New Delhi, July 23, 2013: The Campaign Clean India will be extended to cover the World Heritage Site, Taj Mahal which would be adopted by ONGC in the presence of K Chiranjeevi, Union Minister for Tourism at a function to be held tomorrow at Agra.

Taj Mahal a world heritage site and is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is the Crown Jewel among the tourist destinations in India and naturally is a priority destination under the Campaign Clean India programme. Tourism Minister K Chirnajeevi has strongly felt the need to undertake sustained operations to ensure clean and hygienic environment, commensurate with the stature of this prestigious destination.

At the initiative of Ministry of Tourism, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has agreed to the proposal of ONGC for adopting five more monuments under the Clean India Campaign which include Ellora & Elephanta Caves – Maharashtra, Red Fort – Delhi, Golkonda Fort – Hyderabad and Mahabalipuram – Tamil Nadu.

The Ministry of Tourism launched Clean India Campaign as part of Government strategy for 12th Five Year Plan for improving the quality of services and environs in and around tourist destinations across India. The campaign is aimed at undertaking both sensitization and action at field level on bringing tourism destinations and their surroundings to an expectable level of cleanliness and hygiene. The campaign is being implemented with the involvement of private and public sector stakeholders. (Source: PIB)

Foreign Tourist Arrival also Goes up by Over Six Percent

Andhra Pradesh Continues to be Most Popular Destination Among Domestic Tourists While Maharashtra Most Favoured State of Foreign Tourists

New Delhi, July 23, 2013: The number of domestic tourist visits (DTVs) to States/UTs registered an increase of 19.87% during the year 2012 over 2011 as compared to an increase of 15.6% in 2011 over 2010. According to the latest statistics on tourism in India released by Ministry of Tourism here today during the year 2012, the number of domestic tourist visits to the States/ UTs was 1036 million as compared to 865 million in 2011 and 748 million in 2010.

The top ten States in terms of number of domestic tourist visits (in millions), during 2012, were Andhra Pradesh (206.8), Tamil Nadu (184.1), Uttar Pradesh (168.4),Karnataka (94.1), Maharashtra (66.3), Madhya Pradesh (53.2), Rajasthan (28.6), Uttarakhand (26.8), Gujarat (24.4) and West Bengal (22.7). The contribution of these States was about 84.5% to the total number of domestic tourist visits during 2012.

Andhra Pradesh has occupied the first rank in terms of DTVs in 2012, whereas Tamil Nadu, which was at third rank in 2011, has moved to the second rank. Uttar Pradesh which was at first rank in 2011 has moved down to third place. Though the top ten States in terms of DTVs in 2012, remained the same as those in 2011 the rank of some to the States, changed slightly (by one place).

The number of foreign tourist visits (FTVs) to States/UTs registered a growth of 6.33% during the year 2012 over 2011 as compared to a growth of 8.9% in 2011 over 2010. The number of foreign tourist visits (FTVs) to the States/ UTs was 20.7 million in 2012 as compared to 19.5 million in 2011 and 17.9 million in 2010.

The top ten States in terms of number of FTVs (in millions) during 2012 were Maharashtra (5.1), Tamil Nadu (3.6), Delhi (2.3), Uttar Pradesh (2.0), Rajasthan (1.5), West Bengal (1.2), Bihar (1.1), Kerala (0.8), Karnataka (0.6) and Himachal Pradesh (0.5). The contribution of these States was about 90.1% to the total number of FTVs in the country during 2012. The top ten States in terms of FTVs in 2012, remained the same as those in 2011. (Source: PIB)

New Delhi, July 24, 2013: The RTI Act was introduced to bring transparency and efficiency in the system of working of government and non-government organisations has not been relished by the political parties.  The plea  taken is that since there is no government funding and as such they should not be brought under the Act. 

The CIC ruling relying on Section 2(h)(ii) of the RTI Act that states that “public authority” includes any non-governmental organisation substantially financed, directly or indirectly, by funds provided by the appropriate government.

Barring CPI, the other five parties affected by the CIC ruling — Congress, BJP, CPM, NCP and BSP — have hotly contested the interpretation.

