PRTC spent over Rs 68 lakh for AAP’s victory roadshow in Amritsar, shows RTI reply; Govt will pay for oath ceremony, says party

The Indian Express | 2 days ago | 18-01-2023 | 02:40 pm

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab has found itself in the midst of a controversy after an RTI reply revealed that the first roadshow the party held after winning the Punjab Assembly elections last year cost the government-owned PEPSU Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) more than Rs 68 lakh. The roadshow was held before Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s oath-taking ceremony.The PRTC sent 454 buses from its 13 depots for the roadshow held by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Mann in Amritsar on March 13, 2022, three days before the latter took oath as Punjab CM and incurred a cost of Rs 68,70,252, information acquired last week by activist Harmilap Grewal under the Right to Information (RTI) Act reveals.Similarly, it sent 213 buses for the oath-taking ceremony at Khatkar Kalan on March 16, 2022, spending Rs 24.72 lakh, as per information from the RTI reply. Total expenditure on both events of PRTC alone crossed Rs 93 lakh. “Initially, when gross misuse of public transportation for party functions was exposed, AAP had announced to pay for the bus service from its own pocket. PRTC has not been paid a penny,” said Grewal. “One becomes a chief minister only after taking the oath and it is totally unconstitutional to spend out of public exchequer even before legally acquiring the chair,” Grewal added.PRTC authorities are tight-lipped over who gave the orders to send the buses. “Such decisions are taken by the government,” the PRTC PRO said, refusing to respond to further queries.When asked if AAP would pay the bills, party spokesman Malwinder Singh Kang said, “As far as the oath-taking taking ceremony is conducted, it was a government function and obviously, the government would pay the bill. I will check on the status of the Amritsar roadshow.”The Punjab governor should take action against the errant officers, Grewal said. “The officers concerned should be made to pay the expenses from their own pockets,” he added.On the day of the Amritsar roadshow, Congress party MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira had tweeted an official letter in which the chief secretary had asked the special chief secretary, revenue and rehabilitation, to immediately take up a case with the finance department to allot Rs 15 lakh to the deputy commissioner (DC) of Amritsar and Rs 2 lakh each to all 23 districts for making adequate arrangements, including transportation for the roadshow.“Now, I have found in an RTI reply that GM, PRTC Ludhiana, had written a letter to Ludhiana DC and demanded payment for the buses sent to Amritsar and Khatkar Kalan. The PRTC depot, Ludhiana, spent Rs 5 lakh for sending buses to the Amritsar roadshow and more than Rs 1.88 lakh for oath-taking ceremony,” Grewal said, alleging that PRTC officials intentionally blocked replies to his RTI queries and he had to file an appeal.

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‘Refer to Constitution’: Saxena replies to Kejriwal’s ‘Who is L-G?’ question

