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Hindustan Times
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Orissa HC orders govt to give freedom fighter's pension to 101-year-old man
The Orissa high court on Tuesday ordered the state government to grant Swatantrata Sainik Samman pension (freedom fighter's pension) to a 101-year-old man who first applied for it in 1981, holding that the government's claim that he manipulated the electoral rolls to enhance his age by 10 years was a presumption. High Court of Orissa Justice Sashikanta Mishra said the government had argued that Brahmanand Jena increased his age by 10 years in the voters' list to avail the pensionary benefits under the scheme but 'not a shred of paper' was placed before the court to justify the above stand. 'Bereft of even a semblance of an inquiry, the conclusion drawn by the authority is nothing but a presumption. Even otherwise, it would be too farfetched to impute such conduct to an old person. This court has on more than one occasion reiterated the view that it is the solemn duty of the State to honour the freedom fighters for the sacrifices made by them to attain freedom from colonial rule and care must be taken to ensure that the genuine claims are not thrown out on trivial grounds,' justice Mishra said. Jena of Nayagarh district had applied for the pension in February 1981, citing his participation in the Quit India Movement of 1942. The Ministry of Home Affairs forwarded his case to the Odisha government in May 1984, and he subsequently applied directly to the state's Finance Department in July 1989. His request remained undecided till October 9, 2002, when the Odisha government stipulated that freedom fighters must have applied for pension before August 27, 1990, and that they must have been at least 18 years old by 1942 – meaning they should have been born before 1924. Jena submitted affidavits from two freedom fighters – Khali Pradhan and Manguli Parida – that he had 'remained underground for more than one year during 1942-43' due to his participation in the Quit India Movement. The District Treasury Officer, Nayagarh, had verified their signatures as authentic. But Jena's application was not accepted. He resubmitted the application in March 2019, but authorities remained sceptical about his age claims. The state government argued that Jena had manipulated his age in the 2002 voter list, claiming he had 'managed to enhance his age by ten years' to meet eligibility requirements. It was also noted that while the 2002 list listed him as 82 years old, earlier lists from 1988 and 1995 indicated he was 72, and the 1999 list indicated he would have been only 68 as of January 1, 2002.
BusinessToday
a day ago
- Business
- BusinessToday
Zetrix AI To Continue Immigration Services Despite Agreement Termination
Zetrix AI Berhad, formerly known as My E.G. Services Berhad, has announced that it will continue to provide immigration-related services despite the immediate termination of a specific agreement term with the Ministry of Home Affairs. The company today received a clarification letter from the Ministry, confirming that it can continue offering these services under the scope of its other existing agreements with the Malaysian government. The company reiterated its Teaming Agreement with Heitech Padu Berhad, which was previously awarded for the National Integrated Immigration System (NIISe) project. Under this arrangement, Immigration Related Services, including foreign worker permits, fall within the comprehensive scope of the NIISe project. In light of this development, the Board of Directors of Zetrix AI Berhad has stated that the full suite of Immigration Related Services provided by the company remains accessible to its customers through its platform. Related
Deccan Herald
a day ago
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
Nearly 9,000 people arrested under UAPA but only 252 convicted in 5 years
New Delhi: Police and investigative agencies have arrested 8,947 people under the contentious UAPA and charge-sheeted 6,503, but only 252 have been convicted in five years between 2018 and 2022, according to Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) data placed in Rajya Sabha on and Kashmir has the highest number of arrested at 2,633 during the five years but only 13 people convicted by courts. Authorities have charge-sheeted 2,462 under UAPA in the union will have to release NIA, UAPA accused if special courts not setup: SC to data also showed that no arrests were made under UAPA in four states and six union territories. Except for Rajasthan, all the other nine were smaller states like Sikkim and Goa or information culled out from the 'Crime in India' reports of 2018 to 2022 published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) were shared with CPI MP PP Suneer in response to a written question by Minister of State for Home Nityanand the 8,947 people arrested, the highest number of arrests were in 2022 when 2,636, including 503 charged under UAPA, were taken into custody. In 2018, the number of arrested was 1,421 followed by 1,948, 1,321 and 1,621 in subsequent years.. Among the states, Uttar Pradesh followed Kashmir in the list with 2,162 people being arrested. Manipur (1,370), Assam (771), Jharkhand (526), Tamil Nadu (431), Punjab (236), Kerala (130) and Bihar (118).Karnataka saw 14 people arrested under UAPA in five years and no one was convicted. The state also charge-sheeted 22 people, including those arrested prior to 2018, during the five chargesheets, the MHA said 853 people were charged under UAPA in 2018 followed by 1,139, 1,008, 1,317 and 2,186 in the next four years.A total 252 people were convicted between 2018 and 2022 of which Uttar Pradesh has the highest at 159, followed by Jharkhand 43, Tamil Nadu 21 and Jammu and Kashmir 13. While 35 people were convicted in 2018, 34 were convicted in 2019, 80 in 2020, 62 in 2021 and 41 in 2022.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Fewer than 1 in 5 people noticed suspicious items during MHA's social experiments
