&w=3840&q=100)
Haryana to hold statewide civil defence drill 'Operation Shield' on May 31
Scheduled to begin at 5 pm, this comprehensive drill is being organised under the guidance of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, to simulate critical incidents such as air raids, drone attacks, and other wartime scenarios in the light of current national security concerns, an official statement said here on Friday.
The mock exercises are scheduled for May 31 between 5 pm to 9 pm and should not be the cause of alarm for the citizens, officials said.
Earlier, this drill was scheduled for May 29 but was postponed as per the instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs, it said.
Giving further details, Additional Chief Secretary, Haryana's Home Department, Sumita Misra on Friday stated that the exercise aims to test existing emergency mechanisms, improve coordination between the civil administration, defence forces, and local communities and to identify areas that need to be strengthened, thus ensuring swift and effective response during any crisis.
She said that currently there are around 32,000 Civil Defence Volunteers across state who will also contribute in this exercise.
All Deputy Commissioners have been directed to call out Civil Defence Volunteers, NSS, NCC, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), Home Guards, of their respective districts in order to brief them regarding their deployment, duties and exercises to be undertaken.
She further stated that, key components include drills responding to aerial threats such as air raids and swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), activation of air raid sirens, and testing of control room communication hotlines established with the Indian Air Force.
Additionally, a controlled blackout of 15 minutes will be observed from 8 pm to 8.15 pm near vital installations, with exception of essential emergency services such as hospitals, fire stations, and police stations.
Misra highlighted that the exercise also aligns with the Incident Response System (IRS), which Haryana officially notified on January 28, 2025, under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, providing a structured framework for effective emergency response.
She directed all Deputy Commissioners, who are also Chairpersons of District Disaster Management Authorities, along with Commissioners and Superintendents of Police, to ensure meticulous planning and execution of the exercise in their jurisdictions.
They have been instructed to submit detailed Action Taken Reports to the Commandant General, Home Guards, and Director, Civil Defence, Haryana, which will be compiled for state-level review and forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
9 hours ago
- Economic Times
IRS Stimulus Checks Update: No new $1,390 payout this August, here's what taxpayers should know — Fact Check
The IRS will not send $1,390 stimulus checks this late summer, offering relief to eligible households. Rumors circulating online about new Internal Revenue Service (IRS) stimulus checks being issued this summer have been declared false by officials. Claims that taxpayers would soon receive $1,390 stimulus checks are not backed by any legislation or IRS confirmation. According to a fact-check report by The Associated Press, there is no new stimulus payment scheduled for distribution in the coming confusion stems from social media posts and misleading reports suggesting that the IRS had approved additional rounds of payments for low- and middle-income Americans. However, IRS officials have confirmed that no new economic impact payments are planned unless Congress passes fresh legislation, as mentioned in a report by AP. On Friday, several viral posts claimed that the IRS had approved $1,390 stimulus checks, sparking widespread speculation. The posts suggested the funds would reach taxpayers by the end of the these claims were swiftly refuted. The IRS clarified that any new round of economic impact payments, commonly known as stimulus checks, must be authorized through legislation. Neither the Senate nor the House has passed such a confirmed that there is no new IRS stimulus check update for 2025. Stimulus checks are not issued solely at the discretion of the IRS or the Treasury Department. They require Congressional approval, followed by Treasury's distribution. Some of the speculation appears linked to a proposal by Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri. In July, he introduced the American Worker Rebate Act, which aimed to provide rebates funded by tariff revenues. The proposed amount included at least $600 per individual, with additional payments for the bill has not advanced. It has neither cleared the Senate nor the House. For now, it remains referred to the Senate Finance Committee with no immediate prospect of becoming law, as confirmed in a report by AP. It is important to note that past rounds of IRS stimulus checks eligibility were strictly tied to laws passed by Congress. For example: 2008: The Economic Stimulus Act authorized direct payments during the Great Recession. The Economic Stimulus Act authorized direct payments during the Great Recession. 2020–2021: Three major pieces of legislation, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the COVID-related Tax Relief Act, and the American Rescue Plan Act, enabled direct payments during the COVID-19 pandemic. In each case, Congress enacted laws specifying the payment amounts, income thresholds, and distribution mechanisms. The Treasury Department and the IRS then executed the to the public's misunderstanding is the IRS's announcement earlier this year regarding the Recovery Rebate Credit. The agency distributed about $2.4 billion to taxpayers who had failed to claim credits from 2021. The maximum refundable amount was $1,400 per who had not filed their 2021 tax return were required to do so by April 15, 2025, to qualify. With that deadline long past, there are no new credits officials have reiterated that this one-time correction should not be mistaken for approval of new stimulus Treasury Department, along with its Bureau of the Fiscal Service, managed the distribution of previous payments. These included both pandemic relief checks and earlier stimulus programs during the 2008 Congressional approval, neither the Treasury nor the IRS has the authority to initiate new stimulus suggest that economic uncertainty, coupled with political rhetoric around tax rebates, created fertile ground for misinformation. Hawley's proposal, though not passed, may have been misrepresented online as already headlines referencing IRS refunds and delayed tax credits further contributed to the Taxpayers Should Know For now, there is no IRS approves stimulus checks announcement for 2025. Taxpayers are advised to rely only on official IRS releases and Treasury statements. The IRS maintains its updates on where verified information about credits, refunds, and other relief measures is no payments are scheduled, political proposals remain on the table. Hawley and other lawmakers have floated the idea of using tariff revenues or other federal funds for unless such bills pass through Congress, taxpayers should not expect any checks. As history has shown, economic impact payments are rare and tied to extraordinary circumstances like recessions or national emergencies. Despite viral claims, the reality is clear: no new IRS stimulus checks eligibility exists for summer 2025. The rumors are unfounded, and taxpayers should avoid misinformation circulating online. Unless Congress enacts new legislation, the IRS has no authority to distribute additional payments. No. The IRS has confirmed that there are no new stimulus checks approved for this summer. Any such payments would require Congressional authorization. The most recent update relates to the Recovery Rebate Credit from 2021, which allowed taxpayers to claim missed COVID-19 payments. That deadline expired on April 15, 2025, and no new credits or stimulus checks are available now.
