Latest news with #RTI)Act
New Indian Express
a day ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Stored paddy worth Rs 840 crore spoiled in five years in TN
CHENNAI: Despite ongoing efforts to expand storage infrastructure, Tamil Nadu suffered wastage of 3.72 metric tonnes (MT) of paddy/rice stored at direct procurement centres and warehouses from 2019-20 to 2023-24 at a minimum estimated financial loss of around Rs 840 crore. TNIE obtained this data through Right to Information (RTI) Act requests made to the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC). The actual financial loss, which was not fully disclosed by TNCSC, could be higher. TNIE acquired this information after multiple RTI requests and appeals, following delays and denials from TNCSC. The data revealed that between 65,000 MT and 1.25 lakh MT of paddy/rice was lost annually due to various factors. Losses were particularly higher in the districts of Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Nagapattinam and Pudukottai. In 2021-22, an alarming 1.37 lakh MT of paddy/rice was wasted across the state. During that year, a total of 43.27 lakh MT of paddy was procured, which was subsequently converted into 28.5 lakh MT of rice. The annual expenditure for paddy procurement is Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,500 crore depending on the minimum support price (MSP) and paddy cultivation. Several factors contributed to these storage losses, including inadequate or poorly-maintained storage facilities — such as those with leaky roofs, cracked walls and open storage areas — improper drying of paddy, leading to high moisture levels; infestations by rodents and insects and rough handling during loading.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Govt notifies new Jammu Railway Division
The new Railway Division, headquartered at Jammu Tawi and operating under the Northern Railway, has come into effect from June 1. It is the 70th division of Indian Railways. The new division will oversee a substantial area, primarily comprising sections transferred from the Firozpur Division, which is as old as the Indian Railways. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the Jammu Railway Division on January 6, 2025. According to the gazette notification published May 29, key sections now under the new division include Pathankot–Jammu– Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan –Srinagar–Baramulla (423 km), Bhogpur Sirwal–Pathankot (87 km), Batala–Pathankot (68 km) and Pathankot–Joginder Nagar narrow gauge section (164 km). Jammu Division's first DRM Vivek Kumar said the formation of the division is important not only for connectivity with Kashmir, but also for defence purposes as the area is strategically cordoned. Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal correspondent with The Indian Express, Business Bureau. He covers India's two key ministries- Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. He frequently uses the Right to Information (RTI) Act for his stories, which have resulted in many impactful reports. ... Read More
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
PSIC issues show cause notice to Mohali director public instructions for RTI information denial
1 2 3 Mohali: The Punjab State Information Commission (PSIC) has issued a show cause notice to the public information officer (PIO) of the director public instructions (secondary education), Mohali, for failing to furnish information sought under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Following a complaint by Sukhchain Singh, a resident of Fatehgarh Churian, Batala, the commission, invoking Section 20(1) of the RTI Act, has asked the PIO to explain in writing why a penalty should not be imposed for the alleged willful delay or denial of information. The officer has been directed to submit a detailed reply before the next date of hearing. During the proceedings, the commission expressed strong displeasure at what it termed as "complete negligence and laxity" on the part of the public authority in handling the RTI request. The commission noted that the continued failure to respond to such matters reflected not only inefficiency but also a disregard for the RTI Act itself. "The casual and callous approach adopted by the respondent is against the spirit of the RTI Act," the commission observed, adding that the law was enacted to promote transparency and ensure effective access to information. "Such behaviour by a government servant must be condemned," it said, emphasising that exemplary action is necessary to send a clear message to other public officials about their obligations under the Act. The PSIC's stern remarks underlined the need for accountability in governance and warned that non-compliance with the RTI framework undermines public trust in administrative institutions.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Amid Shashi Tharoor row, Congress claims 6 surgical strikes under UPA; BJP hits back
