Latest news with #Lad
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Mithi River silt scam: BJP MLC Lad submits evidence to ED, demands probe
In the wake of the alleged financial scam related to the desilting of the Mithi River, Maharashtra Legislative Council Member Prasad Lad visited the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office in Mumbai on Tuesday. During the visit, he held a detailed discussion with the Joint Director and submitted further information related to the case. Lad handed over a pen drive and a set of 500-page documents to the concerned authorities. These contain crucial evidence and paperwork connected to the scam. Lad stated, 'Today I have handed over a pen drive bomb to the ED. The information in this pen drive will lead to many revelations. Our demands are clear — the investigation must proceed in the right direction and the truth about who actually benefited from the Mithi River silt must come out in front of the people.' He added, 'The investigation should not be limited to just the last two years, but should cover the past 15 years. The trail of this scam extends from Mumbai to Dubai, and from Dubai to London.' Every year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) undertakes a large-scale tendering process to desilt the Mithi River before the monsoon. However, according to Lad, a financial scam amounting to over Rs 1,150 to Rs 1,200 crore has taken place over the last three years, resulting in a massive betrayal to Mumbai's taxpayers. He pointed out that several suspicious schemes were implemented to commit large-scale financial irregularities in the desilting contracts. Terming it a shocking scam, Lad demanded a thorough probe into the role of senior officials involved and stringent action against those found guilty.
News18
5 days ago
- Business
- News18
'I'm Not For It': Karnataka Labour Minister Says 10-Hour Workday Proposal Came From Centre
Last Updated: The minister said he does not support the proposal in its current form and that a final decision would be taken only after discussions with all concerned parties Karnataka Labour Minister Santosh Lad on Monday clarified that the proposal to extend daily working hours from nine to ten in the state had come from the central government and not the Congress-led Karnataka government. Speaking to news agency ANI, Lad said he does not support the proposal in its current form and that a final decision would be taken only after discussions with all concerned parties. 'To me, right now it doesn't look good, as people are already working for nine hours," Lad said. 'Prima facie, I am not for it," he added. #WATCH | Bengaluru | On a proposal to increase work hours in Karnataka from nine to 10 hours daily, Karnataka Minister Santosh Lad says, 'To me, right now it doesn't look good, as people are already working for nine hours. The new proposal suggests increasing work hours from nine… — ANI (@ANI) June 23, 2025 He further explained that the idea for the proposal came from the Central government. 'I will call every stakeholder, unions and talk to them and take their opinions as the proposal has come from central government," he said. Lad's comments come amid mounting opposition to the proposal, which has triggered concern among workers' groups, especially in the IT and IT-enabled services sectors. The Karnataka government had drew attention after circulating a draft amendment to the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1961, which proposes increasing the daily work limit to 10 hours, while keeping the weekly cap at 48 hours. The proposed changes would also allow work shifts of up to 12 hours per day including overtime, and raise the quarterly overtime limit from 50 to 144 hours. The draft was shared with stakeholders during a meeting held by the state's Labour Department last week. While the state has maintained that the weekly limit remains unchanged, unions have strongly criticised the move, raising concerns about employee wellbeing, fatigue, and work-life balance. Just last week after the proposal was made public, Lad had issued a formal clarification supporting the draft. At the time, he had stated that the proposed 10-hour workday includes a one-hour break, meaning actual work time would still be nine hours per day. He also assured that the amendment aligns with International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions and Indian labour laws. 'There is no violation of any international convention or standard," he stated.
Time of India
6 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Minister Santosh Lad participates in cleanliness drive
Hubballi: District minister Santosh Lad visited various areas of the city, including Siddhroodha Mutt, Arudha Nagar, and Ganeshnagar, and joined hands with civic workers in a cleanliness drive on Sunday. Lad took the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) officials to task for poor waste management in twin cities. He also insisted that officials should not just spend time in their cars or offices but should conduct spot visits and field visits. They should be informed about the areas under their jurisdiction and the problems there every day. Speaking to reporters, Lad said the programme is not for posing or a picnic; it is to create awareness among the citizens about the environment, cleanliness, and hygiene, and to make the municipal employees perform their duties conscientiously. Lad said that the complaints handed to him by the public made it clear that the officers who fail to understand the problems of the area and who only provide statistics and information at progress review meetings without responding to the complaints of the public are not performing their duties efficiently and within stipulated time. "Every morning, for at least two hours, all the officers and staff, including the commissioner of the corporation, should visit various areas of the city and pay attention to the problems, cleanliness, and works there. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Information should be given to the officials concerned to solve it, and it should be followed up. Everyone should make sincere efforts to make Hubballi and Dharwad beautiful and clean," he said. "As many as 622 black spots where residents throw garbage have been identified in important public places. These should be cleaned continuously. There are about 82,000 empty sites in the corporation area. The owners of these empty sites are also at fault for spoiling the beauty of the city. Most of these sites do not have a compound, no wire fence, and are not clean. They are filled with overgrown weeds. Others bring their household garbage and throw it in. Poisonous animals and pigs are living in these sites. The commissioner should consider this seriously, issue a public announcement in this regard, and direct the site owners to clean their sites within a week," Lad said. MLA Prasad Abbayya, deputy commissioner Divya Prabhu, HDMC commissioner Rudresh Gali, and others were present. Santosh Lad accused the BJP of building party offices by collecting donations from betting apps and those who slaughter cows, while exporting beef. "These BJP people are making money through Electoral Bonds and other smart apps. The BJP is building party offices by collecting donations from people. We worship the cow as mother but our country stands third in the world in beef export," he said. Lad asked the BJP govt where the Rs 2,000 notes were. "Rs 40,000 crore was spent to make Rs 2,000 notes. Will the BJP talk about this?" he questioned. Before demonetisation, there were 16,33,000 crore notes in circulation. Today, there are 35 lakh crore notes in circulation. Rs 2,000 notes are missing," he said.
