Cancellation of 2.93 lakh ration cards intentional defiance: Kejriwal
New Delhi, Aug 20 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday took strong exception to the cancellation of around 2.93 lakh ration cards despite objections by Food and Supplies Minister Imran Hussain and said it was "deliberate and intentional act of defiance" by officials.
Kejriwal said that the decision by Food Commissioner Mohanjit Singh without valid and justified reason also appeared to be a conspiracy to deny ration to the poor.
"...is a clear, deliberate and intentional violation at the behest of the central government," he said.
Kejriwal claimed that the officer did not provide any details of ration card holders and beneficiaries whose names were intended to be deleted despite Hussain repeatedly asking for the same.
"Instead officers are proceeding with cancellation of ration cards in utter defiance of the Minister's repeated directions," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo said.
The Chief Minister's Office said that the step will have an adverse impact on the beneficiaries.
"The department officers failed to appreciate the adverse social impact of cancelling 2.93 lakh ration cards covering more than 10 lakh beneficiaries. All such families and members would be rendered hungry because of the insensitive, apathetic, hostile, inhuman attitude of the officers," it said, referring to the death of three minors in Mandawali due to non-availability of food.
The statement said that the Food Commissioner would be "solely responsible" for any incident caused due to non-availability of food.
Kejriwal's office claimed that cancellation was undertaken without door-to-door survey of households. It warned officers concerned of disciplinary action "as such acts of commission or omission make the decisions of public servants suspicious".
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.
I-T Department sends notice to actor-director Prithviraj Sukumaran over co-produced films
New Delhi: The Income Tax (I-T) Department has sent a notice to actor and director Prithviraj Sukumaran asking for more details about the money he earned from some films he co-produced. The notice was reportedly served during the last week of March by the I-T office in Kochi. He has been asked to respond by the end of April.
The department is seeking clarification on the income from a few movies Prithviraj was involved in as a co-producer. This comes at a time when the actor has been receiving criticism from right-wing groups over what seemed to be references to the 2002 Gujarat riots in his latest film L2: Empuraan, starring Mohanlal, which released on March 27.
On April 4, 2025, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out searches at the offices of Gokulam Gopalan, a Kerala-based businessman and one of the producers of L2: Empuraan, along with a few others. These searches were part of an investigation into alleged violations of foreign exchange rules.
The I-T notice to Prithviraj is believed to be linked to an ongoing investigation that began in December 2022 into suspected tax evasion within the Malayalam film industry.
At the time, tax officials had raided the homes and offices of several producers, including Antony Perumbavoor, Anto Joseph, and Listin Stephen, over concerns about unreported income, cash deals, and overseas investments. Prithviraj’s premises were also searched during that operation.