Different versions came from the major political parties. CPM said the order could be used by political rivals to destabilise parties and Congress described the ruling as “adventurist” and while BJP said the order’s reasoning could be extended to cover media organisations that receive government advertising.

In fact, the Centre – run by the Congress led by UPA, intends to exempt political parties from RTI scrutiny on the ground that they are not substantially funded by the government and they are not bound to disclose the details of any donors and other funding sources.

However, before moving to the Parliament for keeping the political parties under the ambit of RTI Act as per orders of CIC, a consensus is needed among all the major political parties

As per the sources, the political parties are not substantially funded and the cheap air or office time is only a few per cent of a major party’s expenses as they have to raise crores to fight elections. It is beyond one’s belief that the political parties have to raise loan to fight elections as there has not been even a single case noticed so far for raising loan for the elections purposes.

The use of black money in the elections cannot be ruled.

Since the RTI Act has empowered the citizens to expose certain corruption cases with its use, no amendment to the RTI Act to exclude political parties should be accepted.

Jalandhar, July 25, 2013: 6th Battalion of Sikh Light Infantry conducted a Veer Naris and Ex- Servicemen (ESM) Meet at Mamun Cantt. Pathankot today. 

About 40 Veer Naris and 200 ESM came from far flung areas to attend the programme.  The event was conducted as a prelude to the upcoming Golden Jubilee of the unit on October 1, 2013. 

The unit was raised at Meerut on October 1, 1963 and was honoured with Battle Honour of ‘KALIDHAR’ in 1965 war.  As part of the Golden Jubliee celebrations, the unit has planned to reach out to all the Veer Naris and ESM of the unit residing within the Punjab.  This arduous task was carried out by various teams led by the Junior Commissioned Officers and visiting the villages including the remotest areas from March 2013 onwards.  This exercise was to be concluded by organising the meets at Ferozpur, Jalandhar and Pathankot on July 20, 22 and 24, respectively.  The meets at Ferozpur and Jalandhar were conducted successfully as per the schedule.

The opening of the event was done by Subedar Maj of the unit wherein he welcomed everybody.  The 1965 and 1971 war veterans present amongst the guests shared their valuable experiences and motivated the young generation. They also appreciated the efforts of the unit being undertaken to address the problems of Veer Naris and ESM.  Second-in-Command of the unit concluded the event by bringing out the various welfare schemes started by the 6th Sikh Light Infantry Battalion for its Veer Naris and ESM.  An invitation for Golden Jubilee Celebrations was extended to all the guests.  Tea and snacks were catered for everybody at the end of event.   

Jalandhar, July 25, 2013: 2nd  Punjab Girls Battalion located at Mithapur Jalandhar is conducting its Annual Training Camp at 19 Dogra (Old location) in Jalandhar Cantt from July 20 to 29.

This camp is being attended by 298 NCC cadets who belong to 27 Colleges and schools of Doaba region. Brigadier GPS Sandhu, the Group Commander of NCC Group HQ Jalandhar inspected the Annual Training Camp today here at Jalandhar and expressed his deep satisfaction at the performance displayed by the Cadets. He was impressed by their grit, dedication and sincerity. He motivated the cadets to become better citizens and join the Armed Forces in large numbers.

Brig GPS Sandhu, also met the team which has been selected for the Thal sena Camp. He motivated the cadets and gave them important tips to perform well in the Thal Sena Camp. This visit proved to be a great morale booster for the cadets and infused the spirit to perform well in the Thal Sena Competitions.

New Delhi/Jalandhar, July 25, 2013: The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a  case on July 22 this year against Vice-President, Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, Mumbai Under Section.13(2) read with Section 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act-1988 (PC ACT) for possession of alleged assets to the tune of about Rs.3.92 crores which was disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The CBI sleuths, after registration of the case conducted searches at two places in Bangalore and Mumbai. Incriminating documents recovered during the searches are being scrutinised.

The investigation is continuing.

