Defying the directive issued by Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar suggesting ministries to avoid using names of top national leaders while announcing welfare programmes, the government on Wednesday approved a new scheme named after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for expectant and lactating mothers.

Four incidents of the suspected use of money to influence voters surfaced a day before the Assembly polls begin in Bihar. Unaccounted-for money was recovered from the vehicles of a BJP candidate and two LJP candidates by the police on Thursday and five people were arrested in this connection.

Denying allegations of involvement in any financial irregularities as a contractor for the Commonwealth Games, BJP national council member Sudhanshu Mittal on Wednesday complained he was being made a “political scapegoat”.

The teachers in the MCD schools will soon get the 60 per cent arrears on the basis of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations. Delhi mayor P.R. Sawhney said that the MCD has decided to clear the arrears of the teachers even though they did come under either “C” or “D” group of employees. Earlier, the MCD had decided to release the arrears of the group “C” and “D” employees. However, the arrears of the head masters will have to wait.

The city government on Wednesday said that the excise collections this year so far have reported a jump of about 25 per cent.
“The total sales of Indian Made Foreign Liquor brands from April 1, 2010 till October 13, 2010 was 38,36,500 cases on which excise duty collected was `494.14 crores as compared to the total sales of 34,26,898 cases of these brands and revenue collection of `417.61 crores in the corresponding period of 2009-10,” said the Delhi excise department.

The police on Wednesday recovered the decomposed body of a Class 2 student who went missing from a park in east Delhi while watching Dussehra celebrations on Sunday.

The Army on Tuesday began dismantling the foot-over bridge (FOB), constructed near the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium after the one constructed by the PWD collapsed. The bridge had collapsed on September 25.

After hearing the arguments of the Delhi Police, special prosecutor as well as victim’s counsel, District Judge S.K. Sarvaria reserved his order on the application filed by the prosecutor seeking a direction on a chargesheet prepared by the Delhi Police against senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, which was never filed.

The Delhi state BJP on Tuesday alleged involvement of close relative of Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit in the corruption related to the just concluded Commonwealth Games.

Punjab’s chief minister Parkash Singh Badal believes the interests of his party, the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal, must be served before any individual or familial considerations.