PF interest crediting begins
The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has begun crediting interest at the rate of 8.5% in the employees’ accounts for the financial year 2019-20. An EPFO circular says all regional provident fund offices have been instructed to credit the interest without any delay. It says the employees can now check their PF balance on its website. It announced the new interest rate only last week.
NEP: Pokhriyal for task force formation
After reviewing the implementation of New Education Policy, 2020, Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal recommended the constitution of a task force for coordinating NEP implementation between educational institutions. He suggested a review committee and an implementation committee headed by secretary, Higher Education be formed. "Pokhriyal has recommended the constitution of a task force for coordinating of NEP implementation between higher education and school education depts of the Ministry of Education to facilitate the smooth transition of students from school education to higher education.”
Lawyers write to CJI for resuming regular physical court hearing
Several lawyers on Wednesday wrote to Chief Justice of India SA Bobde seeking to resume regular physical hearing in the courts saying that the virtual hearing system has failed to adequately serve as the affective justice delivery system. In a letter sent by the members of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), the lawyers also said they are suffering for about last ten months amidst this pandemic. While contending the the virtual functioning of courts system has more lacunaes than its benefits, the letter said "the virtual hearing system has failed to serve adequately as the affective justice delivery system." "Needless to say many of your lordships have expressed their annoyance regarding the effectiveness of this mechanism," it said.
Elite civil servants, not any more
An institutehelmed by top academics and retired IAS and IPS officers in Kerala is organising an ambitious programme called 'OneSchool One IAS, seeking to "demolish the general notion that civil services are for the elite class alone." Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan will this weekend inaugurate the scheme, beingrolled out under the Vedhik Erudite Foundations Scholarship Programme, the foundation said in a release here on Wednesday. It said the programme provides free training to economically backward, but academically bright aspirants of civil services and other competitive exams. The scheme, supported by sponsors, envisages enrollment of 10,000 boys and girls across Kerala. The beneficiaries will be selected by a panel headed by the heads of respective educational institutions, it said.
Suvendu’s dad removed as district president
A day after father of newly defected leader Suvendu Adhikari's father Sisir Adhikari was removed from the chairman's post of Digha Sankarpur Development Authority (DSDA), the latter on Wednesday was removed from the post of district president of the TMC. Suvendu’s father has been now placed as the chairman of the core committee of the party’s district unit, which is believed to be a less important post. According to a political analyst, the senior TMC MP from Contai will follow the footsteps of his sons Suvendu and Soumendu and defect to BJP ahead of the polls for which the TMC leaders are taking primitive measures from beforehand. Meanwhile, senior TMC minister Soumen Mahapatra, replaced Sisir Adhikari. Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said Adhikari was not being able to perform as the chairman of the agency due to his growing age. “Sisir is an aged person. He was not performing well as the chairperson. So he was replaced with a younger leader,” claimed Ghosh. The TMC leader, 80, told FPJ, he is not bothered about the development.
—Aritra Singha
Fraud: Rs4.87 crore assets attached
A commercial premise in Mumbai and 4 other commercial premises in Rajkot have been provisionally attached by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a fraud case of Rs6.32 crore. The agency on Wednesday stated the total worth of the properties is around Rs4.87 crore belonging to Kalpesh Daftary, director of Sunkkalp Creation Pvt Ltd and other accused Piyush Viramgama. The action has been initiated under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA). “Investigation under PMLA was initiated by the ED on the basis of FIR registered by CBI, EOU, Delhi against Daftary and others for committing fraud to the tune of Rs6.82 crore. “Investigation revealed Daftary along with Niyaz Ahmed, Piyush Viramgama, Vijay Gadhiya and others forged 13 Vishesh Krishi and Gram Udyog Yojana Licences (VKGUY) and got them fraudulently sold to Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) under the invoices of operating company Hindustan Continental Ltd,” the ED said on Wednesday. The licence is used to promote export of agriculture and forest produce among others.
—Staff Reporter
Shripad conscious, recovering
Union minister Shripad Naik, admitted in a Goa hospital after he met with an accident, is conscious and recovering and has been taken off the ventilator, a top health official said on Wednesday evening. In a medical bulletin, Dr Shivanand Bandekar, Dean of the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) where Naik has been admitted, said a team of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences was of the view that there was no need to shift him to Delhi.
Corbett management model best: Rudy
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) member and BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy on Wednesday said he recommends the Corbett Tiger Reserve management model as the best for all tiger reserves in the country. He said the recommendation, based on inspection of 51 tiger reserves in the country, will be part of his report to the Centre. "I am going to recommend in my report that all tiger reserves in the country should follow the management of Corbett Tiger Reserve as a model," he Rudy told reporters at Chilla guest house of the Rajaji Tiger reserve.
Naxal with Rs5L bounty killed
A A Naxal carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head was killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Wednesday, a police official said. The rebel was wanted in connection with several Naxal incidents, Dantewada's Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallava told PTI.
Fake call centres in Valley: 23 held
The Cyber Police in Kashmir busted several fake call centres on Wednesday and arrested 23 persons for allegedly duping people by posing as executives of MNCs on phone. Acting on information that some fake call centres were operating in the city, Cyber Police Station, Kashmir Zone launched a probe, police said. Cyber Police, constituted several teams in collaboration with the district police and carried out multiple raids in Rangreth, Karfali Mohalla-Habbakadal and Natipora, he said. During the raids, 23 accused involved in running of these fake call centres were arrested," he said.
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