Delhi, July 26, 2013:  Today, nation pays tributes to the martyrs at Amar Jawan Jyoti to commemorate the heroism displayed by the soldiers who laid down their lives during the Indo-Pak war in Kargil in 1999. On this day,  Defence Minister A K Antony and the chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force paid tributes to the martyrs at Amar Jawan Jyoti here.

Kargil Vijay Diwas, named after the success of Operation Vijay. On this day, 26 July 1999, India successfully took command of the high outposts which had been lost to Pakistani intruders. The Kargil war was fought for more than 60 days, ended on 26 July and resulted in the loss of life on both sides, India and Pakistan. Pakistan retreated after international diplomatic pressure.

Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated on 26 July every year in honour of the Kargil War's Heroes. This day is celebrated in the Kargil - Dras Sector and the national capital New Delhi, where the Prime Minister of India, pays homage to the soldiers at Amar Jawan Jyothi at India Gate every year. Functions are also organised all over the nation to commemorate the contribution of the Armed forces.

The Kargil war, which began in May 1999, lasted more than two months before Pakistan soldiers withdrew from the mountain tops they had occupied overlooking the Srinagar-Leh highway.

In the battle with Pakistani forces, the Army nearly lost 500 officers, soldiers and jawans, many of whom were posthumously felicitated with gallantry awards.

Civilians on the occasion of the 14th Vijay Diwas pay tribute to the martyrs at War Memorial, Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) on Friday.

City Air News photo: Shyam Sharma, Dharamsala.

Jalandhar, July 26, 2013: Kargil Day was celebrated on Friday by Vajra Corps. 

On this occasion Lt General AK Bakshi, General Officer Commanding, Vajra Corps, Senior Officers, serving soldiers and Ex Servicemen were present.  The proceedings began with solemn Wreath laying Ceremony at Vajra Corps War Memorial. 

The General Officer Commanding paid rich tributes to the great martyrs who sacrificed their lives fighting for the motherland with unmatched courage and bravery during the Kargil War in the true traditions of the Indian Army.  To commemorate this victory and pay tribute to our gallant soldiers and their selfless acts and unparalleled sacrifices, we celebrate Kargil Day on 26 July every year.

New Delhi/Jalandhar, July 27, 2013: Gurgaon Industrial Association has given a sum of Rs 16 lakh 11 thousand in the Haryana Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for the flood affected people of Uttarakhand.

The delegation of industrialists led by the President of the Association, V. P. Bajaj called on Haryana Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda at his New Delhi residence on Friday and presented the cheque of the amount to him.

Besides Bajaj, the delegation included the General Secretary of the Association  Vipul Bedi, Joint Secretary  Raj Kumar Garg and other office bearers  Anuj Nagpal,  S.B. Aggrawal, M.P. Singh and Subhash Gupta.

Ferozepur, July 27, 2013: Golden Arrow Division celebrated Vijay Diwas at Ferozpur on Friday with solemnity and dignity to pay tribute to the gallant soldiers who laid their lives while liberating the daunting peaks of Kargil in 1999. 

To commemorate the fourteenth anniversary Golden Arrow Division organised a number of functions befitting such a memorable event. Day commenced with GOC Golden Arrow Division laying wreath at Barki War Memorial to pay tribute and honour the war heroes of Kargil War. The function was attended by senior officials of civil administration and war veterans. Kargil Diwas mela was also organised in the Cantonment to showcase the heroism of gallant soldiers who fought at those frosty heights. In addition to projecting the battles and individual tales of valour, Infantry and Artillery equipment was on display. The mela was attended by over 1,000 school children from Army Public School, Kendriya Vidyalaya and Cantonment Board schools. 

Apart from this motivational lectures and presentations to encourage students to join Indian Armed Forces as officers was conducted for students of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College of Engineering and Technology. Other activities conducted to commemorate the occasion were tree plantation, interaction with Veer Naris and Barakhana for troops.

New Delhi, July 27, 2013: The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh laid the foundation-stone of the new NCAER (National Council of Applied Economic Research) Centre, in New Delhi today.

Speaking on the occasion, he said he is very happy today, to be here on this occasion, to lay the foundation stone of the new building of the National Council of Applied Economic Research.

