Man held for duping in name of govt plan

GUPTA HAD COLLECTED ₹3L FROM DIFFERENT PEOPLE BEFORE HE WENT UNDERGROUND

34-year-old man was arrested for allegedly duping people by convincing them to invest in the Delhi government’s Ladli scheme, promising them good returns and fixed amount every month.

According to the police, Raj Gupta had been absconding for the past six months after his name cropped up in the fraud. The police started tracking him after a woman was arrested in the same case a few months ago.

“The woman was arrested and she disclosed that she use to share the profits with one Raj Gupta. We had been tracking him since,” a senior police officer said.

Explaining Gupta’s modus operendi, DCP southwest Surendra Kumar said he used to convince people to invest in the scheme promising them good returns. He had reportedly collected over ₹3 lakh from different people before he went underground. “He has duped many people by taking money in the name of the Ladli scheme. He used to ask them to invest between ₹1,000 and ₹7,000, promising high returns. After collecting the money, he used to change his mobile numbers and even the location of his office,” he said.

He added, “He shifted his office from Vikaspuri to Noida some time back.” The police recovered 200 enrolment forms that people filled from his possession.

Ladli Scheme launched in the NCT of Delhi 2008 aimed at empowering girl students by linking financial assistance with their education up to the senior secondary level. Under the scheme, financial assistance is sanctioned at different stages.

poured in for Savita, 35, who has spent the past two years curled up in bed in a foetal position because a crippling condition — ankylosing spondylitis — makes it impossible for her to move.

After reading a report in HT, people started calling with offers and within 24 hours, enough funds were generated for her to undergo correctional surgeries.

Savita needs hip replacement and spine-correction surgeries to replace the damaged bones. While the surgeries will be done free at the government-run Lok Nayak hospital, where she has been undergoing treatment, the implants cost around ₹3 lakh, which the family cannot afford.

Around 12 people, including some non-profit organisations, have come forward to help her.

“After the story was published, I have received calls from people, including two non-profit organisations, who want to help her get the surgery done as soon as possible,” said Dr Ajay Gupta, professor of orthopaedics at Lok Nayak hospital, who is treating Savita.

For the last two years, she has not been able to collect funds. The family has not been able to get help under the Delhi Arogya Kosh as they do not belong to the economically weaker sections, defined as families earning less than ₹3 lakh a year.

Ankylosing spondylitis, a type of arthritis affecting the spine and the large joints of the body such as the hip, affects around 0.1% to 1.4% of the population, but is usually seen in men.

“The onset of the disease is during the teenage years and the bone damage starts in the 30s. But this case is uncommon because it has happened in a woman and her joints are almost completely damaged and she is just 35,” said Dr Ajay Gupta.

Last year the US trade deficit with India was close to $31 billion.

But other mutual areas of divergence – from H-1B visa for Indian technology workers and US worries over Indian patent laws to America’s role in climate change – were largely left to officials to thrash out behind closed doors.

In the evening, Modi became the first foreign leader to enjoy a White House dinner since Trump came to power, although the US President has held more highprofile meetings and dining with China and Japan’s leaders at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

“During my campaign, I pledged that if elected, India would have a true friend in the White House. And that is now exactly what you have — a true friend,” Trump said with a beaming Modi by his side.

The Indian prime minister returned the favour, hailing the ties with Washington.

“My visit and our talks today will mark a very important page in the history of the collaboration and cooperation between our two nations,” he said.

“I am sure that the convergence between my vision for a “new India and President Trump’s vision for “making America great again” will add new dimensions to our cooperation.”

Modi came to Washington looking to revitalise a relationship that thrived under former President Barack Obama but appeared to flag as Trump showed little interest in expanding America’s security and trade architecture in Asia, and courted China to help rein in North Korea.

Modi and Trump first met privately for 40 minutes, double the allotted time, and then were joined by their aides for a longer meeting at the end of which the two sides found common cause to push back against China’s maritime ambitions and Pakistan’s dalliance with terrorism.

The leaders also urged Pakistan to “expeditiously bring to justice” those involved in the 26/11 Mumbai, Pathankot and “other cross-border terrorist attacks carried out by Pakistanbased groups”.

