Delhi budget to focus on health, education

NEW DELHI :Delhi’s budget for the next financial year will allocate a substantial chunk to the health and education sectors.

The budget is likely to be presented on March 7 or 8.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on Saturday said it will call a five-day budget session of the Delhi Assembly from March 6 to 10. “The Cabinet has decided to call budget session of Delhi Assembly from March 6 to 10,” Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said.

In the budget, the AAP dispensation will also provide sufficient funds to mohalla sabhas where people decide civil works in their respective areas on a priority basis. Like last year, education and health sectors are likely to take big chunk of budget. Sources said that government may give 25 per cent of the total budget to education sector.

Responding to the opposition’s allegation that his government may influence voters in the municipal polls scheduled in April by presenting its budget, Kejriwal said that the State Election Commission has so far not issued any notification on the civic poll yet.

Taking a dig at the Centre over not accepting demands of the Opposition to defer Budget Session of the Parliament in the wake of elections in several states, Kejriwal said, “We have not asked State Election Commission to wait for our budget, but they (Centre) had asked Election Commission to wait for their budget and announce poll dates accordingly.”

The budget session will start with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal’s speech. The decision was taken in a Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at his official residence in North Delhi’s Civil Lines. The Civil Aviation Authority, the aviation regulator, too has not taken any action against the airline or its staffers.

Anwer Adil, the flight captain, said he found out about the extra passengers only after take-off.

“After take-off when I came out of (the) cockpit, (the senior purser) informed me that there were some extra people who (had been) boarded by the traffic staff. I also noticed some people were those who were categorically refused jump seats by me at the check in counter before the flight,” the flight captain was quoted as saying by Dawn.

Adil also could not turn back to Karachi as it would have meant dumping fuel, which was not “in the interest of the airline”.

PIA spokesman Danyal Gilani told BBC “the matter is under investigation and appropriate action will be taken once responsibility is fixed”.

The state-run airline was once known for its standards and achievements — it was the first Asian airline to operate jet aircraft and also the first in Asia to induct Boeing 737-300.

In the 1980, Emirates was launched in Dubai by leasing two aircraft and crews from PIA.

In recent years, it has become the butt of jokes for Pakistanis as official figures showed the airline had more than 750 staff for each aircraft, against a global standard of about 200 employees.

The airline recent told a parliamentary panel that its total liabilities were more than ₹300 billion.

“It is an extremely unfortunate incident. We have sent the bodies for autopsy to ascertain the exact cause of death. Prima facie it appears to be a case of accident. But further action will be taken only once the autopsy report is out. No case has been registered so far,” Tiwari said. While Rakhi is a home maker, Ravinder works as a manager at Kotal Mahindra. They have another son.

The decisions were taken in a cabinet meeting chaired by the Delhi chief minister on Saturday morning.

“This is the first time in the country that revision of minimum wages has been proposed on the basis of a scientific method. I will meet the lieutenant governor next week and request him to give his approval to the recommendations. I hope the L-G will clear them next week as we have followed all procedures. It will be the biggest gift for workers on the occasion of Holi,” Kejriwal said.

The first committee, which was appointed by the government and later rejected by Jung, had approved a 50% increase in the minimum wages — ₹14,052 for unskilled, ₹15,471 for semiskilled and ₹17,033 for skilled persons per month.

“There is a difference of `600700 in the recommendations of the two committees. We could have implemented the previous committee’s recommendations, but we did not want any fight with the former L-G,” Kejriwal said.

Labour minister Gopal Rai said that earlier, the minimum wages used to be decided on the basis of three points — housing, clothing and food.

But the committee, which held seven meetings, also included education, electricity and fuel.

The basic minimum wages in the capital were last revised in 2010.

However, the labour department has been notifying increase in DA twice in a year — April and October — based on All India Consumer Price Index Number.

“It seems that Bangladesh soil is used to manufacture counterfeit notes that is sneaked into India, mostly through Malda. However, we are also aware that a section of the notes is still being made in Pakistan, which is of the best quality and almost similar to real notes,” said a senior BSF officer.

In the ₹2,000 notes seized from Malda (printed in Bangladesh), about 10 of the 17 security features have been copied, including the design, colour pattern, number pattern, watermark, Mahatma Gandhi’s portrait, Swachh Bharat logo and Mangalyaan slogan and motif.

There are deeper implications. It is impossible to procure stamp paper in bulk unless there is active cooperation of government employees. “If one has to buy stamp paper in Bangladesh, one has to reveal identity. So if the counterfeiters have to ensure a regular and bulk supply of the stamp paper, it is not possible without the collusion of a section of the government employees,” a source said. “Where are you guys from?” he asked them, Madasani related to Indian officials later, in an account of the evening that will likely remain etched in his mind his whole life. They ignored him.

“Are you from the Middle East?” Purinton pressed them, and then told them to “get out of my country”.

The two friends had decided by then to seek help from the bar’s management. Purinton was escorted out but he returned shortly and opened fire, killing Kuchibhotla. Madasani suffered bullet wounds and so did another patron, Ian Grillot, who tried to stop the shooter. He was shot in the hand and chest and has been celebrated as a hero by the Indian community here and back home.

Purinton was apprehended miles away at another bar, in adjoining Missouri state, after he was heard bragging about shooting two Middle Easterners. He was charged with murder and attempted murder.

The FBI joined the investigation but has not yet determined if it is a civil rights violation or a hate crime, which would make it a federal offence to be tried in a federal court and liable to federal penalty.

Kuchibhotla’s body is to be flown to New Jersey on Saturday, where it will remain for a day before it’s flown to India for the funeral. Dumala will take the body home, but she plans to return.

She wants to come back to her home in Kansas, she said, to fulfil her husband’s wishes for “me being successful in any field I choose”.

THE BUDGET WILL ALSO ALLOCATE SUFFICIENT FUNDS TO MOHALLA SABHAS WHERE PEOPLE DECIDE CIVIL WORKS ON A PRIORITY BASIS