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Prayagraj to identify 10 underdeveloped villages monthly for targeted development
Prayagraj to identify 10 underdeveloped villages monthly for targeted development

Hindustan Times

time14-07-2025

  • Politics
  • Hindustan Times

Prayagraj to identify 10 underdeveloped villages monthly for targeted development

To boost rural development, the Prayagraj district administration, under chief development officer (CDO) Harshika Singh, is launching a new initiative. Each month, the administration will identify the 10 most underdeveloped villages in the district and carry out targeted development projects to address persistent challenges, said officials. A village of Prayagraj district (For Representation only) With 1,540 gram panchayats in the district, many villages have been consistently flagged for lack of basic infrastructure and services. Responding to complaints received during public hearings, CDO SIngh has directed district development officer (DDO) GP Kushwaha and district panchayati raj officer (DPRO) Ravi Shankar Dwivedi to prepare a comprehensive report identifying the most neglected villages. Based on this report, at least ten villages will be chosen each month for targeted development efforts, officials added. Village development officers will be assigned to these areas to ensure swift progress on key issues. The initiative aims to enhance living conditions but significantly reduce the volume of complaints from rural communities, said the CDO. The development work will focus on several key areas, including road construction within the village, the condition and connectivity of approach roads, availability of street lighting, and adequacy of irrigation resources. The officials will also assess whether schools have been upgraded under Operation Kayakalp, the current status of panchayat buildings, and the feasibility of setting up libraries for children. Other focus areas include the proximity of public service centers and the availability of clean drinking water. The administration has given the DDO a three-day deadline to submit the initial report, after which the development activities will begin. Officials said that the initiative is aimed as a proactive step toward inclusive development, with the potential to significantly improve the quality of life in the district's most neglected rural pockets.

Who is Arpit Sagar? IAS officer from Gujarat who fined NHAI official for....
Who is Arpit Sagar? IAS officer from Gujarat who fined NHAI official for....

India.com

time14-07-2025

  • Politics
  • India.com

Who is Arpit Sagar? IAS officer from Gujarat who fined NHAI official for....

Who is Arpit Sagar? IAS officer from Gujarat who fined NHAI official for.... Female IAS officer Arpit Sagar has made headlines all over and has become the talk of the town for her actions. She has fined an NHAI officer for potholes on National Highway 47 (NH47), Ahmedabad-Godhra. Sagar, originally from Uttar Pradesh, has fined an NHAI officer for potholes on National Highway 47 (NH47), Ahmedabad-Godhra. This IAS officer is getting a lot of appreciation from people who were fed up with the potholes and bad road conditions. Arpit Sagar is currently serving as the Collector of the Mahisagar district of Gujarat. She has taken this action under the Mahisagar Road Safety Committee, imposing a fine of Rs 500 per day from 18 June to 7 July. Notably, Sagar became a collector for the first time. Arpit Sagar has become the first IAS officer in Gujarat to take such action. The action has come at a time when the Road and Transport Ministry, which comes under Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, had recently suspended the PD of Palanpur over broken road on the Jamnagar-Amritsar highway. The company that built the road was also fined. Sagar stated that the fine will keep increasing until the potholes are filled. In December last year, the female IAS officer received the Best District Development Officer (DDO) award. Back then IAS Shalini Agarwal was selected as the best collector. Let's know more about IAS Arpit Sagar. Who Is IAS Arpit Sagar? Arpit Sagar originally hails from Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly. She became an IAS officer after cracking the UPSC exam in 2015. Talking about her education, Sagar completed her degree from NIT Prayagraj. After graduation, she decided to become a civil servant and started UPSC preparation. What Position Has Arpit Sagar Served In? Before getting collector post of Mahi Sagar district, she was posted in Vadodara and was serving as a deputy commissioner in the Vadodara Municipal Corporation. She was also posted in Mahisagar district in place of Neha Kumari. Sagar also served as the DDO of Valsad. Arpit Sagar's Personal Life Talking about her personal life Arpit Sagar is married to Vipul Tiwari, who lives in Chhattisgarh. Her father's name is Chandrasen, and her mother's name is Meena Devi. Chandrasen has five daughters. His eldest daughter Arjit Sagar is an IRS officer. Arpit Sagar and Akriti Sagar are IAS officers. Other two daughters, Anshika and Ankita, are graphics engineers. Arpit Sagar's father Chandrasen, had said in an interview that I am lucky that all my five daughters have achieved good positions. Sagar's family is known for IAS daughters. During an interview, Arpit Sagar's father stated that, 'I am lucky that all my five daughters have achieved good position.'