The Indian Express | 1 hour ago | 20-01-2023 | 02:40 pm

The Indian Express

1 hour ago | 20-01-2023 | 02:40 pm

Two days after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal came down heavily on alleged interference in the affairs of the elected AAP government during his address in the Delhi Legislative Assembly, asking “Who is the LG, where did he come from?”, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena wrote to him, asking him to refer to the Constitution for the answer.In his letter, L-G Saxena termed Kejriwal’s statements against him both in the Delhi Assembly and outside it as “substantively misleading, untrue and derogatory”.Questioning his alleged interference in matters of the Delhi government over a range of issues, Kejriwal had accused Saxena of constitutional overreach during his address to the House before leading a march to Raj Niwas and demanding that the L-G meet him and the 61 other AAP MLAs.Referring to media reports related to his allegations against him, Saxena said some of these did not deserve a reply since they “cater to a very low level of discourse.” He also termed as “posturing” Kejriwal’s allegation that the L-G did not meet him after his march to Raj Niwas.“I came to know through media reports that on Monday…you left the Assembly and were protesting with others outside Raj Niwas, demanding to meet me. Thereafter, I invited you and the Dy. Chief Minister to come and see me. I would have, indeed, loved to have you over and served you lunch as well” Saxena stated.“However, you chose not to come on the pretext of wanting to meet me with all of your MLAs. You would appreciate that, given the short notice and sudden demand on your part, it would not have been possible to at once have a meeting with 70-80 people, nor would have it served any concrete purpose,” he added.Terming it unfortunate, Saxena accused Kejriwal of political posturing by announcing that he had refused to meet him. “I must mention here that I was rather astounded at the fact that even as the city is grappling with several serious developmental issues, you found time to walk for long and stage a protest meant solely for posturing, rather than taking the issue to a logical conclusion by meeting me,” Saxena stated.The L-G said he was glad that the issue of education and teacher training was being raised by the CM and AAP MLAs, following which he took on the AAP government over it. The L-G flagged that average attendance in government schools, which was 70.73% in 2012-2013 “consistently fell year on year” reaching 60.65% in 2019-2020, despite concerted efforts after their closure due to the Covid pandemic between March 2020 and June 2022, the numbers “went up to only 73.74%.““Enrolment in government schools that stood at 16.1 lakh during 2013-2014, consistently came down to 15.1 lakh in 2019-2020. This, despite the fact that population of the city grew and enrolment should have increased proportionately,” L-G Saxena said.He also brought up the issue of no new schools having been built during the last eight years in Delhi despite the Delhi Development Authority allotting 13 plots to the education department since 2015.“In this regard, right after taking over, I personally ensured that six plots were allotted in August 2022 for building schools by GNCTD (Government of NCT of Delhi). Adding classrooms in existing schools and counting toilets as classrooms, do not, by any stretch of imagination, amount to opening new schools, as you would appreciate,” he added.Despite the AAP government’s “claims of unprecedented improvement in government education system in Delhi”, Saxena stated that the National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021 pegged the performance of about 30% students in Delhi government schools till Class VIII below basic levels and for about 44% students “barely basic”.“Similarly, performance of about 33% students studying in Class X is below basic and for about 30%, it is barely basic. There is rampant math and science phobia among students of Delhi government schools and this results in the fact that only 21,340 out of 2,31,448 students studying in Class XII are in the Science stream,” he stated.The L-G also questioned the AAP government’s claims related to higher enrolment in government schools. “Contrary to claims, the number of students going to private schools has increased in Delhi. While the share of private schools in 2013-2014 was 35%, the same went up to 43% in 2019-2020, and despite migration from private schools to government schools due to the pandemic distress, this number yet hovers around 40%,” Saxena said.He also questioned the need to send teachers for training to Finland. “Irrespective of whether a 5-day trip to Finland will serve any purpose of substantive training to the visitors or would serve as an event to be played up in the media, I did not reject the proposal thereof,” he sought to clarify.“I raised a few queries with respect to the impact assessment and cost benefit analysis of such visits which have been going on for past few years, and asked the department, whether such training could be obtained in a more cost-effective manner in our own Institutions of Excellence, like the IIMs,” L-G Saxena added.Saxena pointed out that recently, he had cleared proposals of sending 55 principals and vice-principals of government schools to Cambridge in 2 batches for 10 days each, with specific training goals.“While being on the subject, I would also like to bring to your attention the plight of 12 colleges of Delhi University that are funded by GNCTD. Their representatives met me and submitted a memorandum detailing their grievances in terms of deliberate stopping of already sanctioned funds, non-payment of salaries and non-sanction of posts,” Saxena said.There was much more in terms of scholarships to minorities and marginalised sections that he wanted to discuss with CM Kejriwal, the L-G stated.“I reiterate, that I write to you, not only as the Lt. Governor of Delhi, but also as a concerned resident of the city. You are indeed a driven person, and I am sure that you will take cognizance of the facts stated above and take remedial measures to engage meaningfully and constructively to rectify the grave shortcomings, for better outcomes,” Saxena added.

