Tribune News Service,New Delhi, December 28
The government today decided to stop giving LPG subsidy to the affluent by making consumers with taxable income of more than Rs 10 lakh a year ineligible.“The government has decided that consumers with taxable income above Rs 10 lakh per year will not get LPG subsidy from January 2016,” said Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in a tweet.“This is as per policy of present government that subsidy shall only be given to poor people who need it the most,” he wrote in another tweet. So far, 57.50 lakh consumers have opted out of subsidy voluntarily as part of the “GiveItUp” campaign of the government. Several corporate houses, celebrities and others had announced they would give up their subsidy.As on August 3, those opting out of the subsidy in Punjab stood at 46,858, Haryana 46,881 and Chandigarh 2,858.There are currently 16.35 crore LPG consumers in the country. With the implementation of the PAHAL scheme (Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG), the subsidy is being transferred directly to the bank accounts of 14.78 crore consumers.The government said while many consumers have given up subsidy voluntarily, it is felt consumers in the higher income bracket should get LPG cylinders at the market price.Fixing the threshold, the government has decided that the benefit of subsidy will not be available for consumers if the consumer or his/her spouse had taxable income of more than Rs 10 lakh during the previous financial year computed as per the Income Tax Act, 1961. This would be done initially on a self-declaration basis.“In keeping with the approach of trusting the citizens, this will be given effect initially on a self-declaration basis while booking cylinders from January,” a Petroleum Ministry statement said.The consumer has to declare that he/she does not have taxable income of more than Rs 10 lakh to avail of the subsidy.Those who gave it up
Punjab 46,858
Haryana 46,881
Chandigarh 2,858
Total (India) 57.5 lakh
NABHA: EME, Jalandhar, defeated CRPF, Jalandhar, 2-1 in the final to emerge champion in the 40th GS Bains Liberals all-India hockey tournament at PPS hockey grounds, on Saturday.
HT PHOTOThe winners — EME, Jalandhar — posing with the trophy on Sunday.Chief parliamentary secretary (tourism) Sant Balvir Singh Ghunas presided over the closing ceremony and gave away prizes to the winning and runners-up teams.
The winners were awarded `1 lakh while the runners-up received `50,000.
The chief guest also announced a grant of `2 lakhs for the organisers.
CRPF, Jalandhar, started on a positive note and managed to earn a penalty corner in the 19th minute. Bikash Kujur stepped up to the occasion and converted the penalty corner to put CRPF Jalandhar ahead.
After toiling hard for almost half an hour, EME Jalandhar finally managed to restore parity when Rakesh Minz scored the equalising goal for the team in the 52nd minute. Minz dribbled past CRPF defenders and sounded the board. Two minutes later, EME Jalandhar went 2-1 up as Biju Singh scored from a defencesplitting pass from Gurmeet Singh.
Despite their best efforts, EME Jalandhar managed to hold on to the lead and eked out a hard-fought 2-1 win to clinch the trophy.
Tribune News Service,New Delhi, December 27
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has again mooted a proposal to construct a new Parliament building. In a letter to Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, she has said the existing 88-year-old structure is showing signs of “distress” because of ageing and will no longer be able to meet the growing demand for space.The Speaker even proposed two options for the alternative site — one within the Parliament complex and another across the Rajpath, a place where some defence and Delhi Police security barracks are located.Sources said the Urban Development Ministry would prepare a Cabinet note, which would be placed before the government to consider the proposal.Apart from citing the building bylaws, which stipulate life of buildings at 100 years, the Speaker in her letter also mentions that the number of seats in the Lok Sabha is likely to go up after 2026 “in accordance with the provisions of the explanation to clause (3) Article 81 of the Constitution”. The present seating capacity of the Lok Sabha is 550 without any scope for further increase. The full strength of the House is 545.Clause (3) of Article 81 determines representation on the basis of population brought out in the last Census (possibly in 2021). Through the 91st amendment to the Constitution in 2001, Parliament had extended the 25-year-old freeze on the total number and state-wise distribution of seats in Lok Sabha till 2026.In her letter, Mahajan has said: “On account of ageing of the Parliament House building and expansion in activities, staff, etc. the building has shown signs of distress and overutilisation… Under the circumstances, there is an imperative need for the construction of a new state-of-the-art Parliament building.”She argued that when the present structure was commissioned in 1927, the number of staff, security personnel, media visitors and parliamentary activities were limited, but over the years, the parliamentary activities had increased manifold.Since the building has been declared as “Heritage Grade-I” structure, there is very little scope for structural repairs.The Parliament House
Tribune News Service,Bathinda, December 26
The police have registered a case of cheating against a Major deployed with the Army in Bathinda Cantonment and his wife for allegedly cheating a woman—also deployed as a Major— in the Army.The complainant is from Kota in Rajasthan.In her complaint to the police, the lady officer stated that Major Chand Singh developed physical relationship with her after promising to marry her. At the time of the incident, the Major was deployed at ‘Wireless Experimental Unit at the cantonment in Bathinda.Investigating Officer (IO) Charanjit Singh said initially, a case was registered against the accused Major and his wife at the Cantonment police station following a complaint received by the lady officer. The case, he said, was registered after the intervention of senior police officers and after completing the preliminary investigations in this regard.A case under sections 498-A, 406, 494, 376,493 and 496 of the IPC was registered at the Cantonment police station. No arrests have been made so far, the police said.
BATHINDA: The Bathinda police have booked an army officer for allegedly raping his colleague on pretext of marrying her.
