Latest news with #STF
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
Task force revokes PNDT powers of CMOs in five Haryana districts amid decline in sex ratio
G urgaon: The state govt on Tuesday stripped chief medical officers (CMOs) of five districts of powers under the pre-conception and pre-natal diagnostic techniques (PNDT) Act. The order was issued because the five districts – Ambala, Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, Palwal and Sirsa -- showed a decline of around 30 points in sex-ratio at birth (SRB) compared to last year, according to the state's own assessment. Special state squads comprising HCS (Haryana Civil Services) and senior officers will monitor corrective steps in these areas. You Can Also Check: Gurgaon AQI | Weather in Gurgaon | Bank Holidays in Gurgaon | Public Holidays in Gurgaon CMOs are the main authority to enforce PNDT Act in districts. Their responsibilities include registering and regulating clinics that offer ultrasound procedures, genetic counselling and diagnostic services. They are empowered to conduct inspections and raids at ultrasound centres, suspend or cancel the licences of violators, initiate legal proceedings against doctors or clinics involved in sex-selective abortions, and ensure compliance with mandatory documentation. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Indian NRIs Are Getting Eligible For INR 2 Lakh Monthly Pension On Retirement. Invest 18K/M Get Offer Undo "… all powers of chief medical officers (CMOs) of these 5 districts under the PNDT Act be withdrawn and given to CMOs of neighbouring districts to improve the sex ratio," read the order issued by additional chief secretary (health Sudhir Rajpal) after a meeting of the state task force (STF) formed earlier this year to improve Haryana's SRB. At the meeting in Chandigarh, the STF also observed improvements in SRB by 15 districts because of consistent raids and operations to stop illegal abortions and female foeticides. These are Faridabad, Gurgaon, Jhajjar, Jind, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Mahendergarh, Nuh, Panchkula, Panipat, Rewari, Rohtak, Sonipat, Yamunanagar and Fatehabad There weren't any major changes observed in Hisar and Karnal. Rajpal on Tuesday said cases will be registered for negligence against nodal officers, who failed to improve SRB levels at the five poor performing districts. He said licences of medical centres and hospitals found indulging in illegal practices should be revoked too. "The centres carrying out illegal abortions in the garb of Dilation and Curettage (D&C) procedure should also be identified and action be taken against them," he said. Govt crackdown was ordered after Haryana recorded a decline in sex-ratio at birth (SRB). In 2024, the state's average SRB – the count of number of girls born to 1,000 boys – fell to 910, the lowest since 2016. Since the STF was formed this year, Haryana has filed 19 FIRs in suspected cases of sex-selective abortions flagged through reverse tracking, a process that reviews abortions carried out after 12 weeks of pregnancy. Similarly, action has been initiated against 10 officials for failure to act on complaints related to sex determination.
New Indian Express
9 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Naxal killed, three security personnel injured in Chhattisgarh encounter
SUKMA: A Naxalite was killed and three security personnel were injured in an IED blast during an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Tuesday, a police officer said. He said a joint team of security personnel on an anti-Naxal operation and Maoists exchanged fire in the forest along the Sukma-Dantewada inter-district border. The operation, involving personnel of the Special Task Force (STF), District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), was launched on Monday based on inputs about the presence of Maoists in the area, said Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan.
NDTV
15 hours ago
- NDTV
Two Fake Embassy Victims, Duped Of Rs 9 Lakh In Total, Reveal Ordeal
Two victims of the Ghaziabad fake embassy case have revealed their ordeal to the investigation agencies - one was duped of Rs 7 lakh and the other of Rs 2 lakh under the pretext of employment. According to officials, the arrested mastermind of the racket, Harshvardhan Jain, had promised them jobs abroad. One victim is a resident of Delhi who gave Jain Rs 7 lakh in many installments for getting a job in Iraq. Another person is from Uttar Pradesh's Deoria, who had given Jain Rs 2 lakh. Jain was arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh Police last week for impersonating an ambassador and allegedly duping people by promising overseas employment. The 47-year-old accused claimed to have acted as an adviser or ambassador to various non-existent or unrecognised 'micronations' such as "Westarctica", "Saborga", "Lodonia" or "Poulvia". Officials said that Jain and his aide, Ehsan Ali Syed, had opened 22 shell companies in India and abroad. Many of these companies had names resembling well-known brands to mislead and trap victims. The names included East India Company UK Ltd, State Trading Corporation UK, Island General Trading in Dubai, Indira Overseas Ltd in Mauritius, and Cameroon Ispat SARL in Cameroon. Additionally, cops said that Jain has at least 11 bank accounts - six in Dubai, three in Mauritius, one each in London and India. They are probing Jain's possible link to a scam worth nearly Rs 300 crore, 162 foreign trips in 10 years, and multiple overseas bank accounts. The STF recovered four cars with diplomatic number plates, 'diplomatic passports' of 12 micronations, documents with stamps of the External Affairs Ministry, stamps of 34 nations, Rs 44 lakh in cash, foreign currency, 18 diplomatic number plates, and a luxury watch collection from Jain's rented premises in Ghaziabad. During the raids, the police also found photos of Jain with controversial "godman" Chandraswami and Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi. Further investigation revealed that it was Chandraswami who introduced Jain to Khassogi and conman Syed.
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Time of India
Gunbattle in Chhattisgarh: Encounter breaks out between Maoists and security forces; STF, DRG, CRPF in joint operation
SUKMA: An encounter broke out between security forces and Maoists in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Tuesday morning, according to a senior police official. The gunfight began on a forested hill when a joint team of security personnel launched an anti-Maoist operation in the area, he added. Personnel from the Special Task Force (STF), District Reserve Guard (DRG)—both units of the state police—and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were involved in the operation, which was launched on Monday following intelligence inputs about Maoist presence in the area, the official said. The operation was still underway and further details were awaited, he added. So far this year, a total of 225 Maoists have been killed in separate encounters across Chhattisgarh. Of these, 208 were eliminated in the Bastar division, which comprises the districts of Bijapur, Bastar, Kanker, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Sukma, and Dantewada.
The Hindu
15 hours ago
- The Hindu
Encounter breaks out between police and Maoists in Chhattisgarh's Sukma
An encounter broke out between security forces and Maoists in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Tuesday (July 29, 2025) morning, a senior police official said. The exchange of fire started out on a forested hill in the district when a joint team of security personnel was out on an anti-Maoist operation in the area, he said. Personnel belonging to the Special Task Force (STF), District Reserve Guard (DRG), both units of the state police, and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), were involved in the operation launched on Monday based on inputs about the presence of Maoists in the area, he said. The operation was still underway and further details were awaited, he added. As many as 225 Maoists have been killed in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh so far this year. Of them, 208 were eliminated in the Bastar division, which includes Bijapur, Bastar, Kanker, Konadagaon, Narayanpur, Sukma and Dantewada districts.