He added the institute is a great asset to them, and it is obligatory on all those who work, or are associated with this magnificent institute, to never lose sight of the vision of the founding fathers of the NCAER.

“I remember Dr. P.S. Lokanathan, who, after serving as the first Secretary General of the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far-East, took over as the first Director General of this great institute – and I reflect on what he stood for.”

Further, he said the purpose of the study of economics is not to provide settled answers to unsettled and difficult questions, but sometimes to warn economists and the world-at-large, how not to be misled by clever governments.

“I would like to say, that when we study economics, our impulse is not the philosopher’s impulse – knowledge for the sake of knowledge – but for healing that that knowledge may help to bring. These are the words of past thinkers: Wonder is the beginning of philosophy; but it is not wonder, but social enthusiasm, which revolts against the silence of fixed life, and the orderliness of the mainstream, which is the beginning of economic science.”

The Prime Minister said he sincerely hopes that this institute will stay faithful to the ideals which the founding fathers stood for, and he must say that with the passage of time, the need for creating purposeful, applied economic research is not diminished, it has actually gone up. Meaningful research has been done by past Chairmen and past members of the NCAER.

He further hopes that this building which is now going to come up, will provide a hospitable environment for the pursuit of applied economic research.

Dharamsala, July 28, 2013: Traditional eight-day-long International-fame Minjar Fair of Chamba town started on Sunday.

Urmila Singh, Governor inaugurated the fair by unfurling the customary Minjar flag. Speaking on the occasion, Singh said , “Indian culture stands unique among all the cultures of the world because it has preserved its distinct identity over the years . Fairs and festivals were the identity of Himachal Pradesh which showcase the rich culture of ‘Dev Bhoomi’ in varied colours and added that people of the state deserve appreciation for preserving their rich cultural heritage intact.”

She also inaugurated the sports competitions of Minjar fair and visited exhibition stalls put up by various government departments, Boards and Corporations.

"Minjar Mela", is the popular festival held in Chamba held on the second Sunday of the Shravana month, corresponding to the month of August in the Gregorian calendar. It marks the triumph of the Raja of Chamba over the Ruler of Trigarta (now called as Kangra), in 935 AD and also celebrates the paddy and maize crops grown at this time of the year. The festival commences with offerings of 'minjar', consisting of a bunch of paddy plant and golden silk wrapped in red fabric. The offerings also include a rupee, a seasonal fruit, and a coconut.

This occasion is also celebrated with a flag hoisting ceremony at the Chaugan that initiates a week of cultural and social programmes. The image of the deity, Lord Raghuvira, and more than 200 other deities, are taken in a procession, in a chariot pulled by ropes. Folk dances and music performances known as 'Kunjari Malhar' are part of the festivities. On the last day of the festival, a parade is held from the Akhand Chandi Palace to Ravi River, where offerings are made to the river. This commemorates an event in which Raja Sahil Verman changed the course of the river, to make the Hari Rai temple accessible to all devotees.

Ludhiana, July 29, 2013: In a statement issued here today, Gurudas Das Gupta, MP and General Secretary, AITUC has said, “I have approached the Supreme Court for remedy on the abnormal increase of Natural Gas Prices because of my repeated plea with the Prime Minister I could get only acknowledgement but no assurance for review of the gas prices. If a Senior Member of Parliament is ignored like this by the Chief Executive of the country, there is no other course than to come to judiciary in the interest of common people and the nation.
The prices of the natural gas have been raised suddenly from $ 4.2 mmbtu to $ 8.4.mmbtu to be effective from April 2014 despite the opposition from the Ministry of Power and the Ministry of Fertilizers. The Planning Commission and Secretary (Finance) in reply to my queries had denied of having made any calculations in regard to cost and impact on the national economy from the raise of the prices of natural gas double to the existing price.
I am happy that the Court has admitted my petition and issued notices to all the Respondents which includes Petroleum Ministry, Minister himself, Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) among others.
I think the Supreme Court will take steps to correct malpractices and aberrations the Govt. is indulging in, while benefiting the greatest corporate house of the country at the cost of the people.”