As per Cantonment station house officer Karamjit Singh the case pertains to 2009-2011 when the accused Major Chandan Singh and the complainant, also a Major, were posted in Bathinda.
“The woman, who is now posted at Kota, Rajasthan, alleged that the accused had solemnised a marriage with her in a temple,” said the SHO. Later, the:accused officer married another woman, says the complaint, The complainant has also filed a complaint with military authorities. Based on the ‘zero first information report’ by Kota police, a case has been registered against the Army officer and his wife, who is yet to be identified,” said the SHO. A case under Sections 376 (rape), 498 A (husband or relative of husband committing cruelty to woman) and 406 (criminal breach of trust) of the IPC was registered.
Indian Railways online ticket booking: ICICI Bank today announced the launch of a facility that allows users to book online rail tickets on its website icicibank.com. This facility is being offered in association with the Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC).
ICICI Bank is the first bank in the country to offer such a facility on its website.
Customers of any bank can use this Indian Railways online ticket booking service to book online rail tickets on the bank’s website itself, without visiting any other site.
Commenting on the launch, Rajiv Sabharwal, Executive Director, ICICI Bank Limited, said: “Online rail ticket booking on the Bank’s website for customers of any bank is yet another exciting service for the rapidly growing digitally savvy customer base in India. This service will soon be also available on the bank’s mobile banking app, iMobile as well as on its digital bank on mobile phone, Pockets.”
With this service, users can search for Indian Railways trains, book an e-ticket, cancel a reservation as well as check their PNR status among others. The website will display latest information for services including train options and ticket availability by connecting directly with the reservation system of the Indian Railways on a real time basis.
Users can pay for the rail tickets using their internet banking account, debit or credit card of any bank.
To avail this service, users have to do a one-time registration on the ICICI Bank’s website with their mobile number and user ID registered with IRCTC. Subsequently, they can purchase the tickets directly from the bank’s website.
Highlights of Indian Railways rail ticket booking on ICICI Bank website
· First bank in India to offer rail ticket booking on its website
· Customers of any bank can use the facility
· It will soon be available on the Bank’s mobile banking app, ‘iMobile’ as well as on its digital bank, ‘Pockets’
Wants stolen sewing machine, a wedding gift, recovered
Akash Ghai,Tribune News Service,Mohali, December 13
Retired Army personnel are usually known to make rounds of the corridors of power to get their pension or avail of other benefits due to them. But in a rare case, a Mohali-based retired Army man has written a letter to Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal seeking his intervention for the recovery of a 40-year-old sewing machine, a souvenir from his marriage, and more importantly, a reminder of his marital bliss.Vijay Arya, a retired Subedar Major, claimed that the local police did not take his complaint ‘seriously’ as the value of the stolen goods, including the machine in question, was not ‘much’ in their view. “We were emotionally attached to the sewing machine, which was gifted to us by our parents on our wedding day,” said Arya, who claimed to have fought the 1971 war against Pakistan.The theft had taken place at his house in Mohali Phase II on Friday. “The thieves broke open a box lying in the backyard of the house and took along some goods along with the sewing machine,” said Arya.He added that though the cops came after he made a call to them, they did not react properly on learning the monetary value of the stolen goods.“They (the police) were very casual in their approach, saying ‘kuchh nahi hoga’ (nothing would come out of it). So I was forced to write a letter to the Deputy Chief Minister to intervene and get me back my ‘valuable’ machine,” said Arya. Arya also announced to reward the policemen, if they recovered the stolen machine.
AFTER HIS TOES HAD TO BE AMPUTATED, CHAND WAS INVALIDED OUT OF THE ARMY IN 2004 WITH 60% DISABILITY
CHANDIGARH: The Chandigarh bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) on Thursday issued a notice to the central government over a petition for higher pension by a soldier who lost all his toes to frostbite at the Siachen glacier.
The petitioner, havildar Rattan Chand of Doda district in Jammu and Kashmir, moved the tribunal saying he had received the injuries during the army’s Operation Meghdoot and that he was eligible for the “war injury element” of the pension.
Havildar Chand, who had joined the army in 1985, had been sent to the world’s highest battlefield in 1987. He told the tribunal that after serving three months in temperature ranging between -18 to -50 degrees Celsius, he suffered from frostbite and all his toes had to be amputated.
Havildar Chand was invalided out of the army in 2004 with 60% disability.
Bhim Sen Sehgal, chairman of the All India Ex-servicemen Welfare Association, the group through which Chand filed the petition, said: “Chand served in Operation Meghdoot at Siachen for about three months. The army commander declared his injury attributable to military service in operational area and was classified as a battle casualty. But the principal controller of defence accounts ruled that Chand’s injury did not fall under the ambit of war injury, which is contrary to law.”
Kharga Corps sets up heritage park in Ambala
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 7
The Kharga Corps has set up Kharga Heritage Park at Ambala Cantonment to showcase the grit and valour of its warriors.
The park highlights the martial traditions of the Indian soldiers, raising of the Kharga Corps in October 1971 for the liberation of Bangladesh, the impact the corps made in the defeat of Pakistan and the birth of Bangladesh.
The park has statuettes displaying various activities of the Kharga Warriors, models of equipment depicting various arms, a replica of the Chattri Memorial of the First World War, statue of Lord Buddha and a prayer wheel depicting the Buddhist traditions of Ambala as highlighted by Chinese traveller Huen Tsang in his memoirs.
