Aam Admi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh, alongside AAP Goa President Amit Palekar, alleged that the BJP engaged in large-scale corruption in job recruitment. They claimed that Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant's wife had been named in the scandal, with former Governor Satyapal Malik stating that she accepted money in exchange for jobs, according to a press release from AAP.AAP leaders revealed that the whistleblower who exposed this scam lost his life. Amit Palekar questioned why the government fears setting up a judicial inquiry if no BJP leader is involved. The party has demanded accountability and transparency in the matter. Sanjay Singh highlighted the ongoing unemployment crisis in Goa, where the Aam Aadmi Party's two MLAs and the organization are steadfastly acting as a robust opposition, raising critical public issues, the release stated. Addressing the youth and people of Goa from Delhi, he criticized the BJP-led government, stating, "Goa's youth are struggling to find jobs, wandering door to door in search of opportunities. Over the past ten years, the BJP government in Goa has turned employment into a tool of corruption. Jobs have been sold in exchange for bribes, and this malpractice reaches the highest echelons, involving not just ordinary individuals but even Chief Minister Pramod Sawant's wife, his ministers, and their close associates." Sanjay Singh further emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating that the scandal took a darker turn when a woman who had visited a minister's residence was implicated in bribery. Following the incident, ministers were dismissed, arrests were made, and tragically, a key individual who was aware of the job scams ended his life under immense pressure, stated the release. He said, "What I am about to share is not a minor issue; it is a massive scam involving corruption and bribery in the name of employment in Goa. This scandal implicates the Chief Minister, his ministers, his wife, and numerous middlemen." Sanjay Singh went on to reveal that the first major scam surfaced in 2018, linked to recruitment for positions such as Junior Engineer (JE), Upper Division Clerk (UDC), Lower Division Clerk (LDC), and posts in the PWD department, the release mentioned. He stated that the government took massive bribes during these recruitments. The then-PWD Minister, Deepak Pauskar, was removed from his position and denied an election ticket due to his involvement in corrupt practices. "However, shockingly, just before the Lok Sabha elections, Deepak Pauskar was reinstated into the party," he added. Sanjay Singh further exposed another scam involving contractual jobs advertised by the Goa Human Resources Development Corporation after Pramod Sawant returned as Chief Minister. He revealed that around 30,000 people had applied for 945 positions. However, upon investigation by Aam Aadmi Party leaders, it was found that 6,000 applications were mysteriously missing. This discovery raised serious concerns about the transparency and fairness of the recruitment process, the release stated. He said, "This series of job scams, marked by corruption and exploitation of Goa's youth, has exposed the BJP government's failures. It is not just an issue of governance but a betrayal of the hopes and dreams of thousands of unemployed youths in Goa." Sanjay Singh continued, "This is a scandal of a completely unprecedented scale. The identities of the applicants--who these young men and women are, and who filled out the forms--are completely unknown. Forms numbered from one to six thousand are untraceable. This indicates that 945 jobs had already been sold in advance, with bribes having already been taken for them. The names of selected individuals were put on paper, and jobs were handed over to them." This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
05 December,2024 08:33 AM IST | New Delhi | ANICongress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and MPs from Kerala met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday and urged the Centre to provide immediate relief to landslide-affected people of Wayanad. Priyanka Gandhi, who is newly-elected MP from Wayanad, highlighted the need for immediate assistance to help affected families, rebuild their lives and restore essential infrastructure in the region. She said the tragedy needed to be considered beyond partisan politics. She urged the Home Minister to urgently consider releasing the required funds to support the rehabilitation efforts in view of the severity of the disaster. The Congress leader said a large area had been affected, so many people have been killed, with some families wiped out completely. "We have given representation to the PM and Home Minister. The devastation in the area (in Wayanad) is complete. The people who are affected have lost absolutely everything. In such circumstances, if the Centre cannot step up, then it sends a very bad message to the entire country and especially to the victims," Priyanka Gandhi told reporters. "The PM had visited and met the victims. After that when I met the victims they expressed hope that they might get some relief. Now, 4 months have passed and that relief has not been forthcoming. I have appealed to the Home Minister and he has listened to us very kindly. I have appealed to him that we rise above politics and truly recognise the pain & suffering of the affected people....On behalf of all Kerala MPs, it was our appeal to them ( Union Home Minister) that they should consider this very seriously," she added. The Congress general secretary said that the Home Minister has told them that they will be provided with the details of what has been done so far and what can further be done to provide relief to the disaster-hit people. Party MP KC Venugopal said the scale of devastation demands Centre's attention. "Smt. @priyankagandhiji led a delegation and made a representation before the Union Home Minister to secure an immediate release of funds for the victims of the horrific landslide tragedy in Wayanad. The scale of devastation demands the Centre's attention and it is unfortunate that there has been no help forthcoming so far," he said in a post on X. Landslides in Wayanad earlier this year had caused widespread damage. According to state estimates 359 persons died or were missing. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
