157 new medical colleges approved by Centre since 2014

In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, two non-locals labourers were killed and one other person was injured after terrorists fired upon them at Wanpoh area in Kulgam district on Sunday evening. According to police, the area has been cordoned off by the security forces and a massive manhunt was launched to nab the assailants. Details are awaited. This comes just a day after two non-locals-a Street Vendor selling Gole Gappa in Eidgah area of Srinagar city and a Carpenter in Litter village in Pulwama district were shot dead by terrorists on Saturday.

-The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has informed that the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP-led central government has given nod to as many as 157 new medical colleges in India since 2014 and spent a total of  Rs 17,691.08 crore on them. The Union Health Ministry’s response to a new Right to Information (RTI) Act query mentioned that these medical institutes were approved under a centrally-sponsored scheme (CSS). Furthermore, the Union Health Ministry said that under the CSS, since 2014, about  Rs 2,451.1 crore has been given for the upgradation of existing state government or central government medical colleges to increase MBBS seats in the country. 

-The Income Tax Department has conducted searches on groups engaged in the business of Digital Marketing and Waste Management. The first group is engaged in digital marketing and campaign management wherein the search operations have been carried out at seven premises located in Bengaluru, Surat, Chandigarh and Mohali. Central Board of Direct Taxes in a statement said that the incriminating evidence found reveals that the group has been engaged in obtaining accommodation entries using an entry operator. The entry operator has admitted to have facilitated transfer of cash and unaccounted income of the group through Hawala operators. The second group searched is engaged in Solid Waste Management and the evidence found during the search reveals that this group has indulged in booking of bogus bills for expenses and sub-contracts.  The search action has led to the detection of unaccounted investment in property of about seven crore rupees. Apart from this, the search action has resulted in seizure of unaccounted cash of around 2 crore rupees and jewellery worth 65 lakh rupees.

-The government on Sunday said that prices of onion, tomato and potato are cheaper than last year. It also said, Onion prices being stabilised with buffer stock release and efforts are on to soften tomato and potato rates. Onion stocks are being released in the market on the first-in-first-out basis in a calibrated manner from the last week of August in a bid to moderate prices and ensure minimum storage loss. As a result of this, the retail onion price was ruling in the range of 42 to 57 rupees per kg in metros on October 14. The all-India average retail price of onion was ruling at 37 rupees 06 paise per kg, while the average wholesale rate was 30 rupees per kg on October 14. In a statement, the Food and Consumer Affairs Ministry said, buffer stock of onion is being released in states where prices ruled above all-India average and also where prices are rising over the previous month. Besides releasing onions in the market, the ministry has offered onions from the buffer at 21 rupees per kg to all states and Union territories for lifting from the storage locations.

-Union Minister for Labour and Employment Bhupender Yadav has said that more than four crore unorganized workers have registered at e-Shram Portal which is the country’s first National Database on Unorganized Workers. Sharing the information in a tweet,  Yadav said that by registering, the unorganized workers will be able to get the benefits of government schemes easily. Of the total registered workers, around 50 per cent beneficiaries are female and 49.98 are male. The States like Odisha, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh are at the fore front with highest number of registrations on the e-Shram Portal launched by the Labour Ministry. The largest number of workers registered is from agriculture and construction, given the sheer volume of these two sectors in employment generation in India.This registration would facilitate delivery and accessibility to crucial welfare programmes and various entitlements meant for the workers in the unorganized sector and employment.