EDMC will install solar power panels on schools

promote sustainable energy, East Delhi Municipal Corporation will install solar panels in the primary schools run by the municipal corporation to generate electricity.

A senior official of East Corporation said that to minimise power consumption and exchequers’ expenditure on electricity bills the corporation would be starting the project on a pilot basis in twenty schools.

The education department has prepared a list of the schools and sent it to the electrical department, he said. The schools are in Chander Vihar, Sonia Vihar, Sakarpur, Geeta Colony, Mayur Vihar phase 3, Kotla Village, Dilshad Garden, Pandav Nagar, Voinod Nagar, Sonia Vihar, Bhajanpura etc.

After seeking the approval, the corporation will examine the terrace of the schools to ascertain the feasibility of installing the solar plates.

The corporation will be investing around ₹3 crore in the project.

Bano, who holds a masters degree in Sociology, was home in Uttarakhand in October 2015 when her husband Rizwan Ahmed, who lived in Ahmedabad, divorced her.

Within days, he took away their two children -- Irfan (13) and Muskan (11). Her health spiraled, she had a nervous breakdown and had to be treated for depression and other ailments, her mother Feroza Begum and father Iqbal Ahmed said.

“My life turned upside down in a minute. Initially my family tried to reach out but my husband’s family cut us out. He did not let me meet the children,” she told HT.

She married Ahmed in 2002 but had a rocky relationship: She describes several dowry threats and forced abortions that turned her into a “lump of flesh”.

A distraught Bano rushed to the local cleric for help but was promptly told that the divorce was valid. It was then that she decided to approach the judiciary. A little more than 15 months later, she won.

But Bano says she has several battles ahead of her, primary among them getting custody of her children. “I have filed for cus-

Waiting in the wings, DMK working president MK Stalin wrote to Rao, saying the government was reduced to minority after 22 MLAs withdrew support. He, however, didn’t elaborate who were the 22 MLAs.

Stalin told media the governor ought to have ordered a floor test after the MLAs told him of their decision to “withdraw support”.

So far, the rebel MLAs are pushing for new chief minister and have not talked about withdrawing support to the government.

“It is ironic that Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks about waging war against corruption but was personally engaged in bringing together two corrupt politicians in Tamil Nadu,” Stalin said. The BJP is believed to have pushed the two factions to come together.

Asked if his party would bring a no-confidence motion, Stalin said a decision would be taken after a thorough discussion.

There could be more trouble for the Palanisami government. V Divakaran, the brother of jailed AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala, claimed eight MLAs were with him and would write to governor withdrawing support to Palanisami.

The AIADMK has 134 MLAs in the 233-member House – a seat is lying vacant after the death of Jayalalithaa. The majority mark is down to 117 but if Dinakaran’s 19 MLAs are discounted, the ruling group will be reduced to 115.

Dinakaran, who is Sasikala’s nephew, and Divakaran feel betrayed by Palanisami as Panneerslevam faction had conditioned the merger on Sasikala being removed as party in-charge.

Palanisami, also known as EPS, was picked as the chief minister by Sasikala before was sent to jail in a corruption case. Panneerslevam, better known by his acronym OPS, rose in revolt against her after she ousted him as chief minister in February.

Dinkaran made his displeasure known by “throwing out” member of Parliament R Vaithialingam from AIADMK, for saying the party general council would be meeting soon to oust Sasikala.

Viathialingam questioned Dinakaran’s authority to sack him.

“Palanisami must explain as to how and why the traitor, OPS, who sought votes parading a dummy dead body of Amma in RK Nagar constituency for his faction candidate, has been given deputy chief ministership,” said Najil Sampath, a supporter of Dinakaran.

The other names were Hassan, Dawood; Ibrahim, Anis; Ibrahim, Dowood, Hassan, Shaikh; Kaskar, Daud, Hasan, Shaikh, Ibrahim; Kaskar, Daud, Ibrahim, Memon; Kaskar, Dawood, Hasan, Ibrahim; Memon, Dawood, Ibrahim; Sabri, Dawood; Sahab, Haji; and Seth, Bada.

Previous versions of the list mentioned Ibrahim’s four addresses in Pakistan, while the revised list issued on Monday mentioned three: House No 37, 30th Street - Defence Housing Authority, Karachi, Pakistan, Noorabad, Karachi, Pakistan (Palatial bungalow in the hilly area) and White House, Near Saudi Mosque, Clifton, Karachi, Pakistan.

The financial sanctions list included organisations such as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Babbar Khalsa, Khalistan Zindabad Force and Hizbul Mujahideen.

The International Sikh Youth Federation, mentioned in previous lists, was removed after the House of Commons lifted a ban on the pro-Khalistan group in March 2016.

According to rules, financial sanctions can vary from the comprehensive – prohibiting the transfer of funds to a sanctioned country and freezing the assets of a government, corporate entities and residents of the target country – to targeted asset freezes on individuals and entities.

Financial sanctions can apply to individuals, entities and governments, who may be resident in the UK or abroad.

