Tuesday, January 17, 2012

New year spirits remain on high on milk in Jaipur - The Pioneer—1.1.2012


There’s a new movement in the Pink City to herald 2012 — and they are saying it with milk! To persuade the young at heart and age not to drink alcohol for New Year festivities, nine booths opened on Saturday across the city, offering free milk with jalebis. It had all started about a d e c a d e   a go,   w  h e n   A k  h     Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad leaders had put up a small stall on campus at the University of Rajasthan to  issuade drunken celebrations. “The turnout at the stall was not disappointing as about 100 students  urned up to enjoy the New Year's treat,” remembers Satish Punia, general secretary of Rajasthan BJP,  ho started his political career as a student leader from this university.  Now, the movement has grown  rom strength to strength. “Last year, more than 20,000 people, including a large number of youths,  ame  o our stalls  instead of going to liquor vends,” says Dharmveer Katewa, who has been associated with  his movement since its inception. On Saturday afternoon, youths from various organisations started the  milk & jalebis’   event. University V-C BN Sharma was the chief guest while OP Meena, managing director  f Rajasthan Milk Fe  d e r at i on ,   pre s i d e d   ov e r   the function.  “We are expecting that this time,  he turnout would be far larger. Last year, the federation supplied us with about 10,000 litres of free milk  nd this time, it has offered 15,000 litres,” says Manoj Pandey of Sadbhawana Foundation, which has  pened one such milk stall in Mansarovar locality.  According to him, people in at least nine localities  ave  ome forward to put up such free milk booth stalls.  At some places, volunteers are offering kesar milk.  Milk has such a physiological impact that after you have it, you would  not like to go for liquor,”  says  Pandey.  Some enterprising volunteers have even put up banners at liquor shops, appealing to the people drink milk instead to celebrate New Year. “These banners were put up with the consent of liquor  hop owners, who say that they would not mind even if it affects liquor sales,” says Katewa.

Agnivesh fudged bills to the tune of 80 lakhs – The Pioneer—3.1.12
Bandhu a  Mu k t  i  Mo r c h achairperson and a prominent civil society activist SwamiAgnivesh has been ssued ashowcause notice by the DelhiGovernment for submitting fakebills for utilisation of a grant of18 lakh. Agnivesh, an estranged  member of Anna Hazare’s India  Against Corruption Movement, was issued  he notice three days back on December 29, 2011 by  the Revenue Department of Delhi Government.  The notice says, “Further, initial scrutiny of the bills submitted by you reflect many shortcomings. For  xample, many bills submitted are from outside Delhi from places like Madhy a  Pr ade sh.  You  are requested to check the bills submitted again and certify that the bills are genuine and correct.” The  ioneer has the copy of such bills submitted by Bandhua Mukti Morcha to the Delhi Government.  The  otice is signed b y   s u b - d i v i s i o n a l m a g  i s t  r a t e (He  adquar  te rs ) I I I   o f   t  h e R e v e n u e D e p a r t m e n t , Shyam Sunder, who has directed Agnivesh to refund the balance of  2,23,405 to the Government which could not been utilised. “And whereas as per the utili s  at  i on   c e r  t i f  i c at e   d  t e  d 28.07.2007 signed by M/s Nagar Goyal & Chawla, Chartered Accountants, it has been certified that  ut of 18 lakh, a sum of 15,76,595 has been utilised for the purpose of which it was sanctioned and the  alance funds have been kept in bank for utilisation in the next year but no utilisation certificate in  espect of balance amount of 2,23,405 has been furnished by the Bandhua Mukti Morcha till date,” the notice said. It may be noted that the M i n i s t r  y   o f L  ab  ou r  & E m p l  o y  m e n t had released   18 lakh (cheque number 413359 dated September 5, 2005) to B and hu a   Mu kt I Morcha through Delhi Government to conduct a survey of bonded labour in nine districts in the national Capital in 2005. However, bills submitted by Agnivesh’s NGO show funds have been utilised for fuelling of vehicles in far  ff districts of Guna in Madhya Pradesh and Baran in Rajasthan. A senior official of Revenue Department said that Bandhua Mukti Morcha was supposed to conduct a survey on bonded labour in all nine  istricts  n the national Capital but strangely, he had carried out a survey in Delhi but submitted fuel bills related  o travel outside Delhi. For instance, one bill is from Kota-Chhabra road, district Baran, Rajasthan while  ne bill from AB Road, Guna, Madhya Pradesh.   The Revenue Department also directed Agnivesh to  larify his position within 10 days as to why the copyright of the survey report has been shown reserved in favour of Bandhua Mukti Morcha when the financial assistance was extended by the Delhi Government and whether any approval from the Revenue Department had been obtained for fixing the  ale price of the report. The department has also sought clarification on how the word donation had  een  sed in the letter dated 07.09.2005. Is this a  donat ion  f  rom   t h e Government, asks the notice. Agnivesh, who was a key member of Team Anna till the ninth day of Hazare’s 12-day fast at Ramlila  round last year, had courted controversy with video clippings appearing on social network sites allegedly  howing him criticising the ant i - cor r upt ion  c amp ai gn. Later, he was thrown out from Team Anna.  he clips had allegedly showed him describing Anna’s team as “mad and misguided elephants” over phone to “Kapilji” — suspected to be Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal. He, later,  oined the reality TV show  Big Boss  to improve his image and clear his name of the charge that he tried to sabotage Anna’s movement. 

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