Amid probe, officials scrutinizing 2,600 NREGA works in Dahod
Amid probe, officials scrutinizing 2,600 NREGA works in Dahod

Time of India

time03-07-2025

  • Time of India

Amid probe, officials scrutinizing 2,600 NREGA works in Dahod

Vadodara: Some 2,600 NREGA works in Devgadh Baria and Dhanpur talukas of Dahod district, for which agencies that were not the lowest bidders supplied material, are being scrutinized to ascertain the extent of irregularities. The Rs 71 crore NREGA scam has sparked a political controversy as the sons of the state's junior minister for panchayats, Bachu Khabad, have been accused. They were arrested and sent to judicial custody. While the sons, Balwant Khabad and Kiran Khabad, were granted bail in the Rs 71 crore case, they were arrested later for similar scams in two other villages and are in judicial custody. In all, 32 agencies that supplied material for NREGA works in the Devgadh Baria and Dhanpur talukas have been named in the FIR for the Rs 71 crore scam. The proprietors of four agencies, including the Khabad brothers, were accused and arrested. The owners of the other 28 agencies have been questioned and documents have been taken from them but none have been arrested so far. Dahod superintendent of police Rajdeepsinh Zala said the remaining agencies were also under investigation. "The district development officer (DDO) also ordered an inquiry and verification of works is being conducted," he said. DDO S S Lodha said all works where material was used from agencies that were not the lowest bidders (L1) were being verified. "Teams are in the field to check 2,600-odd works included in the Rs 71 crore case. They will verify the extent to which work was done on the ground," he said. Lodha said te supply of material when the agencies were not the lowest bidders was itself not proper, but if the works were incomplete or not taken up it would be a serious offence. A full verification of the works is expected to make the case stronger. Meanwhile, an organization called the Sarpanch Council of Gujarat asked that the probe into NREGA works in Devgadh Baria and Dhanpur talukas of Dahod district be suspended. It submitted a memorandum demanding suspension of the probe to the district development officer. The organization argued that it was not proper to verify old works, from 2020-21 onwards, as many may have been damaged by rain. They also alleged that payments to unqualified agencies were cleared by officials at the district level and the officials should also be investigated. The memorandum said that the movement of officials in large numbers to verify works was 'creating an atmosphere of fear'. Balwant Khabad and Kiran Khabad — the sons of Gujarat minister of state for panchayats and agriculture Bachu Khabad — were denied bail by a magisterial court in Dahod in connection with two cases against them regarding NREGA works. These cases were registered after the court granted them bail in the Rs 71 crore NREGA scam case. Kiran was arrested in a case for a Rs 18.41 lakh NREGA scam, regarding works at Lavariya village in Devgadh Baria taluka, while Balwant was arrested for a Rs 33 lakh scam pertaining to Bhanpur in Dhanpur taluka.

