Election officials collect documents from Amartya Sen's ancestral home for SIR
Kolkata (PTI): Election officials on Friday visited Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen's residence at Bolpur in Birbhum district and collected the requisite documents in connection with the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state, a family member said.
The officials visited 'Pratichi', Sen's ancestral home, and collected the economist's Aadhaar card, voter identity card number, the death certificate of his mother, Amita Sen, and a letter in which Sen authorised his cousin, Shantabhanu Sen, to appear for the SIR-related hearing in his absence.
Sen is currently in the USA, where he is a Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Harvard University.
"The officials from the Election Commission collected Prof Sen's Aadhaar card, voter identity card number, and the death certificate of his mother, Amita Sen. They also took the letter in which Prof Sen authorised his cousin Shantabhanu to appear for the hearing," one of Sen's family members told PTI.
Election officials did not respond when asked whether a photocopy of the 'Bharat Ratna' award conferred on Sen was also submitted for the electoral roll revision process, he said.
The Election Commission last week issued a notice to Sen, seeking a hearing on January 16 at his Santiniketan residence as part of the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in West Bengal.
An official at the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said the notice was prompted by a discrepancy in Sen's enumeration form, which listed him as linked to his mother, Amita Sen, despite an age difference of less than 15 years.
The office of the CEO has said that the form, submitted by Sen's family member, was flagged by the ERO Net Portal.
"A notice was generated for Sen in line with other similar cases. Given that the elector is over 85 years old, ERO and AERO officials, along with the BLO, visited his residence and completed the formalities," a statement of the CEO's office said.
Sen became a voter years ago and cast his vote in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections at the Visva Bharati Staff Club polling station.
On the 2026 SIR draft electoral list, his name appears as Part 274, Serial 169, under the Prabasi Bharatiya (non-resident) category.
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Rajnath Singh chairs IGoM meet, urges constant vigil over West Asia crisis
New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday emphasised the need for round-the-clock monitoring of the West Asia conflict and called for a calibrated response to deal with any eventuality to ensure that national interests remain protected.
Singh made the comments while chairing a high-level meeting of the Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM) set-up to monitor the situation in West Asia.
The meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Power Minister Manohar Lal, Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister J P Nadda, Consumer Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi and Minister of Railways, Information and Broadcasting, Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw.
In view of the "uncertain situation", the defence minister underlined the importance of round-the-clock monitoring of the situation and the need to respond in a calibrated manner to deal with any eventuality, an official readout said.
He stressed on the need to leave no stone unturned to ensure that the people of the country face the minimum effect of the conflict, it said.
It was the second meeting of the IGoM after it was set up last month.
The IGoM was apprised of the measures being taken by the government in the wake of the ongoing West Asia conflict, Singh said on social media.
"We also deliberated upon the next steps to be taken by the government to mitigate any adverse impact arising due to the ongoing conflict," he said.
The defence ministry said in the readout said, "In the meeting, the seven empowered groups of secretaries briefed the IGoM on the steps being taken to tackle the situation."
"The IGoM was apprised about measures undertaken by the Ministry of Finance to address concerns arising due to global trade disruptions and provide relief and support to the industry, especially manufacturing, and bolster investor confidence," it said.
It listed measures including notification issued on Wednesday on full customs duty exemption on 40 critical petrochemical products till June 30.
The ministry also mentioned announcement of a special one-time relief measure for eligible units in SEZs to sell manufactured goods in Domestic Tariff Area (DTA) at concessional customs duty rates to be effective from April 1 to March 31.
It also noted another notification issued by the Department of Revenue clarifying that the provisions of GAAR (General Anti Avoidance Rules) will not be invoked in respect of investments made prior to April 1, 2017.
"These measures will reduce cost pressures on downstream sectors including textiles, packaging and pharmaceuticals, facilitate supply stability in the country and provide requisite clarity for investors contemplating investments in India," the readout said.
Defence Minister Singh appreciated the government's decision to impose a 25 per cent cap on the monthly increase in aviation turbine fuel prices for domestic operations, with effect from April 1.
This step will help protect the people from sudden increase in fares, he said.
The government has accorded highest priority to domestic LPG supply, with refinery production enhanced to fully meet consumption requirements, according to the readout.
"The IGoM was informed that there have been no reports of dry-out at LPG distributorships, and delivery of domestic LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) cylinders continues as per the normal schedule. The temporary supply concerns arose due to instances of hoarding and black marketing, which triggered panic buying in certain areas," it said.
The ministers were informed that strict enforcement action is being undertaken, with raids being carried out across multiple states and Union territories to curb hoarding and black marketing of LPG, the ministry said in the readout.
Action has also been taken against some LPG distributors who engaged in malpractices, it said.
"To support migrant labour and low-consumption households, the government is ensuring adequate availability of 5 kg free trade LPG cylinders, and since March 23, over 4.3 lakh such cylinders have been sold. Special focus is being given to states where demand is higher," it said.
The IGoM was apprised that industrial requirements dependent on commercial LPG are being met, with over 80 per cent of pre-crisis supply levels being maintained to ensure continuity of operations.
"Special meetings have been held with ministries and stakeholders of different industries to understand their demand and meet their needs. Oil PSUs are ensuring continued supply of Auto LPG across the country," the readout noted.
"However, some supply constraints are being faced by private operators due to their procurement challenges, which is why lines are being observed at PSU auto LPG pumps. Wherever the autos are dual feed and can use petrol, they are being encouraged to use petrol," it said.
