Latest news with #Parmar
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Job-for-cash scam in textbook board; minister orders probe
Ahmedabad: State education minister Praful Panseriya has ordered an inquiry into an alleged job scam in the Gujarat State School Textbook Board. A board official has been accused of promising a job in the board for Rs 23 lakh of which the complainant allegedly paid Rs 8 lakh to the official's personal assistants. The minister ordered an inquiry after receiving a written complaint from Hitesh P Ram. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad Ram has alleged that Kamlesh Parmar , an officer in the textbook board, promised him a job in exchange for money. It is claimed that Parmar's personal assistants Dharmesh Ramanuj and Prakash Mulchand Bhagchandani, took Rs 8 lakh from him— Rs 5 lakh through bank transfer and Rs 3 lakh in cash near the textbook board office. The complainant further alleged that Parmar had informed him that some posts in the board could be directly filled on the director's discretion and that he had already secured such permission. The deal reportedly involved a total of Rs 23 lakh, with the remaining Rs 15 lakh to be paid after securing the job. Sources indicate that the education minister's office wrote to the director of the textbook board, directing a neutral and thorough investigation into the allegations. Preliminary findings suggest that neither of the two assistants are officially employed by the board. The minister emphasised that if the allegations are proven true, strict and immediate action must be taken against those responsible.
Scoop
4 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Real Change Promised And Delivered For Sole-Charge Workers
'Today, ACT has delivered on its promise to protect some of our most vulnerable workers,' says ACT MP Dr Parmjeet Parmar. 'New sentencing laws come into force today that put the rights of retailers and other sole-charge workers at the centre of sentencing decisions. These changes fulfil ACT's coalition commitment to add new aggravating factors for offences against people working alone, or whose home and business are connected,' says Dr Parmar. 'I've met countless shop workers and small retailers in Auckland who have spent thousands on security measures just so they can keep their doors open and provide for their families. It's heartbreaking. Many came to New Zealand believing it was a safe country, only to find themselves constantly fearful at work. 'People working alone are especially vulnerable because they have no one to help them in a crisis. For those running businesses attached to their homes, there's the added fear of putting their loved ones at risk if they try to flee. From today, the law recognises that vulnerability. 'These new sentencing provisions also ensure that any victim's specific circumstances will be given greater weight by judges when deciding sentences. 'Ultimately, this means tougher penalties for criminals who prey on hard-working New Zealanders just trying to make an honest living. It's about making our communities safer and delivering on our promise of real change.'
Scoop
25-06-2025
- Health
- Scoop
ACT-Initiated Social Media Inquiry Launched
ACT MP Dr Parmjeet Parmar is welcoming the commencement of a select committee inquiry into social media harm faced by young people, with terms of reference that reflect concerns ACT had previously raised. 'We are now in a much better place on this issue than we were seven weeks ago. Instead of rushing into a knee-jerk reaction to any harms young people face from online activity, we are now in a position to collect all the evidence and have an informed conversation about the best way to move forward,' says Dr Parmar. 'In early May I wrote to the Chair of the Education and Workforce Committee to formally request an inquiry into social media harm. Now we have an opportunity to inform ourselves of the evidence so we can come to a workable solution to any clearly defined problems. 'The agreed terms of reference reflect key elements of ACT's concerns, including the need for clear problem definition, and to assess the benefits as well as any harms of online activity. Importantly, the terms of reference also set out a framework for assessing any proposals, including that any recommendation should be assessed for proportionality, efficacy, workability, severity and likelihood of harm, cost-effectiveness, intrusiveness, and coerciveness. 'This ACT-initiated inquiry gives MPs the chance to listen to parents, educators, experts, and social media companies before jumping to conclusions. I look forward to hearing what people have to say.' Notes:
Time of India
24-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Informers who take risks to provide information about tax evaders must be rewarded fairly: HC