PM Surya Ghar Yojana: Solar panel system to be installed at houses of local public reps soon
PM Surya Ghar Yojana: Solar panel system to be installed at houses of local public reps soon

Hindustan Times

time27-06-2025

  • Politics
  • Hindustan Times

PM Surya Ghar Yojana: Solar panel system to be installed at houses of local public reps soon

In a bid to promote use of solar energy among people under the PM Surya Ghar Yojana, the district administration has decided to install solar panel systems at the houses of local public representatives in the first phase. (Pic for representation) They would include village heads (gram pradhans), members of the block development councils (kshetra panchayats), gram panchayat members and district panchayat members, said Prayagraj district development officer (DDO) GP Kushwaha who issued directives in this regard on June 20. 'The move aims to encourage wider participation in the scheme, especially in rural areas where adoption remains low despite government subsidies,' he added. The state government is emphasising the use of natural sources of energy. Under the PM Surya Ghar Yojana, people get solar panel systems at subsidised rates. Despite all efforts, people in rural areas are not getting it installed in large numbers as was expected. In view of this, people are now being motivated to install solar panels in every house, said officials. The DDO has asked all the block development officers (BDOs) to motivate rural public representatives to install solar panels in the first phase, so that other people also get inspired to install it at their places. The BDOs have also been asked to develop a model village in every block where solar panels should be installed in every house so that other villages nearby are also inspired to follow suit, said officials. Currently, the district has 1,540 pradhans, 84 district panchayat members, 2,084 area panchayat members and 19,820 gram panchayat members who would all be motivated to install the solar panel systems in their homes as part of this scheme, they added. Project officer, Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency at Prayagraj, Shahid Siddiqui said so far, 4,757 solar power systems have been installed in the district while 11,136 applications have been received and are being processed. So far, 4,383 people have been granted subsidies by the government that includes ₹ 90,000 for 2KW and ₹ 1.08 lakh for 3 KW systems that are installed by the state government selected vendors under the scheme. The Government of India approved the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana on February 29, 2024 to increase the share of solar rooftop capacity and empower residential households for generation and optimum utilisation of green energy.

Retired before March 2025? Don't miss UPS benefits for you or your spouse
Retired before March 2025? Don't miss UPS benefits for you or your spouse

India Today

time27-05-2025

  • Business
  • India Today

Retired before March 2025? Don't miss UPS benefits for you or your spouse

The National Pension System (NPS) Trust has announced that retired employees or their spouses who retired on or before March 31, 2025, are eligible to claim benefits under the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS). The claim deadline is June 30, IS UPS?Introduced by the Central Government on April 1, 2025, the UPS provides additional benefits to those who have completed at least 10 years of qualifying service in the Central Government and their legally wedded spouses. According to the NPS, these benefits are available without having to surrender existing NPS benefits, including BENEFITS DOES UPS OFFER?The UPS offers a one-time lumpsum payment, equivalent to one-tenth of the last drawn basic pay and dearness allowance for every completed six months of qualifying service. Additionally, a monthly top-up is provided, calculated by factoring in the admissible UPS payout and dearness relief, subtracting the annuity amount under NPS. Simple interest, aligned with public provident fund rates, is also applied to any arrears related to these benefits. This ensures that retirees receive a fair amount that reflects their service and TO CLAIM BENEFITS?To claim these benefits, retirees or their spouses must submit the completed forms to the relevant Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO).Forms B2 are required for subscribers, while B4 or B6 are needed for legally wedded spouses. These forms can be downloaded from the NPS website. The process is straightforward, ensuring that retirees can access their benefits without unnecessary those preferring an online process, claimants can visit the NPS website and fill out the forms online, which are then processed by the DDO. This offers a convenient alternative to in-person submissions, making the process more accessible for everyone TO HELP RETIREESThe Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) is actively engaging with the public by conducting regular webinars on UPS via their website. These sessions aim to clarify any doubts and provide guidance on the claiming process, underlining the authority's commitment to facilitating smooth access to pension benefits. These webinars are an excellent resource for retirees seeking more important for eligible retirees and their spouses to ensure that they meet the requirements and submit their claims before the deadline to take full advantage of these benefits. The initiative underscores the government's effort to improve financial security for retired employees, ensuring that they are well-supported in their post-retirement UPS aims to enhance the financial well-being of past retirees by offering substantial benefits without affecting their existing NPS entitlements. This initiative is a significant step towards ensuring sustained support for retirees in managing post-retirement financial needs, providing peace of mind and financial stability.

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