Chandigarh, July 30, 2013: The National Scheduled Caste Alliance (NSCA) today urged the union government headed by Dr. Manmohan Singh to immediately enhance the income tax slabs for the scheduled castes of the country keeping in view their present plight.

Paramjit Singh Kainth, president of the NSCA, in a statement issued here has urged the central government to order enhancement of the income tax slab for the scheduled castes from the present Rs.2 lakh per annum to Rs.5 lakh keeping in view the present plight of the persons belonged to these castes.

He demanded that the price of all the essential commodities have gone very high and touching the sky and it has become very difficult for the people to run the houses accordingly.

Talking about the fixation of criteria in this connection Kainth further demanded that this must be connected to the price index so that the scheduled castes will get a relief over this front. He said that due to the ever-increasing prices the people belonged to the Scheduled Castes are pushed towards the poverty line so it is the constitutional duty of the central government to help them out by increasing the slab.

New Delhi/Jalandhar, July 30, 2013: The Special Judge, Calcutta has convicted three private persons namely, Amit Kumar Dutta, Raghunath Dutta  and Shyamalendu Bikas Das in a bank fraud case and sentenced them to undergo four years simple imprisonment.
A case was registered by CBI on August 20, 1983 on the basis of a complaint from Punjab National Bank, Calcutta alleging that Sri Amalendu Bikash Das while working as Manager, Punjab National Bank, Zakaria Street Branch, Calcutta during the period from July, 1982 to May, 1983 and in collusion with six other private accused persons misused his official position and allegedly cheated the bank to the tune of about Rs.91.86 lakh by forging, fabricating and defalcating the accounts books of the said bank.
During trial, two accused persons namely, Sri Amalendu Bikash Das, then Manager and a private person died.
The Trial Court found three private persons guilty and acquitted a private person.

Jalandhar, July 30, 2013: 2nd Punjab Girls Battalion NCC located at Mithapur Jalandhar conducted its Annual Training Camp at 19 Dogra (Old location) in Jalandhar Cantt from July 20.   

The ten day Annual Training Camp terminated here at Jalandhar today.  

A total 304 NCC Cadets participated in this ten day event where they learnt the rudiments of basic military training. From dawn to dusk they were put through various army drills that tested their physical and mental endurance and were educated in diverse fields like health and hygiene, first aid etc.   

All Cadets were given an opportunity of firing at KMV College firing range. Cadets also participated in blood donation camp at Military Hospital Jalandhar Cantt.

Cadets also did tree plantation.

During the Camp period a number of high dignitaries witnessed various events viz Lt Col Shalini Singh from Military Hospital Jalandhar gave a lecture on Personality Development.   Hav Shamsher Singh of Punjab Police gave a lecture on Traffic rules. Surinder Saini, UNICEF observer, Child helpline organiser who is national and state awardee , Social activist,  gave a lecture to the cadets on female foeticide. 

Brig GPS Sandhu, the Group Commander of NCC Group HQ Jalandhar  visited the camp twice and expressed his deep satisfaction at the performance displayed by the Cadets. 

The camp  had a Barakhana on the last day.   The Camp Comdt Col R Yadav appreciated the efforts put in by all cadets and exorted them to further improve their performance.  

Prize Distribution function was organised and the cadets were rewarded with medals and trophies for their performance in the camp by the Camp Comdt.

Chandigarh, July 30, 2013: A delegation of Youth Akali Dal (YAD) led by its President and Revenue and Public Relations Minister, Bikram Singh Majithia today called on the Chief Patron of Shiromani Akali Dal and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to hand over a cheque of Rs 21 lakh as financial assistance towards Chief Minister's Relief Fund for the flood victims of Uttarakhand.

Lauding the initiative of YAD for making contribution towards the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, Badal said that the Youth wing of Akali Dal had always taken the call from forefront to help the needy in the hour of distress. He also appreciated the zeal of Punjabis to help their brethren especially at the time of grief and crisis, thereby displaying their indomitable spirit of charity as preached by our great Gurus, Saints and Seers. The Chief Minister called upon Majithia to further mobilise the rank and file of the party to intensify their efforts for providing succour to the flood hit victims besides helping the hill state in its process of reconstruction and rehabilitation.

