Welcome to Kartavya Bhawan: smart cards to regulate access to Delhi's new ministerial HQ
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Kartavya Bhawan 3 (KB 3), the first of the 10 buildings proposed under the Central Vista redevelopment plan, on Wednesday. He was accompanied by Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu, Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan, and Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Srinivas Katikithala.
On a visit to KB 3 on Tuesday, Solus brand smart card readers were visible outside the offices of bureaucrats and ministers. Access control systems were also seen outside elevators.
The building will house the ministries of Home Affairs, External Affairs, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Rural Development, Personnel, and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, as well as the office of the Principal Scientific Advisor.
The buildings that these ministries are shifting out of, including North Block, Shastri Bhawan, Krishi Bhawan and Udyog Bhawan, have limited use of access control systems. In most existing government office buildings, access is controlled through paper passes or government ID cards, with smart card readers deployed only for access to the officers' toilets.
So far, the Ministry of Home Affairs has moved into the new building, while the rest of the ministries are expected to do so after the inauguration.
Speaking at a press conference at KB 3 on Tuesday, Union minister Manohar Lal said the tendered cost of the three buildings, KB 1, 2 and 3, was Rs 3,690 crore, and the final cost would be known after completion. The other two buildings in the complex, KB 1 and 2, are expected to be completed in September.
At the press conference, Srinivas Katikithala, Secretary, Housing and Urban Affairs, said the security features in the building were 'elaborate' as 'this is one of the most important and most sensitive parts of the government apparatus'. He added that not only did it have 'CCTV indoor, outdoor control, but ID-based access control systems' were also included 'to ensure both free and smooth movements for both officials and visitors.'
The secretary said all 10 of the new buildings will be completed by 2027. So far, work has started on six buildings, with three of them (KB 1, 2 and 3) either complete or nearing completion. Work on the remaining four will start by December 31, he added.
Damini Nath is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. She covers the housing and urban affairs and Election Commission beats. She has 11 years of experience as a reporter and sub-editor. Before joining The Indian Express in 2022, she was a reporter with The Hindu's national bureau covering culture, social justice, housing and urban affairs and the Election Commission. ... Read More
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
24 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Election Commission ‘shameless', it's compromising its neutrality, says Abhishek Banerjee
Doubling down on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's attack on the Election Commission a day ago, TMC leader in Lok Sabha, Abhishek Banerjee, on Thursday accused the poll panel of compromising its constitutional neutrality and playing a 'shameless role' in trying to disenfranchise genuine voters in West Bengal. Speaking to mediapersons before leaving for Delhi to attend a dinner at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's residence, where Opposition leaders are expected to discuss the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and deliberate on a joint vice-presidential candidate, Abhishek alleged that the EC had overstepped its constitutional boundaries to give political advantage to the BJP. 'The EC must understand and realise that it is an impartial and unbiased organisation and it has to operate within the ambit of the Constitution,' Banerjee said. Alleging that the EC has become a tool in the hands of the BJP, he said, 'Now the EC has taken a role to snatch the voting rights of voters. They are going overboard. The work they have started over the past 3-4 months, when the Bengal election is still 10-11 months away, clearly shows that they are not going to let an elected government function.' —With PTI Input
Indian Express
24 minutes ago
- Indian Express
CBSE notification on land use sparks concern among section of Gujarat schools; meeting of 100 principals on Aug 23
