‘Rigging’ in mayoral polls: Chandigarh Youth Cong, AAP hold protest

Chandigarh: The Chandigarh Youth Congress and the AAP Tuesday held separate protests here against alleged rigging in the recently held mayoral polls.mLed by Chandigarh Youth Congress chief Manoj Lubana, the protesters sought action against presiding officer Anil Masih for allegedly tampering with the ballot papers during the January 30 mayoral elections. “We are holding a protest today against the murder of democracy which took place on January 30,” said Lubana. “Masih should be arrested forthwith,” he demanded. Five members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) observed a hunger strike outside the municipal corporation office. Speaking to the media, AAP Chandigarh co-in-charge Sunny Ahluwalia showed another video of presiding officer Masih during the mayoral polls. The AAP and Congress councillors had accused Masih of “tampering” with the ballot papers while counting. “This video has made it clear that the Bharatiya Janata Party is a ‘vote-chor’ party. They win elections by stealing votes and by rigging and hooliganism,” alleged Ahluwalia. Chandigarh Congress Committee president H S Lucky said his party will hold a series of protests in the coming days against the alleged “wrongdoings” of the BJP and Masih.

180 days maternity leave for female cooks and helpers in Himachal

Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to grant 180 days maternity leave to about 17,889 female cook cum helpers working in the education department under the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Tuesday. Earlier, there was no such provision of maternity leave for the above category and necessary directions in this regard have been issued to the concerned department, he said. Sukhu said this decision of the government, which is working for the welfare of the vulnerable sections of the society, will fulfil the long pending demands of mid day meal workers. The government is working with the aim of holistic development of the downtrodden with special focus on child care and women empowerment, he added.

SAD assails new taxation making vehicles, homes costlier

Chandigarh: Condemning the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led Punjab Government for increasing stamp duty on loans sanctioned by banks as well as imposing a two per cent stamp duty on transfer through power of attorney, the Shiromani Akali Dal on Tuesday said that the common man was being burdened with new unheard of taxes by a government which aimed to represent them. “The two measures will impose a burden of Rs 1,000 crore on the common man who is already reeling under increased Value Added Tax on petrol and diesel,” said senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia. Stating that the AAP government was “vigorously searching on an everyday basis to find new ways and means to tax the common man”, Majithia said that the Government had amended the Indian Stamp Act to impose a 0.25 per cent stamp duty on loans sanctioned by banks as well as loan crediting companies, and both would make vehicles and homes more expensive. Majithia said the government had also imposed two per cent stamp duty on property transfer through power of attorney. “Now, the government would impose transfer fees on both general and special power of attorneys. By doing so, a needless burden has been put on people who resorted to transfer property through these measures to their blood relatives,” he said.  Demanding Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to tell Punjabis where the tax-payers’ money was being spent, Majithia demanded that both measures be rolled back immediately.

Hry Govt relaxes character verification norms for new Govt employees

Chandigarh: The Haryana Government has given relaxation in the process of character and antecedent verification for selected candidates before their first appointment to government service. In a letter addressed to all Administrative Secretaries , Heads of Department  including Managing Directors, Chief Administrators, Divisional Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, and Registrars of Universities in the state, the Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal, stated that candidates recommended by the Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) and Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) for appointments up to June 30, 2024, may now be appointed provisionally without prior verification of character, antecedents, as well as  all documents deemed necessary for appointment. The letter further  added that the verification process, including character, antecedents, and all other essential documents required for final appointment, must be completed within a period of two months after their provisional appointment.

All DEOs asked to designate Sectoral Officers, Supervisors for upcoming LS elections

Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Anurag Agarwal on Tuesday issued directions to all Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officers to promptly designate Sectoral Officers/Supervisors in their respective areas for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections-2024. Besides this, they have been directed to coordinate with the District Police Officers to ensure smooth routes for their inspection visits to polling stations during the election process. Agarwal while chairing the meeting of DCs/DEOs held through video conference late last evening said that they should prepare District Election Plans for their respective districts in accordance with the Election Planner issued by the Election Commission of India. He further directed that all District Election Officers should meet with representatives of recognised national and state political parties at least once every 15 days, and the Electoral Registration Officer should hold weekly meetings to facilitate coordination. He emphasized the swift resolution of pending forms.

Officers of electricity board asked to supply electricity to consumers in rural and urban areas as per specified schedule

Chandigarh: Haryana Energy Minister Ranjit Singh on Tuesday directed officers of the electricity board to supply electricity to consumers in rural and urban areas according to the specified schedule and to address public issues at the primary level. The Energy Minister participated in the Bijli Panchayat organized by the DHBVN in Hisar, where he listened to the problems of consumers of urban and rural areas. Representatives from 16 gram panchayats of six districts and various villages presented their issues before the Energy Minister. In the Panchayat, issues such as hanging electricity wires, providing solar panels for panchayat ghar, giving new electricity connections to farmers for shrimp farming, installing transformers, addressing obstacles in 11 and 33-KV lines from residential areas, removing high tension wires over residential and school areas, and resolving electricity-related complaints in dhanis were discussed. The Minister assured swift completion of the relevant tasks.

Admn to conduct muck exercise on Earthquake scenario’ in Chandigarh

Chandigarh: In a proactive step towards disaster preparedness, a meeting regarding conduct of mock exercise on Earthquake Scenario was held by Anisha Shrivastava, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Chandigarh in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).  The meeting was held via video conference. During the deliberations, it was unanimously decided to conduct a mock exercise on Earthquake Scenario across different locations in Chandigarh. “This initiative aims to enhance the city's resilience and preparedness in dealing with such calamities effectively. The exercise will be conducted under the guidance and support of both the Chandigarh Administration and the NDMA,” a statement said.