Recalling his meeting with the Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Badal said that the former had already appreciated the stupendous relief efforts made by Punjab government in the relief and rehabilitation process in the flood ravaged state. Reiterating his commitment to provide all possible help for rebuilding the damaged infra structure and installations in Uttarakhand, the Chief Minister said he had already entrusted this task to the PWD (B&R) department for the construction of dwelling units in villages, which had been completely devastated in the recent flash floods there. Likewise he also impressed upon the Youth that they should also help the state in their own modest way by mitigating the sufferings of the flood victims.

Speaking on the occasion, Majithia thanked the Chief Minister for sparing valuable time from his busy schedule to pat the YAD workers who had donated generously for this noble cause. He further said that the tragic saga of flood victims was beyond anybody's description as thousands of people have been rendered homeless and infrastructure worth Rupees thousands of crore had been vanished due to the flash floods. He said that the YAD workers had once again upheld the glorious tradition of Punjab's heritage of helping the poor and destitute in turbulent times.  

Expressing his solidarity with the people of Uttarakhand, Majithia appreciated the concern of Chief Minister for adopting a unanimous resolution describing devastating floods as a 'National Tragedy', in a specially convened Cabinet meeting besides giving a grant of Rs 10 crore to it. He appealed to the public for making generous donations to support this noble cause to bail out the people of hill state in the process of reconstruction. He urged the YAD leaders to motivate people all over the state to further extend their unstinted support to the flood victims in every possible manner. 

Prominent amongst other present on the occasion included MLA Harpreet Singh Kot Bhai, YAD leaders Bunty Romana, Ravi Sidhu, HS Dhindsa besides several leaders and workers of YAD from across the state. 

Ludhiana, July 31, 2013: ILFI (Infrastructure and Logistics Federation of India) National Conclave on “Sustainable Airport Infrastructure” is being held on August 22 at Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) 1, Development Enclave, Rao Tula Ram Marg, St Mary Road, New Delhi.

ILFI is a national federation of Indian business, which is focused and dedicated to stimulate synergistic acceleration of growth and generating holistic efficiency across the entire spectrum of infrastructure and logistics industries and services.
Brief about the Conclave:
A sustainable airport is a designed with consideration of environmental impact, dedicated to minimization of required inputs of energy, water and waste output of heat, air pollution - CO2, methane, and water pollution etc. This factor improves the life cycle of the airport also provide better operational efficiency and huge saving in economic terms. Many airports are expanding from a narrow concentration on operating as transportation centres to becoming economic hubs. By working together, airports and other industry sectors can contribute to and facilitate not only economic prosperity, but also create social advantage for local and regional areas in new ways. This transformation of the function and orientation of airports has been termed the aerotropolis or airport metropolis, where the airport is recognised as an economic centre with land uses that link local and global markets. The conversion of an airport into a sustainable airport metropolis requires more than just industry clustering and the existence of hard physical infrastructure. It is further creation and on-going development of social infrastructure within proximate airport surroundings and the maximisation of connectivity flows within and between infrastructure elements. The establishment of an interactive and interdependent infrastructure trilogy of hard, soft and social infrastructures provides the necessary balance to the airport metropolis to ensure sustainable development of airport. Sustainability Issues are
i. Environment i.e. Climate change, energy saving efficient airport lighting, Aircraft
noise, Air quality in the terminal building, Sustainable transport, Waste management, Surface water, Water consumption, Wastewater, Biodiversity, Sustainable construction
ii. Economic i.e. economic contribution
iii. Social i.e. Community relations; Our people; Passenger experience; Health & safety; Airfield Safety &Security
Program Outline: Topic to be covered
• Inaugural
• Airside Infrastructure
• City Side Infrastructure
• Intelligent terminal / Green Terminal
• Airport Infrastructure Development Fund
• Theme Presentation and Panel Discussion
Target Group for participation:
i. Airports Authority of India,
ii. Regulator
iii. Airlines;
iv. Ground handlers;
v. Airport developers;
vi. Tenants, concessionaires and contractors;
vii. Other businesses and companies at the airport;
viii. Passengers and visitors;
ix. Local communities;
x. Local and national government; and
xi. Sustainability and corporate responsibility opinion formers.
 

