Govt curtails tenure of two senior IPS officers in CBI
New Delhi: The tenures of two senior IPS officers -- Anish Prasad and Abhay Singh -- at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have been curtailed, according to a Personnel Ministry order issued Wednesday.
Prasad, a 2003 batch IPS officer of Tripura cadre, was reportedly at the centre of controversy involving the CBI's two former top officers -- ex-chief Alok Kumar Verma and the then Special Director Rakesh Asthana.
Both Verma and Asthana had accused each other of corruption.
Prasad, who is at present Deputy Director (Administration) in the central probe agency's headquarters here, had earlier worked in the surveillance unit of the CBI, officials said.
At the time of his tussle with Verma, Asthana had written to Central Vigilance Commission and accused the agency of snooping on his family members, they said.
Singh, a 2002 batch IPS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, was posted in Ranchi.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved premature repatriation of Prasad and Singh with immediate effect, the order said without citing further details.
Both of them were working at the level of Deputy Inspector General (DIG).
While Prasad has been asked to go back to his cadre state of Tripura, the services of Singh has been placed at the disposal of the Union Home Ministry, the order said.
The government had in January curtailed the tenure of four CBI officers -- Asthana, Joint Director Arun Kumar Sharma, Deputy Inspector General Manish Kumar Sinha and Superintendent of Police Jayant J Naiknavare.
CBI Joint Director Praveen Sinha, who was looking after the probe in coal scam cases, has been elevated as the Additional Director, the order said.
Sinha is a 1988 batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre.
Amit Kumar, who was working as Deputy Inspector General in the CBI, has been appointed Joint Director in the CBI.
Kumar, a 1998 batch IPS officer of Chhattisgarh cadre, was working in the agency's policy division.
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.
Philippines president declares national energy emergency amid global fuel supply risks
Manila: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has declared a national energy emergency, citing the “imminent danger” to the country’s fuel supply due to global disruptions linked to the ongoing conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran, Al Jazeera reported.
“The declaration of a state of national energy emergency will enable the government… to implement responsive and coordinated measures under existing laws to address the risks posed by disruptions in the global energy supply and the domestic economy,” Al Jazeera quoted Marcos Jr as saying.
As part of the emergency response, a committee has been formed to ensure the orderly movement, supply, distribution and availability of fuel, food, medicine, agricultural products and other essential goods, he said.
The emergency declaration, which will remain in force for one year, allows the government to procure fuel in advance and take action against hoarding and profiteering.
Authorities are also empowered to take action against the hoarding, profiteering and manipulation of petroleum product supplies.
Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said the country currently has about 45 days of fuel supply based on current consumption. She added that the government is working to procure 1 million barrels of oil from countries within and outside Southeast Asia to build a buffer stock, though uncertainties remain.
Meanwhile, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said the government is in talks with Washington to secure exemptions that would allow for the purchase of oil from countries under US sanctions.
The announcement comes amid rising public discontent. Transport workers, commuters, and consumer groups have planned a two-day strike to protest fuel price hikes and what they call inadequate government response.
Piston, a federation of public transport associations, described the declaration of a national energy emergency as a “superficial band-aid that deliberately ignores the structural roots of the fuel crisis”.
“If the government genuinely intends to protect transport workers and commuters from this geopolitical crisis, it would immediately suspend the Excise Tax and Value-Added Tax on petroleum products to drastically lower prices overnight,” Al Jazeera quoted Piston as saying.
Renato Reyes Jr, of the progressive civil society coalition Bayan, said the declaration “does not address the basic problem of runaway oil prices and [their] effects on the mass transport system and other sectors in the country”.
As part of the government’s mitigation measures, students and workers in some cities are being given free access to bus rides, and the government has started to provide a 5,000 peso subsidy for public transport workers, including motorcycle taxi drivers, to help them cope with rising fuel costs.
