President's secretary Sanjay Kothari next CVC, ex-IAS officer Julka to be CIC: Officials
New Delhi: Sanjay Kothari, the Secretary to the President, has been selected as the new Chief Vigilance Commissioner by a high-powered committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, officials said on Wednesday.
The committee has also chosen by a majority decision, former Information and Broadcasting Secretary Bimal Julka, currently serving as an Information Commissioner, as the new Chief Information Commissioner in the Central Information Commission.
"Kothari and Julka have been selected as the next CVC and CIC," a senior government official said. Both Kothari and Julka are retired Indian Administrative Service officers.
While Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury opposed the decisions, it was supported by other members in the panel -- Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Minister of State for PMO and Personnel Jitendra Singh, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba and Secretary Personnel C Chandramouli, sources said.
The panel also decided by majority the appointment of Suresh Patel as Vigilance Commissioner and Anita Pandove as Information Commissioner.
The orders related to the appointments are expected to be issued on Wednesday after formal approval from President Ram Nath Kovind, the official said.
The Central Vigilance Commission is an-corruptiom watchdog with autonomous status.
It is free of control from any executive authority and has the responsibility of monitoring all vigilance activities in the Central government besides advising various authorities in planning, executing, reviewing and reforming their vigilance work.
The Central Information Commission was constituted under the Right to Information Act and has the jurisdiction over all central public authorities.
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In ‘dry’ Gujarat, a liquor bottle seized every four seconds: Report
Ahmedabad: In Gujarat, where alcohol prohibition is in place, authorities have seized one bottle of Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) every four seconds in 2024, according to police data.
A total of 82 lakh liquor bottles, valued at Rs 144 crore, were confiscated across the state. Of these, 4,38,047 bottles were seized in Ahmedabad city, Ahmedabad rural, and Western Railways' Ahmedabad jurisdiction, as reported by the Times of India on Tuesday.
Ahmedabad city alone accounted for 2,139 cases involving 3.06 lakh IMFL bottles, while 7,796 cases were linked to the confiscation of 1.58 lakh litres of countrymade liquor.
Authorities seized Rs 9.8 crore worth of IMFL bottles hidden in secret compartments of trucks and godowns in Vadodara rural. Additionally, police uncovered Rs 8.9 crore worth of liquor disguised as household goods in an interstate smuggling operation in Surat rural, added the report.
Navsari recorded a seizure of 6.23 lakh IMFL bottles traced to high-tech manufacturing units in neighbouring states, while Godhra authorities seized liquor worth Rs 8.8 crore. In Bhavnagar, law enforcement intercepted Rs 8.7 crore worth of IMFL and countrymade liquor concealed inside water tanks and beneath fresh vegetables.
A senior official told TOI that these raids serve as a reminder to smugglers that, irrespective of their innovative tactics, they will not be allowed to violate the law. “The message is clear: There's no room for the spirit of lawlessness in the land of Gandhi," the official asserted.
However, a retired Director General of Police (DGP) acknowledged that completely halting liquor smuggling is a massive challenge due to supply chains from neighbouring states. He emphasised the need for stricter action against local breweries to curb illegal liquor distribution.
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