Three years rigorous imprisonment to then architect & engineer, both of NDMC in corruption case

New Delhi/Jalandhar, July 31, 2013: The Special Judge, Dwarka, New Delhi has sentenced P. M. Singh (IAS-AGMU-1972 Batch), the then Chairperson of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), New Delhi; Dr. G S Thind, then Medical Officer(Health), NDMC; Dr. R Pal, then Chief Medical Officer, NDMC &  Raj Kumar Gupta, then Sanitary Inspector, NDMC, all to undergo four years Rigorous Imprisonment with fine of Rs.25,000 each.

N. K. Sharma, a former Architect and  Subhash Chandra Aggarwal, then Assistant Engineer, both of NDMC were also sentenced to undergo three years Rigorous Imprisonment with fine of Rs.25,000 each.

A case was registered by CBI on July 9, 2003 against P. M. Singh, (IAS- AGMU-1972), Chairperson of NDMC; Chief Architect, NDMC(on deputation from Government of U.P.);  Subhash Chandra Aggarwal, AE, NDMC; JE, NDMC; G. S. Thind, Medical Officer (Health), NDMC;  R. Pal, Chief Medical Officer, NDMC and two Private Persons U/s 120-B ,read with Section 420 of the  IPC and 13(2) r/w 13(1) (d) of PC Act 1988 on the allegations of fraudulently regularised the unauthorised construction and granting of lodging house licence to M/s Centre Point, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi. 

After investigation of the case, two charge sheets were filed by the CBI.

The first charge sheet was filed on 30.06.2006 Under Sections 120-B, 420 IPC and 13(2)read with  13(1) (d) of Prevention of corruption Act Act 1988 and substantive offences against P. M. Singh;  G S Thind;  R. Pal; Raj Kumar Gupta, the then Sanitary Inspector, of NDMC and a Private person for having entered into conspiracy with each other in the year 2002-03 for issuing an illegal Health / Lodging House Licence dishonestly in the name of M/s Cent-re Point, 13, K .G Marg, New Delhi. This was done on the basis of false and incorrect information by the said private person. In the process, the public servants abused their official position and thereby, caused substantial undue pecuniary gains to the private person.  The private person expired during the trial.

The Special Judge, Dwarka, New Delhi during the trial, found the accused persons guilty and convicted them.

The second charge sheet was filed on 28.09.06 U/s 120-B, 420 IPC and 13(2) r/w 13(1) (d) of PC Act 1988 and substantive offences against Smt. P.M.Singh, then Chairperson of NDMC; then Chief Architect, NDMC; Navinder Kumar Sharma, then Architect; S Subhash Chandra Aggarwal, then Assistant Engineer of NDMC and two private persons for entering into conspiracy with each other in the year 2002-03. The accused had shown gross undue favor to the said two private persons & caused undue pecuniary advantage by allowing regularization of a residential property which was illegally used as commercial property as a Hotel and without the said persons holding any legal title in respect of the said property. One private person expired during the trial of the case.

After, the conclusion of trial, the Special Judge, Dwarka, New Delhi found Smt. P. M. Singh; Navinder Kumar Sharma & Subhash Chandra guilty and acquitted the Chief Architect &  another private person.

New Delhi, July 31, 2013: There is an unprecedented surge in number of returns being e-filed during this year. 92.03 lakh returns have been e-filed up to 30th July, 2013 which is 46.8 % higher than the returns e-filed during the corresponding period of the last fiscal year.

Due to large number of taxpayers accessing e-filing website on due date of filing, some cases of taxpayers not being able to access the e-filing portal have been reported. These problems are primarily due to network constrains of the local internet service providers (ISPs).

However, as a measure of taxpayers convenience, it has been decided to extend the due date of filing of returns from July 31, 2013 to August 5, 2013.

Taxpayers are requested to avail of this extension of time and file their returns after paying due taxes.