05 December,2024 08:31 AM IST | New Delhi | ANIAn eight-year-old mentally unstable boy, missing for nearly two years, was reunited with his family on his birthday, an official said on Wednesday. The child went missing from his house on the night of February 15, 2023. His mother lodged a police complaint at the NIA police station on February 17. "The entire staff of the NIA police station pursued the case with unwavering determination," Deputy Commissioner of Police (outer north) Nidhin Valsan said. "Extensive searches were conducted in nearby areas, bus terminals, railway stations, hospitals, and shelter homes. Despite these efforts, no clue of the child's whereabouts could be established at the time," said the DCP. The breakthrough came on December 3 when the child was traced to Gharonda Specialised Adoption Agency in Govind Puram in neighbouring Ghaziabad. The boy was identified by his parents and reunited with them after completing all legal formalities. The emotional moment coincided with the child's birthday on December 3, making the occasion even more special, police said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
05 December,2024 08:30 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIA BJP Lok Sabha member on Wednesday sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the release of ISKCON monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, who has been jailed in Bangladesh on charges of sedition. Ujjain MP Anil Firojiya raised the issue during Zero Hour in Lok Sabha. BJP member from Mathura, Hema Malini, said that insult to religion, violence and injustice cannot be tolerated. "We cannot be silent. This is not an issue of diplomacy, but linked to our emotions and devotion to Shri Krishna," the actor-turned-politician said. "The safety and security of Hindu minorities are under threat She said the targeting of ISKCON temples was condemnable since they are known for spreading Vedic knowledge around the world. "They are doing pioneering service to humanity by spreading Krishna consciousness and peace. However, they are facing atrocities by radicals. The way Hindu minority is prevented from paying their obeisance to Krishna has not only hurt my feelings but those of crores of Krishna devotees," Malini said. "The way Chinmoy Das has been arrested and charged with sedition is atrocious. He was simply leading a peaceful demonstration against atrocities on Bangladesh-based Hindus," she said. Malini said she had raised the issue in parliament as numerous saints and ISKCON devotees in her constituency had requested her to do so. "The baseless allegation of sedition against Chinmoy Das should also be withdrawn," the Mathura MP said. BJP member Dilip Saikia, who represents Darrang-Udalguri in Assam, wanted Parliament to adopt a resolution to send a message to the Bangladesh government for a complete halt to the atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh. Saikia said since the formation of Bangladesh in 1971, lakhs of Bangladeshi Muslims have infiltrated Assam and have become a deciding factor in the political and electoral system. Firojiya said no lawyers were available in Bangladesh and one who was ready to represent him was battling for life. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
05 December,2024 08:27 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIA delegation of Congress leaders led by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was stopped by the Uttar Pradesh Police at the Ghazipur border here on Wednesday on his way to Sambhal. The opposition party leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, returned to Delhi after staying at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border for about two hours. A massive traffic jam was witnessed at the Ghazipur border on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway in the morning as Congress workers gathered there defying heavy barricading. With the carriageway from Delhi to Uttar Pradesh heavily congested, commuters faced a harrowing time in reaching their destination. Congress legislative party leader in Uttar Pradesh Assembly Aradhana Mishra Mona claimed in Lucknow that she was supposed to be a part of the Congress delegation but has been put under “house arrest”. Prohibitory orders are in place in Sambhal where violence erupted on November 24 over a court-ordered mosque survey, killing four people and injuring several others.After being stopped at the Ghazipur border, Rahul Gandhi said he was ready to go alone to Sambhal with police but was not allowed. BJP leaders in Uttar Pradesh decried the Congress’ move as a “drama” aimed at “appeasing its Muslim vote bank”. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
05 December,2024 07:33 AM IST | Ghaziabad (UP) | AgenciesThe Congress Wednesday said a “cover-up” is in the making after reports claimed entities connected to the Adani Group have approached the SEBI seeking settlement in a case that alleges violations of public shareholding norms through unfair practices. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said a token settlement would make Indian institutions a laughing stock whose reputation has already been tarnished by the actions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and “his cronies”. He asserted the “scam” requires serious punitive action, including arrests and raids by investigative agencies. His remarks come amid reports that several entities connected to Adani Group have approached the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) seeking settlement in a case that alleges violations of public shareholding norms through unfair practices at four listed companies of the infrastructure conglomerate. “A cover-up is in the making. Reports that opaque offshore entities and individuals linked to the Adani Group —whose activities have been exposed by successive reports in the public domain—have offered to settle serious allegations of violations of securities laws for token amounts is a clear indicator of this,” Ramesh said in a statement. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