Garmin Instinct Crossover watches launched: Infinite battery life, luminescent watch hands

The Indian Express | 1 hour ago | 20-01-2023 | 02:40 pm

The Indian Express

1 hour ago | 20-01-2023 | 02:40 pm

Garmin on Thursday expanded its Instinct lineup of smartwatches in India with a couple of new offerings – Instinct Crossover and Instinct Crossover Solar. These watches are designed for those who still prefer the classic analogue smartwatch design, but with a durable build and a full suite of smartwatch features. As such, they come with luminescent watch hands that work in conjunction with the monochrome display. Garmin likes to call the tech behind the hands Revo Drive, which the company claims “delivers accurate analogue timekeeping even in the harshest activities and environments.”The feature list is headlined by infinite battery life on battery saver mode with Solar Charging and 70 days of battery life on smartwatch mode. The Instinct series is known for its ruggedness and these watches also offer thermal and shock resistance owing to the MIL-STD-810 standard and water rating of 10 ATM (100 meters).That battery life doesn’t mean that the watches compromise on wellness features, though, as they come with a “full suite” of those. The features include 24/7 monitoring and recording of health metrics like Sleep Score, Advanced Sleep matrix, Body Battery, stress, and heart rate. Other tracking features include VO2 Max, Pulse Ox2, Fitness Age, Training Status/Load/Effect, HRV Status, and Recovery Time.Meanwhile, the battery on the base model without solar support is claimed to last for a month in smartwatch mode and over 110 hours in GPS mode.Aside from the above, the watches come with the usual Garmin bells and whistles including GPS tracking, multi-GNSS support, ABC sensors, and TracBack routing. TrackBack routing helps users navigate the same route back to their starting point. Notifications will be handled by the Garmin Connect app while the Connect IQ store will be handling customisation options.The Garmin Instinct Crossover (Black) and Instinct Crossover Solar (Graphite) are available to purchase for Rs 55,990 and Rs 61,990 respectively starting January 20 across multiple online and offline channels.

NLSIU releases provisional admission list amid allegations of injustice; 60 Karnataka students across categories

The Indian Express | 1 hour ago | 20-01-2023 | 02:40 pm

The Indian Express

1 hour ago | 20-01-2023 | 02:40 pm

Amid calls for protest against the alleged injustice meted out to students from Karnataka at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bengaluru, the varsity on Wednesday released the provisional list of candidates for admission in its undergraduate programme in the wake of the Common Law Admission Test or CLAT 2023.The provisional list shows that out of the total 240 seats, as many as 60 (25%) have been offered to Karnataka students. According to the NLSIU Inclusion and Expansion Plan 2021-2025, the university voluntarily adopted a 25% horizontal compartmentalised reservation for Karnataka students from the 2021-22 academic year. As a result, NLSIU ensures that students from the state are admitted to 25% of seats in every vertical category, including general/SC/ST/OBC/EWS and, as a result, constitute at least 25% of the overall student body. In this case, Karnataka students are those who have studied in any recognised institution in the state for not less than 10 years.Earlier, Karnataka Law Minister J C Madhuswamy wrote to the vice-chancellor of NLSIU complaining that the “university has compartmentalised the reservation and provided a quantity of 25% including those who have been selected under the All India Rank”. He highlighted that “NLSIU is grouping even meritorious students who are supposed to be under general category along with domicile reserved students”.However, as per the provisional list, 19 students of Karnataka domicile have been selected for the undergraduate programme under the general category. This includes students with ranks 12, 23, 27 and 32.In fact, on Saturday, a group of pro-Kannada activists and lawyers’ association is set to stage a protest at NLSIU opposing the alleged “exclusion of Karnataka students” under their reservation policy. Karnataka Higher Education Minister C N Ashwath Narayan had also written to the university alleging that the institution was not complying with domicile reservation under section 4 of the NLSIU Amendment Act.In 2020, Karnataka High Court, in its decision dated September 29, 2020, struck down the validity of the National Law School (Amendment) Act, 2020 passed by the state government in April 2020. The court had stated that the state legislature has no power or authority under the Act to direct the respondent/Law School to provide reservations for students in view of the limited role of the state under the Act. Currently, the validation of the Amendment Act is sub judice in the Supreme Court of India.

