Bengaluru: Former Karnataka Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary on Monday asked the people of the state to not pay electricity bills if their usage is below 200 units and added that women traveling on government buses should also not pay for their travel in the wake of the Congress party’s poll promises.
The Congress in its poll manifesto had promised free electricity for usages of up to 200 units while also promising free travel on government buses for women passengers.
Speaking to media reporters outside the Vidhan Soudha on Monday, Poojary reminded the Congress of its promises and added that if the party fails to fulfill them, the BJP would take the issue up and threatened to protest against the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government if it fails to fulfill its promises within one month.
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He also called on the people of the state who are unemployed to demand Rs. 3000 from the government, another of the five guarantees, the Congress said would offer if it returns to power in the state.
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Ranchi, Apr 4 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate on Friday conducted multi-state searches, including at the premises of the private secretary of former Jharkhand health minister Banna Gupta, as part of a money laundering probe into alleged irregularities in the Centre's Ayushman Bharat scheme, official sources said.
The officials of the federal probe agency raided 21 locations in Jharkhand, Delhi and West Bengal under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said.
Premises linked to Om Prakash Singh, Gupta, apart from that of "key suspects", including consultants and former executives of associated firms, were raided early morning. A security team of central paramilitary personnel accompanied the officials of the federal probe agency.
Locations of officials linked to the Jharkhand State Arogya Society (JSAS), employees and offices of Third-Party Administrators (TPAs) like MD India, Safeway, Medi Assist and their associates were also raided, they said.
There was no immediate response to the ED action by Gupta or his PS.
ED teams raided a house in Mango locality and a nursing home along NH-33 in Jamshedpur city apart from locations in Ashok Nagar and Bariyatu in state capital Ranchi.
In Kolkata, the offices of some "entry operators" or hawala dealers are being raided, the sources said.
The ED, agency sources said, suspects that "proceeds of crime" were generated through systematic "fraud" within the Ayushman Bharat scheme through "manipulation" of hospital empanelment and processing of "fake" claims facilitated by a "nexus" demanding commissions and kickbacks.
Ayushman Bharat is a flagship scheme of the Union government which aims to achieve universal health coverage for citizens.