Trump said the two were determined to destroy terrorist organisations and the radical ideology that drove them. “We will destroy radical Islamic terrorism,” he said, using language that Modi did not echo.

The joint statement voiced Indian objections to the One Belt, One Road initiative but without naming either China or the project.

India has objected to the China’s ambitious plan for a new Silk Route as the centrepiece of the project, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, runs through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), which New Delhi says challenges its sovereignty by lending legitimacy to Pakistan’s claim over PoK.

Analysts felt for a first meeting, the two leaders had made a strong start that signalled continuity on key issues.

“India got what it wanted from the United States on terrorism, defence technology, strategic cooperation in the Indian Ocean, and clean energy,” said Ashley Tellis, a South Asia expert with Carnegie and former official of the George W Bush administration.

“The United States registered its interest in free and fair trade, in completing the sale of nuclear reactors to India, and in increasing market access in India.”

Indian officials appeared pleased with the meeting. “I would say it was one of the most productive visits I have seen to the United States,” foreign secretary S Jaishankar told reporters.

Rawat, nevertheless, claimed that the army has been making attempts to reach out to Kashmiri youth. “There is a lot of misinformation and indoctrination. Young boys of 12 and 13 say they want to become bombers. We are trying to identify youth leaders we can talk to,” he said. “I would like people to give up violence… I don’t want innocents to be caught in the crossfire. We don’t want any collateral damage.”

Rawat, however, defended Major NL Gogoi’s action of using a civilian as a human shield by citing the recent lynching of deputy superintendent of police MA Pandith outside the Jamia Masjid mosque in Srinagar. “The election commission staff called for help. What if they had been lynched?” he asked. “I am not on the ground. I don’t know what my boys are going through, but I have to be the motivator.”

The army chief shrugged off reports of a recent skirmish between the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and Indian troops in Sikkim. “There was no incursion into our territory. I don’t know where the visuals are from, but they are not from Sikkim,” he said.

“The first paragraph of the Sino-British Treaty on SikkimTibet Convention of 1890 stipulates (explanation of Art 1 of the treaty). According to the treaty, “zhe” is the ancient name of Sikkim. According to this treaty, the border area of area contested by Indian side is located on the Chinese side of the border,” the statement said.

Quoting the treaty, the Chinese government said: “The Sikkim segment of the China-India border is recognised by both China and India, which has been recognised by successive Indian governments.”

“Compliance with these treaties and documents is an international obligation that is not to be shirked by the Indian side,” the statement said.

The fate of the Indian pilgrims didn’t figure in the MFA statement.

“As to the Indian pilgrims’ journey through Nathu La pass in the Sikkim section, I think the Indian side is very clear about it. For a long time, the Chinese government has made enormous efforts to provide necessary convenience for those Indian pilgrims. But recently, the Indian border personnel trespassed the Chinese border to obstruct construction so we have taken necessary actions,” ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said on Tuesday.

China had put the pilgrimage on hold out of security concerns, he said.

“So for the upcoming actions we have to depend on what the Indian side will do. They have to take actions to improve the security situation,” Lu said, spelling out the bargain.

A few days ago, China didn’t allow a batch of Indians to go through the Nathu La pass on way to Mount Kailash, held sacred by the Buddhists, Hindus and Jains.

They were to cross over on June 19 but failed to do so due to inclement weather and had to wait at the base camp. Four days later, China denied entry to them citing damage to roads.

Earlier in a statement, the ministry accused the Indian military of incursion into its territory along the LAC and obstructing its personnel from carrying out routine work.

It also said because of the trouble in the area, Beijing suspended the 21-day pilgrimage through Nathu La.

It’s rare for China to officially accuse India of incursion across the LAC but the face-off between the forces in Sikkim – and the media reports and reaction in India – would have convinced Beijing to come out with not one but two statements within hours.

It is also the first time that Beijing has specified the reason for suspending the annual pilgrimage after a weekend of silence.

At a regular ministry briefing on Tuesday, Lu said Beijing had lodged protests with the Indian embassy and with relevant authorities in New Delhi.

“We have lodged solemn representations in Beijing and New Delhi to elaborate on our solemn position. Our position to uphold our territorial sovereignty is unwavering. We hope the Indian side can work with China in the same direction and take immediate withdraw the personnel who have overstepped and trespassed into Chinese border,” Lu said.