Seven urban health and wellness centres to be opened in Chandigarh soon

The Indian Express | 1 hour ago | 20-01-2023 | 02:40 pm

The Indian Express

1 hour ago | 20-01-2023 | 02:40 pm

Seven new Urban Health and Wellness Centres (UHWCs) will be operational in Chandigarh in the coming weeks to take care of the medical and health needs of citizens, officials said.Currently, Chandigarh has 34 Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs), 29 allopathic centres and five AYUSH centres. A total of 16 UHWCs have been approved under the Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission, of which nine are fully functional at present. They are located in Badheri, Kishangarh, Raipur Khurd, Khuda Lahora, Indira Colony, Sector-44, Sector-25, Palsora and Sector-52.“The need of the hour is to expand health services across the city, periphery areas so that people do not have to rush from far-off areas to main hospitals for treatment and that is why there is a focus on HWCs, which are easily accessible to the community and provide elderly and disabled friendly access,” explains Dr Suman Singh, director of health services, Chandigarh.According to Dr Singh, seven new UHWCs will be set up in government school buildings which are now vacant, as the schools have been shifted to new buildings. “There are big classrooms, with ample light and air, which will be used. There will be renovations, painting, repair, proper drainage and sanitation, drinking water, and changes as per the need. Recruitments of doctors and other technical staff have been done and there will be five people per centre,” adds Dr Singh. The UHWCs will be set up in government school buildings at Kishangarh, Palsora, Makhan Majra, Mani Majra, Sarangpur, Raipur Kalan and Hallo Majra.The Ayushman Bharat mission attempts to move from a selective approach in order to deliver a comprehensive expanded range of preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative care services.Expanded range of services at HWCs*Pregnancy care and childbirth*Neonatal and infant healthcare services*Childhood and adolescent healthcare services*Family planning, contraceptive services and other reproductive health services*Management of common communicable diseases and general out-patient care for minor ailments*Screening, prevention, control and management of non-communicable diseases and chronic communicable diseases like TB and leprosy*Basic oral health care*Care for common ophthalmic, ENT problems*Elderly health and palliative care services*Emergency medical services*Screening and essential management of mental health ailments

What triggered Indian wrestlers' protest: Fear among women of 'unsafe environment' at campPremium Story