Time of India
7 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Minister Santosh Lad assures action after children drown in lake
Pic: Labour minister Santosh Lad visits the bereaved family which lost two kids to drowning in a lake at Yarinarayanapura village in Kundagol taluk Hubballi: Labour and district minister Santosh Lad said that there are many lakes in the district, which are sources of drinking water. As a precautionary measure for the safety of people, officials have been instructed to construct retaining walls for these lakes. Speaking to reporters after offering condolences to the family whose children drowned in a lake recently at Yarinarayanapura village in Kundagol taluk on Saturday, Lad said that during the rainy season, lakes in rural areas fill up. The public and officials should take action in advance to prevent children from roaming around water bodies. Steps are being taken to build barriers for lakes in the district. A retaining wall will be constructed for the lake in Yarinarayanapura village, he informed. Sharifasab Chandukhan's sons, Muzammil and Mushir, from Yarinarayanapur village under Gudenakatti GP, died after drowning in a lake on June 19. Lad assured that he would personally meet the chief minister and request him to provide compensation to the family members from the CM's Relief Fund. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like (1) Your Antivirus May Require Activation Click Here Undo Lad said since the lake is very large, even after a barrier is built, parents should be careful not to let their children go towards the lake. "Anganwadi workers have been careful not to let children towards the lake, but children have been going near it. That is why this accident happened. The anganwadi centre located next to the lake in the village will be shifted. It is the responsibility of the parents and villagers to protect the children. It is necessary to pay attention to the anganwadi centres," he appealed. The Santosh Lad Foundation distributed Rs 4 lakh as compensation to the family of the deceased. MLA MR Patil, deputy commissioner Divya Prabhu, and other officials were present.
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Unions oppose draft bill that raises working hours to 10 a day
1 2 Bengaluru: The labour department's draft amendment to Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1961, proposing a 10-hour workday, has triggered widespread concern among trade unions and private sector employees across the state. The draft proposes raising the daily work limit from nine to 10 hours, with working hours including overtime increasing to a maximum 12 hours a day. However, the weekly cap remains at 48 hours. Additionally, maximum permissible overtime over any three consecutive months has been raised dramatically from 50 to 144 hours — a staggering 188% increase. The amendment also exempts shops and establishments with fewer than 10 employees from maintaining mandatory registers and displaying the Act in multiple languages, a move criticised for potentially weakening employee rights in smaller workplaces. Trade unions, including Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU), have voiced strong opposition. CITU warned that the amendment could trigger an "unemployment avalanche", estimating job losses between 4.5 and 6.8 lakh in retail, malls, and hospitality sectors. In a memorandum objecting to the proposal, CITU said the amendments would violate international labour laws and would infringe constitutional rights. It forecast a sharp rise in youth unemployment — from 23.7% to 38.2% — if the amendment is implemented. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like I Asked ChatGPT What The Cheapest Car Insurance Is In 2025 - Here's What It Said Smart Lifestyle Trends Learn More Undo The proposed amendment is likely to affect information technology and information technology-enabled services (IT/ITeS) sector as well. Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) said the move will adversely impact some 20 lakh employees of the sector. KITU pointed out that the amendment is likely to result in a two-shift system instead of the existing three and, as a result, one-third of the workforce will be laid off. The union also cited studies which point out the adverse effects long working hours have on mental health of young employees. "This amendment shows that the govt is unwilling to recognise workers as human beings who require personal time and social lives to thrive. Instead, it views them merely as machines to increase profits of firms who employ them," said Suhas Adiga, KITU general secretary. However, labour minister Santosh Lad said the govt is still carefully evaluating the proposal. "These recommendations came from the central govt," Lad said. "The secretary himself met with the chief secretary and submitted recommendations which were forwarded to the state govt." Lad said he will invite representatives of all stakeholders, gather opinions and consult the chief minister and cabinet. "A final decision will be made only after that," he said. On Wednesday, labour secretary Rohini Sindhuri Dasari met with several stakeholders, but reports suggest no consensus was reached.