Earlier news agency PTI reported from New Delhi that Indian and Chinese troops scuffled near the Doka La area in the first week of June before soldiers from Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) damaged bunkers on the Indian side.

Both the PLA and the Chinese foreign ministry gave a different version of events.

Recently, Indian border guards in Sikkim section crossed into China, obstructed Chinese border troops in the Donglong area and “China has taken corresponding measures”, the ministry had said in a terse statement.

It came soon after the PLA released a statement on Monday night, blaming the Indian military of creating trouble along the Sikkim LAC.

“We respectfully disagree with the conclusions announced today (Tuesday). We will review the (European) Commission’s decision in detail as we consider an appeal, and we look forward to continuing to make our case,” Kent Walker, the company’s senior vice-president and general counsel, said in a statement.

The action came after a sevenyear long investigation prompted by scores of complaints from rivals such as US consumer review website Yelp, TripAdvisor, UK price comparison site Foundem, News Corp and lobbying group FairSearch.

This is the biggest fine for a single company in an EU antitrust case, exceeding a 1.06-billion-euro sanction handed down to US chipmaker Intel in 2009.

It is also the biggest regulatory setback for Google, which settled with US enforcers in 2013 with a requirement to stop “scraping” reviews and other data from rival websites for its own products.

The European Union competition enforcer has also charged Google with using its Android mobile operating system to crush rivals, a case that could potentially be the most damaging for the company, with the system used in most smartphones.

The company has also been accused of blocking rivals in online search advertising, with the Commission warning of deterrent fines if Google is found guilty of breaching EU rules.

He dismissed allegations that right-wing Hindu groups were behind the attacks.

“Whenever the government has taken action against such elements, we haven’t come under any pressure from any quarters,” he said.

Khattar blamed “some selfstyled people” for the incidents. “We are keeping a close tab on such elements.”

He said people can inform or lodge a complaint with police if they find anyone violating the law against cow slaughter. “But no one has the liberty to take the law in his hands.”

Khattar rejected remarks that the Faridabad incident hurt his government’s image. “It has nothing to do with Eid either,” he said.

Haryana, under the BJP government, was the first state in 2015 to enact a stringent law against cow slaughter, making it a non-bailable offence punishable with a 10-year jail term.

The Haryana chief minister said there was a political consensus for a tougher law. “All three Muslim MLAs in Haryana had stepped forward to support the bill.”

The liquid petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder blew up and the flames spread quickly.

“A leak, probably in the pipe or regulator, triggered the blast when the stove was lit. Since the jhuggi (shanty) had a single entrance, the family members couldn’t escape to safety,” a senior police officer said.

In the slum where shanties stand cheek by jowl, the explosion triggered an alarm and neighbours rushed to help the family. But they could not enter because of the leaping flames that have spread to an adjacent home.

“We called the fire department but they arrived 20 minutes later,” said Sapna, a neighbour.

As the fire threatened to race through the shanties teeming with people, residents armed only with buckets of water tried to fight the flames.

“We could hear the family members shout for help, but we were helpless. None of us have ever witnessed such a tragedy. They were all so happy about their son’s wedding,” Sapna said.

The injured were admitted to Safdarjang and ESI hospitals.

“Two fire tenders, four quickreaction teams and two ambulances were pressed into service,” DCP southeast Romil Baania said.

Cylinders with compressed fossil fuel are dangerous if not handled properly and fatal explosions are common in the Capital. The situation turns difficult to control for firefighters in localities with narrow lanes and house built close together.

In April 2016, six people were killed and 31 injured in two separate blasts that triggered fires and walls of adjacent houses collapsed.

The Manders told the media they had been trying to conceive for about seven years and had gone through 16 IVF sessions before deciding to adopt.

They attended introductory workshops organised by their local authority, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, and its adoption agency, Adopt Berkshire.

Their case was first taken up by Theresa May, who is their MP, during her time as the home secretary. “May was shocked and was very helpful. Her office wrote letters but nothing happened. When Prime Minister, she sent further letters and involved the then minister for children and he suggested we take legal advice,” Sandeep said.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead did not comment on the issue.