Mumbai: Informers who take risks to provide credible information to government authorities based on which tax evaders are brought to book should be rewarded fairly as per the government scheme, the Bombay High Court said on Tuesday. A bench of Justices M S Sonak and Jitendra Jain ordered the Maharashtra government to pay an interim reward of Rs 19 lakh to a 76-year-old man who had been providing information about sales tax evaders since 1992. It directed the government to determine the exact reward payable to the petitioner, Darshan Singh Parmar, within six months. Parmar, in his plea, said that he had provided valuable information to the state government and the sales tax department since 1992, based on which recoveries were made from tax evaders. The court pulled up the authorities for wasting the petitioner's and the court's time by not precisely informing about the amount payable as reward and the recoveries made based on Parmar's information. Once the government formulates a reward scheme, it should be operated fairly and squarely, the bench said. "Informers, based on whose information tax evaders are brought to book and taxes recovered, should not be made to run from pillar to post or otherwise suffer frustration," it held. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai The court said that informers who take risks and invest time should not be made to run from pillar to post to secure what may be due and payable. There must be no unreasonable delay in paying the determined reward amounts, and the practice of raising frivolous and belated objections only to avoid legitimate payments must also be eschewed, it said. Parmar, in his plea, claimed that for no apparent reason, he had not been receiving rewards. The bench noted that in 2015, the authorities determined a certain amount payable to Parmar as reward, but since it exceeded Rs 5 lakh, the state government's sanction was required for payment. The bench remarked that despite several orders passed by the high court in the past, the authorities were neither serious about recovering the dues from the tax evaders nor determining the reward amount payable to Parmar. "The respondents have consistently been uncooperative in providing the necessary details, solely to delay the payment indefinitely," the court said. In 2024, the joint commissioner of sales tax said that Rs 19 lakh was payable to Parmar as reward. Parmar, however, said this amount was too low and that he deserved more. The bench stated that it was unable to establish the exact amount of the reward due to Parmar at this stage. It directed the government to pay Rs 19 lakh within six weeks and to determine the exact amount payable to Parmar within six months. The sales tax commissioner and the state finance secretary must, within six months, determine the precise amount of reward payable to the petitioner and pay the same within two months thereafter, the court ordered
Vancouver Sun
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Few Canadians know about Canada's deadliest terrorist attack: poll
While most Canadians still know very little about the 1985 Air India bombing, two-thirds say they support efforts to increase awareness about the country's deadliest act of terrorism. New polling from the non-profit Angus Reid institute says fewer than one in five Canadians is able to identify the Air India bombing as Canada's worst mass murder. Forty years ago today, a B.C.-made suitcase bomb exploded on Air India Flight 182 , killing all 329 aboard. Another B.C. bomb blew up at Japan's Narita Airport, killing two baggage handlers. A judicial inquiry and a B.C. Supreme Court judge concluded the pro-Khalistan Babbar Khalsa separatist group and its founder Talwinder Parmar were behind the murder conspiracy. Parmar was killed by Indian police in 1992 before he could be charged. Two of his associates were acquitted in 2005. A third, Inderjit Singh Reyat, was convicted of manslaughter. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Angus Reid found nine per cent of Canadians say they know a lot about the bombings, but a third had never heard of it. 'For the victims' families, grief and the agony of loss are at this time of year especially, as raw as it was 40 years ago,' Angus Reid president Shachi Kurl said. 'What can they possibly take from the lack of awareness of their fellow citizens?' Half of the respondents said the bombings were never treated as a national tragedy. Kurl said that 'when even 50 per cent of the general population themselves say the attacks were never treated a Canadian tragedy, it can be nothing short of an indictment of our leaders, our educators and ourselves.' But 66 per cent of respondents say they support Canada implementing information about the tragedy into school curriculums, while even more — 71 per cent — would create an exhibit in the Canadian Museum of History. Angus Reid conducted the online survey from June 13 to 17 of 1,607 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. The sample was weighted to be representative of adults countrywide according to region, gender, age, household income, and education, based on the Canadian census. About three in ten Canadians correctly answered that no one involved in the terrorist attack was convicted of murder. Beyond the third who had never heard of the terrorist attack, 29 per cent were unsure if anyone was or wasn't held responsible. The survey also asked respondents about whether they felt supporters of the Khalistan separatist movement should attend Air India memorials. Three in five said it was inappropriate for them to attend. kbolan@