Amid a major controversy over Shashi Tharoor's statements on surgical strikes, the Congress on Thursday reiterated its claim that six such military operations were carried out during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, moved quickly to debunk what it called a 'lie'. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor had invited massive criticism from within his party over his statement that India conducted its first surgical strike in response to a terror attack in 2016. Senior Congress leader and party general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewal, though, backed the 'seasoned and experienced' Tharoor, he also insisted that the leader was wrong about the surgical strikes. "Congress party only corrected (him) by pointing out that surgical strikes against Pakistan and other dens of terrorists were a regular feature even during the UPA term – to give a befitting reply to terrorists by our armed forces and the Congress governments," Surjewala said. Sharing a video on X, the Congress wrote, "No Noida. No PR. Only Decisive Actions. 6 Surgical Strikes were carried out under Congress Govt." The BJP did not hold back, criticising the grand-old party for being "corrupt", even when national security is concerned. Citing a Right to Information (RTI) query dated April 2018, the BJP wrote, "There were no surgical strikes under UPA as confirmed by the DGMO in response to an RTI query". "Darpok (fearful) Congress must STOP LYING," the saffron party said in a post on X. Back in December 2018, the then Congress president Rahul Gandhi had asserted that the Indian Army conducted three surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) when the UPA government was in power, HT reported. Similar to Randeep Surjewala's claimed list of surgical strikes from June 2018, the Congress has now listed these six military operations carried out under its UPA government. According to the party's X post, strikes were carried out in Poonch's Bhattal sector on June 19, 2008, and in the Sharda Sector across Neelam River Valley in Kel in 2011 between August 31 and September 1. A strike was reportedly carried out on Sawan Patra Checkpost on January 6, 2013. Between July 27 and 28, 2013, another 'surgical strike' struck the Nazapir sector. Lastly, two more strikes were carried out in Neelam Ghati on August 6, 2013, and January 14, 2014. In May 2019, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also claimed that his government had conducted "multiple surgical strikes" while in power, but did not believe in using them for "vote gathering". The army's northern command chief, Lt General Ranbir Singh, at the time, said the September 2016 surgical strike on terrorist launchpads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) was the first such operation to be carried out, HT had earlier reported. Singh had also cited a reply from the directorate general of military operations (DGMO) under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The DGMO's reply to the RTI said the army had no data to suggest that any surgical strikes were conducted across the de-facto India-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir, the Line of Control (LoC), before September 2016. This was the first time that a senior officer had spoken on record about whether the September 2016 strike was the army's first such targeted operation. Singh was heading the Directorate of Military Operations (DGMO) when the September 2016 strikes were carried out in response to an attack on an Indian Army's camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Uri that claimed the lives of 19 soldiers.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
NH-66 stretch collapse in Kerala: NHAI suspends its project director, asks contractor to bear costs
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has suspended its project director and terminated the service of a site engineer in connection with the collapse of a stretch of National Highway-66 at Kooriyad in Kerala's Malappuram district. The NHAI also said that the contractor or concessionaire of the project will have to clear the debris and reconstruct the flyover at their own cost. On May 19, a 250-metre stretch of the elevated highway at Kooriyad caved in. On the basis of an assessment by a team of experts, the NHAI said the cave-in was most likely due to inability of the foundation soil to support the high embankment load. The 39.7-km project from Ramanattukara to the start of the Valanchery bypass of NH-66 is 99 per cent complete. The total cost of the project is Rs 2,368 crore. The NHAI said the team of experts, comprising Dr Anil Dixit of IIT Delhi; Dr Jimmy Thomas of IIT-Kanpur; Dr K Mohan Krishna of IIT-Gandhinagar and retired IIT-Delhi professor G V Rao, was constituted the day the cave-in occurred. 'The expert team visited the site on May 21 to analyse the failure and recommend remedial measures. The preliminary assessment suggests that the failure is due to inability of the foundation soils to support the high embankment loads,' said an official. After the incident, NHAI suspended the Hyderabad-based concessionaire of the project, KNR Constructions, from participating in future bids, along with a show-cause notice to levy monetary penalty of Rs 11.8 crore and debarment for up to one year. 'The project manager of the concessionaire was also suspended. The concessionaire is also required to clear the debris and rectify the damage by constructing a new flyover at their own cost (Rs 80 crore approx),' said the official. Apart from the concessionaire, the independent engineer of the project, Highway Engineering Consultant, and its team leader was also suspended. On May 29, NHAI issued a show-cause notice to design consultant Strata Geosystem and HBS Infra Engineers and safety consultant Sri Infotech for debarment up to one year and a penalty of Rs 20 lakh. After the incident, on May 24, NHAI also constituted an additional expert committee comprising a retired CRRI scientist, an associate professor from IIT-Palakkad and Deputy Director General from Geological Survey of India (GSI) to assess other potentially vulnerable locations of reinforced soil (RS) walls and slope protection works in 17 ongoing projects on NH-66 in Kerala. Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal correspondent with The Indian Express, Business Bureau. He covers India's two key ministries- Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. He frequently uses the Right to Information (RTI) Act for his stories, which have resulted in many impactful reports. ... Read More
