Hyderabad, Oct 8: Seeking to woo women voters in the run up to the December 7 assembly elections in Telangana, Congress Monday announced various promises, including a grant of Rs one lakh each to Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in the state.

"For the six lakh groups, women (Self Help) groups... in Telangana,the next Congress government will provide a grant of Rs one lakh to each DWCRA (Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas) group," state Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy said, addressing a meeting of women organised by the party here.

He said Rs 10 lakh bank loan would be arranged for each SHG and its interest would be paid by the state government.

Reddy promised that all members of women SHGs would be given accidental and health insurance of Rs five lakh each.

Claiming that Congress governments in undivided Andhra Pradesh had strengthened women SHGs by giving them grants and others, Reddy alleged that the TRS government has completely neglected the groups.

He said the TRS government has 'insulted' women by not giving them any representation in the state cabinet.

Reddy expressed confidence that his party would emerge triumphant in Rajasthan and other states where elections will be held along with Telangana.

Telangana will go to the polls on December 7.

The assembly polls in Telangana were originally scheduled to be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections next year, but the Assembly was dissolved last month as per a recommendation made by the state cabinet.

Congress will be contesting the elections in alliance with TDP, CPI and others and talks are on among the parties parties on seat-sharing and a Common Minimum Programme (CMP).

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has busted a major interstate racket allegedly involved in the manufacture, repackaging and nationwide sale of spurious Schedule-H medicines, an official said on Sunday.

Police have also located a manufacturing unit and seized counterfeit drugs and raw material worth over Rs 2.3 crore.

According to the police, two men -- Gaurav Bhagat, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, and Shree Ram alias Vishal Gupta of northeast Delhi's Sabhapur -- have been arrested in the case, he said.

"The operation was carried out by the Crime Branch. The accused were engaged in producing and selling counterfeit versions of popular prescription ointments, including Betnovate-C and Clop-G, which are widely used for treating skin infections, allergies and sports-related injuries," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Aditya Gautam said in a statement.

The officer further said the spurious medicines were sold as genuine branded products, posing a serious risk to public health.

Acting on inputs, the Crime Branch team first conducted a raid at Teliwara in Sadar Bazar, one of the country's largest wholesale pharmaceutical and cosmetic markets.

"During the raid, a large quantity of counterfeit Schedule-H ointments was recovered. Subsequent technical analysis and follow-up intelligence led the team to a manufacturing unit operating from Meerpur Hindu village in the Loni area of Ghaziabad.

"A search of the premises resulted in the recovery of counterfeit medicines, huge quantities of raw chemicals, packing material, empty tubes bearing forged brand labels and machinery used for mixing, filling and sealing ointments," the DCP said.

He further said drug inspectors from the North and Central Zones of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, along with authorised representatives of the concerned pharmaceutical companies, conducted spot inspections and drew samples from the seized stock. They confirmed that the medicines were counterfeit and neither manufactured nor supplied by their companies.

The accused were also found to be operating without any valid licence to manufacture, store or sell pharmaceutical products, he added.

Police said that an FIR was registered at the Crime Branch police station on December 12 under various sections of the BNS and provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

"The seized material included around 1,200 tubes of spurious Betnovate-C ointment, over 2,700 tubes of fake Clop-G, more than 3,700 tubes of spurious Skin-Shine ointment, nearly 22,000 empty fake Clop-G tubes, over 350 kilograms of semi-prepared ointment, besides chemicals and manufacturing equipment," the DCP said.

He said further investigation is underway to trace the entire supply chain, including wholesalers, distributors, delivery handlers and retailers involved in the illegal trade.