With the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE's) latest notification amending the Affiliation Bye Laws 2018, specifically in matters of land use, a section of schools in Gujarat has raised concerns that it might affect playgrounds on campuses. In its notification dated July 31, CBSE has stated that the maximum number of sections to be permitted is to be based on the total built-up carpet area of the school building instead of the campus area. 'Along with expected benefits to parents like reduction in transport costs and the school fee being directly proportional to the land prices, this will negatively impact the availability of playgrounds,' executive director of Udgam School for Children, a chain of schools, Manan Choksi told The Indian Express. Though the notification has mentioned nothing about playgrounds, several schools fear that the requirement of a multi-purpose hall or separate rooms for sports has started a debate over availability and functionality of open playgrounds on the school campus. To discuss the issue, a meeting of principals of around 100 CBSE schools of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar will be held on August 23. As per the recommendation of the CBSE's Affiliation Committee meeting, ratified by the Governing Body and subsequent approval of the Controlling Authority of the Board, the amendments have been made in the Appendix V under Chapter 3 of the Affiliation Bye Laws 2018 under which, the maximum number of sections to be permitted shall be based on the total built-up carpet area of the school building. These shall be applicable on all the existing and newly affiliated schools of the Board. Choksi, who is a former president of Association of Progressive Schools of Gujarat, said, 'Playgrounds are now going to be a limited and an outdated concept as schools are already forced to think about their utility. They are used for only two hours or for a maximum period of 20 minutes a day by a child. So, now with the clause of creating an additional set of infrastructure like laboratories, library, indoor game room and other activity rooms beyond every 48 sections, which was not there till now, the focus will now be on the indoor playing areas. Playground will be a luxury and not available to students of schools in residential areas.' Mrugen Shah, principal of Prakash Higher Secondary Schools, one of the oldest schools in the state to have CBSE affiliation back in 1972, told The Indian Express that a meeting of principals has been scheduled to discuss the CBSE notification. Shah heads the Sahodaya School Complex – a group of CBSE schools working to improve education – in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. 'Adequate facilities for a playground is a must. There should be a middle ground given that availability of space is a problem. To discuss its impacts and ways to deal with them, we have scheduled a meeting of principals of around 100 CBSE schools of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar on August 23,' Shah said. The Chapter 3 of the CBSE Affiliation Bye-Laws, 2018, focussed on the conditions for affiliation, specifically concerning the land, building, and playground requirements for schools. It outlined the norms related to land area, building construction, and the availability of adequate playground space. Additionally, it specifies the requirements for a school website and its role in providing information to stakeholders.
NDTV
41 minutes ago
- NDTV
Probe Agency's Conviction Rate In PMLA Cases Over 92% In Last 5 years: Data
New Delhi: The conviction rate secured by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in money laundering cases over the last five years has been more than 92 per cent, an official data said. According to the data accessed by PTI, various special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) courts delivered judgments in 41 cases registered under the said law between January 2020 and July 2025, out of which conviction orders were passed in 38 instances leading to the conviction of 98 accused. The conviction rate is calculated by using the formula of taking the total number of cases in which the accused have been convicted as a percentage of total cases decided on merits on the issue of money laundering, according to officials and the data. Hence, the conviction rate secured by the ED in money laundering cases over the last five years comes to 92.68 per cent (38/41X100) in about five years, they said. The ED has been regularly targeted by political parties in the opposition, claiming its actions were biased and that its conviction rate was "poor". A report prepared by the agency for the 2024-25 financial year said while the legal framework under the PMLA provides for a "structured mechanism" for prosecution, the timely completion of trials continued to face several "systemic" and "procedural" hurdles. The report released in May said a "primary challenge" in this context was that prosecution of money laundering cases was "intrinsically" linked to the progress of the investigation or trial of the corresponding predicate or primary offence. "Delays in those proceedings invariably impact the PMLA trial," the report said. According to the PMLA scheme, which came into force in 2005, the ED cannot register an independent case but has to base its complaint on a primary FIR of the police or any other investigating agency, which is called the predicate offence. The data also said the ED registered just over 5,063 money laundering cases over the same period (January 2020-July 2025) and the courts ordered confiscation of assets worth Rs 55.14 crore in the context of conviction cases. The courts also ordered confiscation of assets to the tune of Rs 15,558.21 crore under section 8(7) of PMLA (cases where trial cannot be conducted) during the same period. PTI NES KSS KSS