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Over a few hours in the afternoon and evening, the car was left in a public place to test the public's response to terror incidents. SINGAPORE – More than 2,500 people in Tampines and Bishan walked past a black suitcase and a black car with a concealed number plate, but fewer than 500 of them noticed the suspicious objects. Even fewer of them either intended to or actually did alert the authorities to the items – just 26. Over a few hours during lunch and dinner, the suitcase and car were left in public places to test the public's response to terror incidents. The social experiments were conducted by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on June 10 and 13, respectively. Noting the results of the social experiments, Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam said: 'How do we explain this reaction? The reality is, Singapore is a safe place, probably one of the safest cities of our size. 'For decades it has been like that, so very few people think in terms of crime or terror. That explains the awareness of threats. 'The level of safety we have is good, but it brings huge challenges when we want to educate the public to say 'it's not a question of if, but when'. It will happen at some point, and we need to be prepared.' He was speaking on July 30 at the launch of MHA's web series, What Would You Do When Terror Strikes, which features footage from the social experiments. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore MHA to support HSA's crackdown on Kpod abusers and help in treatment of offenders: Shanmugam Business S'pore's economic resilience will face headwinds in second half of 2025 from tariffs, trade conflicts: MAS Business S'pore's Q2 total employment rises, but infocomm and professional services sectors see more job cuts Asia Powerful 8.8-magnitude quake in Russia's far east causes tsunami; Japan, Hawaii order evacuations Singapore Migrant workers who gave kickbacks to renew work passes were conservancy workers at AMK Town Council Asia Japan, Vietnam, EU contest terms of US tariff deals behind the scenes Singapore Escape, discover, connect: Where new memories are made The suitcase contained a dummy improvised explosive device and was left next to a potted plant at Our Tampines Hub. A red blinking light was later attached to the suitcase before it was placed by a pillar in front of a convenience store. In the car-bomb simulation, the car, containing multiple gas cylinders, was parked near Bishan Community Club in the afternoon. In the evening, more gas cylinders were added to the car boot, and the vehicle emitted smoke periodically. Despite the escalation in both experiments, only 438 out of 2,530 passers-by noticed the suspicious items, and 26 of them either intended to, or did, inform the authorities. MHA said the results of the social experiments differed from those of the 2024 SGSecure public perception survey, where 77 per cent of participants claimed they were generally alert and kept a lookout for suspicious activity and behaviour in public. Telltale signs included oily stains near the zippers, bulges to indicate a high payload of explosives, and an actor who dropped the suitcase off before hurriedly moving away. PHOTO: MHA In the same survey, 88 per cent of respondents said they would alert the authorities if they spotted suspicious behaviour or items. Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Sim Ann, who also attended the launch event at The Projector at Cineleisure, said: 'This shows that we still have some way to go in raising the public's alertness and awareness and their readiness to combat terrorism.' Mr Shanmugam, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security, said the web series is an effort to increase public awareness about SGSecure messages like 'Run, Hide, Tell' and 'Press, Tie, Tell'. SGSecure is a national movement launched in 2016 to prepare Singaporeans to deal with terrorist attacks and equip them with skills to handle a crisis. The first of the three-episode series, which was released on MHA's YouTube channel on July 30, features eight local influencers responding to a simulated terror attack. The other two episodes will be released on Aug 13 and 27, and will feature footage from the social experiments conducted in June.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Hans India
Delhi Police tighten noose on drug peddlers under stringent PITNDPS Act
New Delhi: Delhi police have stepped up action against notorious drug traffickers under the stringent Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (PITNDPS Act), with plans to detain nearly three dozen offenders. One of them is 40-year-old Kusum, a well-known figure in the city's criminal records. The PITNDPS Act allows preventive detention of accused traffickers for up to one year without trial. The police have to prove their sustained involvement in drug trafficking to a screening committee of the Narcotics Control Bureau. Once cleared, the Ministry of Home Affairs approves the detention. Police officials said that since 2021, they have invoked this act to crack down on drug traffickers and disrupt their networks. In one instance, a repeat offender from Bareilly, arrested multiple times with large quantities of heroin, was transferred to a jail in Chennai to isolate him from his associates. So far this year, four detention orders have been issued under the act, with three already executed. The crackdown is part of the government's 'Nasha Mukt Bharat' (Drug-Free India) campaign. While only 28 traffickers were detained under PITNDPS in the past four years, police now plan to act against 35 offenders this year alone. A list of repeat offenders -- those involved in two or more cases -- is being compiled by various police districts. Kusum, who is currently absconding, remains a key target. A financial probe has already led to the attachment of assets worth Rs 5 crore allegedly amassed through drug money. These include assets in Sultanpuri in northwest Delhi, and Rohini's Sector–24. Though the process is lengthy, officials said proceedings are underway and efforts have intensified to clamp down on the drug trade across the capital.