India, on the other hand, will be expected by Trump to provide more economic aid to Afghanistan. Trump put it in his own transactional manner. Calling India a key security and economic partner of the US, he said, “We appreciate India’s important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the US, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development.”

The message, and the underlying threat if any, was: India has a big trade surplus in its bilateral trade with the US - $24 billion and it might want to do more in Afghanistan to escape drastic measures the Trump administration is considering against countries with trade surpluses with the US.

India welcomed the new US approach for Afghanistan, saying both countries have shared concerns and objectives.

“We welcome President Trump’s determination to enhance efforts to overcome the challenges facing Afghanistan and confronting issues of safe havens and other forms of crossborder support enjoyed by terrorists,” the external affairs ministry spokesperson said in a brief statement without naming Pakistan.

India is committed to supporting the Afghan government and people in their efforts to usher in peace, security and stability, the statement said. India will also continue extending reconstruction and development aid to Afghanistan, including with partnership with other countries, it added.

Trump’s remarks will come as sweet music to Indian policymakers, who often complain privately that the US has not done enough to counter what they describe as Pakistan’s use of terror as an instrument of state policy. Indian officials also believe previous US presidents have been more restrained in their public comments as the US was banking heavily on Pakistan for its war in Afghanistan.

In Islamabad, foreign minister Khawaja Asif said Pakistan will continue to work with the international community to eliminate terrorism but did not respond directly to Trump’s remarks.

Asif made the comments when US envoy David Hale called on him to brief him about Trump’s policy review on South Asia and Afghanistan. Asif “reiterated Pakistan’s perspective and desire for peace and stability in Afghanistan” and highlighted “Pakistan’s immense sacrifices” in the fight against terrorism.

And what if Pakistan doesn’t change its policy on terror groups? “What is the administration actually willing to do about Pakistan?” asked Ashley Tellis, a former US diplomat and Asia expert with Carnegie, making a broader point about a policy he approved clearly - the “broad thrust of the policy is admirable but the devil will be in the details”.

Pakistan has received $14 billion from the US since 2002 under the Coalition Support Fund as compensation for its expenses in the war on terror. It also gets financial aid under other heads for civilian use.

The duo stole ₹24,000 and jewellery worth ₹1.5 lakh in two strikes reported to police from neighbourhoods in Inderpuri in June.

They had sold some of the stolen jewellery and used the money to buy electronics such as television and air-conditioner. Police recovered ₹64,000 cash and some unsold jewellery.

Police said leads provided by the victims helped nab Rajput in her home. She gave away the whereabouts of her boyfriend, whom she had met a year ago.

The modus operandi is the brainchild of Sumit, who worked with a gold firm in central Delhi’s Shadipur and wanted to make quick money. They were taken to the first floor where sub-inspector Brahm Prakash questioned the two. The sub-inspector had to leave to attend a call and told constable Ashok Kumar to keep an eye on both men, police said.

The constable, too, was called by a senior and on his return he saw Vishal stabbing Anil with an ice pick, which is widely used in police stations across Delhi to punch holes in papers and files.

Kumar and another policeman pulled away Vishal and rushed Anil to All India Institute of Medical Sciences, but he was declared dead.

Anil was stabbed six times, in the neck, chest and the back. Vishal, who is an office boy in a pri- vate firm, was arrested on charges of murder.

Lovely was sitting in the reception area of the police station when Anil was attacked. “I was worried about Anil’s safety,” she said.

When she saw Prakash leaving the room, she told him not to leave Anil alone with Vishal. “Few minutes later, my husband came out of the room. He was drenched in blood and policemen were holding him,” she said.

But Union home ministry officials said after the NMML annual meeting that only former prime ministers would be accommodated.

“Some members clearly disagreed with the government’s plan … the museum should be solely dedicated to Nehru. Government officials informed that discussions on NMML will happen once a concept note and its possible redevelopment is floated,” an official said.

The Congress appears worried about the proposal that surfaced towards the end of last year.

“It is a heritage building. There will be no tinkering with the original structure,” said party parliamentarian Karan Singh, who is also an NMML Society member.

Singh and party colleagues Jairam Ramesh and Mallikarjun Kharge said the exclusivity of the institution dedicated to the life and work of Jawaharlal Nehru shouldn’t be altered.

Swapan Dasgupta, a Rajya Sabha MP and a member of the NMML executive council, supported views about the building’s sanctity.

“There is a plan to make a gallery (of former prime ministers). It is still in the drawing board stage. Subsequently it will be done but only after the approval of experts,” he said.

Besides Nehru, there are memorials of former prime ministers Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. And it has been long debated that the other prime ministers should have memorials too.

Space constraints came up for discussion at the meeting.

“The government wants to use digital and other modern technologies that save space. The idea of virtual technologies was discussed as well,” a ministry official said.

The members, however, agreed that the library needs to be modernised with focus on research, academics and archives.

The library doesn’t contain Nehru’s works entirely. It has a tome of Mahatma Gandhi’s writings and private papers of leaders such as C Rajagopalachari and Jayaprakash Narayan.