NDTV
16 hours ago
- NDTV
Centre Warns Of "Constitutional Chaos" After Timeline Order For Governors
New Delhi: The government has warned against imposing a timeline on the President and Governors for clearing bills, differing with an earlier Supreme Court order. A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan had in April prescribed a three-month deadline for the President and one month for Governors to decide on the bills passed by the legislature. Such timelines would amount to an organ of the government usurping powers that are not vested in it, thereby upsetting the delicate separation of powers, the government said in a written submission to the top court, warning that it will lead to "constitutional chaos". "Even under its extraordinary powers vested in Article 142, the Supreme Court cannot amend the Constitution or defeat the intent of the Constitution makers, provided there are no such procedural mandates in the constitutional text," Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said in his submission. Though there may be "some limited problems in implementation" of the assent process, these cannot justify "reducing the higher office of the Governor to a subordinate one," said Mr Mehta. He argued that the offices of the Governor and President are "politically complete" and represent "higher ideals of democratic governance". Any alleged lapses should be redressed through political and constitutional mechanisms, not through "unwarranted judicial" interventions, he said. Under Article 200 of the Constitution, the Governor can give assent to the bills presented to him by the legislature, withhold or reserve it for the consideration of the President. He can also send it back to the House for reconsideration, but if passed again, the Governor shall not withhold assent. The Governor can also choose to reserve the bill for the President's consideration if it appears to be at odds with the Constitution, directive principles of state policy, or is of national importance. In its April 12 order in a case related to Tamil Nadu, the Supreme Court had sought to regulate this process and ordered that the Constitutional heads follow a timeline to clear the pending bills. It ordered, "We deem it appropriate to adopt the timeline prescribed by the Ministry of Home Affairs... and prescribe that the President is required to take a decision on the bills reserved for his consideration by the Governor within a period of three months from the date on which such reference is received." The judgment drew pushback, with President Droupadi Murmu raising queries to the Supreme Court over the constitutionality of such timelines. Under Article 143 of the Constitution, the President posed 14 questions to the top court, seeking its opinion on the powers of the President and Governors under Articles 200 and 201 in dealing with bills passed by the state legislatures. A bench led by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai in July fixed a time schedule to hear the Presidential reference case and decide on the questions referred to it by the President. The bench, also comprising Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, PS Narasimha, and Atul S Chandurkar, had asked the Centre and states to submit their written submissions by August 12. The five-judge bench headed by the CJI will begin hearing the case on August 19.
Hindustan Times
19 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
IRS approved $1390 stimulus checks this month? Here's the truth behind viral claims
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has shut down social media claims that new stimulus checks worth $1,390 are on the way to millions of Americans. This comes days after posts about the alleged IRS and Treasury Department payments for low- and middle-income taxpayers surfaced. President Donald Trump's name is printed on a stimulus check issued by the IRS (AP) The agency confirmed those reports are inaccurate, noting no new stimulus program has been authorized. Why the rumor spread The speculation may have stemmed from a separate IRS announcement earlier this year, when the agency distributed $2.4 billion to taxpayers who had not claimed the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit. That credit, worth up to $1,400 per person, was tied to COVID-era stimulus programs, but the deadline to file for it passed on April 15. 'Millions of Americans could soon receive a $1,390 stimulus check, according to reports citing the U.S. Treasury Department and the IRS. The payment is aimed at providing relief to low and middle-income households and is expected to roll out in late summer,' one account noted on X, platform formerly known as Twitter. The facts New stimulus payments cannot be issued without congressional approval. No legislation authorizing such payments has been passed in 2024. The IRS has made no announcements about fresh relief programs. Congress previously approved three rounds of direct relief during the pandemic under the CARES Act, the COVID-related Tax Relief Act, and the American Rescue Plan Act. The last payments were tied to the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit. Sen Josh Hawley introduced the American Worker Rebate Act in July, which would send at least $600 per taxpayer using tariff revenues, plus additional funds for families with children. But the measure remains in committee and has not advanced in either chamber of Congress. Hawley argues Americans 'deserve a tax rebate' and compares his plan to earlier proposals from President Donald Trump. Supporters say the rebates would provide immediate financial relief. Critics, however, caution that relying on tariff revenue is unstable and point out that no checks could be issued without congressional approval. Tax scam warning signs 'Scammers mislead you about tax refunds, credits and payments. They pressure you for personal, financial or employment information or money. IRS impersonators try to look like us,' the IRS said. Watch out for: A big payday - If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Bad tax advice on social media may convince you to lie on tax forms or mislead you about credits you can claim. Demands or threats - Impersonators want you to pay 'now or else.' They threaten arrest or deportation. They don't let you question or appeal the amount of tax you owe. Website links - Odd or misspelled web links can take you to harmful sites instead of