05 December,2024 07:32 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesA seven-year-old girl and her younger brother died of suspected food poisoning in Maharashtra's Kolhapur district separated by hours, police said on Wednesday, reported the PTI. According to the PTI, Shriyansh Angad (4) and Kavya Angad (7), both residents of Chimgaon in Kagal tehsil, consumed meat on Sunday, followed by a cake in the evening. "On Sunday late evening, Kavya complained to her parents of nausea and stomach ache. She was taken to a doctor who prescribed medicines and asked her to take rest at home. On Monday morning, Shriyansh also complained of nausea and he was also given medicines," said assistant police inspector Shivaji Kare. As Kavya's health worsened, she was hospitalised on Monday evening, he said. "The boy was rushed to a hospital on Tuesday morning after he experienced stomach pains, where he died during treatment. The girl breathed her last on Tuesday evening. We have preserved the viscera and investigating," Kare added, the news agency reported on Wednesday. Prima facie, food poisoning is the cause of the death of the brother-sister duo, he said. Fungus, live larvae found in nutritional snacks for students at two schools in Palghar Meanwhile, in a shocking incident, fungus and live larvae were allegedly found in the nutritional snacks provided to students of at least two Zilla Parishad and state government-aided schools in tribal-dominated Palghar district of Maharashtra, reported the PTI. Confirming the incident, Palghar collector Govind Bodke told PTI on Monday that the samples have been collected. He assured action against the supplier after the laboratory report was received. Issues were primarily reported at Anand Laxman Chandavar Vidyalaya in Khanivli and Chinchani Zilla Parishad School number 3, where the chikki (a sweet, nutrition-rich snack) was found to be contaminated. Parents claimed the snack was covered with fungus and live larvae. "The health of our children is at risk. How can we trust the meals being given to them?" a parent said, as per the PTI. (with PTI inputs)
04 December,2024 10:18 PM IST | Kolhapur | mid-day online correspondentA model was allegedly digitally arrested by cybercriminals for two hours here and lost Rs 99,000, police said on Wednesday. 'Digital arrest' is a new cyber fraud, where the accused poses as law enforcement agency officials, like CBI or customs officials, and threatens people of arrest by making video calls in the name of fake international parcels of banned drugs or being involved in money laundering cases, they said. Shivankita Dixit, who claims to be a former Miss India, West Bengal 2017, told the police that on Tuesday she received a WhatsApp call from the accused who threatened her with charges of receiving illicit funds tied to cases of human trafficking and drug trafficking, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Lohamandi) Mayank Tiwari said. The accused posed as CBI officers and told her to transfer Rs 99,000 to avoid arrest. She complied and made the payment, Tiwari said. Following this, she told her family and realised that she had fallen victim to a cyber scam. An FIR has been registered and further investigation is underway, Tiwari added. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
04 December,2024 10:06 PM IST | Agra (UP) | PTIA special court in Pune on Wednesday allowed a police plea seeking nod to question all the 10 jailed accused in the Porsche crash case, including parents of the juvenile who was driving the luxury car that fatally knocked down two motorbike-borne IT professionals in May. The other accused include two doctors and one staffer of Maharashtra government-run Sassoon General Hospital and two middlemen -- all held in connection with alleged swapping of blood samples of the juvenile after the crash. Additional Sessions Judge (Special Court) U M Mudholkar allowed the police to question the accused in the Yerwada central prison, where they are currently lodged in judicial custody. The prosecution plea was to question all the 10 accused -- the minor's parents, two doctors from Sassoon Hospital Ajay Taware, Dr Shreehari Halnor, the facility's staff member Atul Ghatkamble, two middlemen Ashpak Makandar and Amar Gaikwad, accused of facilitating financial transactions in the blood swapping case, and three others - Aditya Avinash Sood, Ashish Mittal and Arun Kumar Singh. Sood and Singh are fathers of two minors who were with the juvenile driver in the car when the accident took place and whose blood samples were also swapped. Mittal is Singh's friend, whose blood samples were swapped with those of the minor son of Singh. A Porsche car, allegedly driven under the influence of alcohol by the 17-year-old boy, whose father is a well-know real estate developer, knocked down and killed two software professionals who were on a motorbike in the early hours of May 19 in the upscale Kalyani Nagar area. The deceased originally hailed from Madhya Pradesh and were working in Pune. Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ganesh Ingale, the investigating officer in the case, said a plea was moved before the court seeking nod to allow police to question all ten accused. "As three accused -- Sood, Mittal and Singh -- were arrested in later stage of the probe, a face to face questioning was required of all the accused regarding financial transactions and to ascertain whether the trio had given any sort of allurements to other accused in the case," said Ingale. Besides financial transactions, there are other aspects in terms of some fresh leads in the case which need to be probed, said the police officer. According to police, blood samples of the juvenile after the crash were replaced with those of his mother at Sassoon Hospital in order to ensure his report came negative for alcohol content. The swapping was done by Dr Halnor, the then-chief medical officer at Sassoon Hospital, on directions of Dr Taware, they said. It is alleged that two other accused -- Makandar and Gaikwad -- acted as middlemen between the juvenile's parents and the doctors and facilitated financial transactions to carry out blood sample replacements. Later, it was revealed that blood samples of two other minors, who were with the juvenile at the time of accident, were also replaced. Meanwhile, a defence lawyer representing Dr Taware moved an application in the court seeking discharge of his client. The lawyer, citing the chargesheet filed in the case, contended that there was absolutely no material available on record to link Dr Taware with the case. One month after the accident, the Bombay High Court ordered release of the accused juvenile from an observation home in Pune. The case caused a national uproar after the Juvenile Justice Board, before whom the teenager was produced after the crash, granted bail to him on lenient terms, including writing a 300-word essay on road safety. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
04 December,2024 10:00 PM IST | Pune | PTIThe CBI on Wednesday conducted searches at 10 locations in Delhi and surrounding areas in connection with a case of transnational cyber-enabled financial frauds involving Rs 117 crore, officials said. The central probe agency had registered the case last year in December on a complaint from the Union Home Ministry’s Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) alleging that unidentified foreign actors and organised cybercriminals were allegedly engaged in a systematic financial fraud across India. During the year, the CBI analysed 3,903 complaints registered on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) between January 1, 2023, and October 17, 2023, which showed that a staggering amount of Rs 117 crore was siphoned off by these gangs which use websites, WhatsApp, and Telegram to lure gullible people. The agency launched surveillance and detailed technical analysis to track the people running these scams during the year, officials said. The CBI managed to track 10 suspects in the case whose premises -- eight in the national capital and two in Gurugram -- were searched during the operation on Wednesday. "They lure individuals through part-time job scams, task-based frauds, and promises of high returns on initial investments. Funds deposited by the victims are quickly transferred through a network of 'mule accounts' layered to obscure their origins,” the CBI Spokesperson said in a statement. The funds were diverted to Dubai and other UAE locations where they were withdrawn disguised as point-of-sale (POS) transactions. The CBI tracked 3,295 Indian bank accounts which were used to carry out these fraudulent transactions. “These funds are eventually withdrawn overseas via ATMs or used for wallet top-ups on fintech platforms such as 'Pyypl', facilitated by international payment networks often disguised as POS transactions...Funds routed through these accounts were also used to purchase cryptocurrencies,” the statement said. The searches resulted in "incriminating" evidence, including electronic devices and financial records, seized from the premises of 10 individuals suspected of involvement in the fraud, he said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
04 December,2024 08:59 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIAAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday condemned the attack on SAD leader Sukhbir Singh Badal at the Golden Temple and lauded the Punjab Police for averting a "very big" tragedy, saying the force has set an example for the entire country. Speaking in Delhi Assembly, Kejriwal also hit out at the BJP, saying a "huge conspiracy" is being hatched to defame Punjab and people of the state. "A very big tragedy was averted today because of the excellent work of the Punjab Police. I commend their alertness, which has set an example for the entire country on how to maintain law and order," said the former Delhi chief minister. He said that the issue of attack on Badal was raised by the BJP, but the party was silent over the "murders, rapes, shooting in Delhi" where police come under the Central government.Kejriwal accused the BJP of turning a blind eye to Delhi's escalating crime rates. VIDEO | Punjab: A man opened fire at Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal at the entrance of Golden Temple, Amritsar. The person was overpowered by people present on the spot. More details are awaited.#PunjabNews #SukhbirSinghBadal (Full video available on PTI… pic.twitter.com/LC55kCV864 — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 4, 2024 "In Punjab, we managed to prevent a tragedy. But in Delhi, murder cases are rising, shootouts are taking place in broad daylight, and women are being raped. The entire capital is in the grip of gangsters. "Yet, the entire BJP leadership remains silent. When questioned, their top leaders say that crime is not an issue. In Delhi, law and order is not an issue for them," he said. The AAP chief also held Union Home Minister Amit Shah accountable for the "deteriorating" law and order situation in the national capital. A former terrorist opened fire at Badal from a close range while he was performing the duty of 'sewadar' outside the Golden Temple on Wednesday but missed as he was overpowered by a plainclothes policeman. The audacious attack was captured on cameras of mediapersons who had gathered outside the Sikh shrine to cover the second day of Badal's penance for "mistakes" committed by the SAD government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
04 December,2024 08:48 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIADVERTISEMENT
