Two fake cement makers arrested in Ghaziabad, stocks seized
Ghaziabad, July 26 : The police have busted a gang of counterfeit cement manufacturers and recovered some tools, a truck and bags of fake cement bearing names of big brands in Ghaziabad, the police said on Thursday.
Two persons have also been arrested from the fake cement manufacturing site, while two others managed to flee.
Police officer Pradeep Kumar Tripathi told IANS that early on Thursday, he got the information about fake cement being manufactured on a large-scale in the city.
Based on the tip-off, he and his team raided the godown in a field belonging to one Sukhbir in Bamheta locality of the city, and arrested two persons -- Jayanti Prasad and Akram -- from there, Tripathi said.
During interrogation, Jayanti Prasad -- a resident of Shankar Vihar under Kavi Nagar Police Station area the city -- confessed to his crime, while Akram hails from Bamheta only.
According to Jayanti, the factory is owned by Akram, who used to buy discarded and moisturized bags of cement from Delhi, Haryana and Ghaziabad markets, mix ash and repack thus produced "cement" to sell under big brands names, including ACC, JK Cement and others, depending on the availability of empty bags.
Then they would sell the counterfeit cement in the market. The buyers were happy to get the cement at lesser rates, Akram said.
Akram had taken the godown on rent from Sukhbir.
The police recovered a Tata 407, some tools used for making cement, and 198 bags of half-made and ready cement.
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Rajesh Kumar Singh takes over as defence secretary
New Delhi (PTI): Senior bureaucrat Rajesh Kumar Singh took over as defence secretary on Friday.
The 1989-batch IAS officer from the Kerala cadre assumed charge at the South Block, where the ministry is housed.
Before taking charge, Singh laid a wreath and paid homage to the fallen heroes at the National War Memorial.
He had assumed charge as officer on special duty (defence secretary-designate) on August 20.
"The nation will remain forever indebted to our brave soldiers who make the supreme sacrifice in the service of the motherland. Their extraordinary bravery and sacrifice is a source of strength and inspiration for us to make India a safe and prosperous nation," he said.
Singh held the post of secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry from April 24, 2023, to August 20, 2024.
Prior to that, he was secretary in the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying.
Singh has held many other important positions in the Union government, including director of works and urban transport in the Ministry of Urban Development; commissioner (lands) in the Delhi Development Authority; joint secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas; joint secretary in the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare; and chief vigilance officer in the Food Corporation of India, the ministry said in a statement.
He has also held charge as urban development secretary and finance secretary in the Kerala government.
Singh succeeds Giridhar Aramane, a 1988-batch IAS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, who superannuated on Thursday.
