Kerala announces special lottery to raise funds
Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 24: To raise additional funds towards the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) following the floods in Kerala, Finance Minister Thomas Issac on Friday announced a special lottery.
Isaac told the media that each ticket would cost Rs 250 and the draw would take place on October 3. The entire proceeds of the lottery will go to the CMDRF.
"The lottery has been named ‘Ashwas' and there would be a first prize of Rs 1 lakh in each series and Rs 5,000 on 108,000 tickets," said Isaac.
According to a source in the know of things, in all there would 96 lakh tickets that would be printed in nine series.
"The target of this special lottery is to raise Rs 100 crore, which will be the net profit for the state government after meeting all expenses of this special lottery, if all the 96 lakh tickets are sold," said the source who did not wish to be identified.
The floods have killed some 370 people -- since the monsoon rains began on May 29 -- and caused widespread destruction.
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Explosion near CRPF School in Delhi caused by lit cigarette butts: Report
New Delhi: The investigation team that probed the explosion that took place outside the CRPF School in the Prashant Vihar area of the city on October 20 morning has reportedly not found any terror force behind the blast.
The investigation team, consisting of Delhi Police and staff members from central agencies, has stated in its report that cigarette butts thrown by a local resident might have come in contact with industrial waste and have caused the explosion. Circumstantial evidence does not show the incident to have a terror angle to it, reports The Indian Express.
The Delhi Police, the city bomb squad and the fire brigade had rushed to the spot following the explosion, which was initially believed to have been caused by a crude bomb. The forensic experts who inspected the spot hinted at the presence of potassium chlorate, hydrogen peroxide and some electrical wires there. The school wall had been damaged and the windows of a car nearby had shattered in the explosion.
The investigation team scanned the CCTV camera footage and zeroed in on around 10 people questioned. A senior police officer said that a North Delhi-based businessman from Prashant Vihar was found to be present at the spot around five minutes before the explosion, as he had come there on Sunday morning to walk his dog. The CCTV footage showed him smoking and, after questioning him, the team concluded that he had left lit cigarette butts before leaving the spot, the officer added.
The spot where the explosion took place is learned to have been usually used for dumping garbage and also has a public urinal.
An officer has said that the Delhi Police had consulted forensic and technical experts of the National Security Guard regarding the things found on the explosion site but are yet to get the report. The officer added that they have found no detonator so far.
