculture is the only sector in the country which is beyond his control but his government is eyeing it too,” he claimed.
“Why did the farmers of the country agitate for 14 months? Why did PM Narendra Modi apologise to them and promised to rectify things. Why hasn’t it yet? What was the reason? His promise has no value. It is a big conspiracy going in the country against the farmers to penalise them to such an extent that they would have a hand to mouth existence and be ready to sell their lands. The friends of Modi Ji are ready to purchase it,” he said.
“Telangana is the youngest state in the country which was built in 2014. In the beginning, we had so many challenges like power supply, MSP to farmers etc. The situation was as such that the business of inverters, batteries, stabilisers, motor windings are flourishing in the state. Then we decided to rectify things and within 2 years, we provided high quality electricity in every sector. Telangana government has opened 7,000 purchasing points where the state government is purchasing every last grain of farmers on MSP. If we do it, why can’t the Central government which has more resources than us,” he said.
“The Central government is not allowing states to flourish in the country. If any state is trying to do development on their own, the Center is making hurdles for it. In Telangana, we have a coal mine where we can purchase coal at Rs 3,600 per ton but the Centre passed an order to purchase the coal from our own coal mine at Rs 25,000 per ton. Why would we purchase on the rate of Centre as its production is being done in our own state. Hence, we refused it,” he said.
Noting that ahead of the presidential election in the US, the Prime Minister went there and gave a slogan of “Abki Baar Trump Sarkar”, he said: “I want to ask Modi ji to say why had he given such a slogan… Was it an election of the Ahmedabad corporation? Trump lost the election and Joe Biden won. Now, you would imagine what would be the US strategy toward India.”
Mainly clear weather likely in Jammu and Kashmir: MeT
JAMMU, Sep 1: The Meteorological (MeT) department on Thursday predicted clear weather for Jammu and Kashmir in the next 24 hours.
“Weather is likely to remain mainly clear to partly cloudy in J&K during the next 24 hours”, an official of the MeT department said.
Meanwhile, Jammu had 26.1 degrees, Katra 23.2, Batote 17.7, Banihal 16.5 and Bhaderwah 16.9.
Srinagar recorded 16.8 degrees Celsius, Pahalgam 11.7 and Gulmarg 9 degrees as the minimum temperature this morning.
In Drass town, the minimum temperature was 8.7 degrees, while Leh 9.7 and Kargil 16.2 registered 9.7 and 16.2 degrees.
Active Covid cases in country decline to 62,748
New Delhi, Sep 1: With 7,946 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day, India’s total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 4,44,36,339, while the active cases declined to 62,748, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.
The death toll climbed to 5,27,911 with 37 fatalities which includes 12 deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated.
The active cases comprise 0.14 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate increased to 98.67 per cent, the ministry said.
A decline of 1,919 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.
The daily positivity rate was recorded at 2.98 per cent and the weekly positivity rate at 2.57 per cent, according to the ministry.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,38,45,680 while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent.
According to the ministry, 212.52 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.
India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020; 30 lakh on August 23; 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28; 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29; 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed one crore on December 19.
India crossed the grim milestone of two crore coronavirus cases on May 4 and three crore on June 23 last year. It crossed the four-crore mark on January 25 this year
The 25 new fatalities include five from Maharashtra, three each from Gujarat and West Bengal, two each from Delhi, Karnataka, Mizoram, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, and one each from Bihar, Odisha, Pondicherry and Punjab. (AGENCIES)
Teenage boy’s body found dead in Rajouri village
Rajouri: A teenage boy from Jhandi Dhara village of Rajouri died under mysterious circumstances with his body found hanging from the ceiling inside his house.
The deceased was identified as Muhammad Kaif, 17, son of Muhammad Rafiq of Jhandi, Dhara.
Police said that Tuesday night the body of the boy was found hanging with a ceiling fan in his house after which a Police team from the local Police post rushed to the spot and took the body into its possession.