Month: February 2020

Air pollution continues to harm billions of people on a daily basis, despite efforts by some countries and companies to push for greater use of renewable energy and cleaner fuels.   Particles thrown off by fossil fuel use account for 4.5 million premature deaths each year around the globe, including 1.8 million in China and a million in India, the researchers found.   Compared to other pollutants such as ozone and nitrogen dioxide, the PM 2.5 leads to the greatest health impact and cost due to increased work absences, while…

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has flayed Kerala Director General of Police (DGP) Lokanath Behera for allegedly diverting funds — meant for modernisation of the police force — to build villas for senior police officers.   According to a CAG report, tabled in the state assembly Wednesday, Behera diverted Rs 2.81 crore from Rs 4.33 crore, which was allocated to build accommodation for junior police officers.   The CAG report also pointed out that proper procedures were not followed in procuring high-end bullet-proof vehicles.   This apart, the auditor…

Odisha CM Navin Patnaik is the richest among all the ministers in the state with assets worth over Rs 64.26 crore, the state government said on its website on Wednesday.   The Odisha government has released the property list of 20 ministers, including that of Patnaik on its website.   According to the declaration, Naveen Patnaik owns assets worth over Rs 64.26 crore as of March 31, 2019, including movable assets of over Rs 62,66,663.93 lakh and immovable inherited properties with a value of over Rs 63,64,15,261 crore.   While…

National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which owns UPI and RuPay, could be paying the price for the government’s strong push the digital payments. NPCI, an umbrella organisation for operating retail payments and settlement systems in India, is an initiative of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) under the provisions of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, for creating a robust Payment & Settlement Infrastructure in India.   Incorporated as a “Not for Profit” Company under the provisions of Section 25 of Companies Act 1956 (now Section 8 of Companies Act 2013), with…

Liquor baron Vijay Malaya, who has been absconding since long, has once again asked Indian banks to take back 100 percent of the principal amount owed to them at the end of his three-day British High Court appeal on Thursday against an extradition order to India.   The 64-year-old former Kingfisher Airlines boss, wanted in India on charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to an alleged Rs 9,000 crores in unpaid bank loans, said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are fighting over the…

February 14 is always remembered as Valentine’s Day and celebrated all over to spread the message of love!   But a year ago, this day of love and romance turned a black day for India, when 40 CRPF Jawans lost their lives in the Pulwama Terror Attack.   Pakistan received a strict and straight reply around 12 days after the terror attack, when in the wee hours of February 26, Indian Air Force jets bombed the JeM camp in Balakot, in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.   PM Modi on Friday paid rich tributes…