Post-matric scholarship scam: Punjab Congress MP Partap Singh Bajwa seeks minister Dharamsot’s resignation
Congress Rajya Sabha member Partap Singh Bajwa has demanded an inquiry by a high court judge into the post-matric scholarship scam and the resignation of social justice and empowerment minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot.
Bajwa said on Friday that the disbursal of funds under the post-matric SC scholarship scheme must be investigated in a time-bound manner by a judge of the Punjab and Haryana high court.
“Dharamsot should resign for the duration of the investigation into the functioning of his ministry. Anything less would be a miscarriage of justice,” he said in a statement.
Dharamsot’s role in the disbursal of funds totalling Rs 248 crore has been questioned in a report submitted by additional chief secretary Kirpa Shankar Saroj to the chief secretary.
The Congress MP said he will write to Congress president Sonia Gandhi apprising her of the sensitivity of this matter and requesting her to take suitable action. He said it was worrying that money meant to be spent for ensuring better access to education for Scheduled Caste students was being misused by the department.
The scheme was launched in November 2006 by the UPA-1 government at the Centre as a signature policy of the Congress and seeing it ruined through embezzlement and fraud by the party’s government was unacceptable, he added.
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West Bengal: Polls begin in Darjeeling, Siliguri, 6 municipal seats
The voting for the elections to the Gorkha Territorial Administration in Bengal's Darjeeling hills began on Sunday along with polls in 22 gram panchayats under the Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad in north Bengal and by-polls at six municipal wards in the districts of North 24 Parganas, Hooghly and Purulia. The West Bengal State Election Commission announced last month that the results of all the polls and by-polls will be declared on June 29.
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Ashok Gehlot renews attack on Sachin Pilot, hurls big charge over 2020 coup
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot has launched a fresh attack on his former deputy Sachin Pilot, alleging he was in connivance with Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in 2020 to topple the Congress government in the state, news agency PTI reported. Pilot and his supporters had rebelled against Gehlot in 2020, by staging a dharna outside the Raj Bhavan before moving to Haryana. It was after efforts by Gandhi family that Pilot relented.
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Sec 144 in Mumbai till July 10; political leaders’ security strengthened
Amid the escalating tensions between Maharashtra's ruling coalition partner Shiv Sena and its rebel faction, the Mumbai Police on Saturday imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which disallows movement and unlawful assembly of five or more people, in the city. The instructions to remain alert and to provide security was taken at a meeting chaired by Mumbai Police commissioner Sanjay Pandey.
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Two youths held in separate cases of thefts in Chandigarh
Police arrested two youths for alleged thefts in Manimajra. The arrested accused have been identified as Arjun, 20, of Kishangarh, and Deepak, 20, of Dhanas. Police said Krishan Lal of Mori Gate, Manimajra, reported a theft of a total of 10 ceiling and pedestal fans from his shop at the Modern Housing Complex, Manimajra, on June 19.
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Two members of gang of online fraudsters arrested in Chandigarh
Two men, who worked as carriers for a gang involved in a slew of cybercrimes, were arrested with ₹35.7 lakh cash and jewellery worth ₹12.94 lakh on Saturday. The arrested accused are Chauhan Ratan, and his brother-in-law Parmar Rajesh of Sector 47, Chandigarh. The gang's modus operandi involves hacking accounts, cloning and skimming cards to purchase items and then selling them immediately to get cash.