4 held in raid at drug packaging factory in Noida slum
Noida (UP), Dec 26 : Three persons were arrested and a minor apprehended by police, which claimed Wednesday to have busted an illegal cannabis packaging factory here.
Nearly 31 kg of cannabis was seized during a post-midnight raid in a slum under Sector 20 police station limits Tuesday, police said.
Police said so far since August this year, four such factories have been busted and 246 kg cannabis along with 700 packets of smack have been seized in raids in city areas under Sector 20 police station.
"As many as 51 people have been arrested in police crackdown on drugs since August and Rs 2.85 lakh earned through drug sales seized from them," Circle Officer, Noida City 1st, Amit Kishor Shrivastava told reporters.
On Wednesday's arrests, he said a police team was conducting a routine vehicle checking near the Bas Balli T-point in Sector 9 when they were tipped-off about the illegal factory operating nearby.
"Around 12.30 am, officials raided a hut in the slum and three men were arrested while a minor detained," Shrivastava said.
He said Rs 23,800, a weighing machine, 8.9 kg plastic for making packets and machine for sealing and packaging the drugs were seized from the spot.
Those arrested have been identified as Vijay Pathak, Kishor alias Lala and Piyush Rajput, he said, adding that the minor would help with the packaging work.
The accused would not only smuggle the drugs into the city but also distribute it locally through their widespread network, which runs from slums and JJ clusters. They would pack the drugs in packets of different sizes and sell them for Rs 100, Rs 150 and Rs 200.
"The drugs were being procured from Odisha and being brought to NCR in four-wheelers. They would purchase them at cheap prices - Rs 3,000-4,000 - and then sell them for Rs 10,000-Rs 15,000 per kg," Shrivastava said.
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Lok Sabha refers Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill to JPC
New Delhi (PTI): The Lok Sabha on Monday referred the Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, to a joint parliamentary committee comprising members from both Houses of Parliament for a detailed analysis and recommendations.
The decision was taken following a voice vote after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman suggested it.
Earlier, after the Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha, opposition members Manish Tewari (Congress), Saugata Roy (Trinamool Congress) and T Sumathy (DMK) strongly opposed it, alleging that the legislation sought to dilute the provisions of law under which companies mandatorily have to pay 2 per cent of their profits towards corporate social responsibility (CSR).
The finance minister strongly refuted the allegations and said that the Bill has been introduced after two years of deliberations.
She said the apprehensions of the members were unfounded as the Bill seeks to amend only the criteria of net profits, not the entire clause related to CSR.
Sitharaman then suggested to Speaker Om Birla that the Bill be sent to a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) for extensive deliberations and proper suggestions.
At this, Tewari said that since a parliamentary standing committee on corporate affairs is already in place, the Bill should be sent to that panel rather than constituting a new JPC.
Intervening the Congress MP, Home Minister Amit Shah said that none of the opposition members talked about referring the legislation to a parliamentary committee, and now, when the finance minister herself has sought it, they were arguing as to which panel the Bill should be sent.
Speaker Birla then put the proposal of the finance minister to a vote, and it was approved with a voice vote by the House, sending the Bill to a JPC for which the members will be selected later.
The Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, aims to amend the Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) Act, 2008, and the Companies Act to facilitate ease of doing business and address the gaps identified by the Company Law Committee in its 2022 report.
The Union Cabinet had already okayed the proposed Bill, aimed at further easing the compliance burden on businesses and advancing the government’s agenda of decriminalising minor corporate offences.
The proposed amendments are expected to rationalise penalties, shift several minor procedural lapses from criminal liability to monetary penalties, and streamline regulatory processes to promote ease of doing business.
The reforms are also aimed at improving the overall corporate compliance framework while reducing litigation and encouraging a more facilitative regulatory environment for companies and LLPs.
Sitharaman also said the Bill is aimed at promoting further ease of doing business and ease of living for corporates by decriminalising more provisions and amending certain other provisions.
It is aimed at providing ease of compliance for ‘one person companies’, small companies, startups and producer companies, the minister said in the Bill's statement of objects and reasons.
According to Sitharaman, the amendments also seek to streamline the existing regulatory practices to strengthen as well as recognise new concepts in light of the rapidly evolving corporate landscape and changing business practices.