The Indian Express | 1 hour ago | 20-01-2023 | 02:40 pm

The Indian Express

1 hour ago | 20-01-2023 | 02:40 pm

THE TRIGGER for India’s top wrestlers to stage an unprecedented protest against the sport’s administrators was a series of phone calls that two-time world championship medallist Vinesh Phogat received from several young women expressing fears about the “unsafe environment” at a national camp they were asked to attend in Lucknow, The Indian Express has learnt.It was after the young wrestlers told her about their plan to boycott the camp — and even quit the sport — that Vinesh decided to go public Wednesday with allegations of sexual harassment against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and other national coaches.The Lucknow camp, which was to begin Wednesday and for which the women wrestlers were called earlier this month, was cancelled by the Sports Ministry. The protest, which marked its second day at Jantar Mantar in the national capital, has received wide-spread support so far.Late Thursday, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur met the wrestlers even as Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president and former sprint star PT Usha requested them to “come forward and voice their concerns” with the association. “We will ensure complete investigation to ensure justice,” Usha posted on Twitter.The WFI, meanwhile, decided to hold an emergency general council meeting in Ayodhya Sunday to discuss the allegations, according to the federation’s assistant secretary Vinod Tomar.Earlier in the day, the sit-in protest venue in Delhi was packed after international wrestlers and dangal pehelwans from Haryana, UP and Rajasthan, along with farmer leader Narendra Tau, gathered after Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia sought support on Instagram the previous night.Speaking to The Indian Express, a core member of the protest group said, “After those calls (from the women wrestlers), Vinesh and Olympic medallists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang had a chat among themselves and decided that Brij Bhushan and the coaches involved in sexual harassment over the years have to be called out. Other elite wrestlers Anshu Malik and Sonam Malik (both of whom were part of the Tokyo Olympics contingent) also came on board.”It is learnt that the women wrestlers also told Vinesh of similar incidents in the past, and she decided that “enough was enough” when appeals to change the camp venue fell on deaf ears.On Day 2 of the sit-in, Vinesh was constantly contacted over phone by women wrestlers who wanted to talk about the harassment they had faced allegedly “because of the WFI president”, sources said.Speaking to reporters, Vinesh said, “Yesterday (Wednesday), there were two to three girls who were ready to talk about sexual harassment with proof. Today, I can say that there are five to six wrestlers who are ready to talk and come out with proof about sexual harassment. I even got calls from women wrestlers in Kerala. Those from Maharashtra are also saying that they have had similar bad experiences.”Vinesh, who along with Bajrang and others from the protest group met Sports Ministry officials, said the wrestlers will not leave the venue until the WFI president is sacked. “It will be sad for wrestling if girls have to come out and give their names and provide proof about harassment. Don’t force us to do that,” Vinesh said, adding that if there was no satisfactory response, they will file an FIR against Singh.On Thursday, among those who joined the protest stage was Vinesh’s uncle Mahavir Phogat, father and coach of the sisters Babita and Sangeeta, and the inspiration behind Aamir Khan’s Bollywood hit “Dangal”.Mahavir’s daughter and BJP leader Babita, too, visited the venue with a message from the Government. “I have assured them that the Government is with them. I will try to ensure that their issues are resolved today,” Babita said. Bajrang, incidentally, is married to Sangeeta.On Wednesday, the Sports Ministry had given WFI chief Singh and the federation 72 hours to submit an explanation, failing which action would be initiated according to provisions of the National Sports Development Code.Bajrang’s long-time roommate at camps and international wrestler Jitender stressed the importance of collective might. “When we first spoke about the idea of a protest, the first discussion was about staying united because we are fighting against very powerful people. Today, hundreds of wrestlers have joined us,” the Asian Championship silver medallist said.“Once the WFI president said the majority of wrestlers were not supporting the protests, Bajrang posted a video on social media last evening asking all wrestlers to join. You can see the huge turnout today,” he said.Bajrang said the initial plan was to have only a close circle of wrestlers at the protest. “The president said yesterday that only 3 per cent of wrestlers were with us. Today, look around, wrestlers from all wrestling hubs of India are here,” he said.Apart from Bajrang’s Instagram post, a video appeal was also posted online by Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Ravi Dahiya. Dahiya belongs to the capital’s biggest wrestling hub at Chhatrasal Stadium that was made famous by India’s most-decorated wrestler Sushil Kumar who is currently in jail for involvement in a murder case.At the protest site, Rakesh Yadav, a wrestler from Baghpat, said he and a dozen wrestlers travelled to Jantar Mantar after Bajrang’s video calling for support. Another wrestler from Baghpat, Sandeep Tomar, a former Asian Championship medalist, were among the speakers at the protest Thursday.Even coaches who were part of the system till recently came to meet the wrestlers. Kuldeep Malik, a former chief coach of the women’s team, said he decided to stand in solidarity with the wrestlers after seeing Vinesh’s plea on television. “Maybe the girls were scared to speak up earlier. When I was coach I never received any complaints. But there needs to be a thorough inquiry into what happened,” Malik, who was chief coach from 2013 to 2021, said.As the numbers swelled at the protest site, politicians, farm leaders and activists made a beeline to the stage. Former CPI(M) MP Brinda Karat was among them but she stepped aside after wrestlers announced that they didn’t want to politicise the protest.Meanwhile, WFI chief Singh’s official residence on Ashoka Road, not far from the protest site, had a police presence. Visitors were not allowed even to the WFI office housed within the bungalow. A protesting wrestler, who was waiting outside, said, “We worship Lord Hanuman and remember, he burned down Ravan’s Lanka. A similar fate awaits wrestling’s bahubali (strongman).”

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